Next

This review is for Alps, where Next is transformed into an alpine lodge complete with snowshoes and a cuckoo clock. We were lucky to be at the kitchen table again. The meal is divided into 6 segments, each of which contained multiple dishes.
#1 The French Farmhouse. Starting out with soup and a story, «Stone soup» to be exact, a savory tea is steeped at the table and heated with 800 degree rocks — A delicious and whimsical start to the meal. The course included a gratin, a dumpling, a game pie, and some cheese.
#1.5 Bread. This was an extra course that we received, courtesy of being at the kitchen table. A brioche bun stuffed with pralines and served with goat’s milk butter. Wowza.
#2 The German Beer Hall. This was fun. A lager beer, hot pretzel, and some sausages! What else could you want from Germany? How about a schnitzel, but not just any schnitzel, but a pork belly schnitzel! And how about raclette — melted cheese over potatoes — that is about as pornographic as food can get.
#3 The Warming Yurt. This was a chocolate, black truffle and milk crisp. Interesting combo and very tasty.
#4 The Top of the Swiss Mountain. This segment featured the star of the evening, the smoked arctic char. This is marinated fish that is smoked table side on a Swedish candle, under a cylindrical glass dome for about 20 minutes. A Swedish candle is a wooden log, standing on end, with a deep «x» cut out of the end, so that when it is lit inside, makes the wood hot and smoky like embers. With flourish and great smoke release, the glass domes are removed and the fish is served. This was delicious showmanship. Also in this segment were a yummy beef and Barolo goulash and a little palate cleanser dish of summer berries.
#5 Into Italy. In the European way, salad is served towards the end of the meal and so here it was and there it went. The salad was interesting in that the fennel vinaigrette is frozen and served as a granita.
#6 Austrian Sweets. By this time we were very full but we managed to get through Austria too. There was an apple strudel which was not very memorable. However the Salzburg nockerl, a sweet soufflé made to look like, um, mountains, was a deliciously appropriate end to the evening.
The wine pairings were, as usual, interesting, and included a beer and a house-​made, truffle-​infused yellow Chartreuse, which was mind-​alteringly tasty. Nice job.

I’m not sure what to say that hasn’t already been said. We’ve wanted to eat here since it opened, but we moved away and it was something of a miracle to find a ticket slot that worked. I’ve followed the menus all along and am consistently impressed by how innovative and creative they are.
We dined during the Alps menu, and the entire experience was just phenomenal. At arrival, they took our coats and seated us at a table already prepared for the first course. We interacted with perhaps 10 servers, each one incredible. Our interactions were laid back but consistently professional. I had imagined what the space would look like, but I was surprised that it was actually pretty small, well lit, and full of chattering guests.
The food was outstanding – no other way to describe it. The Alps menu had 6 courses, but each one had at least 3 dishes. Out of the ~20 components we ate, there were maybe two that I didn’t care for. I ate several things that I wouldn’t normally even try, but I knew Next wouldn’t disappoint me. I really can’t even identify a favorite dish… the preparation of vegetables, meat, fish, sauces… it was all incredible. I was hoping for some theatrics and wasn’t disappointed – for example, our arctic char was cooked at our table on a flaming log encased in a glass cylinder so that it became smoke infused. The presentation and plating were flawless.
I have to give an additional plug for the nonalcoholic drink menu! The drinks were out of this world, made from flowers, herbs, juices, beans, nuts… They were made to mimic the alcoholic menu, so we had a «beer» and several glasses that resembled red wine. One (green) drink was made entirely of savory ingredients (fines herbes, bay leaf, and milk) and served with a chocolate course, and it was so weird and so good. I honestly felt like the nonalcoholic drinks were much more interesting and showed a lot of technical skill that would’ve been missed with the wine menu (but I don’t like wine, so there’s that).
If I had one piece of advice, it would be to eat nothing the day before you come to Next… keep as much stomach space available as possible because you’ll need (and want) it. At the end of the meal, they provide a menu of what you ate, overlaid with your drink pairings. It’s a perfect memento to leave you dreaming of the next time you return. Next is pricey but is a seriously unique, one-​of-​a-​kind experience.

