# Next vs El Bulli



## stereo.pete (Feb 8, 2012)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_EVr9CQKNo&feature=youtu.be

The video explains it all, or at least I think it does. Grant Achatz and Dave Beran are recreating El Bulli with the blessings of Ferran. I will be going Saturday night so pictures to follow. I believe there will be close to thirty courses! :spiteful:


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## Johnny.B.Good (Feb 8, 2012)

Wow!

Here is what appears to be a link to photos of the menu:

http://chicago.eater.com/archives/2012/02/08/nexts-elbulli-menu-revealed-in-spanish-and-english.php

Can't wait to hear your report Pete!


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## Iceman91 (Feb 8, 2012)

That video is awesome. Sounds like you will be having a great night!


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## Andrew H (Feb 8, 2012)

stereo.pete said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_EVr9CQKNo&feature=youtu.be
> 
> The video explains it all, or at least I think it does. Grant Achatz and Dave Beran are recreating El Bulli with the blessings of Ferran. I will be going Saturday night so pictures to follow. I believe there will be close to thirty courses! :spiteful:



How on earth did you get tickets?


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## mr drinky (Feb 8, 2012)

Andrew H said:


> How on earth did you get tickets?



I am asking the same thing. I have been logging into that website several times a day for the last six weeks. I assumed (maybe wrongly) that the tickets hadn't gone on sale yet as the website still advertises the 'childhood' theme and there have been no twitter posts except for the video you mention. Did I miss the ticket sale?

Regardless, congrats to you on getting to eat at the restaurant few people actually get to eat at. 

k.


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## stereo.pete (Feb 9, 2012)

Since Next opened, my wife and I have been fortunate enough to score quite a few tickets for all of the menus. We've made friends with many of the staffers and have become regulars I guess, if that's possible there. Long story short, there were invitations sent out to friends and loyal patrons to enjoy the first week of el Bulli.


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## Andrew H (Feb 9, 2012)

stereo.pete said:


> Since Next opened, my wife and I have been fortunate enough to score quite a few tickets for all of the menus. We've made friends with many of the staffers and have become regulars I guess, if that's possible there. Long story short, there were invitations sent out to friends and loyal patrons to enjoy the first week of el Bulli.



I'm so jealous right now. You better take lots of pictures, and enjoy yourself! :doublethumbsup:


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## stereo.pete (Feb 9, 2012)

We will do our best to document every course if possible. I haven't been this excited for a restaurant since Alinea.


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## mr drinky (Feb 10, 2012)

Btw, ticket sales for next el bulli are imminent. They redid the website today and told people to check their facebook page. 

k.


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## mr drinky (Feb 11, 2012)

Well, tickets went on sale today, and I was too late. I am 4,800+ on the list and there are only about 2,500 tickets left. 

k.


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## bikehunter (Feb 11, 2012)

Maybe I missed it. Haven't seen a single mention regarding the price of these tickets????


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## Johnny.B.Good (Feb 11, 2012)

How did you miss it! You were on top of this all the way. Too bad, I was looking forward to reading your report. Now it's all on Pete to fill us in.

Maybe there will be some tickets on the black market, though I imagine they will cost a pretty penny.


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## mr drinky (Feb 11, 2012)

El Bulli is a 29-course menu, inclusive of food and beverage, for $ 365.

Sicily and Kyoto pricing for food for tables of 2 and 4, per person, is:

Wednesday / Thursday / Friday / Saturday / Sunday
$ 85 $ 90 $ 100 $ 110 $ 90

Beverage pairings for Sicily and Kyoto are:

Non-Alcoholic / Standard Wine / Reserve Wine
$ 48 $ 68 $ 90

The 6-person kitchen table is priced at $ 165 with $ 110 for the beverage pairing.

And I don't think this includes gratuity.

k.


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## Candlejack (Feb 11, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> El Bulli is a 29-course menu, inclusive of food and beverage, for $ 365.
> 
> Sicily and Kyoto pricing for food for tables of 2 and 4, per person, is:
> 
> ...




