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Brad A. Johnson

Food & Travel

Brad A Johnson
  • Blog
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    • Food Photography
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Alinea, Chicago: 3 hours, 28 photos

  • December 9, 2016
  • Brad A. Johnson
Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Bollinger at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Bollinger at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
"Ice" at Alinea, Chicago
“Ice” at Alinea, Chicago
Jean-Claude Bessin Chablis at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Jean-Claude Bessin Chablis at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
“Crunch” atAlinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
“Crunch” atAlinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
"Paper" at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
“Paper” at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
"Swirl" at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
“Swirl” at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Austrian Riesling at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Austrian Riesling at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
“มะพร้าว” at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
“มะพร้าว” at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
“มะพร้าว” at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
“มะพร้าว” at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
"Yellow" at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
“Yellow” at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
“Glass” at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
“Glass” at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
“Glass” at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
“Glass” at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
"Branch" at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
“Branch” at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
"Toast" at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
“Toast” at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Chateau Meyney St Estèphe, Bordeaux at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Chateau Meyney St Estèphe, Bordeaux at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
"Smoke" at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
“Smoke” at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
"Bone" at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
“Bone” at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Moscato d’Asti at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Moscato d’Asti at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
"Rock" at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
“Rock” at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
"Nostalgia" at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
“Nostalgia” at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
"Nostalgia" at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
“Nostalgia” at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
"Nugget" at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
“Nugget” at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Executive chef Mike Bagale and crew at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Executive chef Mike Bagale and crew at Alinea, Chicago (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)

Alinea reopened in May after a five-month closure in which the restaurant was completely remodeled, a seven-figure project that involved moving a flight of stairs from the back of the restaurant to the front. The entrance is dramatically different than it used to be, no longer so cold and austere but rather warm and inviting while still adhering to a modern, mysterious aesthetic.

Much of the crew spent their downtime with Alinea’s traveling roadshow, which made stops in Miami and Spain. They’re all back, and they are as great as ever. Chef Grant Achatz wasn’t actually in the restaurant for this visit, but that didn’t make any difference. From the greeting on the sidewalk outside the front door, through every dish and change of wine, the staff was the absolute epitome of grace and professionalism, with a sense of humor to boot.

In keeping with the restaurant’s sense of adventure and surprise, I won’t go into a lot of detail about the dishes. I’m just going to list them here as they were listed on the menu. Rest assured, every bite was even more delicious than it was beautiful, especially with the มะพร้าว, which is one of the kitchen’s newest dishes.

Alinea
1723 N Halsted St
Chicago, IL
(312) 867-0110

For more travel inspiration and photos, I invite you to follow me and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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Brad A. Johnson

Brad A. Johnson is a writer and photographer specializing in food and travel. His work has been honored by the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, James Beard Awards, World Food Media Awards, Food Photographer of the Year Awards, Society of Features Journalism Awards and others. Based in Southern California, Brad currently serves as Editorial Director of the new luxury consumer travel magazine of the Global Travel Collection (launching Spring 2023).

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Brad A. Johnson
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Writer. Photographer. Traveler. Restaurant Critic.

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