From Newsgroup: alt.food.wine

After a particularly brutal few weeks of work, Jean and I took advantage
of our recent rCLempty nesterrCY status and traveled up to Chicago for an evening of food and wine, ostensibly to celebrate our 34th anniversary.
On this occasion, we revisited Next, Grant AchatzrCOs other restaurant
during its rCLParis 1906rCY menu season. While I have gone on record here as stating that I have no desire to dine at Alinea, I have no such
reservations (pun intended*) about Next. Their 8-course tasting menu
homage to Escoffier featured prominent use of black truffles and had
several truly spectacular dishes. We also opted for their rCLPrestigerCY
wine pairing (the second of three tiers of cost), all featuring wines of France, natch. Alas, they werenrCOt entirely forthcoming with details
about the wines served, so IrCOve tried to interpolate where I can.

The menu:
HORS d'OEUVRES
Oeuf benedictine
Tete de porc
Gougere
Mousse du salmon froid en banquette

POTAGE A LA TORTUE CLAIRE

FILETS DE HALIBUT RACHEL
truffe, vin blanc, white asparagus

SUPREME DE VOLAILLE FINANCIERE
poulet, sauce financiere, brioche

CARRE D'AGNEU AVEC SAUCE CHORON
ris d'agneu, sauce choron, duchesse potatoes

SALADE IRMA
bitter greens, cucumber, lemon vinaigrette

BOMBE CEYLAN
coffee pate a bombe, rum ice cream, gelatine cherries

MIGNARDISES
candied almond
beet pate de fruit
pistachio nougat
salted caramel


With the hors drCOoeuvres, they served a 2010 Drappier Grande Sendr|-e Brut which was slightly oxidative in character, though not to an extent to
bother my oxidatively sensitive spouse, but also delightfully lemony and fresh. Of the hors drCOouvres, the ouef bendictine and salmon mousse
barquette were the standouts, the former perhaps even eclipsing the
Arpege egg I ate at Manresa an eon ago.

With the phenomenal turtle soup (made with snapping turtle they hastened
to inform us), they served the 2016 Fosse-Seche Saumur Blanc rCyArcanerCO which was bone dry and tasting of slightly bruised apples with zippy
acidity. Jean, not normally a big fan of Chenin, loved it. I donrCOt have
a whole lot of experience with Saumur Blanc, my one previous exposure
having been Clos Rougeard rCyBreze.rCO The sommelier was pleasantly
surprised that we knew Chenin, especially when we mentioned the Huet in
our cellar.

The filets of halibut amounted to a terrine of alternating layers of gelatinated halibut and gelatinated black truffle, which was one of the highlights of the meal. With this, they served a Chassagne-Montrachet,
but I caught neither year or producer. It went passably well with the
dish, standing up even to the truffle, but still was white Burgundy (meh).

The Financier chicken was another well-crafted dish with both mushrooms
and truffle. With this, they served a 2017 Genot-Boulanger
Chambolle-Musigny, which was painfully young , smelling of pine needles
and oak, but showing some very pretty red fruit. Personally, I felt that
an earthier Burgundy would have set off the dish better.

The lamb dish was notable primarily for the lamb rilette at bottom,
which was outrageously tasty. They served with this the 2019 Georges
Vernay Cote-Rotie which was shockingly light bodied with soft tannins,
though the alcohol stick out a bit. IrCOve only had the Condrieu from this producer before, though we were informed of a generational change there,
with mother and daughter now in charge. We were informed that there was
10% Viognier added for its floral character, but the somm didnrCOt know whether it was a traditional co-fermentation or not (and looked puzzled
by my question).

The Bombe and mignardises at the end made for a fine finish to a great
meal. We also chose the Chartreuse off the digestif trolley because why
not? We chatted about the scarcity for a bit with the server, who
assured us that they get all that they need (what a shocker!).

This meal did live up to expectations, as we hoped it would, though
again I felt that the wine pairings could have been better thought out.
(FTR, the next tier up started with Krug rCo we were informed that they
were all rCLhighly rated wines,rCY a complete turnoff for us)

* in case yourCOre not familiar, Next operates on a rCLticket rCL model: you purchase tickets for a date and time that are all-inclusive of food,
wine, tax and tip. TheyrCOre non-refundable and you pay up front. I
noted to a Jean that I didnrCOt need to bring a wallet, really.