I’ve had a love affair with Next since the start. Remember those days, when the idea of dramatic, themed dining, with undeniably perfect food and presentation was enough to have you drop the cost of a car payment on dinner and not regret a moment? When they were redefining service and reservations (via the new ticketing system)? I remember those days well.
Back for the Alps. The love affair is still there, tho the Alps is a bit less dramatic than other menus, but the food and presentation are complete utter perfection. Tons of food, interesting pairings (Swiss wine, so interesting). My fav savory dishes were the Arctic char and the game pie. The desserts were incredible.
I hate to say it, but it’s starting to feel tho like a long term relationship where little things just aren’t ‘cute’ anymore. That exceptionally knowledgable staff doesn’t need to be aloof. If you ask me if I’m going to need a cab, please help with one when its time. For years now we’ve said «yes we’ll need a cab» only to stand alone on a dark corner at 1am trying to über (thankfully swift and sons is near to wait it out). I also don’t want to crowd into a 6×10 hallway with 3 other couples and a hostess stand til my prepaid table is ready.
Using my original analogy, it’s something of an unrequited love. I’ve raved about them, religiously been eager to see what the new menus will be, dealt with being left out in the cold on the corner when the night is done. I’d like some love back please.
I’ll still come back, Next, when you release more tables/​menus, I’ll still rave to friends and defend the cost, but some day I just may have that Gloria Gaynor moment, and even after Next, I will survive.

Valentine’s Day at Next and our party of 6 had the private room/​table that faces the kitchen (best seat in the place). This was my first time at a restaurant of this caliber, and I was definitely blown away. The menu was «The Alps», and of course I tried everything they served. Only a couple things were not to my liking (I will eat just about anything) but the rest was amazing. Service was top notch, and our servers explained everything in detail. Husband did the drink pairing to go along with dinner, and I took a few sips of his drinks. Love how each drink was different from the last– and each one reflected the food being served and the location it hailed from.
Having the table that faces the entire kitchen is INSANE. They are a well oiled machine and that kitchen is spotless. It’s amazing to see how much blood sweat & tears goes into this place. Hats off to the staff and the head chef.
Yes it’s VERY expensive. But if you can do it once, do it. I also suggest doing it with a group– just more fun!

I really enjoyed my visit to Next for their Alps menu. We had the non alcoholic drink pairing because neither of us particularly like wine and it was an excellent decision. All of the food (with a couple exceptions) was phenomenal. Things I wish I had known going in and my observations:
1. There’s a lot of food. You will eat an entire day’s worth of food while you eat through your two hour dinner. I wish I had skipped lunch.
2. The price may seem steep, but if you went to another upscale restaurant and ordered 5 – 7 drinks, and twenty+ items off of that restaurant’s menu you’d end up spending just as much or more than you’d spend here. That’s essentially how Next operates. This isn’t typical restaurant going behavior, but that’s essentially what this experience amounts to.
3. Try to book the first table of the evening. We showed up later and we saw all of the food come out for our neighboring tables and knew what was coming. It detracted from the surprise. I wish we’d booked earlier in the evening (although logistically that wouldn’t have worked for us).
4. Mix your drink pairings. For the Alps menu the options are international wine pairings, domestic wine pairings, or non alcoholic wine pairings. Our neighbors did both the domestic and international. That way they got to try everything. They give you full servings of alcohol for each stage of the meal (for this menu that amounted to five and a couple of them had more than one paired drink) so if you don’t want to get completely wasted mixing with the non alcoholic option isn’t a bad idea.
5. The non-​alcoholic drink pairing was awesome. Rather than pairing with a bottle of wine, they concoct elaborate juices. You’re basically getting extra liquid courses created by the chefs that the majority of the patrons are missing out on.
6. There are a couple add ons they’ll offer you when you get there for an additional charge. We passed on both of them (and I’m glad we did because we wouldn’t have been able to eat anything else anyway. We weren’t clearing our plates by the end) but it sort of frustrated me because I assumed we’d already put down all of the money we’d need to.
7. You’ll receive a menu at the end listing everything you ate and drank. So if you miss it when they give you the run down on the course, you can always refer to this later on as long as you remember the order things came out.
I’d love to go back for another one of their menus. The restaurant was a well oiled machine every step of the way. I tried all kinds of dishes I wouldn’t typically order. It was a lot of fun and well worth the ticket price.

