Vitesse98 wrote:With all the attention given to Next, both from the forum (and from Achatz himself, apparently, who has been spending much of his time and energy on Next), updates to this thread are relatively few and far between (obviously there are other factors at work, too ... $$$). But what's new at Alinea? Any radical breakthroughs? And quality fluctuations? Any surprises? Too few surprises?
jesteinf wrote:The whole fish was described as a "preview" of the Next Sicily menu.
Hurdler4eva wrote:Great photos, as alwaysI knew you were intending on going back soon! Glad you enjoyed your meal.
How much stout was in that final dessert?
ronnie_suburban wrote:
As for the stout, I don't know how much there was but I'm guessing it was the primary component in the darker sauce you can see in the pics. We didn't ask, though, and it wasn't mentioned.
David Hammond wrote:Photos spectacular, as always.
Could you describe the place of the deer meat in "Venison | red cabbage, mustard, paprika"? Was it liquified or foamed or what...and did you like it?
Dlongs wrote:David Hammond wrote:Photos spectacular, as always.
Could you describe the place of the deer meat in "Venison | red cabbage, mustard, paprika"? Was it liquified or foamed or what...and did you like it?
Looks like chunks of braised deer are put into the cabbage wrapper. They had short rib in pasta when I was there, and also had pork belly in a previous rendition as well.
David Hammond wrote:I was confused as hell, and now I see why. There are two pix labeled "Venison | red cabbage, mustard, paprika." I'm asking about the one that comes right after Wild Mushrooms and is paired with Prats & Symington "Post Scriptum," Douro, 2007.
ronnie_suburban wrote:David Hammond wrote:I was confused as hell, and now I see why. There are two pix labeled "Venison | red cabbage, mustard, paprika." I'm asking about the one that comes right after Wild Mushrooms and is paired with Prats & Symington "Post Scriptum," Douro, 2007.
Yes, there are 3 pictures of that course which, I hoped, would show its progression. The venison is actually served from the little pot into the cabbage leaf after the frame that holds the cabbage leaf is assembled by the diner. The other items are essentially the condiments.
=R=
David Hammond wrote:ronnie_suburban wrote:David Hammond wrote:I was confused as hell, and now I see why. There are two pix labeled "Venison | red cabbage, mustard, paprika." I'm asking about the one that comes right after Wild Mushrooms and is paired with Prats & Symington "Post Scriptum," Douro, 2007.
Yes, there are 3 pictures of that course which, I hoped, would show its progression. The venison is actually served from the little pot into the cabbage leaf after the frame that holds the cabbage leaf is assembled by the diner. The other items are essentially the condiments.
=R=
I should have figured that out. Thanks, ronnie.
chezbrad wrote:They must be changing the menu soon, non? I had pretty much the same set of dishes in late December. The Siciliy course was, without a doubt, the best thing I ate last year.
spinynorman99 wrote:The venison was one of the weaker dishes on this menu, perfectly prepared, but really trying too hard (simply a showcase for the assemble-it-yourself presentation cradle). The presentation was too forced and didn't really enhance the experience. Ditto for the "spoons" course. They were far more visually-inspired than culinarily-inspired (is that even a word?). Both were a little flat, for my tastes. Nearly all the other dishes made sense, these two seemed like afterthoughts. All told they were trivial speedbumps, but the dinner would have been better without them.
tangela wrote:However, my other criticism was the service atmosphere, aside from general coldness (which they could be going for and it just makes me personally uncomfortable) it was a general sentiment at the table that they were babying us/dictating our experience that rendered the meal less exciting. For example, we were served the same oyster leaf that Ronnie has pictured above. When it was presented to us the server said, "You'll find that it tastes exactly like oyster." (verbatim) I am familiar with oyster leaf (through taste not explanation), however this did not even taste like oyster. This is just one example as the chef's intentions were repeated almost with every course, disallowing the diners from creating their own relationship with the food being served. I want to be surprised eating at a restaurant such as this and I felt that this detracted from the surprise. There are some dishes that remained enjoyable regardless, but during the multi-course tasting they were heavily outweighed by the dishes that were lacking and I cannot help but feel that they would be more enjoyable without the extensive discussion beforehand. Just simple instructions on how to consume please.
ronnie_suburban wrote:
Balloon | helium, green apple