50 Great Ideas

Childhood revisited

Nostalgia is on the menu at Next, Grant Achatz’s conceptual restaurant in Chicago, which has a new themed menu every few months. With this incarnation, Achatz and chef Dave Beran evoke memories of their Midwestern childhoods in the 1970s and ’80s with playful and highly manipulated takes on icons like PB&Js and mac & cheese. One course is packed in a vintage lunch box (with a thermos of the course’s drink pairing). Fish ’n’ chips is deconstructed as a childlike painting of a stick figure fishing. Erstwhile children can lick the beaters of ‘Foie’sting that accompanies cider donuts. For the final course, Next staff construct a campfire on the table, with sweet potato “logs” fired by powdered alcohol that when burnt mimic the flavor of toasted marshmallows.

#50 | Using your noodle

#49 | Eat a pita, feed a kid

#48 | Ask the staff chaplain

#47 | I’ll be calling you

#46 | Rolling in dough

#45 | Fried chicken flies the coop

#44 | A penny for your calories

#43 | Better than a lobster bib

#42 | Bending the bento

#41 | Billboard redux

#40 | Dining at the fountain of youth

#39 | Building a better box

#38 | Roll out the barrel

#37 | Mochi Madness

#36 | A toast to Belgium

#35 | Screening employees on the screen

#34 | An Olive Garden customer sat here

#33 | Setting the e-table

#32 | The buck strolls here

#31 | Gin game

#30 | Childhood revisited

#29 | Moveable feast

#28 | Certified gluten free

#27 | Buy a car, eat a meal

#26 | Locating the best Happy Hour

#25 | Local broadcast

#24 | Tabletop taps

#23 | Double the pleasure

#22 | The three Bs

#21 | Cocktails to amuse

#20 | Fans of the grape

#19 | Whole animal accessorizing

#18 | Translucent menus

#17 | Have oven will cater

#16 | Allergic interaction

#15 | Greener produce

#14 | Competing to win at weight loss

#13 | Space saver

#12 | Test kitchen=test market

#11 | Be my guest

#10 | Plug in and eat up

#9 | Rx for pilferers

#8 | Hands free—and clean

#7 | Some like it too hot

#6 | Chicken fried steak gets its day

#5 | The staff that reads together…

#4 | Twinkle toast

#3 | Stick with this

#2 | Stamp of approval

#1 | From seed to fork

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Childhood revisited

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