People with food allergies/​celiac disease beware. I reached out to Next about them possibly making gluten free options for me (as I have celiac disease) and I was told not to come. I am honestly shocked by this response. In my 6+ years since being diagnosed with celiac disease, I have honestly never been told a straight up «no we cannot accommodate you» — even from other high end/​exclusive restaurants with a set tasting menu, who have bent over backwards to not only make accommodations but to make a fabulous meal. I wasn’t even expecting a «yes, we will make every course special for you» response (which I have received at many other tasting menu restaurants), but at least some of them? This is very disappointing.

Ate here a couple of weeks ago for their Alps menu and it was really good! I went in not knowing what to expect, thinking it’d be similar to Alinea, and as you say in Thailand — it was same same but different. The servers do a great job of explaining your path through the Alps but the reason I’m docking one star is because the service was also really rushed! Maybe it’s because we had an early reservation so they were rushing us to make sure our table was open for the next diners, but it was just a whirlwind of a meal and it was hard to really appreciate what we were eating. Also, some of the courses have multiple dishes so that made it feel even more rushed when we were trying to finish some dishes while other dishes were being removed from our table. Overall, this was a great introduction to Next and I’m excited to try their future menus. I’ll definitely be back!

When Next and Aviary first opened, we went with our friends and were thrilled to be there. Thrilled at the innovative concept, the interesting food, the entertainment factor, all in a space where we could have fun. Cocktails at Aviary, before and after dinner, were fantastically creative with distillations at the table and shattering balls of ice hovering over a glass.
Sorry to say, the thrill is gone. In sad and gloomy surroundings that appear not to have been updated since inception, the revolution that was Next/​Aviary has gone stale and is not worthy of the cost of a ticket. And the ban on odd-​numbered parties is downright greedy.
At Next (we had Terroir in December), the service staff, while genuine, was all too serious about serving an 11-​course menu at breakneck speed. We were welcomed and out the door within two hours. Lined up before us were always numerous glasses of wine from courses past that we didn’t have time to drink and fully consider before the next course arrived and the wait staff asking «which glasses can we remove?»
The food — some courses interesting, some unimpressive, all way too salty, most we didn’t finish.
As to Aviary, $ 25 cocktails, that are no different than those made (for less) by creative mixologists everywhere, is crazy. What happened to the fireworks that used to accompany the drinks here?
I haven’t been to Alinea in four years, but with my recent experience at Next/​Aviary, I won’t be returning to the Achatz empire. All over the country, and the globe, there are so many incredible chefs and mixologists who are making better and more innovative food and drinks at more reasonable prices. And even at the higher end, our meals at Celler de Can Roca last March and Saison in the fall were much more advanced, less needlessly fussy, and, I know hard to believe, more reasonable than Next.
There was a time when the Achatz $ 500 pp for dinner and $ 25 for a cocktail was worth it. Not now.
There are fantastic restaurants in Chicago (and the world) that are serving better food in fun, eclectic and electric surroundings, at less than half the price. Really. Don’t follow the herd. Do your research.

