Results tagged “alinea”

The tech website Gizmodo has been a home this week for Alinea's Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas as they offered their opinions on food and technology. Part of that has included live-streaming menu planning sessions and kitchen prep. Tonight they'll be broadcasting dinner service live from the kitchen starting at 8:45 p.m. To view, remember this link or visit Gizmodo.

The expansion of the Alinea brand continues unabated. Now Achatz, Kokonas and company are opening their daunting wine cellar and selling wine subscriptions. In addition to rare selections hand-picked by Alinea sommelier Joe Catterson, Alinea:Oenophilia subscribers will also receive tasting notes, recipes for pairings (all the more reason to break out the Anti-griddle), and a "welcome kit" containing a bottle of Laurent-Perrier brut champagne, a pair of Rona Artist champagne flutes and a cork and card presenter from designer Martin Kastner.

When it comes to Alinea and Grant Achatz, what is understood need not be discussed. So let's let two minutes of video and this review do the talking, instead:

Alinea chef grant Achatz has sold a book proposal of his battle with Stage IV tongue cancer to Gotham Books. Tentatively titled Life, On the Line (a play on words referencing both Achatz's well-documented cancer struggle and the daily grind of a chef in the kitchen), the book is a dual-voiced narrative alternating between Achatz's first-hand account and the perspective of his fight from Alinea partner Nick Kokonas. [NYT Dining Journal]

• As if people don't eat enough while on a cruise, imagine if that cruise was geared toward food lovers and featured...Paula Deen. Holy crap. Survivors are given a norovirus to help them lose the weight they've gained. We're just going to say this. On the record. We're shocked that woman isn't larger.
• Read this to find out which Chicago food maven sent this via Twitter: "Quote of night (from girl): 'I would rape every guy in that family and use their tears as lube' ... Saturday night crowds are frightening!" Oh, and while you're there, check out this entry that says Spencer and Heidi Pratt may have been snubbed at Alinea.
• Gloji juice. In a lightbulb! We hate or simpleminded love of the packaging. WHY do we love all things shiny?

The annual James Beard Award winners were announced over two nights in New York. Despite some strong showings from local chefs, media and restaurateurs, the ceremonies turned into a case of "It was an honor just being nominated."

S. Pellegrino's list of the worlds 50 best restaurants was released today. Alinea was recognized as the 10th best restaurant in the world, its first entry into the top ten, an 11-point rise over last year. (h/t Nagrant)

Grant Achatz started his rise to chef superstardom at the long lamented Trio in Evanston, which also served as a proving ground for Rick Tramonto, Gale Gand, Shawn McClain and Dale Levitski.

In another interview with indieWIRE, Cutler gives a few more insights into the film.

Say you're Nick Kokonas, partner in Alinea and Daddy Warbucks to Grant Achatz's Little Orphan Annie, and you want to do something slightly different with the Thanksgiving turkey. Do you brine it? Deep fry it? Grind it and turn it into a giant pot pie?

     

Found this waiting on my doorstep last night. It's the long-awaited Alinea book. And wouldn't you know, it's a monolith. I was literally afraid to touch it for fear that I might have a mindsplosion.

What have the intrepid local food writers and bloggers of Our Town and elsewhere been up to this week?

The saying goes, "It ain't bragging if you can back it up." It's also been a while since we've visited Alinea, both the restaurant proper and as a news item. This look inside the kitchen is a nicely detailed look at what goes on behind the scenes.

Alinea's Grant Achatz won James Beard's most coveted prize of Outstanding Chef last night at New York City's Lincoln Center. The awards, aptly described as the Oscars of the culinary world, are named after famed American chef James Beard and seek to call attention to the country's best of the best in all things culinary. Julie Child said of James Beard, "Beard was the quintessential American cook. Well-educated and well-traveled during his eighty-two years, he was familiar with many cuisines but he remained fundamentally American."

The S. Pellegrino list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants was announced yesterday. Both Alinea and Charlie trotter's made the cut: the House of Achatz settles in at #21 while Trotter's lands at #38. What is notable about the two restaurants' inclusion on the lsit is that Alinea jumped up fifteen spaces from its debut on last year's list, while Trotter's fell eight spots.

The Sun-Times takes a look at "elimination communication," a technique some parents are using to toilet train their very young children. Perhaps you read about it. In the New York Times. In 2005. [S-T, NYT.]

Some chef news for you: Monday both Chicago Mag's Dish and TOC broke the news that Avenues' Graham Elliot Bowles will be leaving the AAA five-diamond award winning restaurant in April to open a new restaurant in the former Harvest on Huron space (217 W. Huron).