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High Tech Bars, Duck Presses, and Construction: Your Grant Achatz Update

Your home bar is looking kind of lame now...
Your home bar is looking kind of lame now… Photo: courtesy of YouTube

Grant Achatz unleashed a wealth of information about Next and Aviary over the weekend. Here’s a roundup to what he’s been up to.

• We’ll start with the most fascinating one. Craig Schoettler gives Achatz a tour around the Aviary kitchen in this YouTube clip. While it’s still unfinished, most of the bar in the kitchen is done, and it’s unlike anything we’ve seen before. Everything the chef (remember: no bartenders) needs is in a semi-circle in front of him, including a cocktail glass dispenser, every bottle of alcohol, garnishes, and equipment. At the very end of the video Achatz says, “This is going to be pretty awesome.” That pretty much sums it up. [YouTube]

• For the Paris 1906 menu at Next, the team had to track down a French duck press for one of the dishes. The contraption extracts the blood and marrow of some parts of a cooked duck, which is then turned into a sauce for the duck meat. Chef Dave Beran had about 24 hours to figure out how to use the press before a trial dinner, and it’s all on video. This is not for the faint of heart. [YouTube]

• Last time we had a look at Next, it was a little rough around the edges. It’s still not completed, but this picture shows that they’ve made a lot of progress. It’s especially impressive when you see what the space looked like before construction began. It’s a pretty cool before and after shot. [yFrog]

This picture shows Achatz with Schoettler discussing the “gallery area of Aviary.” We’re not exactly sure what’s going on here, or whether that is grass or rosemary. But you can decide. [yFrog]

High Tech Bars, Duck Presses, and Construction: Your Grant Achatz Update