Restaurant News: Next Tickets Go Crazy, Telegraph Opens Tonight

By Anthony Todd in Food on Jul 8, 2011 3:00PM

- Next's new menu, an interpretation of Thai cuisine, starts this weekend. Tickets went on sale yesterday at 4:45, and, according to Next's Facebook page, "every table was in held mode within 2 seconds...." So, if you didn't happen to get one, what can you do? The tickets released were only for this weekend, so you have plenty of time to eat their Thai food. Our suggestions? Follow them on Facebook, and be flexible - if Paris 1906 is any indication, after a couple of weeks there were plenty of night-of tables. Also, they have a new logo and the new menu is up on their website.

- Telegraph, the new bar from the team behind Webster's Wine Bar and The Bluebird (one of our favs), opens tonight. The new Logan Square spot will feature European products, a change (some would say a welcome change) from the recent-obsession with local drinking. They are focusing on "new old-world wines" - interesting European wines - and will be serving plenty of wines by the glass. The opening menu includes grilled lamb with Blue Pool oysters, green strawberries, pumpernickel and ginger volute. Sign us up!2601 N. Milwaukee Ave.

- Another opening - El, Philip Foss's new micro-restaurant featuring Andrew Brochu (formerly of Kith and Kin) started serving last night. If you thought getting into The Office was hard, try this one on for size. El is miniscule, and reservations can only be got by email. On the other hand, Grubstreet has the opening menu, and it looks pretty darn amazing - 11 courses for $111.