Vespertine

Vespertine is haute cuisine from a culture that doesn't actually exist. The ingredients are of this planet--indeed, the focus is on Californian sourced ingredients--but they are not familiar. Different cuisines take an element and do unique things with it; think of how differently a tomato is used by Italians, Japanese, and Peruvians. Vespertine wants to prove there are still other ways. This is a world where sparkling redwood extract, atemoya fruit, smoked ground lamb heart, and dried giant kelp are not out of place, but actually make sense together. This goes beyond the food--the entire experience is designed by artists. The architecture is striking. The layout of the restaurant is vertical; food descends from the kitchen on the top floor. There is unsettling ambient music consisting of five separate ambient tracks, played in different parts of the space, but carefully coordinated so that they never clash. When we left, three and a half hours later, we were given a small sample of th

Wow! I’m very impressed with vespertine x alinea. It was a blast assembling the dishes. Took a while to put together so I plan to get the pre assembled menu.

Unequivocally the most inventive, fascinating and delicious meal I will ever enjoy. It's an experience. It's a meditation. It's a journey to a distant foreign, unimaginable planet. I am writing this review the following morning and there are still tastes swirling around the back of my palate. Dining at Vespertine is not a meal - it's an event.