ronnie_suburban wrote: Allowing diners to choose which cut they want and how they'd like it cooked
=R=

Like at a steakhouse?

Wines are being offered by the glass without any hesitation.

Royal Lichter wrote:Wines are being offered by the glass without any hesitation.

Excellent.

Now I want Next to offer Aviary cocktails.

That would be cool.

I will write up a more detailed recap later, but I wanted to let everyone know, they were extremely accommodating on the drinks. They will let you order anything off the pairing menu individually. One member of our party got the standard pairings, one was only doing water. Two of us wanted to get the martini after reading so many good things about it, and they happily obliged. We sipped it and it lasted up until about the salmon course. The waiter then said he'd top them off, which was essentially a refill, and it lasted pretty much up until dessert.

It was $25 for each of us, and since we essentially got two martini's, it seems like a pretty good deal compared to everything else.

tl;dr You should have no problem ordering any drinks a la carte.

I was going to delete this post but decided to rewrite it instead because I think my experience says a lot about this Next menu. It's currently 2/27. On 2/18 in this space, I offered a reservation at Next: Chicago Steak for a pretty prime time - a Friday night in April at 6:30 - for face value. I got just one response on LTH and that was from someone asking if I'd take less money than I paid. I posted on Twitter and craigslist and got nothing. I emailed everyone I know who I thought would consider going to Next and got nothing. I had two people with few overlapping friends to post on Facebook and I posted on the Next Facebook page. From all of that, two people expressed interest, one of whom committed to buy.

One data point to support what seems obvious - this menu was a mistake for Next.

"Thank you for your interest in the tables for this evening and tomorrow-- they have been sold." - a sentence that used to appear regularly on the Next website but hasn't shown up since January 31.

I know this was debated a bit here on this thread:

I'm going to Next tonight, and as part of my season tickets I paid $160.

I just saw Next's FB same-day ticket post and they are offering both a 4 top and 2 top for $165 per ticket. Future Thursdays are also selling for $165 (for reservations before 9:15pm).

So it appears that the season ticket holders do get a slight (very, very slight) price break compared to regular and same day tickets.

And if you're wondering if this is a feeble attempt at justifying my season tickets, that would be "yes"

Any recent visits for this Steak menu? My reservations aren't until end of April. Doubt anything will change, just wondering if people have gone lately.

We were there on Friday evening for Steak. Dinner was maddeningly inconsistent from start to finish. No single course achieved the level of greatness except, perhaps, a delicious smoked broccoli that accompanied the oyster branzino. Things began with one of our battalion of rakish but ultimately disengaged servers dropping a steel mixing bowl brimming with chipped ice out of which sprouted various unremarkable members of the crudités family. They stood there, vertical and unapologetic, dusted in dehydrated ranch dressing (an unwitting aesthetic nod to the 50's post-war faith and friendship in the atom?) My paired martini comprised of Breckinridge vodka and a delicately floral vermouth muted my ennui nicely. The shrimp cocktail that followed summarized the effort of the night. If, in the chef's estimation, the finest tribute that can be paid to mid-20th century steakhouse-style shrimp cocktail is that the shrimp be large, then mission accomplished. In every other respect, it failed to improve on, or pay tribute to this "classic" dish. The aforementioned oyster course (one option of three if I recall, along with a surf clam pasta and something else) gave me hope that momentum was finally gathering, but the ensuing frog leg salad, punctuated with a single nondescript dot of actual boneless frog leg, deflated expectations. A salmon coulibiac, initially presented to the table in its whole, majestic form, came closest to conjuring the night's intended theme--well-composed, gilded and glamorous in the manner of a chartreuse walkaway dress. Lobster Thermidor came next, the second of a one-two combination of fatty richness from which we would never recover. So much so that we could only pick off two small slices of the ribeye that came next. Indeed, the disappointment of the night for me was that the courses leading up to the "star" of the evening pummelled and overwhelmed the palate and the stomach respectively to such a degree that the steak was forced to be considered as almost an inconvenient afterthought. The 30-day dry aged ribeye itself did nothing to overcome our diminished anticipation...post-war optimism giving way to 60s Cold War resignation I suppose. Perhaps the gang on Fulton is growing fatigued with a tiring theme that didn't have a lot of opportunity for innovation from the start.

