Not necessarily a review…
Photo: courtesy of Alinea
Ann Patchett may have worried about bringing down the entire ‘Gourmet’ empire with her frivolous spending, but it looks like New York Times restaurant critic Sam Sifton has no problem flexing his own expense account. Now, maybe he paid for this out of his own pocket, but it certainly looks like he just used the then-impending announcement of Alinea’s three Michelin stars as an excuse to head to Chicago and see what the restaurant is all about. Sifton springs for a meal for two, complete with wine pairings, and ends up spending $788.10, before tip, on a meal that he compares to a “John Hughes film in smell-o-vision.” Honestly? We would have done the same thing. [NYT]
