GO RAMEN!®: Next

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Next Restaurant Chicago - 懐石...

Day 1111 part 2:

After EL Ideas there was a special table awaiting us at Next. An incredible end to an unbelievable week. Enjoy!

"Ancient Buddhist monks would place warm stones under their robes to ward off hunger pangs and trick their bodies into thinking they were full. These stones became known as Kaiseki, or 'bosom stones.' Later, it became customary to serve a small amount of food prior to tea: rice, soup, & pickles took the edge off strong, bitter matcha tea. Sen no Rikyu gave this cuisine the name Kaiseki in honor of its Buddhist heritage. Over time this has transformed from a pre-tea snack to an elaborate dining experience.

Kaiseki layers the literal, hidden, and subconscious representations of nature and humanity in food in order to transport the diner. These allusions, rooted in tradition, can be as simple as a texture or color, or more complex to evoke memories of a poem, holiday, or moment in history.

This season we seek to honor Kaiseki because it shares the same goal that we celebrate here at Next: an evolved dining experience that takes guests on a journey.

Autumn in Kyoto: the moon viewing, the changing hue of the maple leaves, the last crickets of summer, wind blowing through the river grass... "

corn husk

chestnut, apple, white miso, hay aroma

japanese maple forest

sashimi, shiso, tamari

abalone, cucumber, red sea grapes

anago, maple dashi, shimeji mushroom

matsutake chawanmushu, pine

mackerel, wasabi leaf, cured yolk

hot raw apple

duck, soba, sake caramel, dulse

served in a 250 year old duck

chrysanthemum, eggplant, shiso leaf

kabocha, enoki mushroom, ginger

soup, rice, pickles

above with miso soup

first snowfall

warabi mochi, toasted soy

Kaiseki by Next

Thank you Chicago!!!

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Midnight ramen dreams...

Day 1110:

Being that this was my first time in Chicago, there was really only one thing I wanted to do when I got here. Like millions of other kids, I grew up idolizing Michael Jordan and since I never got to see him play in person, visiting his statue outside the United Center had always been a dream of mine.

Another dream fulfilled! MJ is still the greatest!

For lunch I headed to Wasabi in Logan Square, since a number of people had recommended it and because Yusho wasn't open until dinner. Btw, thanks for all the recs everyone!

Shoyu Ramen (コク醤油).

It started off promising and I even warned my waitress that I might have to order another bowl. But in the end, I couldn't handle another disappointment. The コク that they mention on the menu was only apparent in color and not much taste. I gave this bowl a fair chance down to the last slurp and sip, but it still never spoke to me like a great bowl should.

Anyway, back at FoodFilmFest... (are the Chicago skies always this beautiful?)

They were setting up for Single Malt Whiskey: The Islay 8.

Oh man...the whiskey fumes were intense!

As much as I wanted to stay and enjoy the whiskey tasting, we had to get over to EL Ideas and prepare for the Midnight Ramen After Party presented by Kitchit.