21st Century Limited: EMP at Alinea... All Aboard!

Alinea is my favorite restaurant and Eleven Madison Park (EMP) is my second favorite, so when the two engaged in a joint venture dubbed 21st Century Limited I was beyond excited. The astronomical price tag ($495 per/person which includes food, reserve alcohol pairings, water service and coffee/tea service - but not tax or gratuity) initially deterred me and I did not purchase tickets (despite my wife doing her best to convince me otherwise). We serendipitously happened to have a trip to New York scheduled for last week (in between Alinea at EMP and EMP at Alinea), so felt as though dining at EMP in New York would more than suffice. Well, we ended up having such an amazing time there - my wife said the meal tied for her favorite meal ever (with Goosefoot) and my meal there was my second favorite (with my prior meals at Alinea coming in at number one and Next, Goosefoot and El Ideas and rounding out my top five). Yesterday afternoon we noticed Nick Kokonas (co-owner of Alinea) send a tweet that same day tickets were available for Alinea @ EMP and I decided to throw caution to the wind and throw my hat in for the most expensive (but also most memorable) meal of my life. I sat by my phone filled with anticipation like I used to do during my single days when I would be waiting on a woman I liked to call me back about asking her out on a date; about an hour later I received a phone call from Alinea offering us the tickets! I initially had mixed emotions (was super excited about the experience, but extremely apprehensive about having dropped so much money on a single dinner); my wife however was ecstatic and seeing her so happy helped me loosen some up about the cost.

We had a little drama arriving to Alinea; we were taking the Halsted bus, but typical Chicago road construction had the entire street (and much of the neighborhood) torn up and the bus was barely moving. We ended up needing to walk two miles dressed to the nines to make it on time (I was still in too much sticker shock from the cost of the tickets to splurge on a cab)! We arrived about ten minutes early and a magical experience immediately ensued. Walking down Alinea's long, whimsical hallway we were greeted with the sound of a train whistle (coinciding with the 21st Century Limited theme to the join venture). As we entered the restaurant we were ushered to a bar that had been constructed just for this event right outside the kitchen (Alinea is wine only as Chef Achatz believes that hard alcohol dampens one taste of the food, but EMP has a full bar - so since Alinea was being converted into EMP for the week a bar was constructed). At the bar we were served a Beefeater gin based cocktail titled a 20th Century Cocktail. In addition to the bar being constructed, lots of decor from EMP had been shipped to Chicago; there were signs pertaining to Miles Davis (which are prominent in EMP's kitchen), wall hangings of spades and clubs (symbolic of EMP) and all of EMP's serving pieces and even their Manhattan cart (actually sister restaurant Nomad's cart with the plating changed to silver to match EMP's colors) was at Alinea. It was so surreal being inside of Alinea but having such an EMP vibe.

It turned out that our table had not yet been turned, so we ended up waiting approximately forty minutes in the bar area; this actually was a good thing as we were able to view Chefs Humm and Achatz in the kitchen, chat with some of the highly personable EMP staff (including Will - the General Manager and Leo - the Bar Manager), and Leo made us some great cocktails as we waited. Eventually we were ushered upstairs to our table for the start of a sixteen course feast (and it was a feast; EMP has larger than normal portions of a lengthy tasting menu - you definitely leave stuffed)!

Alinea and EMP are both known not just for high end an uber creative food, but having the best staff in the business. While my wife and I do not have any food allergies, we each have some aversions and this at times can make tasting menus challenging as some restaurants are reluctant to make substitutions (or make them, but there is a noticeable drop in quality). One of our favorite aspects of dining at EMP in New York was that at the start of the meal your primary sever (Captain) speaks with you about not just allergies, but your likes and dislikes and then adjusts the menu accordingly with flawless execution and no drop in quality. Our Captain in NY had joked with us about some of the crazy items some people purport to be allergic to rather than just saying that they dislike something (he mentioned one person claiming to be allergic to salt and another to green foods as the wildest he had heard). I had expected that last night would be no substitutions due to EMP operating in Alinea's kitchen with limited supplies - just serving their regular menu was already such an undertaking under these circumstances! We were pleasantly surprised when our Captain eagerly listened to our food aversions (game meat, organ meat and honey for my wife and foods with a vinegar smell for me) and made everything just to our liking. They even offered to try and redo one dish for my wife that she did not like (out of sixteen courses I enjoyed every single one and there was only that one that my wife disliked; not bad at all)!

