Monday, May 14, 2007

Alinea: More Complete Account, Part 6

[Tyler] It took us about four hours to finish the meal. I'm hoping I can finish the recounting this week. Whew! This is exhausting. :-)

The young man who brought this course to the table said it contained "everything you could want" -- beer, peanuts, and short ribs. Unfortunately, the idea was better than the final product. The square is a Guinness gelée, and there was a lighter beer in the sauce (sort of a Black and Tan effect). Although the individual elements were top-quality -- the short ribs were good, the herbs were delicious, and the textures were nice -- the overall product was sort of muddied. I think this was both of our least favorite course.

Now it was time for some fruity diversions, before the next big meat course. This was honeydew melon with Blis Sherry Vinegar (I think it was vinegar and not sherry, and I forgot to bring the menu to the store today, so I'm recounting completely from memory). Blis is a company Chef Achatz worked for in the past. The melon was used in another gelée, which formed a little bowl for the sherry vinegar. The course was a refreshing contrast to the more-heavy flavors of the peanuts and beer that had come just before it.

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