Chicago’s leading 3 Michelin-starred restaurant, Alinea, expands its takeaway service that it started with the pandemic and offers its new Bento boxes to its guests.

At the beginning of the pandemic, many fine-dining restaurants introduced various unique takeaway menus to continue their service. Grant Achatz, the chef of Chicago’s leading 3 Michelin-starred restaurant Alinea, offered more comfortable dishes such as beef Wellington instead of a 16-course tasting menu, at the recommendation of his business partner Nick Kokonas. Alinea, which is the reference point of many restaurants in this challenging period with its success in takeaway, has expanded its take-away service and started to offer its new Bento boxes to its guests.

Alinea’s new revolution in take away, Bento boxes, includes nigiri, seasonal maki, prawn tempura with togarashi-miso sauce, binchotan grilled diver scallop with a spicy white sesame sauce, sashimi salad with a cilantro-lime vinaigrette, yuzu-infused nashi pear and cantaloupe panna cotta with sudachi and almonds. Looking at Achatz’s social media posts, it seems that he really enjoyed combining the Japanese sushi format, combining fine raw ingredients and with the chef’s trademark creative flair.