Out of the sixteen courses five were different than I had consumed the prior week in New York, due in part to EMP in NY having a grid menu where for four courses you pick the primary ingredient out of four choices, but in Chicago they were operating with a fixed menu (aside from accommodating allergies and aversions). The following is a photo summary of the sixteen courses and our experience (both in NY and Chicago) - note that some of the NY and Chicago pictures look different for the same course; this is do to three factors - there were some actual differences, there were some different substitutions made to accommodate my aversion to vinegar across the two venues and some just has to do with the lighting and camera angle (the lighting was far better in NY for pictures as Alinea is much darker and intimate with multiple small dining rooms whereas EMP has a grand ambiance with vast ceilings and one large room - because of the lighting issue the NY pictures generally look much better, but believe me, in Chicago the plating was as aesthetically pleasing to the naked eye):

Standing outside EMP in New York last week:


Make shift bar built inside Alinea for EMP at Alinea - this is where we hung out while waiting for our table:


EMP in NY's Bar:


EMP also has a Manhattan Cart that they roll up tableside; they give you a map of New York with symbols in different locations and a type of Manhattan named after each of the locations with differing ingredients. You pick the one you like best and the bartender makes it tableside. The cart is beautiful and this is such a fun concept and awesome Manhattans too! I really wish Chef Achatz would cave on his aversion to hard alcohol pairing with food and implement something similar at Alinea!


We had a perfect view of the kitchen; in this shot Chef Humm and Chef Achatz are together:


My wife opening the Amuse Bouche at EMP in NY - a gift of a savory Black & White cookie (white is goat cheese, black is truffle); EMP's menu has an overriding theme of classic New York foods, drinks and experiences:


Our Black & White cookie at EMP at Alinea:


The cookies (you receive a sweet version as a take home gift at the end of the meal as well as a couple other treats):


Sea Urchin Course at EMP at Alinea:


Same Course in New York:


Cranberry Course at EMP at Alinea:


Same Course In New York:


Cucumber Ice Course in Chicago:


Cucumber Ice in NY:


Foie Gras Course (NY photo only, Chicago one did not come out well):


First Part of Sturgeon Course - Served inside an actual eggshell (NY photo only):


Second Part of Sturgeon Course - Sturgeon smoked tableside (Chicago):


Sturgeon in NY:


Sturgeon Plated - When the dome is pulled up, there is a wonderful aroma of smokiness. The freshly smoked sturgeon is served with caviar sitting atop cream cheese and a deconstructed everything bagel with a halved quail egg, this was one of our favorite courses both in NY and Chicago. Picture from Chicago:


Photo from NY of sturgeon with the dome off - the portion was more generous in NY, in Chicago there was half as much fish:


Bread Service - Following the Sturgeon Course you are delivered some of the best tasting rolls I have ever consumed. They are delivered warm and accompanied by two types of butter (one that is almost like a goat cheese butter) and salt (only took picture of this in NY):



Beet Course (Served to my wife only - they substituted an entirely different dish for me because the beet is pickled in vinegar):


Parsnip Course (my substitution for the Beet Course):


Langoustine Course (in NY I had this for the equivalent of the beet/parsnip course):


Carrot Tartare - The most fun of all the courses and extremely tasty to boot; it is whole carrots turned into tartare tableside and you doctor it up with all sorts of fixings. In NY it was served by a regular server but in Chicago it was served by Chef's Humm and Achatz (as we had a late seating, Chef Achatz had left by the time we received this course, so Chef Humm brought a different EMP chef with him to our table):



