The charity auction is up:

http://elbulliauction.nextrestaurant.com/

I think what they're doing is fantastic. They're already up to $53,000, which is just staggering. Good for Next for doing this!

There is much to say about the El Bulli dinner at Next (and I will say some later, about the wonderful dishes, the very good dishes, and the failures), but I wanted to agree with Gonzo about the absolutely superb service. It really did feel like a community. The staff is as good, and as cheerily American as any I can remember. However, Next really needs to work on the timing of the meal. We were told that the goal of the meal was 3-1/2 hours, but it lasted 5-1/2 hours (until 1:30 a.m.). And, yes, you do need to watch the wine.

60 of the 73 Next charity tables have been sold for a total of $282,000 for the University of Chicago Cancer Center after less than a day. Bravo! Very impressive indeed. One wonders if the tables had been set at $10,000 or $20,000 (rather than $4,000 and $5,000) would they have still have (nearly) sold out. I wouldn't be surprised if the remaining 13 were all gone by tonight.

GAF wrote:60 of the 73 Next charity tables have been sold for a total of $282,000 for the University of Chicago Cancer Center after less than a day. Bravo! Very impressive indeed. One wonders if the tables had been set at $10,000 or $20,000 (rather than $4,000 and $5,000) would they have still have (nearly) sold out. I wouldn't be surprised if the remaining 13 were all gone by tonight.

It is indeed impressive and suggests that they could have set prices even higher. Also impressive is the effort by folks on the FB page who raised money to buy 3 tables to donate to cancer patients/survivors. The community on the FB page can be a bit insane, but this auction and that fundraising was a nice antidote to the self-serving nature of a lot of posts during the insanity of the onsale last weekend.

/sorry, back to posts about the food! I don't get to go until mid-March

Guess this might explain why prices were topped at $5k.

https://twitter.com/#!/nickkokonas/stat ... 2299725824

Still a great amount of money raised and generous to give up $60k in revenue to generate over $300k for U of C cancer center.

In case anyone is trying for same day (really "next" day tickets now) on FB and only want 2 tickets but don't want to limit their chances, I would happily add 2 more tickets to your party (thus allowing a 4 top) for ANY date in March (except March 16-18). Anyone feeling likewise please let me know.

Great posts so far from those that have gone, although I am trying to not to ruin the surprises too much by reading too many details. This would be the highlight meal for me for the past year by far, but with so many interested parties it seems unlikely I will actually experience it. But I won't give up hope!

Similar to borborigmy I'd gladly round out a table with any LTHer in March (or most of April/May.) I was, ironically, on call in the OSU James Cancer Hospital when tickets went on sale and only managed to make it to a computer as #2010 to buy tickets. I'd need a day's notice but could gladly fill 1-2 seats.

All auctioned tables were sold in 4 days. $339,000 to fight cancer. Hurray for one-percenters! And, of course, to Next for being so generous.

I have a two top on 3/10 and am looking for a four top if anyone is interested in swapping (plus the difference of course)? PM me if so.

Thanks!

Borboigmy, Uhockey, I would gladly add two to any four top you could obtain. My only restrictions are April 18-14 as I will be out of the country. Thanks!

The Lovely Dining Companion follows Next on Facebook; I don't really have that level of interest and so learn what I learn from her. This morning she forwarded me a post from a young woman who has brain cancer and who was one of those chosen to attend Next courtesy of the donations made by those on Facebook. Thought I would share her post because, although long, I think it's worth reading. If nothing else, it offers some real perspective on the mania that usually attends Next:

"Hi, My name is Jen and I am very honored that Charles invited me to dine at one of the Next tables he purchased with your generous donations. I was diagnosed in 2008, at the age of 29, with a very rare form of brain cancer. At the time I was working full time and pursuing a PhD in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment. It was tough to hear, especially after I learned there is no concept of "remission" for this type of cancer and the long term (more than 10 years) survival rate is around 2 percent. I had imagined I would be terrified to receive such a diagnosis. However, I found my greatest fear was not dying (that is inevitable). My greatest fear turned out to be that I would stop living before I stopped breathing. With that knowledge and my faith in God to strengthen me, I have already beaten the odds by surviving almost four years. I went back to my full time job in university administration the day my doctors ok'd it and returned to my phd program after taking a summer off. I am incredibility fortunate and thankful every day for my relatively good health. The median survival for brain cancer is about 4 months, and most patients have to quit their jobs, so I know how fortunate I am. Thank you so much to this community for this opportunity. I know I cherish these types of experiences so much more now that I know I cannot take them for granted. Your generosity is incredibly touching...I had to keep from crying when Charles called to invite me. I will dine with my good friend who has been with me every step of the way since the diagnosis...through the bad bouts with chemo, nausea, fatigue, mouth ulcers, hair loss, weight loss, etc. She has been my support when my family could not be here. Thank you again. I cannot fully express how much this means to me."

