Alinea (2005)
Chef Grant Achatz opened Alinea in Chicago serving only tasting menus, with no à la carte choices. At the time, a freestanding tasting-menu-only restaurant was almost unheard of outside the biggest coastal cities.
Alinea drew national attention and booked months ahead.
It became one of America's most decorated restaurants and proved a tasting-menu format could anchor a stand-alone venue away from New York and San Francisco.
It is the model Black Lamb is trying in Corpus Christi: a chef-driven tasting room that asks guests to give up choice and trust the kitchen.