Cheers.

i think that we take Alinea/next for granted because we are so close and can go anytime. these 2 restaurants are some of the best in the world and are known throughout the world. I staged at The Ledbury in Notting Hill (2 Michelin) and #12 in pelligrino best restaurant and when the cooks heard i was from Chicago , the first thing they asked is , "have u ate at Alinea?" Its all supply and demand ...if the demand is there at a certain price point (which it is) why not sell at that price? the bottom line is that if u are not willing to drop the $$ , someone else will. I just dont get the point of bringing it up time and time again...you should know going in that its going to be expensive.

I think the point is not the price point as such, but that the price point reflects a change in Next's mission and its audience from its opening. It once was gloriously priced to get a wider diversity of diners, but now it attracts the same diners as at Alinea (and without, in my judgment, the consistent quality - although at every meal there were some delicious dishes, but over the last several years, some failures). I don't object to Next being embedded in consumer capitalism (I can afford to indulge on occasion). Charge what the market will bear. But recognize that if you make that choice you will change the very nature of the restaurant, and with a higher price-point the demands for perfection will be higher and the criticism when the restaurant fails will be louder.

At this point Alinea is one of the world's great restaurants and Next is one of the world's more expensive restaurants that can serve some outstanding dishes.

I had been kind of down on Next between not caring for the 2013 menus nearly as much as 2011 and 2012 as well as the massive price increases, but did thoroughly enjoy the Modern Chinese menu tonight. Of the 13 courses there were only two I did not enjoy (which likely was more personal taste than anything technically flawed about the course) and there were a few homeruns. What I really enjoyed about this menu was that it was playful and creative rather than trying to be authentic; just the right amount of whimsy (some dishes were very similar style wise to what you typically see at Alinea - I will not provide specifics as the surprise factor enhances the experience, but it will be readily apparent at the time) but the creativity did not come at the expense of taste. So many dishes left a wonderful lingering aftertaste. My absolute favorite of the night was a dish served inside a halved coconut (reminiscent of Thai menu presentation wise) but it was a savory dish with spicy, aromatic chili paste, crab, raw & cooked mushrooms and a soothing layer of coconut ice. Amazing balance of different textures, temperatures and flavors. I also thought the dumpling course, squab, skate, monkfish, tower of duck and the Dragon's Beard dessert were phenomenal (impressive presentation for the duck as well).

I still am not thrilled regarding the price increases, but at least this menu is a bit less costly than steakhouse and unlike steakhouse this is not something you can go elsewhere and receive a similar meal for a lot less - it is a pretty unique meal. While not a good value, it does appear to be a fair value.

IMHO the beverage pairings are really overpriced but I am happy to report not only was my request for wine by the glass readily accommodated, I loved the wine and it was extremely reasonable (I had a glass of red with the second half of the savories; it was a generous pour for $12 or $13). The server let me taste the wine first and then served it in two half pours with the two courses he felt it would pair best.

I continue to miss some favorite staff members form 2011 to 2012 that have parted ways, but no complaints regarding service tonight. The pace was impressive for night two; the meal took just over 2.5 hours; never felt rushed but no significant gaps between any of the courses. I did not notice any significant flaws with either service or the execution of any of the dishes.

Overall a very pleasant evening and I felt a little bit of the magic of Next that I consistently felt during the first few menus come back. So long as one does not go expecting really traditional or authentic Chinese cuisine I think the vast majority of people will enjoy Chinese: Modern.

What does this one cost compared to Steak if you don't mind sharing?

TCK wrote:What does this one cost compared to Steak if you don't mind sharing?

Chinese: Modern runs from $130 (Wednesdays) to $145 (Saturdays) with the kitchen table selling for $185. This is per/person food only before tax and service charge is added. A table for two with standard beverage pairings runs a bit under $600 with tax/tip included. I do not recall offhand exactly what Steakhouse menu cost, but I want to say it was roughly $50 per/person more including a pairing, tax and tip.

Gonzo and I dined together - after tax and service a two-top with no pairings purchased in advance, for a Thursday night, at 6:15pm, was $331.50.

Any other LTHers try the Chinese Modern menu? Curious to hear about it!
Thanks,

Eerily quiet on this thread.

