One of my favorite pre-pandemic dining experiences was our dinner at ALEA in late January. ALEA opened in December 2019 to great anticipation - the construction had taken a while and if space was an indication of the food, we knew we were in for a treat.
And it didn’t disappoint.
But before we could get in for a second meal, the pandemic shut everything down. ALEA initially reopened with a limited takeout menu and transitioned to a tasting menu over the past few weeks. As of this writing, ALEA is open on Friday and Saturday, for one seating each day. So this past weekend, Nick and I decided to make reservations for a date night!
My handsome date.
A few things you need to know before you go to ALEA: you must email or call for a reservation. There is only ONE seating time, there are no exceptions. After you reach out and they confirm a spot is available, they will take your credit card and you pre-pay for your meal. Alea was small to begin with, but with the social distance requirements in this COVID climate, their seating space is even smaller. The night we went, there were only 16 guests in the space. Pre-paying prevents no-shows and protects the restaurant from loss, so I fully support this.
We arrived 10 minutes before our 7 pm reservation as requested, fully masked of course. We were promptly seated and got comfortable before the service began at 7:15 pm. The tables are very spread out, and since there were fewer than 20 people in the space, I didn’t feel unsafe or at risk at any time.
The tasting menu includes the option for a wine pairing, but since Nick and I knew the cocktails were delicious, we opted out of the wine pairing.
Alea’s cocktails are delicious - this is the Paloma. It was so nice to have a cocktail made by someone else, and not have to do any clean up after.
There are two tasting menu options - 5 courses and 8 courses. We picked the 5-course option, which was the right amount of food for us. But if you have a large appetite, or plan to eat a light lunch in anticipation of this dinner, you may want the 8-course.
I’m not going to share all the dishes in this post, but I want to highlight two of my favorites! The oyster (with edible flowers) was the very first plate of the first course and really set the tone for the evening. I’ve never had oysters prepared this way before, and it made for a truly delicious and refreshing first bite!
Starting out with some snacks! This was the first plate of a 5-course dining experience.
The salad course was my absolute favorite, mainly because I LOVE roe. I’ve never had it in a salad before, and I love the salty explosion that accompanied the earthy greens. I’m going to have to try this at home some time.
Salad with roe at Alea.
If you’re planning a special dining experience during this weird time, I highly recommend Alea. The food was inventive and delicious, the cocktails were delightful, and the service and space made me feel very comfortable - but for the masks and hand sanitizers on the table, it felt like a pre-pandemic dining experience.
Since I don’t get out a whole lot these days (ha!) I took the opportunity to get dressed up for the occasion. This dress is Reformation via Rent the Runway - I even wore heels!!!!
You can use my Ambassador code, RTRFAM511C780 to get $100 off 2 months of Rent The Runway’s 2- Swap program - that’s $50 off each month for 2 months, which brings your monthly cost to $85 (plus tax).
Have you been dining out recently? Are you sticking to outdoors only or are you venturing inside? I’d love to hear more!