Yolk

Let's talk about Yolk. The kids at school seem to love it. I admit it's good value. The portions are gargantuan.

But people. An hour's wait? For this? Honestly. It's hearty, solid, comfort food. But one can aspire to more. A plate of eggs and potatoes can deliver more. Trust me.

Yolk, 1120 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL

Resort Food

In Costa Rica, we ended up staying at this fancy spot called Paradisus Playa Conchal. We found a good deal at this all-inclusive spot that I took to calling the compound for its absurd 2,400 acres and small fleet of roving golf carts.

It's not exactly the ideal spot for getting a sense of "real" Costa Rica, but I was more looking for sunshine, beaches, pools, and comfort. It suited our needs well enough, which is to just book flight and accomodation and not deal with much else.

There are eight restaurants at the compound, and surprisingly I didn't manage to try all of them. Getting a stomach ache for two days and being exceedingly lazy will do that. I will say this for the compound though, all of the water is cleaned and filtered, so one doesn't need to get her panties in a bunch every time she brushes her teeth.

As you can see, some of the restaurants can get rather fancy, and the first night we dined in a place called the Gabi Club. I think my favorite thing about the air conditioned dining options was that I didn't have to worry about mosquitoes sniping at my ankles. I dined at a buffet for lunch, and as the sun sank, the bugs would partake of their own feast.

This is not to say that the compound was particularly buggy. If that's the sort of thing one likes, I can point you to a certain resort in Curacao that will suit you just fine. I'm just particularly delectable to the bloodsucking little buggers. The romance of Twilight notwithstanding, thank goodness vampires aren't real, or I'd be a goner for sure.

The food at Gabi Club is better than your average resort fare, but it certaintly wasn't up to the models it was trying to emulate. The flavor of this tuna tartar was passable, but the tuna itself was stringy as it had not come from an ideal cut, nor had it been properly sliced.

This chocolate mousse was fine, but who doesn't love chocolate mousse? One of our companions has a true sweet tooth, and it was funny watching her each night as she delighted over the dessert menu. It's enjoyable watching someone else's mood considerably perk up over the prospect of something delicious. I know mine often does!

Paradisus Playa Conchal, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Alinea - Eggnog

Dish 29: Eggnog with pedro ximenez, benedictine, buffalo trace

We thought were were done, but then the servers came out with one final dish. The eggnog was in a sphere, whose diameter was just under the width of the shot glass. We tilted our heads way back and led the eggnog sphere and the other liquors drop in, at which point the eggnog shell immediately cracked upon contact flooding our mouths with the reach eggnog flavor intermingling with the heady liquors.

Dinner at Alinea was an amazing experience to say the least. We were able to visit the kitchen afterwards and see the staff cleaning up for the night. Seeing trays of fresh produce reminded me that all the food we had just enjoyed still stemmed from many familiar ingredients, which served to highlight the technical feat that these cooks produce every night.

We had started our evening at 6:30 pm, and it would be 1:30 pm before we walked out the door again. Thank you Alinea, for an amazing evening.

A Quick Hello

Ah I see we are nearing the end of the Alinea adventure. Isn't the chocolate dessert exciting? I feel so lucky to have been privy to a meal that I will remember for years.

I'm sitting in my room in Costa Rica. Yes! Costa Rica! It's the end of my spring break and soon I must head home to Chicago. I hope the Windy City warms up soon because I loved the feeling of hot sun on my shoulders, not to mention the silhouette of a big floppy hat and a swishing white cotton skirt.

And in Chicago, I can be free with my gastronomic wanderings. One meal off the compound, which I have taken to calling this resort, left me with a stomachache for two days! One day I was stuck in bed all afternoon, which meant a precious day of frying my skin was lost. I guess if that is the change that helps me avoid skin cancer, it is some small solace.

One of the good things about being ill is that one remembers the pleasure of simple foods. Plain white rice can be awfully comforting.

Alinea - Chocolate

Dish 28: Chocolate with coconut, menthol, hyssop

Served with Dashe 'Late Harvest' Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley 2007.

Lord this was a fun dish. The bouncing in the seat definitely resumed for this dish. Plus some clapping of the hands and cackles of pure greedy glee.

Grant Achatz and Chef de Cuisine, Dave Beran came out to serve us, but I didn't realize who they were, so I proceeded to act like a 7 year-old high on happiness.