Living only a few blocks away I don’t know what took me soo long to get to this place. I was lucky to get tickets for their first night of The Alps. It truly was an adventure through the Alps. The presentation of all the dishes and explanations were spot on.
We started off with stone soup which I thought was delicious, very herbal and unique. We had a late night dining so those stones were steaming hot. The meal then continued with multiple courses being delivered at the same time over the next two and half hours.
My wife does not eat pork so they did make substitutions for one for one of the dish which she was very happy about. I think my favorite course was the smoked arctic char. This wins as I loved the presentation and the fact that it was cooked on our table.
Overall it was a fantastic experience. Only downside is now that my wife now knows how amazing this place is and she wants to come every quarter which will be costly. Definitely check this place out for a amazing experience.

Had our first (and I emphasize *first*) experience with Next Restaurant and their «The Alps» menu. After having treated ourselves to Alinea for our first anniversary last year, we were curious to see what this other Achatz venue would offer – expensive, but not as ‘once a decade’ as Alinea. We were not disappointed, and, in fact, my husband actually preferred it to Alinea, cost-​differential ignored. It was truly an experience. A trip through the Alps through food.
We opted for the non-​alcoholic pairings which I think they have to put even more thought into than the wine pairings. A series of interesting juice cocktails with ingredients as varied as apple, celery root, hibiscus, walnuts, beans, oolong tea, condensed milk, juniper, cranberry, pineapple and more. Of course, I’m sure the alcoholic pairings are great. If I wanted to do this more frequently, but less expensively, I’m sure I’d be satisfied just with water instead of getting the pairings.
Things started with small, clever décor changes to the simple base restaurant design. And walking in, the warm, smokey aroma in the room immediately set the mood. The menu comprised foods from several alpine countries from France to Austria in several styles, from casual to formal. As with other reviews, I don’t want to spoiler the dishes, but they were amazing. Certainly there was some of the expected clever scientific food technique, but not in a cheesy way, blended in perfectly with the setting… smoke, snow, ices, preserves.
This was the first night of (public) presentation for «The Alps» and we were some of the first seated, so pacing was a bit off (rush rush through the first few courses then big pauses) that I think will be corrected as they have more practice with this menu. I got full about ¾ through the food/​bevs and wished I’d saved more room for dessert. I guess I’ll just have to go back.

I had my first Next experience and it was amazing. I had a last minute trip to Chicago and was lucky enough to snag a late non-​weekend set of tickets to dine on a Thursday evening. I have wanted to dine here since I read about the ticket concept so it was with much excitement — and high expectations — that I went there.
The menu was Terroir and being a diehard wine-​o, it was right up my alley. I arrived early to meet the friend with whom I was dining. We started at Aviary, the sister bar. Chris Gerber, the Aviary GM, greeted us and personally took care of our drink order. I don’t even remember everything that was in the drink… a base of whiskey with almond milk … And these amazing individual ice disks which were suspended over the glass on a metal straw/​spoon (it was a straw with a spoon at one end). 4 kinds of ice disks! Okay, enough about the drink which was not at Next but what amazed me was the attention to detail that went into creating the drink. And the attention to detail carried over to my entire experience at Next.
We had 12 courses, of food paired with some phenomenal wines. And some courses contained more than one menu item. The first course was five different appetizers paired with a white and red Burgundy — phenomenal! I won’t walk through all courses but with the exception of two, all were amazing. And I can’t say enough about the service — not intrusive but always there at the right time. The wines included Chenin Blancs from three regions, Riesling and Barolo. We also opted for the optional truffle risotto — expensive but oh, so good. They shaved a generous amount of truffles on each of our risotto dishes.
This was one of my top 3 dining experiences and I look forward to dining at Next again!