I hope i'm getting this wrong.

365 for a 29 course..? 
I must have misunderstood this..


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## Andrew H (Feb 11, 2012)

Candlejack said:


> I hope i'm getting this wrong.
> 
> 365 for a 29 course..?
> I must have misunderstood this..



The reason why it is so much more expensive than Sicily and Kyoto is that they cannot turn the tables during the evening. Only one seating per night.


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## Deckhand (Feb 11, 2012)

Candlejack said:


> I hope i'm getting this wrong.
> 
> 365 for a 29 course..?
> I must have misunderstood this..


Doesn't sound out of the norm for this level. About the same as The French Laundry. I really want to eat there to see their food and presentation"plating."


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## Candlejack (Feb 11, 2012)

Andrew H said:


> The reason why it is so much more expensive than Sicily and Kyoto is that they cannot turn the tables during the evening. Only one seating per night.





Deckhand said:


> Doesn't sound out of the norm for this level. About the same as The French Laundry. I really want to eat there to see their food and presentation"plating."





I was thinking if was too low to be true. I mean, that's just a silly price making me feel ashamed for the restaurant-business in Sweden. But then, it's so much more expensive running a restaurant here and most estabilishments are already running on a bare-minimum winnings.

But 365 for 29 courses is too low for me to comprehend.


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## Deckhand (Feb 11, 2012)

Candlejack said:


> I was thinking if was too low to be true. I mean, that's just a silly price making me feel ashamed for the restaurant-business in Sweden. But then, it's so much more expensive running a restaurant here and most estabilishments are already running on a bare-minimum winnings.
> 
> But 365 for 29 courses is too low for me to comprehend.


How long does a 29 course meal take. That is hard for me to wrap my mind around.


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## Andrew H (Feb 11, 2012)

Deckhand said:


> How long does a 29 course meal take. That is hard for me to wrap my mind around.



I think they try to keep it under four hours.


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## Johnny.B.Good (Feb 11, 2012)

Candlejack said:


> 365 for a 29 course..?



$365 is a hell of a lot more than I've ever spent on myself for dinner, but in this case, it sounds pretty reasonable. I would happily pay it for the experience, but don't make enough money to do it very often.


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## Candlejack (Feb 11, 2012)

Johnny.B.Good said:


> $365 is a hell of a lot more than I've ever spent on myself for dinner, but in this case, it sounds pretty reasonable. I would happily pay it for the experience, but don't make enough money to do it very often.



That's the around the minimum price we take for a seat at our chefs table, around 5 courses that is. 
2500 swedish kronor to 5000 swedish kronor. So around 350 to 700 dollars per person, for 5 courses.


So El Bulli seems more than reasonable.


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## mr drinky (Feb 11, 2012)

When I ate at Alinea a couple years back the bill for two ran about $700. Just keep in mind that $365 is without gratuity and you still have to drink something. If you do the pairing at $90 (I think) and add 20% it gets up there. 

k.


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## Andrew H (Feb 11, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> When I ate at Alinea a couple years back the bill for two ran about $700. Just keep in mind that $365 is without gratuity and you still have to drink something. If you do the pairing at $90 (I think) and add 20% it gets up there.
> 
> k.



I'm pretty sure the $365 includes wine pairings.


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## Deckhand (Feb 11, 2012)

Andrew H said:


> I think they try to keep it under four hours.


Thanks


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## mr drinky (Feb 11, 2012)

Andrew H said:


> I'm pretty sure the $365 includes wine pairings.



You might be right on that one, sorry for the confusion.

k.


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## Cipcich (Feb 12, 2012)

Yeah, Yuck it up rich folks.


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## Cipcich (Feb 12, 2012)

You know, I'm not starving, and occasionally spend more than a few dollars on knives, but this stuff strikes me as an almost obscenely ostentatious indulgence on the part of those who can afford it. I would be embarrassed to be seen by some of my friends coming out of one of these places . .


