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The Alinea restaurant in Chicago is set to open in New York this October in a move that mirrors recent stories of the world's best restaurants going on tour.
In an exclusive interview with Fine Dining Lovers, chef Grant Achatz revealed plans to transport the Alinea experience to an undisclosed location somewhere in Manhattan. He posed the question ‘why does a restaurant have to have a permanent address?’ before explaining the entire team would go with him when Alinea pops up in New York.
The location, time frame and fine details are yet to be confirmed but Achatz said he plans to open in October, adding: “We’re going to open Alinea in New York City for a very short amount of time, undetermined but likely a month, maybe more. It will be in Uptown Manhattan."
“This will be taking Alinea and literally plunking it down in Manhattan. We want to bring the experience to the diner as opposed to the diner coming to the experience.”
Achatz said he is excited by the plans and thinks that now is the time to do a project like this: “We’re at the point where we feel that restaurants now have a global reach so why not bring the food and the service to different cities? With Heston going to Australia and Rene going to Japan I feel this is the new thing."
“It will follow the same model of Alinea. We will have 60 seats with the whole Alinea experience, I want it to be exactly the same. This is going to be pretty exciting.”
Perhaps the most exciting part of the announcement is that Achatz sees the New York venture as dipping his toe in the water, explaining that if it’s well received he may well look to emulate the project in other cities around the world.
“Let’s see how it works, let’s test the market, will New York like Alinea? It’s worked really well in Chicago but will it work in New York? This is very much a test…why not take it on the road? If we can open a restaurant in New York - imagine Tokyo, Paris, Singapore, London - just imagine the experiences my team could gain from this.”
With the great reception given to Achatz and his team during the recent restaurant swap between Alinea and Eleven Madison Park, there seems to be no reason why Alinea in New York will not be welcomed with open arms, empty stomachs and thousands of excited food lovers ready to finally bite down on the Alinea experience.
Alinea in Chicago will close for renovations during the move. Stay tuned for more details on the venture, ticket sales and location as they’re released.
