Next Announces Its 2016 Menus And A Visit To The French Laundry

By Anthony Todd in Food on Dec 1, 2015 2:41PM

A dish from Next's current menu, Terroir.

Next released its 2016 series of menus Monday, and, to be honest, we're pretty excited. There will be three themes this year, and each was announced by Next on Facebook.

The first theme? The Alps, for $95 to $125, for a perfect winter indulgence.

"While we don't have mountains of the natural variety here in Chicago, we do crave comfort food, a warm fire, and a hearty beverage during our cold winters. In finding a perfect match for our chilly winter we settled on the amazing cuisines of the mountain regions of Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria and France. Alpine cuisine is about a lot more than fondue we assure you."

After that ski excursion comes a trip down south, for A Tour of South America. Cost? $85 to $115.

The diverse cuisines of South America merge native foods with Spanish, Italian, African and even Asian influences. The result is a cultural cornucopia of fresh seafood, exotic fruits and spices, and some standby favorites that have traveled the world.

In addition, there's a tease that during the summer, Next will be offering a la carte selections on the patio with a theme based on street food.

The menu we are most excited about is the last one, The French Laundry. It's meant to replicate the menu on Chef Grant Achatz's first day at the famous restaurant 20 years ago. This is the big ticket for the year, and it will run you $255 $285. Still cheaper than a flight to Napa!

Season ticket holders will get the first crack at Next on Dec. 9. Then, on Friday, Dec. 11, the system opens up to everybody.