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## Cipcich (Feb 12, 2012)

I can put a really good dinner on the table for $30. But then, it's only my wife, my daughter, and myself. Marie Antoinette is dining elsewhere . . .


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## stereo.pete (Feb 12, 2012)

Hey guys,

The dinner lasted about 4.5 hours and we ended up getting home at 2:00am. I'm about to head into work so no pics or reviews yet, hopefully later tonight if I can muster the energy. All I can say right now is that this team (both front and back of the house) are an amazing group of individuals who can revamp an entire menu and service as fast as they do. Chef Beran was on point with every dish and Will (the GM) had his servers executing flawlessly. Some individuals might ask, is it worth the price? Absolutely, the chance to experience an array of dishes from El Bulli (now closed), prepared by one of America's most talented teams is a no brainer...if you love this sort of dining. 

Regards,

Pete


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## mr drinky (Feb 12, 2012)

Cipcich said:


> Yeah, Yuck it up rich folks.



I don't know about the rich yucking it up. Everyone spends, splurges, and wastes money in different ways. Every weekend in the fall close to a million people pour out of pro football stadiums who could have instead lingered over a meal at the finest restaurant in town. They'd rather splurge on that experience, and I'd rather spend it on knives and good food 

k.


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## stereo.pete (Feb 12, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> I don't know about the rich yucking it up. Everyone spends, splurges, and wastes money in different ways. Every weekend in the fall close to a million people pour out of pro football stadiums who could have instead lingered over a meal at the finest restaurant in town. They'd rather splurge on that experience, and I'd rather spend it on knives and good food
> 
> k.



I feel the same way, everyone has their hobbies/vices that they spend money on.


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## shankster (Feb 12, 2012)

4.5 hours and 29 courses! That's sounds like a little too much, no? I'd be passed out about 1/2 way through the meal... :-D


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## Deckhand (Feb 12, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> I don't know about the rich yucking it up. Everyone spends, splurges, and wastes money in different ways. Every weekend in the fall close to a million people pour out of pro football stadiums who could have instead lingered over a meal at the finest restaurant in town. They'd rather splurge on that experience, and I'd rather spend it on knives and good food
> 
> k.


I agree. We like knives and food. It isn't about the money . It's about seeing what is possible with what we love and an appreciation of it.


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## Cipcich (Feb 12, 2012)

Yeah, well. I'd been drinking, but I stand by my post. It keeps me upright.


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## mr drinky (Feb 12, 2012)

Cipcich said:


> Yeah, well. I'd been drinking, but I stand by my post. It keeps me upright.



Good call. Stand by it and don't waver. If I drink and order a custom knife off the forum, in the morning I still keep my word and order it. That's how I roll. 

k.


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## stereo.pete (Feb 13, 2012)

Tomorrow I will have a chance to post the pics from the dinner and my thoughts.


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## Johnny.B.Good (Feb 13, 2012)

Looking forward to it Pete!


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## stereo.pete (Feb 18, 2012)

Cocktails el Bulli style?






By chicagopete at 2012-02-17

The rest will be posted tomorrow, I promise. What can I say, this week has been very busy for me.

Here's a quick shot of the menu.





By chicagopete at 2012-02-17


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## Johnny.B.Good (Feb 18, 2012)

I have been waiting (patiently I might add) for this Pete!


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## stereo.pete (Feb 18, 2012)

By chicagopete at 2012-02-17

Balls of dough surrounding salmon roe, absolutely amazing with a slightly sweet exterior and intensely salty interior!





By chicagopete at 2012-02-17

Tapas el Bulli style. The olives on the spoon to the left are very unique, bursting with great olive goodness but with the texture of an egg yolk. "Clouds" of bread almost like a very thin cracker surrounded by delicious spanish ham. To the rear of the table was one of my favorites of the night, a crostini with essentially a take on caesar salad with fresh anchovies. 





