From “The Bear” To Reality: My Michelin-Starred Culinary Experience In Chicago
What is it like to dine at a three Michelin star restaurant? Does the experience live up to the hefty price tag and months-long waitlist?
"Would you like to see the kitchen?" our waiter asked. We had just spent the last three hours experiencing culinary masterpiece after masterpiece into the early evening.
Sometimes, when you have an experience that borders on perfection, seeing the backend may tarnish that masterpiece you saw on the plate. At least, that was my fear. But curiosity nipped at my mind – what did it take to put near perfection on a plate?
We were whisked downstairs to a stainless steel room that sparkled. While the final dinner service had concluded and we weren't watching the chefs at work, the pristine state of the kitchen was enough to seal in my mind that what I had just experienced was as close to flawless as I would ever see in a restaurant.
But it wasn’t just any kitchen. I was in the kitchen of Alinea. Alinea has been in the top 50 restaurants of the world for almost 10 years. It was voted the number one restaurant in the U.S. in 2016 and has been a three Michelin star restaurant since 2010.