Alinea Preps for 6-Week Shutter as Roister Creeps Closer to May Opening

Grant Achatz shared plenty with Chicago magazine about Alinea's upcoming renovations and revealed that he'll employ open-fire cooking when Roister opens, hopefully in May.

Achatz told Chicago that he and partner Nick Kokonas will shut Alinea down for six weeks for major renovations at their highly-aclaimed restaurant. The overhaul will come sometime this summer, as May also marks Alinea's 10th birthday.

During the shutter, Alinea will pop up in New York. After the revamp, it sounds like Achatz will ask diners to engage in his version of upscale musical chairs, as he'll move patrons to different spaces within the restaurant during the meals.

As for Roister, they've also brought Senza's Noah Sandoval onboard to develop the two-story restaurant at the former iNG space at 951 W. Fulton Market. Achatz, who never has trouble trying something new, told Chicago Mag that Roister will use vegetable and fruit byproducts — such as apple pulp — as fuel for its firepot cooking. More to come soon.

UPDATE: Grant Achatz wrote in to clarify Noah Sandoval's role at Roister. "While we did in fact hire Noah Sandoval recently, his specific role is yet to be determined," he writes. "Starting out he will aid in our daily operations and goals of expansion, not with the intent of being the chef of Roister."