By chicagopete at 2012-02-17
Close up of the bread cloud





By chicagopete at 2012-02-17
Close up of one of my favorites.





By chicagopete at 2012-02-17

Chicken croquettes. Imagine the very best chicken kiev you've ever had and then shrink it to the size of a large vitamin pill.


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## stereo.pete (Feb 18, 2012)

By chicagopete at 2012-02-17
Next up is the famed "golden egg." Sweet almost carmel like outside with an egg yolk in the inside.





By chicagopete at 2012-02-17
Liquid smoke, which tastes exactly the way it sounds. This did not taste good and the point was to challenge the diner in their way of thinking but I think it's for the dogs.





By chicagopete at 2012-02-17
Cuttlefish raviolo stuffed with a magical liquid, which I cannot remember what it is nor can I figure out where my Wife hid the menu's so I can't locate the english side. Long story short this was another one of my favorites with soy and wasabi sauces.





By chicagopete at 2012-02-17
Carrot air, similar to liquid smoke, it tastes exactly like it sounds. This time it was very tasty with sweetness towards the bottom from coconut milk. Apparently this was the dish that put El Bulli on the map in the U.S.





By chicagopete at 2012-02-17
Almond milk gel on the bottom with tomato ice on the top. The tomato ice tasted like a homegrown tomato that had been sprinkled with sea salt, ooh so good. Micro basil on the top, I'm guessing a play on caprese salad. 





By chicagopete at 2012-02-17
Think Potatoes, butter, eggs rolled into a multilayered custard that was phenomenal.


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## stereo.pete (Feb 18, 2012)

By chicagopete at 2012-02-17
Cous Cous made out of cauliflower and a traditional herb sauce with just the herbs. This was very flavorful and very interesting texturally speaking.





By chicagopete at 2012-02-17
Mushroom course with Rabbit liver or kidney, I cannot remember exactly. Long story short, one of the best mushroom dishes I've had, which beat out an amazing one at Alinea last June.





By chicagopete at 2012-02-17
Seafood stew, now imagine the best lobster bisque you've had, triple the awesomeness and add shrimp instead of lobster. Needless to say this was another one of my stand out favorites.





By chicagopete at 2012-02-17
Rabbit confit with an orange sauce, foie gras and cocoa, good but a bit too much orange flavor for my taste.





By chicagopete at 2012-02-17
Red Mullet, which was on the very first menu from El Bulli with Adria as chef. Incredibly tasty but certainly a bit dated presentation wise but that's not the point.





By chicagopete at 2012-02-17
This was very interesting, three bites to be eaten from left to right. The one of the left was bone marrow on top of eel, next a flower and finally a cucumber that was "seared" although I could detect no sear. This started off incredibly rich and finished very light and refreshing.





By chicagopete at 2012-02-17
Shucked baby corn with a gel made of agar agar with lump crab and crab stock. Very tasty, once again showing El Bulli's early techniques.


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## stereo.pete (Feb 18, 2012)

By chicagopete at 2012-02-17
Carmel Flan right? Wrong, this was a flan made of foie gras, oh so decadent!


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## stereo.pete (Feb 18, 2012)

By chicagopete at 2012-02-17
Globe of Gorgonzola, more please thank you. This was not only the most eye catching dish but one of the most mouth watering as well.





By chicagopete at 2012-02-17
Here's another shot with freshly grated nutmeg on the top.





By chicagopete at 2012-02-17
Guess the spice? A very acidic/tart gel with a motley assortment of herbs and spices suspended in the style of a clock. We were supposed to match the hour with the spice on a small square of paper.





By chicagopete at 2012-02-17
Chocolate three ways, yeah it was good. I believe the picture tells the entire story.





By chicagopete at 2012-02-17
The doughnuts were the size of a half dollar and made with no dough. Simply a thin dark chocolate exterior with a liquid coconut center, yes they were delicious. The other items were very simple light pastries.

