2013 - Next - The Hunt

WOW - it may have taken over a year to get a reservation, but it was definitely worth the wait. We were worried about the late reservation (10:30pm), but it really wasn't bad - especially with a nap. (Double bonus - traffic was awesome!). To compliment the meal, we opted for the standard pairing drink menu.

This was really so much more than a dinner. It was fun, it was playful, it was beautiful, it was adventurous and above all, it was delicious! A wonderful almost 3 hour experience that I would do again in a heartbeat.

Here are the pictures, some are better than others (all taken with an old Blackberry Bold), but i'm including all to help you walk through our evening.

Menu and welcome note

Course 1: Hen of the Woods served with Movia Lunar 2009 from Slovenia. The wine was really interesting and the server did an excellent job explaining the unique qualities of the wine. like the fact it was unfiltered and how the winery follows the cycles of the moon for not only harvesting, but also for the maceration process. The consomme was an explosion of deep, intense flavors. It was mushroomy, but not too much so, that a mushroom hater like myself actually enjoyed it - a lot. The mushrooms themselves were served in a playful and amazingly fragrant treasure chest/terrarium. Mark really enjoyed them, but for me, they were just mushrooms, I'm still not a convert.

Course 2: Catch of the Great Lakes - pumpernickel toasts, walleye rillette, radish sticks and smoked lake trout. The walleye rillette was creamy and flavorful, with fresh tarragon on top. The radish sticks were sprinkled with pink peppercorn dust. The smoked trout was cold smoked then heat smoked, it was really tender and flavorful. The smoke was present but not overwhelming. We were advised to not eat the skin as the smoke would have then been overwhelming. Very nice. This was also paired with the Lunar wine.

Course 3: Charcu-tree - Fun and playful take on charcuterie. Served on a wooden log with "plates" made from antlers. Very cool presentation. There were 5 bites that we were instructed to treat like oyster shooters. Included in the charcuterie was (in order): rabbit pate, elk jerky, boar salumi, venison heart tartare and Spanish blood sausage. All the bites had really amazing flavors. The only slightly disappointing aspect of this dish was that the jerky, while possessing extremely good flavor, it was a bit hard to chew. Our favorite was the rabbit pate. Mark also really liked the blood sausage, but I didn't love the horseradish flavor that was in there. This course was served with a flask of Armagnac - Charteau du Tariquet VS Classique.

Course 4: Cellar Aged Carrots & Onions - This dish was to highlight preservation. Let me just start by saying I could LIVE on these carrots. Really incredible. Wonderfully sweet and tender with the salty crispy accent of the fried onions. The entire carrot was used in the preparation - roots, carrot and the carrot tops. If I could make these, I'd have seriously awesome eyesight! The carrots were served with Etienne DuPont Cidre Bouche Brut, Normandy 2011. This was an interesting cider. So there's a lot of sulphur used in the process of making it and well, it takes a while for that scent to "blow" off. So if you try it too soon after pouring, you get a whiff of unpleasantness. However, the flavor is really nice, even with the nose.

Course 5: Duck Tongue in Cider Vinegar - This was another fun dish. There was a soft scrambled duck egg wrapped in grilled radicchio served with a salad of fresh apples and puffy, crispy deep fried duck tongue. The cider vinegar used in this dish is house made and wonderfully crisp. The apple salad paired extremely well with cider. The duck tongues were crunchy puffs of yummy texture. Another winning dish.

Course 6: Sturgeon & Caviar - This was another play on using the whole animal. Here you had sturgeon roulade served in a beurre blanc sauce dotted with sturgeon caviar. The roulade was moist and delicate and the citrusy-butter sauce was a great compliment with the tiny bursts of salty caviar. This course was served with Chateau Petit Roubie, Picpoul de Pinet, Langeudoc 2011. Normally the Picpoul de Pinet is a blending grape in France, but this time the winemaker decided to let it stand on its own. It was bright and crisp with nice acidity, a very nice pairing.

Course 7: Woodcock Jolie - Woodcock is a game bird and this one was actually hunted in the wild, so we were warned that, while unlikely, birdshot was possible. We did not encounter any. At first bite, I wasn't sure how I like this dish, which was presented as the breast flayed and stuffed with the offal, then rolled up and covered in charred cabbage. On the second bite, I incorporated the jammy salad served on the side and the sweet, yet slightly acidic berries added a lot more depth to the bite. This course (as well as course 7) was served with Camille Giroud Le Croix Moines, Maranges 2009, a nice light red from Burgundy.

