Alinea- Chicago

I read an article this morning in Gourmet magazine about an up and coming restaurant in Chicago called Alinea. The food itself sounded like most high-end foodie fare of unusual and contrasting tastes and textures, but the novelty behind Alinea is its creative rethinking of presentation and utensils. Martin Kastner, a Czech-born jewelry designer, is working with chef Grant Achatz to produce novel service ware.

I wish I could find a picture of the instrument they use to serve a dish called "PBJ". PBJ is a single grape enveloped in peanut butter and a bread coating not unlike tempura. The grape is hanging off of a vine and suspended in what looks to be like a whisk with the wires cut open at the top.

I love food. I live for good food but I am no foodie and I cannot deal with novel or gimmick restaurants. I simply can't embrace food as entertainment be it high or low brow. I thought the foam cuisine from Spain a few years ago was revolting. I know I should at least try these foods before I pass judgement but something like the foam food violates my basic principles of food attraction.

As far as novelty of food is concerned, the culinary world has always pushed us to move beyond our comfort zones to redefine eating for ourselves. In most cases I agree that it is very important that we try new foods but not before we have an understanding of what food does for us. How can we redefine food and eating for ourselves if most of us have no clue about eating on any level?! Without this fundamental in place, novel cuisine becomes just a high-end food version of "Fear Factor".

I have a hilarious image of my father completely baffled by a tempura cage settled over some pretentious vegan meal. Both my parents agreed to go to a vegetarian restaurant with my husband and I for my 30th birthday. My father stared at this cage for a good 10 minutes trying to figure out what it was and how he should eat it. Practical and completely unselfconscious, my father picked up the cage with his hand, shoved it into his mouth and ate it. Brilliant!