Chicagoist's Top 11 for 2011: The Opening of Next
By Anthony Todd in Food on Dec 26, 2011 4:30PM
Our Town's food media doesn't often see stories that make year-end lists. Last year's Michelin Guide Chicago release, while a symbol of Chicago's culinary ascension, was, in reality, a bit anti-climactic for everyone on the ground. This year, Chicago was the center of national food media attention for months on end, as superstar Chef Grant Achatz built and opened his second (and third) restaurants. Chicagoans already took pride in having the best restaurant in the United States in Alinea, and we eagerly waited to see what the mind of the great chef would come up with.
Achatz spent much of 2010 teasing us with fabulous videos and information about the innovative (or crazy, depending on your point of view) ticketing system that Next would use instead of traditional reservations. We learned that, rather than a static menu, Next would have a rotating series of complete refurbishments - three months of one cuisine or idea, then off to another. The kitchen team spent months researching classical French cuisine, buying antique equipment and practicing for Paris 1906. Tickets were scalped, with some asking $3000 on Craisglist for the chef's table.
When it finally opened in April, Next blew us away. We dined there on the second night of service, and published the very first review of the new restaurant. The Aviary, the soon-to-open cocktail bar next door, didn't impress us quite so much. Our minor spat with Chef Achatz created a lot of gossip, but the focus returned (appropriately) to the high quality, innovative dishes that Achatz and Next chef de cuisine Dave Beran were turning out every night.
As is inevitable with any successful venture, rapturous awe rapidly turned to parody, as our favorite foodie meme of 2011 was born: #futurenextthemes. Soon-to-be-anointed Sun-Times Dining Critic Michael Nagrant led the pack, with former Feast editor Carly Fisher and Grubstreet Chicago editor Mike Gebert contributing some masterpieces.
Next's success has continued through their more recent incarnations. Thai street food was enthusiastically received (despite some arguments over its authenticity) and the "Childhood" menu, which initially confused everyone — What sort of food is that? — has been even more popular. 2012 will see new menus, including Sicily and Kyoto, and Next will be selling season tickets to those who want to skip the server crashes and constant refreshing of browsers for tickets. You can even buy the book: all of the recipes for Paris 1906 are available in ebook form for the iPad, with other books to be released in 2012.
Luckily for our taste buds (if unluckily for our wallets), the story of Next will continue past 2011. Their next menu, El Bulli, starts in January.