Alinea

Chef Grant Achatz continues to burst with novel ideas at this ingenious, substantive, and festive temple. Dining here is part theater and pure pleasure; and meals are an olfactory experience by dint of scented vapors, tricks, and tableside fun.
Executive Chef Douglas Alley is firmly in play, turning out whimsical items that are at times experimental. For starters, a custom resin dish bearing cured Arctic char, crowned by crisped skin glazed with maple syrup. The dish is then flipped to reveal roe suspended in smoke gel. The flavors of Thailand follow in salt-baked kohlrabi shaved tableside. The meal meets its dramatic end with a "Paint" dessert—think of a Pollock-esque creation with blueberries and a liquid N2-frozen block of chocolate mousse smashed to bits.