Ruth Reichl Gushes About Her Alinea Experience

Iconic ex-critic Ruth Reichl, in town for a Chicago Humanities event, made a stop at Alinea last night and came away raving about the experience. She marvels at the "sheer exuberant fun" the restaurant exudes and calls the experience a "carnival of food delight that takes you on a journey around the world."

Giving a near blow-by-blow account of her experience on her blog, the celebrated James Beard award winner and "Top Chef Masters" judge published a long stream of food porn, even admitting that her pictures of a duck dish "do not do it justice."

The evening ends with Grant Achatz "striding into the dining room and right there, at our table, constructed a chocolate tart." She calls Achatz's performance "astonishing," adding that "it was so beautiful, and so delicious that I found that I did, in fact, still have an appetite," even after the four-hour, multi-course experience.
· My Dinner at Alinea [Ruth Reichl]
· All Alinea Coverage [-ECHI-]