Favorite place in the west loop! Love last season’s Tapas and this season’s Terroir. Meat dishes (squab, long bone short ribs, rosemary tempura lamb. etc) are beyond words! Not a big fan of the desserts tho, but could be just my personal opinion

This is just for the Terroir dinner, but I suspect it might be extrapolated to all of Next’s dinners.
I went to Next’s first several dinners after they opened – Paris 1906, the Thai disaster, the craptasticness that was Childhood – and then stopped, because I can spot a trend. This dinner – Terroir, a wine-​based meal – sounded like they might be turning things around, but sadly, no, they’re not; if anything, it was even worse than Childhood. Every course was sweet, and if you love sweet meat, well, you’re in luck, but I don’t. The wines were at best quotidian, at worst undrinkable. And at $ 445, well above what you’d pay at Goosefoot, Elizabeth, Schwa, or 42 Grams (all of which are VASTLY superior to this disaster) I felt as if they’d reached right into my bank account and helped themselves to a hefty chunk of change. Give up, Nigerian finance ministers! Next has you beat all to hell.
Also, if you’re the kind of person who thinks that the cost of a meal represents its value, or who bows to the herd mentality and worships whatever everyone else worships, you’ll LOVE this meal. You will found a church to adore this meal, and on the altar will be a poor defenseless chunk of lamb or squab slathered with huckleberries.
Not only won’t I ever go back to Next, this experience has tainted Alinea for me. I plan to avoid the Achatz empire for good and all; sure, I might miss a few great dishes, but I expect that any random trip to Publican or Sun Wah will provide me with way-​more-​than-​equivalent satisfaction.
I don’t generally write reviews – basically, I feel that people can find out for themselves how good or terrible a restaurant is – but this was without a doubt the worst value for the dollar I’ve experienced in many years – since the last time I went to Next, actually. If you feel compelled to defend the place, well, I’m sure Achatz will be ever so happy to take your money. He won’t get any more of mine.

I was lucky enough to snag season tickets for 2 years (El Bulli, Sicily, Kyoto, Hunt, Vegan, Bocuse d’Or).
The wine pairings were excellent with each (I have several new favorite wines to thank Next for) I would recommend anyone to splurge for them if they enjoy wine. To this day, Kyoto was my favorite menu (I don’t particularly care for Japanese food) — but the corn tea was outstanding.
Service never disappoints, one of the best eating experiences of my life, second to Alinea.

We’d love to come more often; Next is, though, surely the definition of destination dining, and the trip from NY is worthwhile to eat here. Most recently for the Terroir menu, and that’s what I have in mind as I write. It was a great pleasure to have the staff be rather less inhibited than previously — I actually mentioned this to Dave Beran, who stopped by the table at one point, and he commented that it wa a common customer perception which he thought reflected the greater involvement and excitement of staff for this menu vs some others. Regardless of the reason, there just seemed to be a lot of smiles around, and the interactions with servers made the evening.
[The table next to me was *especially* happy: 4 chefs from Eleven Madison Park, in town for a cookbook launch the next day, who unsurprisingly got special treatment; I had to be content with a few shavings of their truffles :)]
Menu details would be some combination of spoilers and an impossible attempt to do credit, so I’m not going to try: highlights included a dark chocolate garnish on pulled lamb and a squab-​redcurrant combination. But the focus on wine tilted things enjoyable out of the norm: moving quite deliberately from a barrel-​tasting setting to the more normal tasting-​menu approach, and playing with both expectation and sensation. My only criticism, perhaps, is that even for those such as myself with a little more body mass than I’d like, it’s a *lot* of wine — do NOT drive home! Unlike past iterations, _​zero_​off-​notes in either wine or food: a perfect restaurant experience.
Is it too expensive? Well, I think not. It’s clearly out of reach or sense for many; but looking at the quality of ingredients (multiple, large pours of 1977 Madeira!) and number of kitchen staff, I don’t feel at all that it’s poor value. And the memories are rich. Go if you can.

