Grant Achatz, on why diners at Alinea might not always get the same dishes as another table: “Alinea’s food by nature is tedious, experimental and exploratory, and I mean that from the side of the guest and the staff that prepares and serves it. Because of the innovative approach, a new idea has to be worked out and refined before we can produce it for the masses. Baby steps, as they say: We often start slow, serving a new course to one or two tables a night. This allows us to get to know the nuances of the course from the operational standpoint. It is one thing to have a neat idea and make it once to prove it can be done. It is entirely another to produce the dish under strict time parameters and in the environment of busy restaurant while serving it to an audience that is unpredictable.” [The Atlantic Food]