I missed taking pictures of two courses, one was a caraway sponge cake and the very last course of grapefruit marshmallows if I remember correctly. If you have any questions about the dishes please feel free to ask, I simply put a quick statement of what I thought of each dish. Thanks!


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## stereo.pete (Feb 18, 2012)

Oh and there was no way I could forget the custom beer that Next brewed in conjunction with Half Acre brewery here in Chicago.




By chicagopete at 2012-02-17


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## Johnny.B.Good (Feb 18, 2012)

Wow! Thanks for taking such great pictures and sharing your impressions of the dishes.

It's difficult to tell the size of some of the dishes... Was it just an overwhelming quantity of food in the end? Could you finish each dish completely? How much did you have to drink? (Various wines/beers as the dinner went on?) How did you feel when it was all over?


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## MadMel (Feb 18, 2012)

Can we be friends?? hahaha. Are you photos downloadable?


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## stereo.pete (Feb 18, 2012)

Johnny.B.Good said:


> Wow! Thanks for taking such great pictures and sharing your impressions of the dishes.
> 
> It's difficult to tell the size of some of the dishes... Was it just an overwhelming quantity of food in the end? Could you finish each dish completely? How much did you have to drink? (Various wines/beers as the dinner went on?) How did you feel when it was all over?



After about two thirds of the way through I found myself completely stuffed from the food and libations. The server brought out this next course, which I forgot to post above. It started with the following three powders: peppermint, green tea and then a sugar with molasses.




By chicagopete at 2012-02-17

Then the servers brought out those glass plate, which had clearly been sitting in a freezer of some sort. The server spooned individual amounts of the above powders into the center of the plate and had us break the center with our spoons. Turns out the center was a thin layer of ice that blended perfectly with the glass of the plate so you could not even tell, very cool. This flavored ice dish refreshed both my wife and I and gave us the second wind needed to continue on.




By chicagopete at 2012-02-17

The size of the dishes were very small, most of them being one to three biters. There was a choice of wine, mixed or non-alcholholic beverage pairings. I went with the mixed, which contained various wines, sakes and of course my favorite, beer. I was definitely able to finish each dish except for liquid smoke because it just was not good tasting. After the meal I felt full and certainly had a slight buzz but was able to keep myself under control although I could have easily found myself stumbling around from a liquid stupor if I had tried. Next has a wonderful practice of leaving the bottle on the table for your pairings so you're free to keep filling your glass until a new pairing comes out.


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## Andrew H (Feb 18, 2012)

Thanks for posting pictures! How'd you do on guessing the spices?


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## Johnny.B.Good (Feb 18, 2012)

What was the consistency of the egg yolk inside the "golden egg"?


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## mr drinky (Feb 18, 2012)

Thanks for the show Pete. Btw, I've seen that gorgonzola globe before and it always fascinates me. It is good to know that it tastes great too. 

k.


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## stereo.pete (Feb 19, 2012)

Andrew H said:


> Thanks for posting pictures! How'd you do on guessing the spices?



My wife and I both missed three, which I guess wasn't too bad.


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## stereo.pete (Feb 19, 2012)

Johnny.B.Good said:


> What was the consistency of the egg yolk inside the "golden egg"?



It was like an egg over easy, still liquid in the center.


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## Johnny.B.Good (Feb 19, 2012)

Thanks Pete.

Was there anything you were served that you feel like you could reproduce at home without crazy equipment? Or was it all just too wild and technical to imagine trying.


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## stereo.pete (Feb 19, 2012)

Johnny.B.Good said:


> Thanks Pete.
> 
> Was there anything you were served that you feel like you could reproduce at home without crazy equipment? Or was it all just too wild and technical to imagine trying.



Excluding presentation the dish of Red Mullet could have been prepared at home.


