Alinea - Mosaic: Replying To When Another Chef Comes to Dinner - Alinea - Mosaic

Guest, on 08 December 2009 - 03:33 PM, said:

the thai distillation for this menu was a course on its own.

Renn, on 08 December 2009 - 09:24 PM, said:

but they are "Wafer Thin" !

I'd like to hear how Chef Liebrandt prevented himself from exploding after being put through that gauntlet of pleasures...

I only counted 36 on the menu image?

ChristianSeel, on 07 December 2009 - 01:50 PM, said:

The dinner went well and I was quite happy with the fireplace log course. The aroma was amazing and visually I love placing organic material on the table, it is a nice contrast to the serviceware designed by Crucial Detail. Chef Liebrandt's menu was 37 courses long if you count every composition. We served this menu to two other tables since we had all the mise en place at hand.

While the log was definitely a fun course and will prove to be a highlight of the winter menu this year, the expanded 7 course cocktail block was the most exciting for me. We served each of the one bites on Martin's sectional serve piece. Placing them in a straight line 12 and 6 o'clock from the diners perspective we created the progression based on the flavor intensity of each bite. Visually it is stunning to see all of the different colors, shapes, and textures juxtaposed.

Whenever we introduce new concepts to the menu it is difficult for the kitchen to adjust. Last night was no different. The entire second seating was tour menus and all three of the tables receiving the 37 course menu arrived within 20 minutes of each other.(Some came early and some late)Its a pretty comical scene to watch 25 cooks jumping around each other with tweezers and blowtorches.

Some of the highest regarded VIP's to walk through the doors of restaurants are not the journalists, reviewers, and michelin inspectors that you might expect, but other Chefs and industry workers. They are our colleagues, confidants, competitors and sympathizers. They know the dedication, hard work and sacrifice that it takes to do what we do. For these reasons, these individuals often receive different treatment. This can mean closely watching everything going out and coming back to the kitchen, an onslaught of extra courses, a few tricks up the sleeve, or just a personal touch.



Martin Kastner recalled a dinner at Gilt with Chef Achatz, that Chef Paul Liebrandt was very attentive and kept peeking out of the kitchen to see if they were enjoying their courses. Last night, Chef Achatz personally prepared a menu for the highly respected Chef/Owner of Corton Restaurant in NYC.



Liebrandt flew in to Chicago for the purpose of eating at Alinea and carries with him, a long trail of stars. Some from working with michelin heavy-hitters Marco Pierre White, Raymond Blanc, and Pierre Gagnaire as well as some of his own - in 2010 Corton was awarded 2 stars in the Michelin red guide.



Here Chef Achatz tests a new dish on potentially one of the toughest of critics. He prepares birch logs for a new course - Venison, fireplace log, pumperknickel, juniper.

During the recent menu meetings we identified the fireplace as a seasonal association with winter. So what does a fireplace smell like? The smokiness of a campfire is a summer aroma, and the burning of leaves, fall. The fireplace has a cleaner smell without smoke. We char the logs heavily on the flat top and remove the charred bits and sand them down to create a presentation surface.





We will introduce the new venison dish into the menu this coming wednesday...