Course 8: Pressed Squab - Here there were really 3 dishes in one and definitely using all parts of the squab. First dish were steel oats, with pressed squab blood, foie gras and truffle, very rich with incredible depth of flavor (and to think I was afraid of this dish). Then there was the sliced breast, leg with talon and half a whole head dusted with garlicky breadcrumbs. The breast was delicate and perfectly cooked, the leg was probably my favorite and the head was pretty good too (we were instructed to eat it like a crawfish head - just suck the creamy goodness out). The third dish was the bones, the squab version of chicken wings. These were our least favorite part as there wasn't much meat and it was a lot of work for little reward. Plus, we were starting to get full and knew we were just over halfway through!

Course 9: Fallen Leaves & Kidney - This was the dish that Mark was most afraid of after his kidney encounter in Buenos Aires, but this was completely different and there was no need to fear. The kidney was incorporated into the dressing and added none of that irony flavor you would expect from it. The best part for me was the toasted pumpkin seeds, I loved the crunch that added to the grilled brussels sprouts and the rest of the salad. This dish (and the next one) was served with a cocktail called Balcones Brimstone, Cynar, Banks. It was actually served warm and had a savory edge. It was created by the mixologist from The Aviary.

Course 10: Bison & Bearnaise - This was a fun and interactive course which was brought out in stages. First a plate with a caramelized leek and black onion reduction is brought out. Then a slate of thin 45 day aged bison followed by a really really hot rock. The hot rock was used to cook the meat. Really cool to watch it sizzle and take part in the "cooking". The bison cooks really quickly (in 10 seconds) and was really tender and yummy (I'm running out of superlative descriptive food adjectives).

Course 11: Marrow Brulee - The bridge between sweet and savory and the beginning of the dessert courses. The marrow was used to make a sabayon then that was stuffed back in the bone and bruleed and topped with sprinkles of sea salt. It was the perfect bridge at times tasting savory and at times tasting sweet. This course was served with Disznoko Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos, Hungary 2005, a nice dessert wine that was not too sweet or syrupy and a good pairing.

Course 12: Maris Otter - Similar to rice pudding, but SO much more. This dish was served with 5 different toppings to add to the creamy mixture. The toppings were (in order): English toffee, mint&basil leaves, candied walnuts, tart cherries and brown sugar. It was fun to play around with the different combinations. My favorite was probably the English toffee and candied walnuts mixed together. Mark's favorite was the candied walnuts with brown sugar. Yummy. I want more!

Course 13: Tire D'erable - Another interactive course to end the night. Here they brought out a trough filled with shaved ice (snow) and some warmed maple syrup, which was poured onto the snow. Once it was slightly solidified, we were instructed to roll the twig in the syrup and make what, for all intents and purposes, was a maple syrup lollipop. Fun and tasty. For this course they offered a special coffee: Passion House Nicaragua Las Brisas. I actually decided to take part, even though I'm not normally a coffee drinker. (it was almost 1:30am and I still had to drive home). Much to my surprise it wasn't bad. It was served in an espresso cup with steamed milk. I would have liked a little sugar to take a bit of the bitter edge off, but probably the best coffee I've ever had.

And sadly the meal was over. I can say without a doubt that I was not still hungry, so there was no need to stop by a 24 hour McDonald's drive through on the way home (as I was worried about). I wasn't overly stuffed, but happily satiated.

This is a meal I will relive in my mind for a long time to come. I keep waffling on what was my favorite dish and can't seem to land on any one dish. Each one was exquisite, even the mushrooms, although clearly this anti-mushroomite means the consomme, not so much the mushrooms themselves. Each dish had a quality that made you wonder why you hadn't eaten the combination sooner and more often.

The service was attentive without being obtrusive. Their knowledge of the dishes and the reasons for the pairing added to the fun and entertainment for the evening. It really was like watching a well oiled machine at work, just a machine with personality.

The dining room was modern, sleek and well lit. Taking pictures of the food didn't require a flash, which is nice so you're not bothering any of your neighbors. Speaking of neighbors, it's a small space but not overly crowded so while you're close to your neighbors, there's no need to buy them a drink as you weren't THAT close. (Although I do know that my neighbor was a surgeon).

I definitely want to go back. Maybe not to the Hunt, but to one of their other offerings. An all Vegan menu is next up and that would be interesting, although, I'm an omnivore and can't help wondering if I wouldn't miss butter, cheese and, oh yeah, meat, in that meal. Although, I'm sure that if anyone could convince me that veganism is doable, it would definitely be Grant Achatz and David Beran.

I now have a new Best Meal Ever. I feel bad for having upset Restaurant August, which had a 6 year run, and it is still a must for me when I'm in New Orleans, but it will be hard for anyone to compete with Next. We are going to Mugaritz next month for Mark's birthday. Let's see if that 2 star Michelin/# 3 in the World by San Pelligrino Restaurant can compete.