Alinea

• Here's seven delicious drink recipes that can easily be made in batches. — Huffington Post Food
• Must make: Spanish meatballs with romesco sauce. — Hands on Gourmet
• While it may be harder to get through the security line, it's easier to find a drink at the airport. — USA Today
• Learn how Grant Achatz creates a menu for Alinea. — GQ
• Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich are fighting protesters with a lawsuit. — Grub Street NY
• Would you eat Whipped Lightning, an alcoholic whipped cream? — Eater
• Thanks to a new bill passed by the Senate, the FDA will have more power to regulate food. — The New York Times
• Taste-testing store-bought applesauce. — Serious Eats

Big news came out of the Lincoln Center last night, and not all of it had to do with this year's James Beard winners. Right before the start of the Beard Foundation Awards, Alinea's Grant Achatz, who was in attendance at the ceremony, tweeted about two upcoming projects.

The first, to be called Next Restaurant, will serve four menus per year from what the website calls "great moments in culinary history — or the future." The second, Aviary, is being described as "a cocktail bar, redefined" and will entail chefs, not bartenders, producing cocktails and food pairings in what's being termed a "drink kitchen."

Both Aviary, which will allow walk-ins, and Next, which will require tickets, are currently on target to open this Fall. Get a better sense of both concepts when you watch the restaurant's trailer, after the jump.

• Alinea has been named the seventh best restaurant in the world. Huffington Post Food
• Tips for dealing with dinner party dramas. — The Atlantic
• Must make: asparagus salsa with ricotta ravioli. — Hands on Gourmet
• Learn the proper way to frost a cake. — Chow
• Curry leaves provide fresh Indian flavor. — The Epi-Log
• Everything you need to know about Carménère. — Eat Me Daily
• How to toast spices. — Serious Eats
• Great ideas for hosting a contemporary urban baby shower that's not overly babyish. — Hostess With the Mostess
• Ruth Reichl follows @RuthBourdain on Twitter.— Eater
• BBQ master Adam Perry Long discusses his new cookbook and restaurant. — Grub Street NY

Source: Flickr User xmatt

It's that time of year again, when the culinary cream of the crop gears up for the Oscars of the food world, the James Beard Awards. This morning, the James Beard Foundation debuted its long list of semifinalists.

The semifinalists were announced for the following restaurant and chef categories: outstanding restaurateur, outstanding chef, outstanding restaurant, outstanding service, best new restaurant, rising star chef of the year, outstanding pastry chef, outstanding wine service, outstanding wine and spirits professional, and best chef for the following regions: Pacific, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Great Lakes, New York City, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest, and South.

To find out which big names made headlines, read more.

• Who knew: Beyoncé and Jay-Z like to play with their food, too. — Eater NY
• Beyond brilliant: A miniature gingerbread house to perch atop your holiday hot chocolate. — Not Martha
• This Christmas, consider helping one of these nonprofit food organizations. — Salon
• Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home is completely sold out online. — Eat Me Daily
• Why dungeness crab season is getting shorter and shorter. — The Atlantic
• Wasabi pea crust makes seared tuna feel new again. — Serious Eats
• Would you eat Alinea's all-in-one Christmas tree and Christmas goose dinner? — Grub Street LA
• What the first-ever underground farmers market looks like. — Chow

Should a diner expect to find a renowned chef in the kitchen the night he pays a visit to an acclaimed restaurant? That's the question molecular gastronomy superstar Grant Achatz poses in his latest guest post for the Atlantic. Achatz, the mastermind behind Chicago restaurant Alinea, addresses the concern, reassuring diners that they shouldn't be too disappointed when the chef isn't in the kitchen the night they dine. He argues that a star chef's absence from a kitchen can actually be beneficial for the chef, his staff, and even the restaurant's guests. The chef has an obligation to tend to other aspects that will make the business successful, and the ever-present obligation of the kitchen will only hinder creativity. Because the second-in-line chef de cuisine feels excited at the prospect of leading a kitchen, he may execute at a higher level than the chef. Achatz writes:

All these activities pull the chef away from the kitchen and therefore the food, but ideally make the restaurant, the brand, and hopefully the overall guest experience better. The diners gain access, the business is financially rewarded, and the employees benefit from freedom and resources not typical in an average restaurant.

While I agree with these points, I believe that this condition only applies in avant-garde dining, where the kitchen staff are exceptionally trained. What do you think: are you disappointed when a celebrity chef isn't in the kitchen of his own restaurant? If so, can you sense a difference in taste?