Alinea - wine pairings?

Hoping for input from the experts...

My husband has surprised me with reservations at Alinea to celebrate our one-year anniversary tomorrow.
1. Any idea how long we should expect? I've seen estimates on the site from 2.5 - 4 hours.
2. Wine pairings - yes or no? Feedback seems to range widely - I'm wondering if anyone has been there recently and has feedback? If money was no object, I'm sure we'd both order them - but sadly, it is.

If there's any other advice (other than not to read too much!) that anyone can offer, it would be much appreciated - many thanks!

1) Much closer to 4 hours than 2.5. You're paying for the evening and the experience, why not savour it.
2) You can always ask for petite pairings, which is essentially splitting the regular pairing. At most places, we usually opt to just get a nice bottle, but at Alinea we do enjoy the pairings.

Advice: don't stress out about time and other stuff, just enjoy yourselves!

Thx - if the pix turn out I will post!

We did a 12 course with pairing 18 months ago. We did not think that the wine was well matched. We knew some of the wines, much to the disappointment of the serving staff who presented some as extraordinarily rare and then were even more conservative with the pourings.

Anyone know the cost of a non alcoholic pairing at Alinea?

I think I saw something about prices changing recently, so your best bet is to call the restaurant and get the most current information.

I personally, would always opt for the pairings at Alinea. I think they're brilliant. My wife and I usually split a pairing but occasionally we each get our own.

Enjoy!

=R=

DrkDragon wrote:Anyone know the cost of a non alcoholic pairing at Alinea?

as of about 6 months ago, they had no non-alcoholic pairings, just a few housemade sodas. they were ok, but not anything special. i'd just drink water if you don't want to drink booze.