Love to hear any other updates/reviews from anyone who has been.

i went, it was really good, but considering what i could get for the money i spent for 2 at a combination of any tony hu restaurant, a brunch/lunch at a good chinatown dim sum spot, and chengdu impression, and choose my drinks at all 3...tough to justify, but worth it.

highly recommended, great food, tough to look at the $$$ the next day tho.

Kind of amazed how many tickets are available for this menu that has gotten lots of praise. Did Steakhouse kill the golden goose? Both kitchen tables available for tomorrow night (Friday). Granted, the prices are pretty high ($295 per person for 4 top with alcohol, incl tax/tip on a Thursday night - basically $225 of food and drink before tax/tip which goes pretty far most places) but given the novelty of this menu and Next's reputation it's surprising how readily tickets are now available for the entire month. Elizabeth seems much more willing to vary prices substantially by day and in response to demand than Next has. Only $15 difference between Wednesday and Saturday and not much difference by time of dining means lots of 4 tops after 9 pm going unsold.

On that topic, http://website.alinearestaurant.com/sit ... staurants/

I went and don't have the stamina to do a full writeup, but I enjoyed it. It was ~13 courses (some courses have multiple components) and most were ranging from good to very good. there were 2 duds IMO: the shrimp dish (I'm not a shellfish person) and the squab. the squab was more disappointing because it had sichuan pepper in it, which i love.

for price, if you are strictly looking at the food it is maybe not worth it. but for me i was greatly entertained by the experience, so i feel that i got value from the whole thing. i might have more entertainment budget than some, though.

I really enjoyed the Chinese Modern meal. It was inventive, interesting, fun and tasty. I thought most of the courses were delicious. Some of the food directly referenced well-known Chinese dishes. Others, diners might not even recognize as Chinese (or Chinese-inspired). Reserve pairings, which I shared with my wife, were well chosen. Service was thorough, professional and friendly. If you're generally a fan of Next, I think you'll enjoy this meal. If you've never been before, this might not be the place to jump in. I say that only because I've enjoyed a few earlier menus there more than this one.

=R=

I visited Next for the Chinese: Modern menu last week and came away disappointed. This had been the one 2014 menu I was really looking forward to, but sadly the experience just didn't measure up.

A few of the courses were stand outs: The crab salad served in the half coconut with green chili paste, mushrooms, potatoes, and coconut ice was wonderful - bright, complex flavors accompanied by the refreshment of the ice and the novelty of the coconut presentation. Next's take on Chinese stand-by beef and broccoli was also delightful; glazed slices of rib-eye served with fried pepper-flaked florets, and a shot of rich beef broth. Also great were the Szechwan-peppered-and-fried squab "nuggets" served street-food style in wax paper bags. My favorite course of the night was one of the transitional / dessert dishes: frozen rice soup with legumes (peas) and whipped vinegar - another crisp and refreshing dish with interesting, complex flavors that came together perfectly.

(Considering the two cold dishes were my favorites, maybe I was having an off night and should have just gone out for ice cream)

Unfortunately the misses out-numbered the hits.

The "pulling threads" dish with fried sweetbreads, taro root and plantains was a mess. Credit should be given for attempting a unique take on sweet and sour chicken, but the do-it-yourself execution was poor. Dipping fried sweetbreads (which on their own were quite good) covered in hot caramel into a cool passion-fruit vinegar resulted in a goofy hard candy shell that all but rendered what was inside pointless. The overly starchy plantains and taro root also did not benefit from the DIY sweet-and-sour treatment.

The flavor profiles of several dishes suffered from "too-much-ness." The starter broth course was good, but salty. The bitterness and heat of the monkfish dish overpowered the fish; accordingly the wine pairing was a too-sweet German Riesling. I've paired spicy Asian food with a sweet white wine frequently, and it's often a successful match; but I expect a bit more from Next. The same can be said for the lager - subsequently combined with pear cider - that followed; neither interesting nor tasty.

But my biggest issue was with the "rote-ness" of the meal: "Here is the course where we take the table centerpiece and serve it to you"; "Here is the course where we wheel up a cart for the evening's table-side presentation"; "Here is the course where we take a flower, a spice, and a fruit, make an ice cream, a crumble, and a gel, splatter it on a plate an call it dessert." (That may be a bit harsh).

I love Next. I get their concept and what they are trying to do (I even enjoyed Chicago Steak). I think Chef Beran is a brilliant and talented chef. And I understand that with the risks they take, there are going to be misses along the way.

