Before I get started I should explain how Next works. Started in 2011 by Grant Achatz (of Alinea), the concept behind Next is that instead of making reservations like you traditionally would, you purchase a ticket for a dining experience which changes seasonally. So instead of ordering dishes or drinks you merely show up with your ticket and when you leave there is no bill to settle since everything is included with the ticket. Other restaurants (Playground 2.0 and Trois Mec come to mind) have borrowed the idea, but Next was the first.
This is going to be a photo dump more than anything. I’ve realized I’m really bad at keeping a blog because my updates come years after they’re relevant. I attended Next: el Bulli back in 2012 and Next has since done at least another ten different menus. A quick jump on their website shows they’re now on Tapas. Well when I went, they were doing el Bulli. What does that even mean? I’m glad you asked. El Bulli was basically considered the best restaurant in the world for the past decade or so when head chef/food God Ferran Adria decided to close it down for good and people started losing their minds. Somehow Grant Achatz managed to not only get Ferran Adria’s permission but also his help to recreate his most popular and signature dishes for one season of Next. I have friends in powerful places and we managed to score tickets to what was literally a once in a lifetime experience. At the time, this was probably the last opportunity to taste Ferran Adria’s food considering he had just shut down his restaurant. That said, here are the photos. Hold on to your hats, because there are a lot.
If you’re wondering why the names of the dishes look insane, I’ll explain. The first number is the year the dish was created, then the name of the dish, then the corresponding dish number in Ferran Adria’s book of creations. I don’t know if he actually calls it his book of creations, but there’s definitely a catalog somewhere of all of his recipes and those numbers go with that.
2004 nitro caipirinha with tarragon concentrate 967
2000 hot/cold trout roe tempura 644
coconut, lychee, lime
2005 spherical olives 1095
1991 coca of avocado pear, anchovies and green onion 105
2003 iberico sandwich 859
2001 golden egg 741
saffron and celery infusion
2007 black sesame spongecake and miso 1361
1998 chicken liquid croquettes 474
1997 smoke foam 400
2003 carrot air with coconut milk 878
1997 cuttlefish and coconut ravioli with soy, ginger and mint 416
1992 savory tomato ice with oregano and almond milk pudding 159
2001 hot crab aspic with mini corn cous-cous 781
2000 cauliflower cous-cous with solid aromatic herb sauce 671
1988 suquet of prawns 28
1998 potato tortilla by marc singla 491
1989 trumpet carpaccio 52
fortified watermelon and red pepper
1987 red mullet gaudi 10
2007 nasturtium with eel, bone marrow and cucumber 1404
blis sherry vinegar, fig juice, pomegranate, barley, black walnut leaf
2000 civet of rabbit with hot apple jelly 686
2009 gorgonzola globe 1570
1999 foie gras caramel custard 580
1996 spice plate 367
white tea, tangerine, verjus
2009 mint pond 1647
1997 chocolate in textures 439
white chocolate, black cherry, blackberry
2010 chocolate donuts 1820
1993 creme flute 225
1989 puff pastry web 66
2004 passionfruit marshmallow – the farewell 1089
Next Restaurant
953 W Fulton Market
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 226-0858
