Glad I ate at Trio so I don't have to spend $1,000 to see what it was all about.

Hopped Up wrote: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.

This menu might sell out most nights, but only because I believe they are just doing one seating per table/per night - so factoring in season tickets holders there is MUCH less inventory available than there was for Steakhouse and Modern Chinese. In fact it appears season ticket holders have most of the two tops already locked up - so those especially will sell relatively fast as they are released. There might be an odd four top or kitchen table here and there that goes unsold.

While this menu does intrigue me, it is the factors you mentioned that preclude me from shelling out $500 per/person (price with pairing) to dine here (namely the space/ambiance not being conducive to fine dining and the staff not as refined as virtually every other restaurant near this price point - other factors for me include Next's unwillingness to make modifications based on aversions, the requirement of purchasing non-refundable tickets, and having too many courses that I did not enjoy during some recent menus, especially Bocuse and Vegan). If I dine for the Trio menu it will only be because of significantly discounted tickets being offered on the secondary market; I will be happy if I do end up experiencing Trio at a price I find fair, but will not lose any sleep over it if I miss out.

Regarding pricing for 2015, I am taking an educated guess that prices will be flat and we will see some four tops converted to two tops. A theme throughout 2014 has been an abundance of unsold four tops, but scarce two tops other than at the latest seatings. Since demand is down, any further price increase in 2015 would just result in a half full restaurant most nights IMHO; however I am skeptical that there will be any substantial price drop.

kokonas, via FB, has said that the wine/non-alcoholic pairings being the same price are an error and they will fix/reimburse.

i did a quick scan and it seems tables are the same price regardless of what day they are for, so the touted "demand pricing" isn't at play here.

dudefella wrote:kokonas, via FB, has said that the wine/non-alcoholic pairings being the same price are an error and they will fix/reimburse.

i did a quick scan and it seems tables are the same price regardless of what day they are for, so the touted "demand pricing" isn't at play here.

Not exactly true, there's certainly variance, see my screenshots here:

http://imgur.com/AMYdlg9,Ae6V0cH,rO3wCBj,2gi6dcY#0

Wed-Thur are on the lower end, Friday a bit higher, and Saturday has a premium. I didn't look at Sunday.

Wow. $1000 for two. I guess dining at Trio in 2004 was a true bargain. Who would have thought? IMHO the dishes at Next are too variable to be worth this price. Always some great dishes, and always some duds. I am not sure that repositioning the restaurant as higher-than-high-end is the right strategy, but time will tell. Good luck to Dave, Grant, and Nick.

GAF wrote:Wow. $1000 for two. I guess dining at Trio in 2004 was a true bargain. Who would have thought? IMHO the dishes at Next are too variable to be worth this price. Always some great dishes, and always some duds. I am not sure that repositioning the restaurant as higher-than-high-end is the right strategy, but time will tell. Good luck to Dave, Grant, and Nick.

My thoughts exactly.

Good buddy of mine, his wife & another couple just dined at The French Laundry. 3 bottles of wine, $2000 bill for 4. They said it was worth it. Is Next?

Saw Achatz tweet last night an article from - Eater -that "Now casual restaurants can get in on Nick Kokonas' incredible ticketing system"

I was not convinced that was a good thing.

jnm123 wrote:Good buddy of mine, his wife & another couple just dined at The French Laundry. 3 bottles of wine, $2000 bill for 4. They said it was worth it. Is Next?

People would pay twice that for The French Laundry. Thomas Keller is the most revered American chef of our time.

I'm not arguing that in any way this menu is "cheap" or a "bargain" but it's likely very dear and personal to Grant and Nick and I'd bet very little expense is being spared.

Royal Lichter wrote:People would pay twice that for The French Laundry.

If by "people" you mean the targets of the Occupy Movement. Oh, but Silicon Valley tech corporations are people, too.

GAF wrote:

Royal Lichter wrote:People would pay twice that for The French Laundry.

If by "people" you mean the targets of the Occupy Movement. Oh, but Silicon Valley tech corporations are people, too.

Not saying I would, that's just ridiculous... but the demand of TFL is just insane.