So I think that's why I'm frustrated by this menu - it feels like a cop out, as if Next was mailing it in. The missteps weren't from trying too hard, but not hard enough.

The final culinary "surprise" of the evening - the giant fortune cookie - is a gag that belongs on "Man v. Food." C'mon Next, you are better than that.

I went to the Chinese:Modern meal last week, and from my viewpoint it was a fantastic meal. First, I love Chinese cuisine, and I found this meal to be a very playful, fun and tasty version of Chinese food overall. I also thought there were no real misses, and certainly some dishes that were just outstanding. Maybe it is in comparison to my last meal there, which was Steak, but I feel revived about the Next concept and execution. It was a great night with great food, and I would recommend this meal to anyone looking to experience Next either again or for the first time.

Golly. Which do I loathe more, dinner theater or dinner as theater? Both, I guess.

Food is an adjunct to an evening out as far as I'm concerned.

Obviously "Next" is the antithesis of everything I believe a restaurant should be.

I won't be posting any more on this subject.

(Yeah I know. 'Whew' goes pretentiousville.)

Golly. Which do I loathe more, dinner theater or dinner as theater? Both, I guess. Food is an adjunct to an evening out as far as I'm concerned.

Roger - I agree overall that for most of my meals, I would like to just enjoy very tasty food in good company, and personally the atmosphere or surroundings don't often mean much to me (although I don't know how much of a true food lover you are if food is just an adjunct to your evenings - I tend to base my evening around the food myself). 90% of my meals would be the antithesis of "pretentious." But I do find Next to be interactive with their "theater", and every time have had a great time joking and talking with the servers and discussing the items. In my opinion, if I am going to be paying $160 for a meal (or more), they might as well put some show into it as well - as long as the food is up to snuff. I think Alinea, being a top 10 rated restaurant in the world, is definitely a "theater" restaurant. And maybe you don't like it either. But there are certainly a lot of people who do; obviously to each his own. My wife refuses to go to Next and I know I will never convince her, just as I am unlikely to convince you.

I visited Next last night for the first time and wanted to put in my two cents worth. I'm probably less of a foodie than most of the people on this board. I've never been to Alinea, in fact I've only paid more than $300 for a meal once before in my life. I'm a huge fan of the Great Neighborhood Restaurants, and that's the primary reason I read these boards.

This was my birthday dinner. The money I would have typically spent on a weekend road trip went for the experience. I have to say, I was really impressed with the theater. I did my best not to read too much about the meal beforehand because I wanted to be somewhat surprised. And I have to say: I was and I wasn't. Having never seen the trick before, turning the centerpiece into the soup course was a surprise. And it was delicious soup. The next course, the bamboo shoots and Lily bulb were fine. I didn't really “get” the clear milk cocktail, but enjoyed the fact that he kept getting refilled. I thought the wait staff was friendly, but I didn't really get the feeling that they enjoyed chatting with us. I would've enjoyed chatting with them more, actually. I was a little taken back by the acoustics. Am I just getting old, or is it really hard to hear conversation in there? I felt like my husband and I were shouting at each other.

As others have mentioned, the coconut dish was a standout. I liked the play on Peking duck and was genuinely surprised by the smoke-filled presentation. But the sweetbreads course was not my taste. The gimmick of setting up a piece of honeycomb while we wondered what it would do was kind of cool, actually.

What impressed me the most was how unintimidating the whole experience was for us. At the beginning of the meal, when the waiter asked our preference of sparkling or still water, my hillbilly roots must of been obvious when I asked for Tap water reflexively, forgetting that everything had already been paid for. If the waiter rolled his eyes and dissed us back in the kitchen, he did so subtly. If I were him, I'm afraid I might've laughed out loud.

Truly, it was the experience I'll never forget and I can't wait to save my pennies and go again. Yes, it was a three hour show with eating. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

I've heard complaints about the current menu's lack of authenticity, and faulting Next for highlighting American Chinese food, etc. But I would prefer that Next avoid attempting to recreate a cuisine of which they have only limited knowledge and experience. That being said, my complaints with the Chinese menu are largely confined to kitchen execution errors, and there were several of them. I loved a number of dishes, disliked or did not enjoy about the same number, and the majority of the problems can be traced to poor execution.