After the pale green, super smooth silicon sheets were rolled out, the chefs placed the various ingredients on the edge of the table.

They poured chocolate into cylinders.

Everything was done with such precision.

Beran was making these beautiful little curlicues, and not knowing that Achatz was Achatz, I ribbed him and asked why he wasn't being as fancy as his partner.

He genially mumbled something about following Beran's lead and made one line of smaller circles. I liked Beran's more.

It was wonderful watching the two of them work and seeing our dessert take shape.

At this point the chefs took out two loaf pans of chocolate chocolate mousse frozen in liquid nitrogen, which they cracked open to create a craggy landscape.

As the mist from the liquid nitrogen rolled out, our "dessert" really started to look like a landscape from outer space. I could imagine the lunar rover navigating over the bumpy terrain.

The chefs placed the final elements on with tweezers.

Who says men can't be careful and precise?

Then the chefs removed the glass cylinders to reveal little pucks of chocolate that remained warm and liquid when we spooned it away later.

We came for my friend's birthday, but we all felt extremely extremely lucky and blessed.

Then the chefs walked away and we dove in with our spoons, scooping a little bit of this with a little bit of that, trying different flavor combinations. A brilliant dish, a delightful experience.

Alinea - Hay

Dish 27: Hay with burnt sugar, coffee, huckleberry

I loved this dish. The serves placed beautiful pillows in front of each of us and then simultaneously placed the plates atop. As the weight of the plates weighed down the pillow, nutmeg scented air wafted up.

Then we ate the components of the dish which was plated on an unconventional dish with multiple undulations. We chased around the ingredients with our utensils, and as this was near the Winter Olympics, the experience reminded me of the Olympic athletes about to go sliding and cruising down some other white slopes.

This dish was paired with Klein Constantia 'Vin de Constance,' South Africa 2004.

I loved the fun of this dish. It managed to delight and bring a smile to our faces even though we had been at the restaurant over five hours at this point.

Alinea - Quince

Dish 26: Quince with hazelnut, bacon, thyme.

This came on a heavy cylindrical pedestal with the single bite speared at the end of a long medal pole. The servers strategically placed it so we could slightly lean in and take the bite without having to use our hands.

Seeing it bob enticingly was both exciting and distracting as we watched the other dessert items arrive.

This was served with Elio Perrone 'Bigaro,' Piemonte 2009

Alinea - Transparency

Dish 25: Transparency of raspberry, yogurt

This was like a crispy fruit roll-up. The servers had trouble placing the item as the delicate transparency would crumble if the servers hand touched it. I love the ingenious serving item - sort of a giant circular paperclip.

Alinea - Bubble Gum

Dish 24: Bubble Gum, long pepper, hibiscus, creme fraiche

We took this as a take on Chinese bubble tea. One consumes the contents of the tube in one enthusiastic and slightly noisy slurp where the tapioca mingles with the other elements for the experience of an American classic in the garb of a modern Chinese favorite.

Alinea - Pound Cake

Dish 23: Pound Cake with strawberry, lemon, vanilla bean

Half a vanilla bean spears this cylinder of pound cake flavored with strawberry and atop a lemon powder. This was a lot of people's favorites. I liked trying to scoop up the lemon powder with my vanilla bean and tasting the strong vanilla flavor with the light lemon one.

Alinea - Lemon Soda

Dish 22: Lemon Soda, one bite

Lemon soda powder encased in an edible cellophane wrapper, it reminded me a bit of "Fun Dip" having a fizzy, effervescent quality once it hits the tongue.

Alinea - Venison

Dish 21: Venison on a fireplace log with pumpernickel and licorice

This was paired with Cesari 'Ripasso Bosan' Valpolicella Superiore, Veneto 2006.

The presentation reminded me of a woodland floor, and I loved the smoky aroma emanating from the log. The charred black trumpet mushrooms turned out to be a good, edible realization of the visual and olfactory components of the dish. Paired with the tender venison and a smear of something that was thick and savory, it made me think of the forest.

Not that I am one to frequent forests of any sort. Which tells you how successful the dish was at suggesting an experience far away from the calm study of the restaurant. Actually, I'm really glad that I went on that chanterelle hunting trip way back when. Even though there weren't any chanterelles in the dish, finding the source of various ingredients does inform one's experience eating them later.