I paid about $1800 for two at TFL after doing an "extended" menu.

Well worth the price.

After going to Next several times the $1000 meal for two seems like a tough get for me.
It just isnt there.

If the comments, and notes from people I trust are good, maybe I'd change my mind, but lately, Next is much more wait and see for me.

Any other season ticket holder miffed that we're paying more than available face value tickets for Trio? My season ticket price for a Sunday is $245. I can get the same thing for $210 per person next Sunday. Is that supposed to make me feel special?

You pay a premium for not having to deal with the mad scramble of instantly sold out tickets... oh wait...

peaceyall wrote:Any other season ticket holder miffed that we're paying more than available face value tickets for Trio? My season ticket price for a Sunday is $245. I can get the same thing for $210 per person next Sunday. Is that supposed to make me feel special?

I am now that you've pointed it out! So I've given Next an interest-free loan of $1299 for the last 8 months for my Trio four-top, and someone who antes up today pays less? Ouch! (And yes, I realize that "interest" is ridiculous argument these days...I've lost all of about 5 cents in interest.)

Unless prices drop significantly next year, I'm done with my subscription. I love Next, but there are other great restaurants I'm missing out on because I've invested a significant portion of my annual dining budget in 3 dinners at Next. And each year it seems as if there is one dinner I love, one I like and one that I dislike. I'd rather do the one great dinner at year at Next and then spend some of my budget at Grace or someplace else.

peaceyall wrote:Any other season ticket holder miffed that we're paying more than available face value tickets for Trio? My season ticket price for a Sunday is $245. I can get the same thing for $210 per person next Sunday. Is that supposed to make me feel special?

Yeah, but you got the T shirt, that should make up for it.

Just compared.....exact same day and time for a table of four - $53 cheaper buying it single. I understand that's $13 per person and when we're talking about $300+ dinners, it's kind of silly to complain, but it really is off-putting.

chrisch wrote:Just compared.....exact same day and time for a table of four - $53 cheaper buying it single. I understand that's $13 per person and when we're talking about $300+ dinners, it's kind of silly to complain, but it really is off-putting.

It's not silly at all, really. It's a bad business model and poor form to treat their dedicated customers that way.

I'd assume they'd do something to make amends, no matter how small the gesture.

Also done with Next. Enjoyed Chinese Modern. Let down by Steak. Really disappointed that there's a total lack of respect for season ticket holders. What's the point? Don't get no perks and keeping the restaurant afloat with meals that are becoming mediocre.

When the cost becomes close to what a couple (or foursome) would need to spend for a top flight chef and luxe ingredients to be prepared in their home for a fabulous meal, it does make one stop and think.

I dropped my subscription at the start of this year and have not looked back at all. I went for steak for a celebration for a friend and it was fine, though not remarkable, and I never rallied enough interest to try for tickets to any of the other menus- been busy sampling many of the other great new restaurants in town. I think my lack of subscription-dropping-regret may also have something to do with the fact that at this point there is no advantage to having a subscription since the tickets are no longer a hard "get". I am curious what the value proposition is to the season ticket holder at this point. Its not there for me, but I am sure others may still see it.

I am curious what the value proposition is to the season ticket holder at this point. Its not there for me, but I am sure others may still see it.

There apparently really isn't one at this point. Even Metra knows enough to cut monthly pass buyers a modest deal, not to charge them more for the same product. As Spanky noted above, it's a bad business model.

They talk about how ticketing makes sense economically in terms of things like variable pricing, but then the season tickets violate those efficiencies. They should at least discount the bundling based on interest rates if they are going to be all economically principled And probably discount based on risk asymmetries– season ticket holders purchase based on very little knowledge of the upcoming season.

Either way, it was always a pain to max out my credit card to purchase the season tickets and then shake down my friends for their contributions so I could use my credit card again. It wasn't worth it.

I dropped my subscription and I have no regrets. I think Next really bungled how they treated their most dedicated customers. It seems like they didn't think the sellout gravy train would ever end.

If you have some flexibility it's not hard to score tickets for below face value from same day or next day sellers.