This review is for Terroir. For this iteration of Next, the focus is on wine. We tasted 14 wines: 7 whites, 4 reds, 1 sparkling, 1 dessert, and 1 fortified. That’s a lot of wine, and the staff will happily pour more if you want but pace yourself!
In general the food was quite good but can it be possible that the food plays second fiddle to the wine?
The first course, paired with a white and a red Burgundy, was a delicious assortment of finger foods. The next course, sturgeon with peanuts, featured a flight of Chenin blanc wine from different parts of the world. Another highlight was the barley consommé which was served with a «mystery» wine in a black glass — this wine, the Schioppettino, was a red wine that tasted very much like a white wine. The black glass is used to cover up the color of the wine and to allow you to judge the wine independent of race, creed or color.
The savory food star of the evening was the squab, roasted to perfection, tender and pleasantly gamey, that paired very nicely with a mature (1997) Spatlese Riesling that offered up just the right level of sweetness and Sherry-​like funkiness. Wow. A very nice Krug Champagne was served with potato chips, caviar and popcorn. Also an interesting combination.
The beef course was a tempura-​fried, slow roasted bison loin (not your typical country-​fried steak!) with maitake mushrooms and truffle «soil» (think: truffle gremolata). The wine pairing with this course was a bone-​dry Riesling — the intent must have been to have the acidity cut through the richness of the food — however, I think it was too much of a juxtaposition.
The Cabernet Sauvignon was a young one (2012) from the Santa Cruz area, and was paired with snail roe, artichokes, and roasted eucalyptus aroma. Loved the burning eucalyptus smoke however the snail roe was very subtle and I think it gets lost between the wine and the aromatherapy.
The most interesting wine of the night came next, a Gual from the Canary Islands. This is a white wine that has some real funk to it. like cheese, and I think it could have paired well with some cheese but instead it was paired with seared hamachi. I did not enjoy this wine nor the fish for that matter.
A lamb course followed, paired with a Syrah-​focused Rhone. The wine was good — but by this time I was starting lose my focus with the food …
There were two desserts. The first dessert, some sort of cake, was forgettable but the old Madeira (1977) that was served with it was not. The final dessert was highlighted by a flan ice cream which must be one of the best things I have ever eaten. The wine pairing here was a 2006 Tokaji Azsu 5 Puttonyos — a superb way to cap off the evening.

Due to dietary restrictions had to sell off my tapas reservation. Went tonight for their outside tapas menu. Food was fantastic, service was friendly. No wait. They probably won’t do this reduced menu outdoor concept in the future as it needs to fit with the theme. Pintxos and tapas do seem to fit the outdoor small plate theme.
The tortilla was the best version I have had outside of San Sebastian. Per our friendly waiter, their cheesecake is influenced by La Vina’s version in San Sebastian. Tapas menu ends in the beginning of September.

Last night was my 1^st time at Next to experience their Tapas menu. I’m no expert but I visited Spain a few months ago so I wasn’t sure what to expect. They hit the main flavors and elevated them in their own execution. They described that most of the inspiration was from western part of Spain which I didn’t travel too.
The 1^st course (flatbreads) is already set up before you arrive at your table. Depending on the person, this could seem like the restaurant is rushing us but it is passable as you go through the rest of the menu. Service is timed and impeccable. The BF and I opted to share 1 wine pairing since I can’t drink too much. The worked well for us as they flood the table course after course and we felt slightly full by the 4^th course (the tender pork belly and baguette).
Foodwise, the highlight was the pork belly that was lit on fire at your table. it looks all burnt and black that you would think they were serving you cancer. I didn’t even recognize the baguette. Oddly it didn’t taste burnt and the black sauce and the pork tasted amazing. We also enjoyed the cod chips and cod dip course. The octopus was cooked well but sauce at the bottom did get a bit salty. I was fascinated by the spherical olive essence literally bursting in your mouth with oliveness (yes that is a word now) as did the tempura fried egg yolk. The no fail patatas bravas did not fail in Next’s execution. There was certainly «cool» and «odd» factors in presentation throughout the meal such as looking for chocolates in an olive tree, the supervised tube shot of flavors and smoked prawn with ice cream.
The biggest let down was the steak and eggs for us. The steak was too cold and the eggs were good but salty. It felt heavier than the rest of the menu. It was almost a chore to eat it. the sepia was also only okay.
In regard to wine pairing, we really enjoyed the vermouth and the 1 cocktail the most.
Overall, certainly an experience. Looking forward to the next experience :)