Your intrepid reporter,
Mark Lipton
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.food.wine

On Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 1:29:03rC>PM UTC-4, Mark Lipton wrote:

After a particularly brutal few weeks of work, Jean and I took advantage
of our recent rCLempty nesterrCY status and traveled up to Chicago for an evening of food and wine, ostensibly to celebrate our 34th anniversary.
On this occasion, we revisited Next, Grant AchatzrCOs other restaurant during its rCLParis 1906rCY menu season. While I have gone on record here as stating that I have no desire to dine at Alinea, I have no such
reservations (pun intended*) about Next. Their 8-course tasting menu
homage to Escoffier featured prominent use of black truffles and had
several truly spectacular dishes. We also opted for their rCLPrestigerCY wine pairing (the second of three tiers of cost), all featuring wines of France, natch. Alas, they werenrCOt entirely forthcoming with details
about the wines served, so IrCOve tried to interpolate where I can.

The menu:
HORS d'OEUVRES
Oeuf benedictine
Tete de porc
Gougere
Mousse du salmon froid en banquette

POTAGE A LA TORTUE CLAIRE

FILETS DE HALIBUT RACHEL
truffe, vin blanc, white asparagus

SUPREME DE VOLAILLE FINANCIERE
poulet, sauce financiere, brioche

CARRE D'AGNEU AVEC SAUCE CHORON
ris d'agneu, sauce choron, duchesse potatoes

SALADE IRMA
bitter greens, cucumber, lemon vinaigrette

BOMBE CEYLAN
coffee pate a bombe, rum ice cream, gelatine cherries

MIGNARDISES
candied almond
beet pate de fruit
pistachio nougat
salted caramel

With the hors drCOoeuvres, they served a 2010 Drappier Grande Sendr|-e Brut which was slightly oxidative in character, though not to an extent to
bother my oxidatively sensitive spouse, but also delightfully lemony and fresh. Of the hors drCOouvres, the ouef bendictine and salmon mousse barquette were the standouts, the former perhaps even eclipsing the
Arpege egg I ate at Manresa an eon ago.

With the phenomenal turtle soup (made with snapping turtle they hastened
to inform us), they served the 2016 Fosse-Seche Saumur Blanc rCyArcanerCO which was bone dry and tasting of slightly bruised apples with zippy acidity. Jean, not normally a big fan of Chenin, loved it. I donrCOt have
a whole lot of experience with Saumur Blanc, my one previous exposure
having been Clos Rougeard rCyBreze.rCO The sommelier was pleasantly surprised that we knew Chenin, especially when we mentioned the Huet in
our cellar.

The filets of halibut amounted to a terrine of alternating layers of gelatinated halibut and gelatinated black truffle, which was one of the highlights of the meal. With this, they served a Chassagne-Montrachet,
but I caught neither year or producer. It went passably well with the
dish, standing up even to the truffle, but still was white Burgundy (meh).

The Financier chicken was another well-crafted dish with both mushrooms
and truffle. With this, they served a 2017 Genot-Boulanger Chambolle-Musigny, which was painfully young , smelling of pine needles
and oak, but showing some very pretty red fruit. Personally, I felt that
an earthier Burgundy would have set off the dish better.

The lamb dish was notable primarily for the lamb rilette at bottom,
which was outrageously tasty. They served with this the 2019 Georges
Vernay Cote-Rotie which was shockingly light bodied with soft tannins, though the alcohol stick out a bit. IrCOve only had the Condrieu from this producer before, though we were informed of a generational change there, with mother and daughter now in charge. We were informed that there was
10% Viognier added for its floral character, but the somm didnrCOt know whether it was a traditional co-fermentation or not (and looked puzzled
by my question).

The Bombe and mignardises at the end made for a fine finish to a great
meal. We also chose the Chartreuse off the digestif trolley because why
not? We chatted about the scarcity for a bit with the server, who
assured us that they get all that they need (what a shocker!).

This meal did live up to expectations, as we hoped it would, though
again I felt that the wine pairings could have been better thought out. (FTR, the next tier up started with Krug rCo we were informed that they
were all rCLhighly rated wines,rCY a complete turnoff for us)

* in case yourCOre not familiar, Next operates on a rCLticket rCL model: you purchase tickets for a date and time that are all-inclusive of food,
wine, tax and tip. TheyrCOre non-refundable and you pay up front. I
noted to a Jean that I didnrCOt need to bring a wallet, really.

Your intrepid reporter,
Mark Lipton

Wow, sounds like a great meal! Although at that level somm should know basics. Actually sounds like nice selections, too young but that is standard in restaurants.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2