Next: Chinese Modern

I have to confess, I wasn’t tempted by Next’s Steakhouse incarnation – it seemed like far too much richness, so I skipped it.

But I was excited about Chinese Modern, about the idea of these talented chefs reinterpreting what can be a pretty predictable cuisine here in the US.

Did it live up to expectations?  Read on.

Each Next iteration has a specific atmosphere, and this one was particularly successful. There’s a Chinese hip-hop soundtrack, holographic red tabletops, white lanterns hanging from the ceiling trusses, and a tantalizing aroma that I couldn’t quite place.

Our centerpiece featured a rather funny-looking vegetable, sort of an elongated, wrinkly green banana, that turned out to be a giant fried okra.  A room temperature take on hot and sour soup was inside the okra, which was smashed in a French press along with fresh cilantro and then strained to create a few sips of broth to kick off our meal.

It was excellent, with lots of flavor and a very clean, intense cilantro aroma.

Our first course was a gentle introduction to the menu, a subtle combination of bamboo shoots and lily bulbs, with flavors of fresh corn.  Nothing terribly dramatic – maybe all the better to show off the accompanying exotic cocktail of Pineau de Charentes, jasmine, and cardamom.

The next few courses were all stellar, one after another.

First, a clever trio of dim sum – a dumpling filled with scallop and mushroom farce, a take on a soup dumpling whose exterior was somehow made of pork, and a congee foam with watermelon and crispy “pork floss”.  I loved both dumplings, and I somehow found myself unable to stop eating the congee despite its oddly gluey texture.

Then we had a soup that was so good, I’d have eaten a gallon – clear and spicy, made of “roasted spine” and celery.  There was a tender piece of black cod beneath the nasturtium leaves, and a few thin slices of chiles to add even more heat.

Then another spicy dish, a crab salad with green chile paste and coconut ice that was shaved tableside and spooned over the top.  The interplay of tastes, temperature, and textures was just wonderful.

After this, we moved into some slightly heartier dishes.  The star of the next trio of dishes was a sort of salt and pepper squab made with Szechuan pepper – juicy little nuggets that were ever so flavorful and made my lips pleasantly tingly and numb.  The small piece of skate wing “in the style of Muslim lamb” was an interesting counterpart, a little richer and more savory.  On the side, a “tiger salad” of noodles and seitan, with cilantro leaves – a palate cleanser that was fresh but unremarkable.

That squab, though – I’d order it in KFC-sized takeout buckets if I could.  Along with the soup…  What a meal that would be!

After this parade of fantastic dishes, I was a bit disappointed by the next two.  The shrimp “in sand” (made of duck egg yolks pressed through a sieve) was both dry (the yolks) and greasy (the shrimp).

And the take on beef and broccoli featured a delicious consommé that combined both flavors, as well as slightly less delicious pressed beef with a sweet glaze (ok) and fried broccoli florets (sadly burnt-tasting and too oily).

The main course centerpiece of the meal is a ziggurat of black dishes that’s disassembled at the table – cinnamon-smoked duck, dandelion greens, a duck bao bun, and various condiments.  The duck slices were fragrant and tender and not at all gamy, delicious with the sauces.  And the bao was just amazing – apparently the secret to the light-but-chewy dough (learned in Chicago’s Chinatown) is bakers’ ammonia.

As a transition to desserts, we got a hot stone plate with caramel-coated taro, plantain, and sweetbreads.  On the side, a bowl of cold passionfruit vinegar for us to dip pieces into – the cold liquid hardened the caramel into a crunchy exterior.  Fun, and the flavors worked well.

We had a “frozen rice soup” with peas and whipped vinegar, fresh and refreshing.  The whipped vinegar echoed the prior course nicely, and the crispy puffed rice was satisfying to crunch.

The final course was a black sesame dessert – frozen sesame foam with crispy candy and “dragon’s beard” spun sugar.  Quite interesting, not too sweet, and a nice way to wrap up.

But wait, there’s more: A giant fortune cookie!

So what does the fortune cookie say about how Chinese Modern stacks up against the prior Next menus?

The best Next dinners, I think, are the ones with a sense of place and time that crystalizes in my memory, and of course a few amazing dishes that I still think about.  After all, it’s more than just food – it’s an experience.

Along those lines, my favorites have been…

• Paris 1906: Partly because it was just so completely new, but also because of its sheer elegance.
• Tour of Thailand: I loved the street food served on Thai newspapers, the purity and boldness of the flavors, and sharing the experience with my mom.
• El Bulli: A faithful recreation of a restaurant we can never go to, with incredible dishes like the Gorgonzola balloon, spherical olives, and hot potato foam.
• Sicily: I remember the colors, the warmth, and the family-style dishes… and that amazing pork shoulder.

I’m not yet sure that Modern Chinese will join this list; I’ll have to mull it over for a bit.  And maybe I’d better go back, just to double check!