Anyone have a link for the Trio menu (haven't seen it pop up online in my searches)? Watching the video, it showed a lot of dishes I had at Alinea in '09. Curious to know if I've already had the "Trio experience" just rebranded.

Like others above I had seasons for the first two years and dropped it this year with no regret. Economically it just didn't make any sense. Tickets are becoming much easier to get and there was no other value given.

About the only benefit for season ticket holders I see at this point is that it is pretty much the only way to get a 2-top between 6:15 and 8:15. But given sales this year, it may make sense to convert some 4 tops into 2 tops (and reduce space between tables even more!).

I'm curious - what kinds of menus (themes, time or place in cuisine, particular restaurant re-creation, updated menu that they have already done, etc..) would people like to see in 2015? Trio is the last menu this year and in just around 3 1/2 months or so, give or take a couple weeks... I can only presume next year will be announced.

I'll go first.

1. I'd like to see a menu focused around Viennese food, and a really cool time period to tie it to would be the fin de seicle. I think this would be fun... it's food you can't really find and could be really delicious: rindsuppe (any clear soup with hearty ingredients really), liptauer, goulash, weiner schnitzel, tafelspitz, dumplings of many kinds, strudels, cakes for dessert (they are known for amazing cakes in Vienna!)... etc. You could even have canapés of kaiser rolls, mustard, sausages, and a beer (are there any beers made in Vienna?). And why that time period? Dreaming of living in pre WWI Vienna sounds awesome...it was an extremely vibrant place at the beginning of the twentieth century. What an absolute magical story this could be.

2. This has been said and whispered about before... but I'd really also like to see an Indian menu. The country has thousands and thousands of years of history. The possibilities are endless. It is so incredibly expansive... to showcase the vast regionality, time periods (pre British, post British as Dave Beran once suggested..), and number of flavors and ingredients could be delicious and fun. This also could be a really easy one to offer as vegetarian, too...without being restricted to a flat out vegetarian focused menu like Vegan (which I loved personally). Thinking about it is making me absolutely hungry.

3. I would really like to see a revisiting, and perhaps cranked up a notch, more extravagant version of Paris: 1906. Perhaps tying less to the idea of a specific time period, they could just have this be "Next: Paris." Things that could be showcased: What was popular a hundred years ago? What is popular now? What is going to be popular in the future? This would be an awesome "grand" menu. French food is just inherently decadent, so this would be a beast of a menu.

What are your thoughts on what Next should put out next year? What would you pick if you were in charge?

-Royal

Well, if they brought back historical menus I might be tempted again. Moorish Spain, Pre-colonial India, 1800s Budapest or Vienna, Court of Henry VIII etc. For me that was a lot of the appeal of the original concept and it also gave the season ticket buyer more of an idea of what to expect compared to vague concepts like "The Hunt" or "Vegan."

1) Next: Taqueria: "Nobody in Chicago does tacos right." Join Next as they recreate a classic Taqueria. Expect a variety of soft and hard shell tacos with an assortment of meats, seafood and charred vegetables. The entree will consist of medley of authentic Mexican street food such as Chalupas and chimichangas and Neximelts (Trademark). One course will feature a taco shell made of 100% salt. At the kitchen table Chef Dave Beran will roll out a rubber tablecloth and use nacho cheese to elaborately fingerpaint designs for the Nachos course. Due to the high prices of cheese this menu will be nominally higher than past menus; starting price: $150 per/person (not including tax, service or beverages). In keeping the with the authenticity of the menu the only included beverage will be ice water imported from Mexico.

2) Next: Seafood. Each table will have a fishhook dangling above from the ceiling. Expect a sequence of several meat centric courses; quail, lamb, and several different cuts of beef prepared with massive quantities of butter. The final course before dessert will feature the catch-of-the-day filleted and served family style. Sorry but pescatarian diets cannot be accommodated for Next: Seafood. Starting price $140 per/person.

3) Our "grand menu" of 2015 will be Next: 2011. Next was born with the concept of affordable fine dining. We will revisit this concept and features favorite dishes from our first year. Prices will reflect the affordable fine dining concept and will be the same as 2011 only adjusted for inflation. Starting price $315 per/person.