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## jmforge (Feb 20, 2012)

Zoinks!!!! That's some impressive looking stuff!!!!!! As for the comments about the pricing, I may be wrong on this, but I seem to recall reading that the price at El Bulli for the last couple of seasons was 250 Euros or $325-350 depending on the current exchange rate and they were consistently losing their ass during the time that the place was actually open and serving food. The "profit centers" for the restaurant were books sales and speaking engagements. I don't know if Mr. Keller is doing the same thing at his places, but that is sure one highly time and labor intensive way of doing things.. Some of you might know what the bottom line at a place like that looks like.


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## Andrew H (Feb 20, 2012)

******* said:


> Zoinks!!!! That's some impressive looking stuff!!!!!! As for the comments about the pricing, I may be wrong on this, but I seem to recall reading that the price at El Bulli for the last couple of seasons was 250 Euros or $325-350 depending on the current exchange rate and they were consistently losing their ass during the time that the place was actually open and serving food. The "profit centers" for the restaurant were books sales and speaking engagements. I don't know if Mr. Keller is doing the same thing at his places, but that is sure one highly time and labor intensive way of doing things.. Some of you might know what the bottom line at a place like that looks like.



Not many michelin starred places (Per Se, Daniel, Eleven Madison Park, etc.) are making money off their food preparation. What profit they do see from the restaurant side of the business comes from wine, which El Bulli didn't emphasize as much as restaurants here do.


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## jmforge (Feb 20, 2012)

I don't know how many customers they could seat at El Bulli, but I did see that they employed 45 chefs!!!!!!!! Talk about some SERIOUS labor costs!!!!!! From my limited exposure to the food industry in my youth, I had heard that your real potential profit center is your alcohol sales.


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## mr drinky (Feb 20, 2012)

stereo.pete said:


> There was a choice of wine, mixed or non-alcholholic beverage pairings. I went with the mixed, which contained various wines, sakes and of course my favorite, beer. I was definitely able to finish each dish except for liquid smoke because it just was not good tasting. After the meal I felt full and certainly had a slight buzz but was able to keep myself under control although I could have easily found myself stumbling around from a liquid stupor if I had tried. Next has a wonderful practice of leaving the bottle on the table for your pairings so you're free to keep filling your glass until a new pairing comes out.



Interesting how they handle the wine and mixed pairings. Alinea gets beat up a bit about their wine (unfairly IMO). How do you compare the pairings versus Alinea? 

k.


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## stereo.pete (Feb 20, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> Interesting how they handle the wine and mixed pairings. Alinea gets beat up a bit about their wine (unfairly IMO). How do you compare the pairings versus Alinea?
> 
> k.



I was very disappointed with the pairings at Alinea. Not so much with the choice of wines but the fact that the pour's were so small and that they never came back to refill an empty glass. I know if I had asked they would have poured some more, I just would expect at that level that they would be on their game.


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## mr drinky (Feb 21, 2012)

Interesting. I was only at Alinea once, but my server came back with extra pours on 3-4 bottles of the wine (but not the specialty drinks obviously), but I have heard that criticism before. Also, some people complained about the quality/value, but I went back and checked the wines offered during my meal and I think 75% of them got 90+ average on cellar tracker -- and they are seriously hard raters. They are hard on wines like we are on knives.

k.


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## stereo.pete (Feb 21, 2012)

mr drinky said:


> Interesting. I was only at Alinea once, but my server came back with extra pours on 3-4 bottles of the wine (but not the specialty drinks obviously), but I have heard that criticism before. Also, some people complained about the quality/value, but I went back and checked the wines offered during my meal and I think 75% of them got 90+ average on cellar tracker -- and they are seriously hard raters. They are hard on wines like we are on knives.
> 
> k.



I imagine it depends on who was running the dining room. I know when I went, the best damn FOH Manager/GM had already left and went to Next so I'm not sure who was left in charge of Alinea's FOH. The difference from Alinea and Next is night and day and I really believe that is because the GM of Next is at the top of his game. That alone has hooked my wife and I on Next, although the food is pretty badass as well :hungry: .


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