Next Unveils 2018 Menu Themes Featuring an Alinea Retrospective

It’s back to the future at Next as chef/co-owner Grant Achatz, co-owner Nick Kokonas, and chef Jenner Tomaska revealed the 2018 menu themes for their rotating Fulton Market restaurant. They’ll pay homage to their first restaurant, Alinea, by offering two menus covering two time periods in Lincoln Park. Next will also serve from two menus covering classic and modern French cuisine. Reservations for the new menus go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. on Friday via Tock. Season ticket holders get the first chance at the tickets starting at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

The music metaphor isn’t lost upon Next in describing the Alinea menus: “More than just a greatest hits, it’s intended to be a study on the evolution of the restaurant and a chance to revisit some of our favorite, delicious innovations.”

The “Alinea 2005-2015” menu costs $205 to $225 from June 30 to September 30. Next will also offer a five-year Alinea retrospective. Tickets for “Alinea 2011-2015” cost the same from October 6 to January 13, 2019. Alinea underwent an extensive remodel last year.

Before they launch into the Alinea menus in June, Next is releasing a two-part album featuring classic French cuisine from January through April, and then serving many of the same dishes with a more modern spin from April through June. They’re calling the two complementary menus “French: from Classique to Nouvelle.” The “Classique” menu ranges from $135 to $165 while the “Nouvelle” costs $155 to $185.

Next describes “Classique” as “perfect comfort food for the cold Chicago winter, it will form the historical basis of part deux of our French study.” Meanwhile, “The Nouvelle” is “refined, pared down, plated more formally with more luxury, The Nouvelle cuisine of France extends until today.”

For 2017, Next featured menus inspired by Ancient Rome, Hollywood, and The World's 50 Best. Take a look at the restaurant’s 2018 menu trailer below.