Alinea (restaurant)

Alinea is a restaurant in Chicago, Illinois, United States. In 2010, Alinea was awarded three stars by the Michelin Guide.[1][2] Since the closing on December 20, 2017 of Grace, Alinea remains the only Chicago restaurant with three Michelin stars.[3][4]

Alinea
The exterior of the restaurant is nondescript.
Restaurant information
EstablishedMay 4, 2005 (2005-05-04)
Owner(s)Grant Achatz
Nick Kokonas
Head chefGrant Achatz
Food typeMolecular gastronomy
Rating3 Michelin stars (Michelin Guide)
Street address1723 North Halsted St.
CityChicago
StateIllinois
CountryUnited States
Coordinates41°54′48″N 87°38′54″W
Websitewww.alinearestaurant.com

History

The restaurant opened on May 4, 2005, and takes its name from the symbol alinea, which is featured as a logo.

Co-owner Nick Kokonas wrote of the restaurant's name, Alinea literally means "off the line". The restaurant's symbol, more commonly known as the pilcrow, indicates the beginning of a new train of thought, or a new paragraph. There's a double meaning: on one hand, Alinea claims to represent a new train of thought about food, but as a restaurant, everything still has to come "off the line".[5]

In October 2008, chef and owner Grant Achatz and co-author Kokonas published Alinea, a hardcover coffee-table book featuring more than 100 of the restaurant's recipes.

In January 2016, the Alinea Group, the owner of Alinea, bought Moto restaurant in Chicago.[6]

On January 1, 2016, Alinea closed temporarily for renovations.[7] The restaurant planned to operate pop-up restaurants worldwide[8] before reopening on May 20, 2016 after an extensive remodel and overhaul of the menu.[9]

In May 2016, Alinea and its chef and owner Grant Achatz were featured in the Netflix show Chef's Table. The innovative food of Alinea and the journey of Achatz to renowned chef were highlighted.[10]

In 2020, Alinea served diners from a rooftop when all indoor dining was closed in Illinois during the coronavirus pandemic. The menu included a canapé shaped like the SARS‑CoV‑2 virus. Alinea Group co-owner Nick Kokonas stated the appetizer was "meant to provoke discomfort, conversation, and awareness" but some diners described it as "tacky", "disrespectful", and "insensitive".[11][12]

Awards and honors

Alinea received the AAA Five Diamond Award, the highest level of recognition given by the AAA, from 2007 to 2017. It ranked ninth on the S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants List, second only to Eleven Madison Park in the US. As of 2017, Alinea is the only Michelin Guide 3-star restaurant in Chicago.[13] Alinea received the 2016 James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Restaurant.[14]

In 2016, Alinea was ranked 15th among the World's 50 Best Restaurants, an increase of 11 spots from 2015.[15] In October 2016, TripAdvisor named it the number one fine dining restaurant in the United States, and one of the 10 best restaurants in the world.[16]

In the 2017 list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants, Alinea was ranked 21st in the world. In the 2018 list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants, Alinea was ranked 34th in the world.[17] In the 2019 list, Alinea was ranked 37th in the world.[18]

See also

References
  1. Davey, Monica (November 16, 2010). "A Hurried Announcement for a New Michelin City". The New York Times. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  2. Sifton, Sam (November 17, 2010). "At Alinea, Three Stars Come With a Mischievous Taste of Autumn". The New York Times. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  3. Severson, Kim (December 20, 2017). "Grace, A Celebrated Chicago Restaurant, Closes After its Founders Leave". New York Times.
  4. Michelin trims star list to 25 restaurants for Chicago Reuters October 20, 2017
  5. "Thought for Food: Alinea's Reinvention of Cooking and Eating". Gizmodo. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  6. "Moto Restaurant Sold to Alinea Group After Chef Homaro Cantu's Death". 5NBC Chicago. January 22, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  7. Todd, Anthony (October 13, 2015). "Alinea Is Closing For Renovations And Taking Chef Achatz On The Road". Chicagoist. Archived from the original on May 4, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  8. Pang, Kevin (October 13, 2015). "Alinea closes for renovation Jan. 1, plans pop-ups in Madrid and Miami". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing Company. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  9. Freeman, Sarah (May 19, 2016). "Alinea 2.0: Reinventing One of the World's Best Restaurants". Chicago Eater. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  10. McGinn, Brian (May 27, 2016), Grant Achatz, Chef's Table, retrieved September 24, 2021
  11. Alinea Pop-Up Closed After Staffer Tests Positive For Coronavirus — Days After COVID-19 Canapé Backlash Bob Chiarito, blockclubchicago.org July 11, 2020
  12. Coronavirus-inspired dish at Alinea draws backlash. Chef Grant Achatz explains his intent. Grace Wong, Chicago Tribune, July 10, 2020
  13. PR Newswire Michelin Releases Fourth Edition Of Its Famed Guide To Chicago's Great Restaurants, November 12, 2013
  14. "Awards Search | James Beard Foundation". www.jamesbeard.org.
  15. Sutton, Ryan (June 13, 2016). "The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2016: The Full List of Winners". Eater.
  16. Lippe-McGraw, Jordi. "Here are the best restaurants in the US (bargains included!)". TODAY.com. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  17. "The World's 50 Best Restaurants | Previous Lists". 50B - Restaurants - GLOBAL.
  18. "The World's 50 Best Restaurants | Previous Lists". 50B - Restaurants - GLOBAL.
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