I think Next is one of those restaurants that you should try once, just because it is a fun experience, especially with a group of friends. I think the food is good, but not spectacular. There are some problems with execution for some of the dishes. For example, I had some crostinis that were slightly soggy (I think the chefs left the toppings on too long) and a jelly that was supposed to be sucked through a glass straw which was a mess. I really liked the plain cheesecake — probably one of the most simple dishes of the evening, yet very flavorful. I felt very full at the end of the meal, which is always a good sign.
1 star off: Every presentation seems to be over-​the-​top. There was a white chocolate bar that was hidden in a tree… and the tree was brought to our table. I think that was too much. Just give me the chocolate. Please.

Tapas Themed Menu was Simply Delicioso
This was my third time year and I can’t wat to Come BACK again and Again

Maybe it’s because I made the mistake to come here right after going to Alinea a month ago, or maybe it’s because the Tapas menu and I just didn’t click. I am definitely not impressed. A few dishes were just «very experimental» if you want me to be polite and «downright yucky» if you want me to be honest. The experience was more like 3.5 stars, but given the $$ I paid for it and the expectations I had, I’m definitely not in the mood to round up.
My date had the reserved wine pairing while I had the non-​alcoholic pairing. I actually must give kudos to Next for having an actual non-​alcholic pairing, whereas Alinea only had a bottle of soft drink for me when I told them I didn’t feel like drinking. The first couple of non-​alcoholic drinks were very strongly flavored (not in a good way) but fortunately it soon got better. The reserved wine pairing had a few impressive and delicious vintage offers, but the rest were also very meh.
Most of the appetizer dishes were extremely salty. Then there was a dish where they lit some white stuff with pork belly on fire and told us everything given was edible. We tried the white stuff and found it very repulsive. We later were told it’s powered alcohol. If you don’t know what burnt powered alcohol tastes like you don’t want to find out. So this is what you get for following instructions.
The food picked up a little more as the «main dishes» came out, and the steak and eggs was actually pretty phenomenal. Too bad the dinner quickly got ruined again by an otherwise fresh and delicious shrimp that’s dipped in very out of place strawberry cream.
The desserts were pretty decent: some white chocolate hidden in a tree (yes they brought out a giant plant and put it on our table), a delicious cheese cake, and some horchata. Nothing you can’t find at any other fancy restaurant though.
Since they do have a rotating menu, I might be tempted to come back if I hear raving reviews about a particular theme and after I recover from this experience. Definitely not any time soon.
I think the highlight of the night was actually our fun and entertaining waitress instead of the food and drinks.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m a simple girl with simple taste and I’m not a fan of overpaying for some trendy over the top restaurant experience. But every once in a while, you agree to one of these meals and call it an experience. Plus, I like French cuisine. So when my friend invited me to bistro night at Next, I agreed.
The service at Next is exceptional. They take care of your every need. The server asked us if we had any allergies and I said that I cannot eat or drink anything touched by orange peel, which was a good thing because one of the drinks included orange and they modified it for me. We opted for cocktail, wine, beer pairings and my friends ordered some extras, but I stuck with the original menu. It was expensive enough!
The crusty bread on the table and flavored butter was a nice way to begin the meal. The drinks were all delicious and I was pleased they refilled our glasses. All the courses were of generous portions and a bit heavy, as rustic French food can be, but worth over stuffing ourselves with.
Amuse-​bouche: chicken custard with crispy chicken skin served in an egg shell. The serving method was the star in this dish, but the flavor certainly matched. Who doesn’t love fried chicken skin?!
Hors-d’Oeuvre: potato and leek soup. Delicious. Came with some potato chips. Couldn’t eat just one!
Poisson: skate wing. This was one of those dining experiences as we were taught how to debone it ourselves. I was nervous I’d screw it up, but it was quite simple to do and ended up being delicious. Again, fried is good. And I love brussels sprouts.
Premier Plat: caramelized onion tart. This is the only course I didn’t finish and maybe I was saving room, but really, I just didn’t like it. I tried some of my friend’s escargot with pull apart bread and it was so wet with butter that it nearly choked me. I love butter, but not when the bread is dripping with it. This was the worst course of the night for all of us, I think.
Plat principal: leg of lamb. My favorite course by far. Perfectly cooked, and melted in my mouth for a seriously flavorful experience. My friends ordered the pressed duck and that was quite cool to see. A very sexy show, really, with a hot chef destroying a duck and then stuffing the leftovers into a crazy contraption that I thought for sure would squirt duck juice all over me. Instead, it squeezed out the base for a rich jus that made the duck even more amazing. We also got green beans as a side and they were crisp and tasty.
Entremets: I chose the only non orange dessert available: a lemony tart that was a refreshing end to a great meal.
I’m not entirely sold on the $ 230 experiential meal, but I don’t regret this one and I recommend it for everyone to try at least once. Science does say it’s better to spend on experiences than goods, and a creative meal with good friends is quite an experience!

