"Totally. Worth. The. Effort."
- Food: paris 1906 based menu, French-inspired molecular gastronomy
- Decor: Sleek, tasteful, intimate, yet energetic
- Service: Impeccable. Attentive, quirky, funny, interesting, passionate, approachable, almost as if putting on a performance...
- Cost: $$$$
- Wine / Cocktails: Wine pairings were varied, unique, special, and truly complementary...
Overview:
To give some background, I actually hated this restaurant before ever seeing it. I was completely offended by the difficulty in obtaining tickets. I was unable to get a log-in on the website for weeks... only to find that tickets were NEVER available and after finally logging in, I realized that the site was utterly worthless and nothing more than a tease for me to refresh all day to no avail...
That said, I managed to score a 4-person table after incessantly harassing Next's email and social networking channels.
The experience was like nothing else I've ever been a part of... service was spectacular, in fact entertaining; it was surprisingly unpretentious, and the wine pairings (standard) were unique and truly enjoyable to complete the experience.
A personal note on the cost. The meal cost $100pp, plus $48pp for wine pairings. Period. Done and done. Our servers would not take tip, which is apparently built into the overall price, along with the tax. Therefore, we did not receive a bill. The ticket, as promised, enabled the complete experience. Want coffee or tea? Also part of the experience... (I still grumble at the ticket process, but after sitting through this heavenly gastronomic experience, admittedly, it's a small price to pay...)
Special Dishes:
There's no point in recommending dishes, because the meal is fixed and you should try EVERYTHING... but, my personal favorites were the quail egg topped with anchovy, the Louisiana snapping turtle based soup, and without question, the best dish was the duck!








