• Turns out the opening date for Aviary that Time Out released last week was a little premature. Grant Achatz actually commented on our post that the opening date was “news to me.” The Tasting Table also confirmed with Achatz that the opening wouldn’t be Wednesday, but did give out a recipe for Aviary’s hot chocolate. [TastingTableChi/Twitter]
• Over the weekend, nearly every publication wrote something about the opening of Next. That included the New York Times, Washington Post, the Independent, and Chicago Magazine. Currently our favorite is the editorial by the Tribune, which basically claimed we should add Achatz to the list of Chicago heroes: “Root for him because we should root for Chicagoans with a single-minded pursuit of greatness. When that plate reaches the table at Next, it is as thrilling as Michael Jordan in full flight.” [Trib]
• That’s great and all, but still haven’t gotten your Next ticket e-mail? On its Facebook page, the restaurant reported that 50 percent of the e-mails have been sent out, so you may have to wait a little longer. Also, it confirmed that tickets for the second menu (rumored to by Thai) won’t be available until late June. [Next Restaurant/Facebook]
• Even economists are getting into the conversation. On Cheap Talk, “A blog about economics, politics and the random interests of forty-something professors,” Sandeep Baliga writes that while the system works, Next could make a lot more money. By holding an auction on its website, Next could “capture some of the revenue from the resale market.” [Cheap Talk]
• Next has been pretty honest about not being able to serve vegetarians, but what about people on diets? One poster on Facebook wanted to know how many points her meal at Next would be on the Weight Watchers point scale, to which the restaurant humorously responded, “zero points. Weight Watchers did not exist in 1906. May I suggest some coffee, hand rolled cigarettes, and a cognac. Seems to keep the French thin.” [Next Restaurant/Facebook]