Thank you very much for posting that. I appreciate it.

Going to Next tonight and had a question on gratuity. Is the service charge included in the price that we paid up front for gratuity or are we expected to give an additional cash tip to our servers tonight? Thanks.

Tip is included in what you've already paid.

Correct, they automatically assess a 20% gratuity as part of the total charge.

I just got an e-mail requesting that I select a beverage pairing. Is this something new? Based on what I've seen/heard, I would assume the Mixed Pairing was previously the default (absent a request to exclude alcohol), but that they have decided to offer a wine-only pairing for winey folks. Or, have these been the choices all along and they are just trying to get an estimate ahead of time instead of when diners arrive?

In our efforts to provide the best service to you and your guests, we are reaching out to gather a few more details pertaining to your reservation.

We would like to present some further information on the beverage options we are offering to accompany the el Bulli menu. The pairings are included in the purchase price of your tickets; you may select from the following with no additional charge:

Wine Pairing - Showcases an esoteric selection of wines from numerous regions of Spain as well as the province of Rousillon in French Catalonia.

Mixed Beverage Pairing - Features several Spanish wines as well as saké, cider, cocktails, and our beer "Sanguis" (custom brewed for this menu by Chicago's Half Acre Brewery in cooperation with our beverage team).

Non-Alcoholic Beverage Pairing - A progression of house-made juices, sodas, and teas.

I don't know if Next has offered wine-only pairings in addition to mixed beverage in the past, but I think the wine only pairing with El Bulli is an opportunity to showcase some fine(r) Spanish wines. I did the mixed pairing, and my tablemate selected the wine-only pairing. I think it's better to go with the wine-only to be honest. I wasn't impressed with some of the cocktail offerings: a tangerine-based cocktail (IIRC) was too sweet, and the Half-Acre beer totally overpowered the food it was paired with (I sent it back and asked for wine instead). On the other hand, all the wine pairings (I tasted sips of my tablemate's) were much more harmonious and delicious with the food. I wasn't asked to provide the beverage scheme in advance, though.

Hmm, when we went, we had the option of wine, mixed, and non-alcohol - but we were also told everyone at the table had to order the same thing (I was disappointed as I wanted the mixed drinks, but everyone else preferred wine - also thought it seemed odd in case a group wanted a designated driver). That said, the wine was excellent.

When we went, in the third week of March, we had the option of wine, mixed, and non-alcoholic and were only asked after we were seated.

I did non-alcoholic. The 3 others at the table did the mixed pairings, which included beer, sake, wine, cava (with some bitters and other flavorings added progressively), but no hard spirits (gin, rum, etc) aside from the nitro caipirinha and a small tequila jelly with our espresso at the end. If you're a cocktail nerd, you'll probably be disappointed.

Does anyone know where in Chicago one can find the Basa Juan cidre that was served with the elBulli menu? It was extremely delicious and I've been looking for it since that dinner to no avail.

fropones wrote:Does anyone know where in Chicago one can find the Basa Juan cidre that was served with the elBulli menu? It was extremely delicious and I've been looking for it since that dinner to no avail.

This seems to be the page from the wholesaler: http://www.demaisonselections.com/bordatto.html

They list Heritage Wine Cellars as the distributor: http://www.heritagewinecellars.com/

The distributor may be able to help.

Alternatively, a better strategy is to call Craig Perman of Perman Wine Selections (http://www.permanwine.com/). He is very friendly and is happy to order anything that's currently available.

fropones wrote:Does anyone know where in Chicago one can find the Basa Juan cidre that was served with the elBulli menu? It was extremely delicious and I've been looking for it since that dinner to no avail.

We randomly ordered a bottle of it at Barcito a couple days before going to Next El Bulli...tried to order a second to find that it was the last bottle they had. It's not currently on their menu, so I guess it's possible that Next ate up the rest of the allocation. It might be worth checking, though.

I dined at Next for the El Bulli months ago, but waited to post and I'm glad I did. In the past month, I also dined at é by Jose Andres in Las Vegas, and while I enjoyed the meal, I did not think it came anywhere close to matching the experience at Next El Bulli, in terms of food, service or plating. And until looking back and reflecting upon the meal, I don't think I quite appreciated Next El Bulli enough. Perhaps I was a little frustrated with the failure to score a reservation (and ultimately being lucky enough to be invited by a friend), or maybe the knowledge that I really wasn't eating at El Bulli (and never had the chance) and that maybe Next was just copying what someone else had done, but maybe with lesser talent.

