Alinea X Faena
Occasionally brilliant and constantly rushed, the Alinea residence at the Faena Hotel in Miami Beach provided fleeting glimpses into Chef Achatz’s genius that failed to live up to its three-star reputation.
Our Grade: 83 (Not the Three Star we expected but still a Michelin level/good meal)
There are only 14 restaurants in the United States with 3 Michelin Stars. While Thomas Keller’s French Laundry is without a doubt the most famous, there is an argument that Chef Grant Achatz’s Alinea in Chicago is second. Known worldwide for pushing gastronomic boundaries, Alinea is a restaurant I’ve wanted to visit for quite some time. In fact, I had planned to book a trip to Chicago later this year to visit Alinea. When Alinea announced that it would be going on tour to celebrate its 20th anniversary with a stop in Miami Beach, I secured our spot. How would it stack up to the other Three Michelin Star restaurants we’ve eaten at in the US and Europe? And will we be going back to Chicago for round two? Let’s find out.
Alinea’s Miami Beach residency was located at the Faena Hotel in the space typically used by Pao, the Faena’s gourmet restaurant. We’ve eaten at Pao before and were surprised that the Alinea team didn’t make the space more its own. We came in expecting some theater after reading about an immersive experience at Alinea’s previous stop in Brooklyn. Instead, we were ushered to our table with no fanfare. Well, there was a little. When asked if we wanted still or sparkling water by our wonderful initial server, a second server came with sparkling water without a word being shared between the two. I’m sure there were hand signs out of our sight. Still, we appreciated the skill in service.
After settling in, we received a delicious Laurent-Perrier Heritage Champagne. We’ve had several different varieties of Laurent-Perrier in the past and found this to be an excellent way to start the meal. With the champagne, we were presented with Alinea’s molecular interpretation of a Chicago Hot Dog. A clear cube of jelly with several condiments was a fun introduction to the chef and the bite tasted just like a hot dog ! We did find it unusual that there wasn’t a corresponding rendition of a quintessential Miami dish like they did in their NYC pop-up.
On one of the coolest plates we had ever seen, the chef’s next dish had Golden Osetra Caviar on top of a pineapple gelee with mezcal foam and lime. While delicious, I did feel that the dish was missing some extra kick. I didn’t get the expected acidity from the pineapple or any smoke from the mezcal. Still, I wanted to lick the plate.
As soon as our dishes were cleared, a wonderful Chablis Grand Cru by Domaine Laroche was poured to accompany a white gazpacho with peeled grapes, cucumber, cantaloupe and almond with a milk bread crouton on top. What a dish! While each ingredient by itself was familiar, together, a new flavor opened up to reveal a comforting sweet delight that was reminiscent of the milk left in a bowl after you’ve eaten all the cereal from it as a kid.
After this plate there was a pause, the only one that I recall over the course of the entire meal. At this point Alinea was firing on all cylinders. Service was great (we had several servers but our main server, a woman originally from Orlando was a superstar). And the wine pairing was hitting all the right notes.
Mid conversation, we were invited to join a crowd of 8 or so fellow diners walking to a nearby location. When we arrived, each one of us was invited to stand in front of our own white cylinder that looked like a giant pringles can. We also saw empty whiskey glasses with bright red cubes of ice. In the background there was a giant clear flask like contraption filled with a liquid soaking in various ingredients like watermelon, oranges, bamboo and more. It was explained to us that the next dish was called Fear Factor and that we would have to pierce the top of our white giant pringles can if we wanted to try the next dish. Pop! To our delight, inside we found a fried prawn with plum and vanilla smoke. Fun concept and delicious bite. We were then poured a glass of Macallan with the liquid contained in the giant device behind. While interactive and a great visual, the drink itself was too sweet for my taste.
We then rushed back to our seats for Curds and Curds. On a bed of nuts, goat cheese and a cauliflower stem were plated to look like a cauliflower. On the side was a deep grey Garam Masala sauce that I found to be slightly sweet with a subtle hint of heat. This was another dish where I had to resist the urge to lick the plate.
