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Rock shrimp, cranberry, meyer lemon, vanilla bean at Next Trio.
Photograph: Martha WilliamsRock shrimp, cranberry, meyer lemon, vanilla bean at Next Trio.

Why does Michelin keep spurning Next?

Amy Cavanaugh
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Amy Cavanaugh
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In the wake of this week’s Michelin star announcement, which saw Grace earn its third star and 42 Grams debut with two, there’s a big elephant in the room—why won’t Michelin give a star to Next? After all, Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas’s other restaurant, Alinea, earned three stars yet again.

In an interview with Eater yesterday, Michelin Guide director Michael Ellis explained, “Whether they're doing a Chinese take-out theme, or a Korean food-truck theme, or a French bistro theme, I'm pulling these out of the air but you know the restaurant. It's a fascinating concept, it's brilliant, it's astounding, you never know what you're going to get and that's the problem. How can we give a star to a restaurant when tomorrow they may do a chicken and dumplings restaurant?”

Hold it right there. You know who serves braised rabbit and dumplings and fried chicken and waffles? One-star recipient Longman & Eagle. And you know what Next doesn’t do? Serve casual food. If there’s a casual dish, like a fortune cookie, Next puts its own spin on it. So the idea that Next would do some sort of lowbrow menu is ridiculous. 

Ellis continues. “They're all over the place. It's an amazing place but we just don't know what they're going to come up with next. Call us old fashioned, but for the Michelin criteria for a star, it's just not there. But we've had two-star experiences there easily and we've had no star experiences there. It remains one of the most fascinating and exciting restaurants in the country today but we have our system that we have to respect.”

Last year, the Michelin international director told Eater, "it's hard to get in there and it hasn't been open long… Not all of it works all the time—some things work brilliantly; some things don't. We want to give it a little more time."

Okay, so I guess they gave it a little more time. But according to this tweet today, they haven’t even been to the Trio menu yet. It’s no secret that we really like Next here but, sure, there have been inconsistencies. The Trio menu was a perfectly executed, cohesive theme that worked much better than Chicago Steak, a menu that didn’t do much to offer a unique take on the classic steakhouse. No restaurant on this list has had the exact same menu forever—whether it’s seasonal or occasional, menus are constantly evolving and there are always dishes that work better than others. The menus at Elizabeth, Sixteen and others change seasonally, and in the case of Sixteen, they’re even themed menus. But even when Next isn’t dazzling, it’s still a cerebral, enjoyable experience.

So is it service? This year, I’ve been to nine starred restaurants in Chicago, and my service at Next has been better—by far—than at some of the other places I’ve eaten. Is it the tickets? Elizabeth, 42 Grams and others have tickets and they got stars. So who knows. By not acknowledging Next, Michelin looks out of touch with the Chicago dining scene. And if I gave out stars, Next would be on there, along with Fat Rice and Parachute, both of which earned Bib Gourmands, and Vera, which is nowhere to be found. But what do I know?

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