ronnie_suburban wrote:
The family -- dig those gold buttons!

Course after course, the individual dishes that comprised this meal were phenomenal but together, the progression went to another level. The thought, care, skill and super-premium ingredients all combined into something so much greater than just a meal. This really was a case of imagination-to-imagination communication and it's hard to put into words the emotional effect that sharing this meal had on my family.

I was so proud of my son, who'd never been to Alinea before. He'd eaten Nobuo's omakase at Sea Saw in Phoenix, had 20+ courses at Binkley's in Phoenix and had the Grand Tasting menu at moto but Alinea was the one place we weren't entirely sure he was ready for. He ate everything, leaving only parts of 2 courses, which was far better than I thought he'd do. After the meal, he said "dad, that wasn't nearly as 'out there' as I thought it would be." And I think he hit the nail on the head. Alinea isn't really 'out there' because at the end of the day, it's firmly grounded in culinary tradition and delicious food. Form never outpaces function at Alinea. Unlike at so many other high-end restaurants, they ride together at Alinea. There are no gimmicks for gimmicks' sake here. At Alinea, it's all about the food, which never fails to be amazing, inspiring, utterly delicious and meaningfully memorable.