sundevilpeg wrote:. . . or you could just bill the dinner to a client, or, even easier, expense it as 'business development - interview meal.'

If only. My friend was incredibly generous and picked up the meal and most of the drinks at Aviary and The Office; so in some ways it was a business expense. The joke will be on us though when the bill comes in the mail.

Overall everything was pretty tasty. But that said, the only real standouts for me were the Carciofi alle brace and the Spalla di maiale brasato. I grew up on artichokes and even the burned outside part which we were told not to eat was amazing. The pork shoulder and sauce accompaniment rivaled Avec in terms of consistency and taste. I know you can really do no wrong when it comes to pork shoulder but wow was it good. The pasta dishes were nicely cooked especially the Gemelli con le sarde but I am not a sardine person so that dish just didn't hit the mark for me. The swordfish seemed inconsistently cooked to me and really was more of an afterthought once the pork shoulder came out. Desserts were fine, but the real winner was the pairing (apparently we had the reserve and not the standard pairing) - Planeta Passito di Noto 2010. I'm not terribly big on dessert wines but this one came off as crisp tasting without being overwhelmingly sweet.

I recall reading previous comments regarding service issues but we did not have any. The staff seemed pretty happy to engage three really drunk guys too. I was a bit saddened to see Seth Carlson as I really love Schwa and I think he is a huge part of the dining experience there. It was really odd to see him not acting his usual self in a completely different and heavy metal / rap deficient setting.

As far as Aviary and The Office went...it was my first time to both. We each had a couple drinks at Aviary and while good, I don't think the gimmick was worth the price and extra hassle. I just as soon go to the Whistler or stand in line at Violet Hour. The Office was pretty interesting if anything for the air of importance one feels when there. I know that sounds condescending and arrogant, but really, what point does a 16 person capacity bar under a restaurant really serve if only to separate you from the rest? That said though, my cocktail was good and the 20 yr Pappy Van Winkle nightcap ended the night on a high note.

I've only been to Next once before (coincidentally Thailand exactly a year ago to the day) and I will say this experience matched the last minus the gut-busting feeling of having eaten too much rice. I realize that Sicily is at its end and Kyoto is right around the corner but I feel that it might be at least another year before I venture back into Next given all the other amazing options the city has to offer.