Get in Line

Pan-seared scallops, soy-glazed mushrooms, coconut, lemongrass, tempura vegetables Photo By: Michael T. Regan

Enticingly forward-looking by name, Next still glances over its shoulder.

by Elisa Ludwig

It is, apparently, unfashionable these days to name your restaurant after yourself. Better to evoke a color, a feeling, a one-word state of being. But even in a city where every restaurant, gym and boutique now refers to an abstract concept, it’s a fairly audacious move to call a restaurant Next. This is not just a place to eat; this is your future.

As it happens, your future is orange and brown and olive and it lives on South Street. Inside, Next's sunken dining room is tastefully decorated with inviting minimalism. Paper lanterns give off an orange glow that melds with the warmly colored faux stucco walls. A long banquette lines one wall of the room with striped pillows; an oversize curio box occupies the wall above the hostess stand. It may not, however, have been designed for comfort; the banquette is hard on the backside and the opening and closing door directly streams cold air into the room.

Co-owners Rich Podulka (who also owns the North lounge across the street) and Jason Taylor have both worked for Neil Stein, and it's clear they have learned a thing or two about hospitality. When your server ticks off the various ingredients in the specials, you get the feeling he takes personal pride in discussing the house-cured gravlax. That kind of enthusiasm goes a long way in a new, ambitious haute-fusion restaurant.

At times, the ambition is difficult to live up to, and the indefatigable quest for progressive new cuisine had me longing for something a little simpler, a little more retro even. The white bean soup was smooth and velvety but the promised truffle oil was undetectable and the "crispy" pancetta was actually more like small rubbery chunks. The sautéed calamari with wilted bean tops was a soggy tangle of squid and salad that had been overly doused with fish sauce. The tuna carpaccio in a sweet soy reduction paired with crumbled wasabi peas sounded like a great idea in theory, but in practice the contrast of textures -- slick and silky and hard and crunchy -- was off-putting.

More on the mark was the less exotic mixed green salad with cubed pickled beets, snappy haricots verts, chopped hazelnuts and a firm wedge of goat cheese, all nicely accented by a peppery vinaigrette. There was nothing new about this combination -- it's been making the rounds for 15 years -- but there's no shame in sticking to something that works.

Entrees were more experiments in chemistry, flavor and laws of physics. Dense pan-seared sea scallops came with soy-glazed mushrooms and a creamy coconut lemongrass sauce. This is the type of pan-Asian dish that requires a delicate, Morimoto-style touch, and while the scallops were nicely seasoned, the thickly battered tempura vegetables stacked on the dish took the whole thing two notches closer to causing indigestion.

Better was the unabashedly hearty braised lamb shank, which was moist and tender and served over a soft quinoa blended with gorgonzola. A sweet onion ragout was included to counter the sharp cheese and unify the flavors. Another substantial, wintry dish was the bacon-wrapped monkfish "osso buco," with risotto carbonara. It had the potential for pork overload, but all that smoky meat was actually a good balance for the mild fish. Starches and creaminess definitely seem to be a theme at Next: The vegetarian selection was a plate of soft polenta topped with sautéed mushrooms and ringed with a too-salty creamed spinach. Not terrible, but certainly not a reason to forgo the lamb.

For a young restaurant, Next does many things right. Take, for instance, the wonderful French press Ethiopian and Guatemalan coffees, which your server thoughtfully presses for you, just in case all those creamy starches have worn you out. But it is worthwhile to consider trading in a few bites of risotto for a few bites of the warm apple tart, a tiny circle of pastry perfection. It had just enough sugar to enhance the natural flavor, and came topped with a small scoop of streusel ice cream and a plate-side drizzle of créme anglais. A much sweeter affair, the praline bombe was no less phenomenal. A mound of chocolate mousse, layered with crispy, crushed sugared almonds, was finished with rosettes of raspberry sauce and a chocolate- and white-chocolate-swirled pirouette. With that kind of ending you can't help but leave feeling happy. The future always looks brighter after dessert.

Next BYOB

223 South St., 215-629-8688

Mon.-Thu., 5:30-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 5:30-11:30 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5:30-10 p.m.

Appetizers, $7-$11; entrees, $16-$24

Wheelchair accessible. Smoking is not permitted. Reservations recommended. All major credit cards.