In reality, I should have let go of my skepticism and just enjoyed the experience. Looking back on the meal, I can say it was outstanding, one of the best I've ever had, well paced and really delivered so many amazing flavors and was stunning in terms of delivery and amazement. Also, given the number of courses served, the fact that they change the menus quarterly (and even cooking techniques, which vary dramatically by continent visited), I am really at a loss for how they are able to deliver the quality they do. Could it be possible to say that the kitchen talent at Next is underrated? Maybe not, but in my opinions Next deserves all of the acclaim it receives.

The meal started with a nitro caipirinha with tarragon concentrate, a delicious and lightly tart and sweet palate cleanser.


Nitro caipirinha with tarragon concentrate


That was followed by the hot/cold trout roe tempura. I was impressed that they were beautifully fried, crisp and light, yet not at all greasy. And the cool roe and its flavor came through the breading loud and clear, all that I could ask for - delicious.


Hot/cold trout roe tempura



The famous spherical olives were next, and these green olive spheres were terrific and exploding with intense and pure green olive flavor. At é, they offered a similar dish, but with black olives. And while the flavor was terrific, the presentation at Next was more graceful, more pretty.


Spherical olives



I enjoyed the coca of avocado, anchovies and green onion, but simply because the anchovy was terrific. I don't know that the other components helped me appreciate the anchovy any more.


Coca of avocado, anchovies and green onion



The Iberico sandwich featured Iberico ham wrapped around a hollow breadstick, and was great texturally. Would it be fair to have asked for more Iberico ham to be wrapped around the breadstick? Maybe not, and it was still delicious.


Iberico sandwich



I never would have dreamed of a golden egg, and I loved the simple flavors (and the small size) - raw quail egg and caramel, and the crispy exterior. Beautiful to admire too.


Golden egg




The black sesame spongecake and miso was one of my favorite dishes of the night. Slightly sweet, it delivered a really wonderful sesame flavor and I love sesame. The miso was not only a wonderful complement to the sesame, but the proportion of sesame to miso was just right. The cake is cooked in less than a minute in the microwave we were told. They served a similar spongecake at é (microwaved spongecake that is, although flavor was different), but the version at Next was far superior.


Black sesame spongecake and miso



Chicken liquid croquettes reminded me in concept of the crackers with liquid cheese filling I remember tasting my first visit to Alinea. I still appreciate the concept, and the texture was great - a delicate, crisp coating with a warm, liquidy filling. I enjoyed this dish, even if I was no longer wowed by the concept, and the chicken filling was very tasty but really nothing earth shattering.


Chicken liquid croquettes



What can I say about smoke foam. This course took me back to the Simpsons episode, when Homer was concerned that Bart might be gay, and though sitting him in front of a Virginia Slims billboard would "cure" him. When Homer asked Bart how he felt, he responded "I feel like having a smoke." Anyway, this course tasted like I was eating and smoking a cigarette at the same time, and it was alright in flavor, in addition to being so clever (although I could only eat so much of it).


Smoke foam



The smoke was followed by carrot air with coconut milk, another one of my favorite courses of the evening. You started off tasting the lightest and most delicate carrot air bubbles, although there was no mistaking the carrot flavor. At first you think, this is going to get boring after a while, scooping up nothing but air bubbles. Although as your spoon descended further into the bowl, you discovered a lightly curry scented coconut milk that blended with the carrot air. And when I discovered the blending of flavors, I was thrilled - delicious, surprising, perfection.


Carrot air with coconut milk



What first amazed me about the cuttlefish and coconut ravioli with soy, ginger and mint was the perfectly textured ravioli, which in fact was the cuttlefish. More importantly, the combination of flavors was outstanding.


Cuttlefish and coconut ravioli with soy, ginger and mint



The savory tomato ice with oregano and almond milk pudding was fine I suppose in terms of flavor, impressing me more in terms of technique and texture, but ultimately not wowing me.


Savory tomato ice with oregano and almond milk pudding



The only course of the evening I did not like - in fact I really disliked it - was the hot crab aspic with mini corn cous-cous. I found it a little too salty, a little too fishy (and I love crab), and I did not like any of the textural elements - either the aspic or the couscous which I thought was too dry. Oh well, out of 29 courses, I suppose it's okay to hate one.


Hot crab aspic with mini corn cous-cous



Another one of my favorite dishes followed, the cauliflower cous-cous with solid aromatic herb sauce. This was probably the most beautiful course served. It was also delicious. I am not a cauliflower fan, and yet I thought the flavors here really exploded. The texture was terrific too in that you really believed it was couscous.


