Currently the # 1 restaurant in the US and # 7 in the world  - Alinea was an experience beyond ones imagination. Having read so much about it and having managed to get a booking a few months in advance, we dedicated an entire evening in Chicago to Chef Grant Achatz. Six hours of dining took us through the 25 course degustation menu of the night. Grant is currently the American culinary star! He started  working with Charlie Trotter and then spent a lot of time with his mentor Thomas Keller at the French Laundry. He also did a short stint at El Bulli learning all about molecular gastronomy. Grant opened Alinea when he was just 26 years of age. It has been amazing to read of how we was diagnosed with tongue cancer soon after opening alinea and after chemotherapy and radiation and losing all sense of taste for a short time  - he has continued to refine his amazing cuisine. With his new sense of taste - he mixes unique flavours and entertains his customers with dishes beyond your imagination. His final chocolate dish is pure entertainment. He comes to your table and makes the dessert ON your table. Yes - they lay a rubber mat and Grant makes the dessert on it. The photos try to tell the story!!!

English Pea: Green peas freeze dried with iberico ham, sherry and honeydew

Lobster: Vanilla bean with lobster and lychee, gruyere, vanilla fragrance

Yuba: shrimp, miso, togarashi

Chao Tom: sugar cane, shrimp, mint

Distillation: clear thai soup with amazing thai flavours

Pork belly: a make your own rice paper roll with pork belly and a number of ingredients including curry, cucumber and lime

King crab: crab mousse with rhubarb, lilac and fennel

Take of the top bowl and below is a warmer seafood array

and one more layer below is a hot dish of crab and fish.

Octopus: red wine, lavender and fava bean

Lamb: reflections of elysian fields farm. Lamb on a rosemary stick.

Hot potato cold potato: black truffle and butter. Beautiful.

Malt: english toffee, bourbon country stout, blueberry - in themiddle glass

Bacon: butterscotch, apple, thyme - swine on a swing!!!

Nutella - bread, banana, chocolate in the spoon

Foie Gras: orange, camomile, fennel pollen

Surf Clam: like a deconstructed clam chowder - celery, tabasco, oyster cracker

Oxalis pod: whipped sorrel, honey, salt

Salad: ranch dressing and fresh veges

Soup powered.

Sardine: horseradish, arugila flower, tomato. Cant use your hands...just eat it.

Squab: charred strawberries, lettuce all on a birch log

Black truffle: explosion, romaine, parmesan. This was beautiful. Raviolo full of liquid truffle. Yum.

Tournado a la persane

Lemon soda: a one bite that melts on your tongue

Transparency: of respberry and yogurt

Bubble gun: long pepper, hibiscus, crème fraiche - suck from one end

Earl grey: lemon, pine nut, caramelized white chocolate. Very nice indeed.

Chocolate: coconut, menthol, hyssop

This is where Grant comes to the table and starts to make the dessert!!!!

Coconut sauce, mint sauce, warm chocolate fondant, freese dried chocolate mousse, chocolate powder....

The menu of the night. Larger circles are larger dishes, circles to the right are sweeter dishes and left are savoury.

The feedback on this restaurant was mixed. We had lunch here on the first day and the crab legs were warm and large and soft and very nice. Dinner was for a large group of over 70 so we had to go for the fixed menu. The 3 cheese ravioli was apparently really nice but I was a bit disappointed with the ceviche. Too much tomato and in a coconut? Didn’t quite do it. The chicken was huge!!!!! The scallops with risotto was infact very nice. The deserts were both good. Some people loved it while some didn’t. Not sure if I would go back though.

9 Ceviche: rock shrimp, lobster, avocado, chilli and lime

Seared Sea scallops: lobster risotto, lobster butter, white truffle oil, wilted arugula

Fire Chicken: Naturally raised, roasted crisp, chillies, lemon and garlic

Seasonal sorbets: coconut macaroons, fresh fruits

NoMI was a great find. The fine dining restaurant at the Park Hyatt on the Magnificent mile in Chicago. Chef Christophe David was born in Lyon and inspired and trained by Paul Bocuse. After a number of years at amazing Michelin restaurants in France such as Taillevent, he moved to work with the Park Hyatts around the world. He was in Melbourne for a few years as well and has now been in Chicago since 2005. You enter Nomi through their amazing wine cellar of over 10,000 wine collection and dine with a great view of downtown Chicago. The open kitchen introduces you to the chefs who were only more than happy to sign your menu on the night. The menu and food were stunning. It was hard to make our choices. An open sushi bar offers a variety of sushi and sashimi and platters. We went for the three course menu this night. Entrees included lobster, scallops and quail but it was hard to go past the signature dish - Burgundy truffle and foie gras crème brulee! Divine!!!! We mentioned this dish to a few friends who went there the following night. Hard to go past this one for sure! The desserts were beautiful…..stunning and delicious. Definitely worth going back to Nomi again and again…

Amuse Bouche of ginger watermelon, ham and goats cheese

Burgundy truffle and Foie Gras Crème Brulee: Brioche, caramelized hazelnuts and petit herbs. This dish was truly stunning. Soft creamy foie gras with the crisp brulee top. Warm and soft brioche…perfect!

King Salmon: cannellini bean, spanish chorizo and gordal olive

Raisin River Poussin: baby chicken with Louisiana crawfish, artichoke and silver dollar potato

Brittany Turbot: Morel mushrooms, asparagus, kushi oyster, bearnaise sauce

Le Sphere: Banana cream, strawberry salsa, peanut ice cream

Le ruby: Lychee cream, raspberry foam, pistachio ice cream