Next's Sicily Menu Flickers Into Life

By Anthony Todd in Food on Jun 4, 2012 2:00PM

At this point, it's become a tradition: Chicago foodies who can't get into Next (or who have bought tickets for a seating later in a menu cycle) breathlessly await each new menu's promo video, which sets the tone for the cuisine and shows off the amazing design skills of the restaurant's videographer. This time, Next eschews food porn and turns towards nostalgia.

The video is narrated by Italian teacher, author and culinary legend Anna Tasca Lanza, who is an expert on Sicilian cuisine. Her narration, combined with a series of flickering images and sepia-toned videos, takes viewers on a 3-minute trip through the world of Sicilian food. The entire video makes us wonder if there's a "pre-war phonograph" filter on Instagram, but aside from that it's a worthwhile video for anyone in love with all things Italian.

On the other hand, thanks to Carly Fisher, we couldn't stop thinking about The Golden Girls. She tweeted last year about the Sicily menu cycle: "So, with Next Sicily, will you have servers coming out introducing dishes as "Picture it! Sicily: 1900" followed by a terrible anecdote? If so, I will refresh my browser until my arm falls off." If you close your eyes and hum a little, you can imagine that it's Estelle Getty narrating.

Next's Sicily menu began last week and runs through September.