The evening began with Next's ubiquitous centerpiece, but thankfully I didn't have to wait an hour or more to find out how it would be used. Enormous chinese okra and cilantro were pressed like coffee for a hot and sour soup.




Pressed Okra centerpiece above, hot and sour soup below



The tableside preparation was moderately interesting if slightly prolonged, and though the soup was a decent beginning to the meal, I was certainly not wowed.

The soup was followed by a dish of Alinea beauty that featured bamboo shoot, lily bulb, corn, citrus, tofu and probably a lot more. My dining companion and I both shrugged our shoulders though, realizing that although we often eat with our eyes, that does not necessarily maximize flavor. No execution errors here, but no excitement either.


Bamboo Shoot and Lily Bulb



A trio of bites followed: a scallop dumpling, a pork dumpling with Chinese date (jujube) and cuttlefish (meant to imitation xiao long bao) and a foamy congee with pork. The scallop dumpling was wonderful and really delivered on scallop flavor along with some earthier fungus undertones. The congee was rich, smooth, lip smacking good, and perhaps the very best congee I've ever tasted. Threads of pork were the treasure at the bottom of the cup of congee and made an already great congee even better. The XLB was a letdown though. Because its exterior was tough, it exploded so quickly in the mouth and I had swallowed whatever filling there was before I could really taste it.






From top to bottom, scallop dumpling, congee with pork, xiao long bao of pork, jujube and cuttlefish



Sturgeon with leek in a roasted spine broth was fine, but again not particularly exciting. The fish was perfectly cooked, but I thought the broth, though nicely spiced, was overwhelmingly dominated by what I thought was celery (though perhaps also leek), to the point where little else mattered.


Sturgeon with Leek in a Roasted Spine Broth



Just as I was getting a bit bored, there were several hints of greatness. First, a beautiful half coconut shell filled with crab, green chili paste and coconut ice. Though I thought it was more striking than it was delicious, I still enjoyed this quite a bit. Alternating flavors of sweet crab, spicy chili and cooling coconut ice made for a terrific balance. Is it Chinese? Why do I care? I don't spend this kind of money at an avant garde restaurant seeking adherence to tradition. Adherence to a general concept is fine with me.


Crab with Green Chili Paste and Fresh Coconut



Easily my favorite course of the evening was Next's version of street food. There was a skate chop with cumin that capably recreated the intensity and deliciousness of cumin lamb, and was thoughtfully served on a bone that easily separated from the meat as you ate it, almost like a lollipop chicken wing. Tender squab, served in a cute Chinese takeout egg roll-type take out bag, could have featured just the tiniest pinch more of the numbing Szechuan peppercorns but was fantastic as it was. It's rare for squab to be served this moist. And the best street food item was the tiger salad with cold skin noodles and seitan. Think Lao Hunan's jade tofu, and dare I see even better, much better.







From top to bottom, Skate Chop with Cumin, Squab with Szechuan Peppercorns (also shown in purse) and Tiger Salad



The street food course was followed by a magnificent shrimp mousse noodle that delivered more flavor than one could have imagined from this tiny bite. I wish they had served me a whole bowl of these - fantastic.


Shrimp mousse noodle



Far less successful though was shrimp in duck yolk sand. Whatever pleasure I expected from being served a whole shrimp was ruined by a terribly heavy hand with acidity. The acidity sadly drowned out most of the shrimp flavor and ruined what might otherwise have been a great dish. But I'll never know.


Shrimp in Duck Yolk Sand



Next's first real riff on American Chinese food left me scratching my head. A lacquered slab of not quite beef jerky missed on the texture (not quite crisp, certainly not soft, and not quite jerky) and beef flavor (but unfortunately did not miss at all in terms of being overly sweet), and the freeze dried broccoli just seemed odd. The beef with broccoli was served with a lovely beef consomme, though probably not lovely enough for me to desire this course again.




Beef and Broccoli in Liquid and Solid State



Elegant stacked containers were then opened at the table, revealing the duck course. There was a steamed bun filled with duck rillettes. Unfortunately, the bun was way too large (and somewhat unattractive) and slightly dry, and the rillettes just got lost in a world of puffy dough.

There was a poached duck egg on red cabbage and green onions, though sadly, the most noticeable element of the dish is the slightly under-poached egg, with some clear egg white on the fringes. There were some sauteed greens that were cooked just a little too long, and a tart and slightly spicy plum jam which was delicious.