Photos from NY of this course:



Lobster Course (Chicago):


Lobster Course (NY):


In New York my wife had a Deconstructed Baked Potato instead of lobster:


Clambake Course - This course was not served during our NY trip, so we were very happy to experience it in Chicago:


This course is also served with a clam based soup (below) poured from a pot sitting atop seaweed and some rocks with one of them edible and tasting like clam flavored bread (not pictured):


Roast Suckling Pig with Bone Marrow Course (we had a Peking duck for this course in NY):


Duck Course in NY - First they bring the whole duck tableside, then they bring you a salad with duck heart and finally some duck breast:




The transition from savory to sweet starts with another of our favorite courses - a cheese course delivered in a picnic basket with a homemade pretzel roll, grapes, excellent cheese, a wheat beer made special for EMP (the beer is outstanding) and mustard (they actually brought me a special bottle of vinegar free mustard)! You also receive an EMP logo'd bottle opener to open the beer and the plate looks like a paper plate you would use while taking a picnic. Awesome, whimsical course! Picnic basket in Chicago:

Contents of basket in Chicago:

Picnic basket in NY:

Special EMP beer:


While in New York we were invited into the kitchen for a tour during the Picnic Course and were made a gin cocktail frozen with liquid nitrogen that had pop rocks mixed in. We were beaming from this experiencing and were so grateful to receive the kitchen tour and cocktail (which tasted incredible):



Liquid Course - This was different in Chicago and NY. In Chicago a beverage cart is brought tableside and a deconstructed Manhattan is made via turning Rye into sorbet via liquid nitrogen and cherries into meringue via liquid nitrogen. Really fun, whimsical, cool experience and the drink was amazing. In New York an Egg Cream soda (non alcoholic) is made tableside.
Chicago:



New York:



Milk 'n Honey Course: My dessert was different in Chicago and New York. Both were great, but I enjoyed the Chicago one best; it was milk sorbet filled with honey with bee pollen sprinkled on top. The cold was comforting after a lengthy meal and the honey and milk was a great blend of textures and sweetness without being overly sweet:


Pistachio: My dessert course in NY featured several preparations of pistachio:


Cheesecake Course - Picture from NY; they looked fairly similar but Chicago picture was poor quality (the booze was setting in)!


Chocolate & Magic Show: The final two courses involve chocolate. First your Captain performs a magic trick (when I had heard about this, I had thought it sounded tacky, but is actually turned out to be a lot of fun). A deck of cards has various flavors and you pick a card and the Captain pulls up a covering and the chocolate underneath happens to be the flavor of the card you pulled. My wife loves bacon and saw a card had bacon on it, but pulled something else. As an example of the outstanding service EMP has, in Chicago she early on mentioned that when it came time for the card trick, she was hoping to have bacon chocolate (in reality the card trick is rigged and there is no bacon chocolate available). Our Captain actually informed the kitchen about my wife's request and had the kitchen prepare chocolate covered bacon and rigged the card game so that she drew the bacon card (I am still trying to figure out how she did this - but both of us were really touched by how far EMP staff goes to make you feel special - the Alinea staff if nearly as good at this, but I think EMP is even one small step up in terms of having the best staff my wife and I have ever encountered at a restaurant).
Photos From Chicago:


Photos from NY:



Finally a second presentation of chocolate in the form of a pretzel; there is a white and dark chocolate component; this is served with some apple brandy even if you do not order the alcohol pairing (picture from NY, we forgot to take on in Chicago):



Afterwards you are presented with some take home gifts including a copy of the menu (in Chicago it was signed by Chefs Humm and Achatz), a deck of the cards from the magic trick, a jar of granola and a savory version of the Black & White cookie amuse bouche (picture taken in NY only):


