Alinea

The gem in Chicago’s molecular gastronomy crown, Alinea is a prix fixe tour de force of carefully composed culinary microcraft by award-winning chef Grant Achatz. The 12 ($135) or 24 ($195) courses challenge diners to rethink their definition of food, with servers bearing specific instructions on how to consume each culinary trinket for maximum effect. Sweet potato, brown sugar and bourbon comes to your table in the form of a long tempura-fried cinnamon stick smoking like incense. The “PB&J amuse” is a lone grape ensconced in peanut butter and brioche.