Alinea - Kumquat

Dish 20: Kumquat with rye, peychaud's, demerara

Not enough people know about kumquats. They are wonderful pureed with some tarragon, orange juice, and olive oil for salad dressing. My dad used to preserve them in salt in old mayonnaise jars. Whenever I would start to get a tickle in the back of my throat, he would fish out a preserved kumquat and pour hot water over it for a soothing tea.

Alinea - Elixir Vegetal

Dish 19: Elixir Vegetal, sugar cube, fennel, lemon

These "cocktails" came out in a trio of three. Extremely intense, condensed flavors, a good turning point in the meal.

Alinea - Passion Fruit

Dish 18: Passion Fruit with rum, cranberry, orange

Super boozy, a bit of a kick to wake one up two-thirds of the way through.

Alinea - Filet de Boeuf

Dish 17: Filet de Boeuf, godard

Even though this was the only dish we had that was not an Alinea-original creation, it was one of my favorites. The dish comes from Escoffier, who transformed cooking in the early 20th century, much the same way that Achatz and Ferran Adrià are attempting now with molecular gastronomy.

Everything was served on beautiful antique serving ware. The wine pairing was Domaine Saint Martin Fixin-Hervelets 1er Cru, Cote de Nuits 2005.

I just loved this. The filet of wagyu beef and the quenelle of truffle were a joy to come back to again and again as I ate the dish slowly, with tiny bites, to make the experience last as long as possible.

Alinea - Sturgeon

Dish 16: Sturgeon with potato, leek, smoke.

Served with Radikon 'Oslavje,' Venezia-Giulia 2002

A lovely, lovely, plate. Not mind blowing, but beautifully executed and a joy to eat. Two or three small pieces of wonderfully cooked sturgeon sat amidst various ribbons and dollops of supporting flavors: potato and leek purees, a ribbons of apple, celery and potato. For a discussion of the evolution of this dish, go here.

Alinea - Goose

Dish 15: Goose with stuffing, prune, juniper aroma.

The best part of this dish was the aroma. These bowls with a very deep well came with warm branches of juniper. Speared onto one twig was goose tempura . It was deeply satisfying to lean over and deeply inhale the scent of juniper and think of Christmas.

The goose tempura itself did not do it for e. The goose was chewy, and the tempura batter a bit heavy and actually greasy. I don't know how they do things in an Alinea kitchen, but if I were anywhere else, I would have guessed that the oil wasn't at a hot enough temperature. An unfortunate disappointment.

Alinea - Hot Potato

Dish 14: Hot Potato with cold potato, black truffle, butter.

Paired with Bruno Paillard 'Premiere Cuvee' Brut Rose, Reims

A study in temperatures. A hot potato soup rests in a small paraffin wax bowl. Spearing the bowl is a needle with a ball of cold potato topped with a slice of black truffle, and a tiny cube of butter and cheese. One pulls the needle from the bowl, allowing the other elements to drop into the soup. Then tip it towards your mouth and enjoy the different flavors, temperatures, and textures .

Alinea - Foie Gras

Dish 13: Foie Gras with pear, white wine, allspice.

The kitchen dehydrated and rehydrated pear to create a concentrated puree that sat at the bottom of the dish, which was then covered with foie gras carpet, which was essentially foie gras terrine that had been pushed through some sort of sieve to create the tuft-like texture. Topping the dish were three thin slices of candied pear.

Though foie gras is often paired with fruit, I can't remember having it with pear, and it was a delight to try it with the new accompaniment. The foie gras melted in the mouth with the pear puree which retained the granular texture of the fruit.

This was paired with Reinhold Haart 'Piesporter Goldtropfchen' Riesling Auslese, Mosel 2002.

Alinea - Bacon

Dish 12: Bacon with butterscotch, apple, thyme.

Can I say that writing this on an early Sunday morning (I pre-post) shivering in one's nightgown, pre-breakfast, and reliving this dinner is I've decided a special breed of torture? Okay I put on some socks and a robe, you would have thought I would have done that earlier. I may have an adult age, but I certainly haven't managed to attain adult sensibilities fully.

Back to the food, the bacon arrived on one of Alinea's famous serving platforms, and it rested on our table seesawing gentle as the translucent, dehydrated bacon, wrapped in a ribbon of butterscotch, hung from a wire. We pulled the bacon off the wire and ate a caramel sweet bacon bite.

This dish was paired with Vinhos Barbeito/Rare Wine Co. 'Charleston Sercial' Reserve Madeira.