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......

The Day After: Don't expect to see foie gras back on menus immediately after the repeal of the ban yesterday. The earliest that's going to happen will be June 11th. What did leave a bad aftertaste was the end-around used to repeal the ban and how Mayor Daley put Alderman Joe Moore's dick in the dirt in the process. If you don't know after that why Daley is often referred to here as "His......

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.......

Photo by Deltaspy 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.] Police are investigating the human remains discovered in Downers Grove but so far can't establish age, race, or how long ago the man died. [Trib] Alinea won Restaurants & Institutions magazine’s Ivy Award, which is a......

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). Bowles told Dish that he's looking to create "redefined dining." Gone will be the restraints he faced making progressive cuisine in a hotel fine dining atmosphere, replaced by a......