Nine years ago, I cornered Grant Achatz in the middle of a New York restaurant to say hello, and he didn’t flinch when I loudly asked him, “Are you Grant uh-CAHTS?”. To make amends for butchering his name, I read his book. Twice. Two years later, when I needed to fly to Chicago to interview for graduate school, I picked my interview date based on when I could get a reservation at @nextchicago , which was serving an earlier @alinearestaurant menu (2011-2015), then proceeded not to attend a networking event at said school in favor of dinner.

Said school eventually did not extend an offer for admission, but Next kindly accommodated a solo diner and delivered an experience to remember. While the first thing I recall is @ed.tinoco inviting me, an unknown guest, to his gleaming kitchen, showing me my ticket, and astutely pointing out that I did not once get up from my seat to visit the bathroom, the second is the food: nineteen courses that deliver equal parts theater and elemental pleasure. I liked good theater, and still do, and while I cannot vouch for the state of Alinea today, my visit to Next is my closest analog. I do not doubt that Alinea’s spirit of innovation is alive and well. The ‘hot and cold’ potato would still hit hard, as would the Pollock-esque dessert course; both of them making diners like me feel like a real-life Charlie in Achatz’s Willy Wonka-esque gastronomic factory.

We deserve a restaurant like Alinea as much as we deserve chefs who keep pushing when the map says stop. So, two stars on a list; three stars in my book.

Photos are from my visit in Nov 2018.