Proof of how big a fan I am of Alinea - I named my kitten Alinea:


Overall the evening was a huge success and my wife and I had a blast. My only two complaints are rather small; I actually felt there was too much alcohol served (of course I did not have to consume everything brought to me, but much of it was so good that I wound up drinking most of it and definitely felt it this morning)! The other beef is that because our reservation was late, by the time we had finished our feast Chefs Humm and Achatz had already left the premises; some of my friends who dined early had wonderful pictures taken in the kitchen standing between Humm and Achatz and I would have been thrilled to have had that opportunity; it would have made a great keepsake of the night.

While I still am having a hard time digesting the cost of the meal (though it is understandable as the cost to EMP of transporting their staff, serving pieces and decor to Chicago I am sure was astronomical and reportedly EMP and Alinea took a loss financially on the project), the experience is one I will never forget. They did an amazing job recreating EMP in Chicago; while Alinea's dining room renders a completely different vibe than the dining room at EMP, in all other regards this was exactly like dining at EMP and it felt very much like our experience in New York last week. Service was the best we have ever received (aside from our meal at EMP at New York where it was just as good) and the food was nearly the best we have ever received (my two regular meals at Alinea have been just slightly better IMHO, though my wife actually preferred the EMP cuisine over Alinea). I feel extremely fortunate to have been able to have enjoyed Alinea before, EMP in New York and now EMP in Chicago. These are both such special, phenomenal restaurants and right up my alley in terms of the style of cuisine and type of experience I most enjoy. I look forward to dining again at Alinea in December for my birthday and hope to return to New York to dine again at EMP at some point next year. A big thanks to Chefs Achatz and Humm for collaborating on this amazing project and to all the incredible staff at Alinea and EMP for providing my wife and I with such an unforgettable experience.

Haven't eaten at EMP or Alinea, but it all looks great. How nice of you to prepare such a detailed, thoughtful write-up. That sturgeon on a bagel looks unbelievable!

Thanks for the compliment! The meal was so incredible, I felt it deserved a thorough write up (I just wish some of the Chicago pictures had come out better, but I dd not want to use a flash and disrupt the ambiance for others). The sturgeon really was unbelievable. So much going on with that course, and all in a good way! Hope you have the opportunity to dine at EMP or Alinea at some point; hefty price tag, but well worth it for the experience.

Thanks for me as well for this - I had seen the video that announced the travels of both restaurants and was so charmed. It's such a treat to see the results and read your great comments.

Sounds completely worth it for the memories you'll have.

Nicely written Gonzo - love the attention to detail and although I'm not QUITE as high on EMP as I am on Alinea and a few other spots there is no doubt their service is second to none.

What a terrific write up! So heart felt and enthusiastic, I loved reading it. My partner and I dined at EMP @ Alinea last night and loved every bit of it as well. That carrot tartare dish is my nomination for best new dish of 2012!

Thanks for the great post.

having also went i also wondered the rest of the night (and into today) how they did the card trick.

Really thoughtful documentation. Well done.

Great and fascinating post; thanks! We couldn't swing EMP at Alinea but did visit in NYC about three weeks ago and so it was enlightening not only to read your report on what EMP "did" at Alinea, but to read your take on EMP as well. (For those who might be interested, I posted our take on EMP here).

Gorgeous pics! The duck course looks incredible!

so is this the menu currently at Alinea? It looks like I might go this evening.

(BTW, thanks for the writeup)

Sweet Willie wrote:so is this the menu currently at Alinea? It looks like I might go this evening.

(BTW, thanks for the writeup)

no this was only for a week, Alinea is currently serving their own stuff.

dudefella wrote:no this was only for a week, Alinea is currently serving their own stuff.

thanks for the quick reply

Jean Georges asks the burning question....

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1078217435001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAvq6IJEE~,Ijoby_EdaVQvhutJ0yPjdbTSKOzShOU2&bctid=1974389187001