Cauliflower cous-cous with solid aromatic herb sauce



Suquet of prawns was also outstanding, with perfectly cooked and flavorful prawns in a deliciously rich, buttery sauce.


Suquet of prawns



I suppose the potato tortilla by Marc Singla delivered the flavors of a Spanish potato tortilla, and probably with more intense flavor, but I prefer the traditional texture to that of this liquid version. Still, a delicious dish.


Potato tortilla by Marc Singla



The trumpet carpaccio was another amazing dish, beautiful to gaze at, even better to eat. Mushrooms, pine nuts? (IIRC), herbs, etc. This might have been my favorite dish of the evening, if only because I was amazed at how they were able to build a dish that was so much greater in flavor and appearance than the sum of its parts (and the sum of the parts was pretty great on its own). Maybe the best tasting mushroom dish I've ever tasted.


Trumpet carpaccio



More beauty in presentation, the red mullet gaudi. You can't help thinking about the ocean and an art museum with this one, with the red mullet "plated" atop a vacuum sealed bag of sea shells and water. The red mullet was beautifully prepared, and served with some flavors that remind you of gazpacho - delicious.


Red mullet gaudi



Nasturtium with eel, bone marrow and cucumber again proved that with 29 courses, not every one can be a hit. It was fine, but probably not memorable, even with the tasty eel and bone marrow.


Nasturtium with eel, bone marrow and cucumber



Civet of rabbit with hot apple jelly might have been the richest dish of the evening, and it was also both beautiful and delicious. I believe the sauce on the plate was foie gras, and overall, just a terrific blend of flavors.



Civet of rabbit with hot apple jelly



After the rich rabbit dish, I expected something a little lighter in texture and flavor. Gorgonzola? The frozen gorgonzola globe was not only ingenious and beautiful and graceful in appearance, but a perfect follow-up to the rabbit. So thin in texture, frozen, dusted lightly with grated nutmeg and delicious, you could peel little bits off without feeling full. Fun too.



Gorgonzola globe



Another one of my favorite dishes of the night was the foie gras caramel custard - two of my favorite flavors. I was so impressed with the way they maintained the lightness of the custard while achieving the perfect caramel-foie gras flavor balance. I thought this dish was amazing.


Foie gras caramel custard



The spice plate was more a game than a food course, apple jelly suspending various herbs and spices, served with a piece of paper with two columns in which we were required to match the spices/herbs with their positions (12 positions on the clock) on the plate.


Spice plate



Also more interesting than tasty was the mint pond - peppermint, green tea, cocoa and sugar powders mixed atop a thin layer of plated ice. Fun to look at and play with, but not much else. Although, I supposed it cleansed the palate between the gorgonzola/spices/herbs and the true dessert courses. You used your spoon to crack the thin layer of ice and eat bits of ice with the flavored powder combination.


Mint pond



The first true dessert was chocolate in textures and it was outstanding. I can't recall all of the textures (mousse, crispy shell I think and maybe ganache?). In any event, very rich and delicious chocolate and of course magnificent in appearance.


Chocolate in textures



I wish someone had told us that the chocolate donuts had a coconut liquid interior - tasty, but unfortunately messy with the lack of assistance.


Chocolate donuts



Creme flute and puff pastry web, respectively, were both tasty and light, though nothing to get excited about at Next, although I'd be pretty happy to get pastries of this quality at any bakery.



creme flute (above), puff pastry web (below)



The meal ended with the Ferran Adria hand waving goodbye and delicious passionfruit marshmallows.



Ferran Adria hand and passionfruit marshmallows



Overall, I absolutely loved the meal, although I needed time to reflect (and perhaps my experience at é by Jose Andres in Las Vegas) to completely appreciate how great the meal was. So much beauty, amazing flavors, and fascinating techniques and presentations. If I had to pick my favorites of the evening (no small task with so many terrific flavors), in order of service, I'd say the black sesame spongecake, carrot air, cauliflower couscous, trumpet carpaccio and foie gras caramel custard. Part of my initial unwillingness to heap praise upon Next was the fact that in the back of my mind, I was given the understanding that Next was only serving what El Bulli had once served, almost like simply preparing dinner from a cookbook. I've let go of much of that concern, simply because of the brilliant plating, the clever and thoughtful order in which the courses were served (and of course the particular El Bulli courses selected), and because they really prepared the food with amazing flavor and presentation, and that takes great skill. If not, everyone would be doing it. I now know the credit Next's staff deserves, and in retrospect, it was one of my favorite meals ever (although it took me some time to come to this realization).