Our sommelier next poured us a floral and crisp white Chateauneuf-de-Pape that paired beautifully with our next two courses. First came a charred Artic Char with a thin layer of deep crystalized maple syrup. This combination of salty and sweet was a spectacular dish. As soon as we finished, one of our servers said that our next dish was already on the table and invited us to turn the plate over. There we found a suspended gelee of roe from the Artic Char with carrot and coriander. This dish knocked me out of my seat with the intensity of its smokey and savory umami flavor. This dish isn’t for everyone, but dishes like this are why I love fine dining.
Though the meal was less avant-garde than I had expected, at this point in the meal I was having a great time. At the halfway point of the meal this was on its way to being a solid 2 and maybe 3-star Michelin experience. That said, so often Michelin restaurants wow early and disappoint later. I wouldn’t go so far as to call the second half of our meal a disaster, but it was a significant step down in quality and service.
After the flavor explosion of the Artic Char dishes, this would’ve been the perfect time to slow the pace of the meal down. Instead of offering a chance to catch our breath, it was on to the next course. Along with a wonderful Dassai 23 Sake, our next dish was snapper in a coconut soup with cardamom and hearts of palm. This was delicious. I would love to have it again. However, I found that it was lacking a counterbalance to the sweetness of the coconut. When we were in Madrid recently, we had a somewhat similar dish to this by David Munoz, the “world’s best chef” of Diverxo/StreetXo fame that was far more complex and interesting. I also thought this dish may have had slightly too much snapper. If the meal was going to stay at this pace, we were going to get full in no time.
At this point in the meal, there was a decline in service. As soon as we finished, a new server was waiting to present Alinea’s signature Hot Potato Cold Potato with truffle and butter. In essence, a tiny metal rod suspends a hot potato with a black truffle on top over a cold potato soup. When you pull the rod, the Hot Potato combines with the Cold, and you shoot the dish like an oyster. This may be a famous dish and conceptually innovative, but I felt like we didn’t get the whole experience. While I did have the Hot/Cold sensation, we felt rushed into this dish and wondered whether the server had been waiting on us because the hot potato would better be described as lukewarm.
The next dish was squab, white peppercorn and a strawberry reduction. To the side was an accompanying wax white chocolate rosewater strawberry. Plating had a wayward streak unbecoming of a three-star restaurant and the dish was overly bland and sweet. Not for me. Midway through the dish we were poured a very interesting 2022 Tablas Creek Grenache. There must’ve been a mix-up as this wine pairing should likely have been poured prior to the squab.
Next came another signature Alinea dish called the Black Truffle Explosion with romaine, parmesan and black truffle. Like the Hot Potato Cold Potato, something was off with this dish. It wasn’t served hot or even warm, and there was no explosion in my mouth. Very disappointing.
Alinea’s take on Beef and Broccoli came next. It’s a slow-cooked wagyu short rib with broccoli, peanuts, pink peppercorn, and beer graffiti on a slab. Despite the waiter spraying beer graffiti on my pants, the dish was ok, but I think my meat was overdone, and serving this dish so close to the pigeon was too much in too little time. I didn’t find the dish visually appealing either. The 2018 Cabernet from Chateau Giscours we had with the beef was delicious.
Main courses finished, it was time for dessert. At Alinea, dessert is a show meant to create a spectacle the guest will never forget. I can’t imagine what it was like to experience Paint and Balloon before these dishes became famous. While it wasn’t anywhere close to the best tasting dessert we’ve had, it was wonderful theater. With Paint, a member of Alinea creates a precision piece of desert art in front of you. Lots of citrus. We only wish the chef was in the building that night to see the master at work in person. With Balloon, a green apple and taffy balloon is brought to you. And yes, there is helium in the balloon. While the flavors weren’t for me, it was a fun way to end the evening along with a glass of Laurent-Perrier “Harmony”.
What did I think of Alinea and will we be going to Chicago for round two? Throughout the dinner I felt rushed. I can’t believe the amount of food we ate and wine we drank in 90 minutes. Service was inconsistent and the food didn’t quite meet my expectations. I expected my mind to be blown with flavor and theater, and it wasn’t. Still, I’m happy that we experienced a version of Achaltz’s work, even if it wasn’t the true Alinea experience. We plan to go to Alinea in Chicago someday.
