Alinea- can I really sit still for four hours?

Hi- I have a friend coming from out of town who really wants to go to Alinea. I read the other threads and kind of got some important information- like the tour is 4+ hours long, if you get the extended pairings you might be totally blasted and ruined at the end of the meal, etc.

We have plans for after dinner. I am thinking doing the tasting menu might be best. Is the price on the website inclusive of regular wine pairings? Will my friend get enough out of the experience from just the tasting menu? Will we be out of there in under 3 hours and not totally wasted and tired? What time would be optimal to make the reservation-8 pm or so if we have plans for later? Is it super busy then?

Also, how often does the menu change? We are planning for November. And is it still hard to get reservations? Should we book it now?

Thanks for any answers to my barrage of questions!

The cost of wine pairings is in addition to the price of each menu. If you only do the tasting, you should be fine in terms of getting on with your night. If you are worried, you can request to have the pairing split between you and your friend. Also, if you do the tasting, I'm pretty sure you could be out in 3 hours. I think the tasting is a good intro to the restaurant or a nice way to go if you know you'll be back. Obviously the tour gives you a broader experience. There are some pictures of current dishes up on the Alinea thread on egullet right now.

If you'd like to go in November, you should call now. Reservations for November became available at the beginning of this month, so if you'd like a prime time on a weekend, you should call asap.

We did the tour with wine pairings and the dishes were paced quite well -- there was a continuous stream of intriguing things set before us, so the time passed quickly. I did not feel at any point that the evening was "dragging," though it's tough to imagine doing much after a dinner like that.

If you know when you want to go, definitely make reservations now. If plans change, you can cancel.

My wife and I have gone twice, and have done the 12 course meal each time. That took us about three (incredible) hours. I note that 12 really doesn't mean 12, particularly if you show some enthusiasm for the food.

Personally, I wouldn't go for the full show. It is a matter of comfort. I never want to leave a place completely bloated. It tends to ruin the overall experience.

With regard to the wine: Both time, I had the wine pairings. They came up with some really interesting selections. I thought it was a great way to enjoy wine with the meal.

With regard to canceling a reservation -- They will charge you, but then they give you a gift certificate for that amount to use at a later visit. Given the problem that places have with cancellations, I think that is pretty reasonable.

DML wrote:With regard to canceling a reservation -- They will charge you, but then they give you a gift certificate for that amount to use at a later visit. Given the problem that places have with cancellations, I think that is pretty reasonable.

I did not know that. They charge the full amount even if you cancel weeks in advance?

David Hammond wrote:

DML wrote:With regard to canceling a reservation -- They will charge you, but then they give you a gift certificate for that amount to use at a later visit. Given the problem that places have with cancellations, I think that is pretty reasonable.

I did not know that. They charge the full amount even if you cancel weeks in advance?

This post scares the heck out of me. I could of sworn it happened last year, and now I realize it was the year prior. I can't believe that Alinea has been open that long. When you have twins, it screws up your entire time reference.

In any case, a year ago December, my wife made reservations both there and at Avenues for my birthday. I chose Avenues not because it was necessarily a better restaurant [although based on that meal and a few later meals I am a huge fan of Chef GEB] but because I hadn't been there as recently and also because it was a cold December night and Avenues is much closer. Alinea charges us something like $250.00 for the cancelation, which we used about a month later.

Looking back at the time frame, I note that they may have changed policies since then.

DML wrote:My wife and I have gone twice, and have done the 12 course meal each time. That took us about three (incredible) hours. I note that 12 really doesn't mean 12, particularly if you show some enthusiasm for the food.

Personally, I wouldn't go for the full show. It is a matter of comfort. I never want to leave a place completely bloated. It tends to ruin the overall experience.

FWIW, I found the full tour far less filling and bloating than an Italian Beef and fries. It may be twice as many courses, but I'm sure they re-proportion appropriately.

Also, regarding sitting still for that long, our dinner was a briskly paced 3 hours and 45 minutes. But where a similarly long dinner at Louis XIV seemed to drag at times (still wonderful, but there were times it felt as though we'd been at that table FOREVER), I found Alinea somewhat akin to The Aviator -- the quickest three hour movie you'll ever see. With the brisk pacing and constant engagement, the time flies.

I definitely did not find the 24-course to be bloating. It was perfectly paced, and I was not uncomfortable afterwards. I had the wine pairings as well, and we went out afterwards without any problem, tho I'm sure you know your limits.

I wouldn't fear being too full however. It was a phenomenal experience and I'm glad I did the long tasting menu for what is likely my only Alinea experience.

I've been to Alinea many times and have always done the Tour. I think, especially for a single visit, the Tour is the way to go. If you've never done it, it will likely captivate you.

Courses are brought out in very short intervals. You never feel like you're languishing while waiting for the next one. If you order the wine pairings, you can split a single pairing between 2 people if you have concerns that it is too much wine. Generally, the Tour is about 24 courses and there are 15-17 wines, because some wines are paired with multiple courses. The standard wine pairings price out at about 2/3 the price of the Tour. The upgraded pairings are the same price as the Tour.

I agree with what Hammond posted above, however. I cannot foresee doing anything significant with an evening after leaving Alinea. Of course, I've always done the Tour and I am old. Maybe doing the Tasting allows for some after-meal activity, I cannot say.

=R=

I did the tasting menu for my birthday two years ago, and while I would someday like the experience of the tour, I don't think my Alinea visit was deficient in any way. It was a full, rounded evening and definitely in the top three meals I've ever had. You and your friend may have better endurance than I do, but I wasn't in any shape to do anything after the dinner. A meal at Alinea, the first time, I believe, should surprise all of your senses and really make you think about food and taste in an entirely novel way. My dinner companion and I just spent the rest of the evening trying to process what we had experienced. (Also, being a lightweight, the wine pairing with the tasting limited any post-meal activity to something involving sitting.)

I have visited Alnea on two occasions. The first was for the twelve course dinner and the second was the tour. With both, I elected to have wine pairings.

I thought the twelve course meal provided an excellent overview of the kitchen's style and skills. The pairings worked very effectively and I would certainly recommend going that route. FWIW one of my dinner companions did not want all the wine pairings and was offered half pours of the selections. I don't know if they always do this, but it could be an option for you to explore.

My second visit was the tour and while long, the anticipation of each course and the ongng discussion and evaluation of previous courses made for a lively evening. The entire diner lasted between four or five hours but did not leave any of us feeling exhausted.

For me, Alinea is a delicious and theatrical experience. My suggestion would be to savor it as the singular experience for that evening.

Jyoti