this was a highly anticipated date night. I have been wanting to try for a very long time. so when Tapa theme came up, it was right up our alley.
we purchased the reserve pairings. Dinner was 9 courses. I felt they didnt flow very well, and some were so strange. like cold the prawn, i dont know what they did to it, it was gelatinous and gross in texture, flavor was off putting. I wanted to spit it out… that was served with white chocolate on an olive tree branch. we are not new to culinary eccentricities, we have traveled and tasted many… the rest was just OK, thus the three stars. nothing was «OMG good» where your eyes roll back, that did not happen once. I am so disappointed that the price tag of $ 557 for two, could have been spent elsewhere for a superior meal. at least its off the bucket list. we will save for Alinea and give that a go. This was not our thing.

One of the things that seems to be all the rave in Chicago is ticketed dining experiences. Or, the places I wanted to try at least. Ironically, the three places I wanted to try, Alinea, The Aviary, and Next Restaurant, are all owned by the same person: Grant Achatz. Contrary to the norm of menus, Next offers the diner a unique experience. Every few months, the menu changes completely by cuisine or style. A few seasons I wish I could have tried were Childhood, elBulli and hope to be able to come back for the Tapas beginning in May 2015. This time around, the menu focused on French Bistro.
Having started at The Aviary, we walked into Next. Blissfully walking over, we were greeted with some bread at the table. 9 shared cocktails in, this was certainly welcome.
Next up was the potato and leek soup. I love soups that are interactive in nature. At first glance of the dish, you saw some of the potato and chives. Shortly thereafter, the soup was incorporated for a creamy dish.
Then we had the skate wing with capers, brown butter and lemon. It was so tender and melted in your mouth.
Up next, a caramelized onion tart with gruyère and anchovies. It was like having a French onion soup in tart form.
The main dish was the leg of lamb with vegetables, olives and rosemary.
Since there were four of us and two desserts, we did the rational thing and ordered two of each. There was a rum cake and an apple tart. I definitely preferred the apple tart. The rum cake was nice, but very powerful with the alcohol incorporated. After a night at Aviary and drink pairings at dinner, I just couldn’t do it. In a removed situation, I am sure I would have been more inclined to have more of that!

Trio is an even more spectacular menu than Modern Chinese. This homage to Chef’s first restaurant ten years ago pulls out some vintage tricks, and reminds us of how cutting edge that restaurant was.
21 courses, many of them home runs. Very lavish ingredients, beginning with a generous serving of Osetra, and two courses using foie gras in completely different ways.
My favorite course was a surprise, the smoked figs was that perfect union of unexpected flavors that turns the whole into much more than the individual parts.
A few of Alinea’s serving tricks were used for some of the courses, but they’re more playful and less pretentious than at Alinea.
As always a convivial staff enthusiastically sharing information and their love of what they’re doing. A great dining experience.