In the first episode of her 1963 PBS series The French Chef, Julia Child walks viewers through one of her signature dishes, Boeuf Bourguignon, or “French beef stew with red wine,” as she explains to home chefs in straightforward language without a hint of condescension.
“It’s a wonderful show to begin our series on because it shows you so many useful things about French cooking: how to brown meat, how to braise onions, how to sauté mushrooms, how to make a wonderful sauce,” she says, adding, “You make a Boeuf Bourguignon just the way you make any other kind of a stew.” Child recommends using chuck, a reassuring cut for the home chef, readily available and not too pricey. She uses olive oil to brown it, but is quick to suggest peanut oil as a “perfectly good” substitute. The clear message: This isn’t rocket science. It’s fun, it will impress your family and dinner guests. You can do this.
That episode, presented to diners on an iPhone screen magnifier that looks just like a miniature of the black-and-white console TVs of the era, is the playful centerpiece to Next Restaurant’s spectacular Julia Child tribute menu, accompanying an exquisite take on the recipe of braised beef short rib, red wine sauce and “parslied Yukon gold potatoes.”
This rich, flavorful stew is the final main dish of a rollicking menu that showcases Child’s take on French cooking to great effect even as it takes delightful liberties in putting the type of creative spin on the dishes that Next patrons love. It’s the playful spirit and love of culinary exploration that makes Julia Child such a perfect subject for the Next treatment. Smart move to make her the first in the restaurant’s 2024 series of homages to renowned American chefs, which also will include Bobby Flay and Chicago’s own Charlie Trotter.
That last menu may well turn out to be one of the year’s hottest reservations. Which would be wonderful for Next as it continues both to reconnect with diners who lost touch during the pandemic and to navigate a new world of inflationary pressures and hot fine-dining competitors. Anyone who knows me understands that Next is my fine-dining happy place, so I have a rooting interest here.
It’s impressive how Next has sought to broaden its appeal without compromising its creativity or commitment to quality. Last fall’s Italian menu, Next: Tuscany, is one example. And in addition to this year’s focus on famous chefs, Next is democratizing the experience by offering a three-course Julia Child option starting at $85 that draws the Beef Bourguignon and lobster bisque from the full tribute menu along with homemade rye sourdough bread and a dessert of bread pudding with butter pecan ice cream.
If you’ve never had the Next experience, perhaps because you found its reputation a bit intimidating, this is an ideal menu to start with. You will find the level of culinary excellence matched only by the seamless yet warmly welcoming service. That combo has earned Next a richly deserved Michelin star from 2019-2023, after the guide dropped its long-standing excuse of not being able to review a restaurant with changing themes (as if most Michelin starred restaurants don’t regularly change up their offerings). But this is not a stuffy place. It’s a joy factory.
Highlights of the full Julia Child menu include both the beef and the bisque, but I also highly recommend the Canard à l’Orange supplement. Next’s take on another signature Child dish features heritage Rohan duck breast dry aged for 12 days and roasted to tender perfection in Cara Cara orange sauce. Because this meal was my wife’s birthday present to me, she insisted we try it, and I am grateful to her for the suggestion.
Another great thing about the evolution of Next is that the menus no longer tax one’s ability to finish the meal. I never personally had that issue, but my wife and other dinner companions over the years did tend to flag somewhat during the later courses. Even with the duck supplement, though, we had a Goldilocks experience of just the right amount of food from Next: Julia Child, and we had a similar experience with the Tuscany menu (the absence of unlimited breadsticks undoubtedly helped on that score).
Any menu with multiple foie gras sightings is my kind of meal, so I also want to call out the excellent Canard à la Montgomery from the hors d’oeuvres selection (featuring foie gras, white port and duck leg rillettes) and the Poularde à la d’Albufera (poached chicken, foie gras, black truffle and bell pepper). The bread and butter service was also a highlight, which underscores Next’s commitment to delivering the best possible dining experience.
Next recently brought back its season ticket option that enables diners to book an entire year’s menu in advance, guaranteeing reservations at opportune dates and times. It used to be essential to get on the reservation site and book the minute tickets opened. (I recall maniacally reloading the site on my iPhone 4 during my oldest son’s Harry Potter-themed 12th birthday party at a local bowling alley eight years ago.) There was even a Facebook group dedicated to helping season ticket holders swap and sell their reservations, so high was the demand. These days, it’s reasonably easy to log onto the Tock site as blocs of reservations open and book each menu as it comes. But the return of season tickets and the broad accessibility of its menu lineup suggests Next may be on the verge of recapturing some of its previous heat.
Either way, Next is always well worth a visit and the Julia Child menu is a winner by any standard of measurement. Bon appétit!
Next: Julia Child runs through April 21. Book reservations here.
Photo by Frank Sennett