Fortunately, the main component of this course, the smoked duck, was fantastic. The duck was extremely tender, perfectly cooked, just fatty enough, and with a lovely light smoke flavor. While I can't overlook the obvious execution failures in this dish (the bao, the under-poached egg and the overcooked greens), at least the duck was excellent.










From top to bottom, Duck Rillettes bao, Poached Duck Egg, Sauteed Greens, Plum Jam and Smoked Duck



Apparently, the sweet and sour sweetbreads course apparently has its detractors. We overheard the people two tables away telling the staff they didn't like it. But I quite enjoyed it. Sweetbreads, taro and underripe banana (or perhaps plantain) in a hot caramel-like sauce that hardened when dipped in the tar passion fruit vinegar. I though the combination was delicious and the tender sweetbreads were not overwhelmed in the least by the hardened sweet and sour shell. Had the caramel shell been any thicker, I might have complained. But as it was, the sweet and sour flavors were delicious and did not hide the delicious sweetbreads.




Pulling Threads with Sweetbreads, Taro Root and Banana



The sweet and sour course was a nice bridge to dessert. The first dessert course, which our waiter said many people compare to breakfast cereal, was frozen rice noodles, frozen peas and black whipped vinegar. Fine, but completely unremarkable.


Frozen Rice Soup with Legumes and Whipped Vinegar



Dragon's beard candy was tasty, albeit quite sweet, but I really loved the sesame flavor it delivered. This dessert also featured some terrific local honey, extracted from honeycomb tableside, though it didn't seem like there was much effort expended in incorporating the honey into the dish. It was obviously separated from the rest of the dessert.




Dragon's Beard Candy with a Pressing of Honey



Dinner ended with an oversized fortune cookie, which held copies of the menu, as well as your choice of an iced coffee or tea. I can't recall the flavors in the coffee, though I enjoyed it quite a bit.


Fortune Cookie


There were some decent beverage pairings. I enjoyed the Schwibinger Niersteiner Kranzberg Riesling and the Boston Bual Special Reserve Madeira from Rare Wine Co. the most, though I'll note that they seemed less generous with pours than at past dinners.

As for service, I noticed some new faces and I thought service was excellent overall. Those who waited on us seemed far more willing to engage and much more knowledgeable about the menu. While I may have noticed several faults of the kitchen, I have no complaints about the evening's service.

Overall, a nice meal, very nice indeed. But at $300, I expected to be wowed. I was not. And I don't recall experiencing this many small miscues in the past. Still, I'm generally pleased that I experienced Next Chinese.

PEEDEE wrote:I I would've enjoyed chatting with them more, actually. I was a little taken back by the acoustics. Am I just getting old, or is it really hard to hear conversation in there? I felt like my husband and I were shouting at each other.

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/pages/noise.aspx

Next Restaurant is welcoming back a host of alums from Trio, the acclaimed Evanston restaurant where Next owners Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas met a decade ago, in advance of the new menu starting in next month.

The new menu at Next and tasting Sept. 2 celebrates Trio, which closed in 2006 after 13 years in operation.

"We just could not pass up the opportunity to reconnect with old friends and revisit Trio favorites," an email announcing the dinner said.

Trio owner Henry Adaniya will be at the tasting, as well as Trio alums Curtis Duffy, Michael Carson, Paula Haney, Michael Pagliarini, Jeff Pikus and David Posey. Achatz and Next chef David Beran will also be there.

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20140819 ... mber-event

Tickets for the Trio dinners are now on sale. And the prices are higher than most tables at Alinea. Kind of crazy given that the space and staff are not nearly as refined as Alinea. But maybe the food will make it worth the price. After tax/tip, it's about $325 for food and a bit over $500 with drinks (NA and wine pairings appear to be the same price) for Wed/Thurs/Sun with Fri/Sat slightly higher. Will be interesting to see if they sell out this menu since the first two this year haven't. And if this year will provide any reflection as to what that restaurant could be or if they'll just continue to increase prices and sell to fewer people. I'm recalling the auctions for el Bulli that went for $5,000 a table when they were so hot that the excitement was off the charts. Clearly that's died down to a great extent, somewhat due to prices, somewhat due to more variance in the experience. That space with tight tables, less enthusiastic/experienced wait staff and food that has been uneven makes me wonder how long they can keep raising prices.