I’ve been remiss in not yet sharing with you my impressions of the visits I made to Next, Alinea, and The Aviary (plus The Office, a speakeasy beneath The Office) during Chicon7, but recovering from the trip while staying on top of Blastr left me with no remaining juice to tell the whole amazing story of the restaurants Chef Grant Achatz has created. Rest assured, though … that will come.

For now, suffice it to say that I was so enamored of his constantly changing restaurant, Next—if you don’t eat there during each cuisine’s brief run. you’ve missed it forever—that I decided my three-star Michelin taste of Sicily wasn’t enough and so booked tickets for Kyoto the moment they became available this evening.

Booked? Tickets? Why, what could Scott possibly mean? What kind of restaurant sells tickets?

Don’t worry, all will be explained later, when I finish my write-up of the above gastronomic experience … this weekend, I hope.

In any case, if you’re wondering what awaits me during Chef Achatz’s Kyoto menu, perhaps the first video teaser he released will explain it all.

Perplexed? Then maybe this second clip will enlighten you.

Still confused?

All right, all right!

In an attempt to eschew obfuscation, let me share what Andrew Zimmern, chef and host of the TV show Bizarre Foods, had to say about the sneak peek he was given of the Kyoto menu, which will only run from September 15 through December 31, and then be gone forever.

“Let’s say there are fish that essentially are only caught in the moonlight during certain months in Japan that are coming over that are being paired with vegetables and treatments that I’ve never seen outside of Japan. It’s pretty thrilling. The charcoal-roasted fish course that I saw them working on last night was just crazy. The number of things … I’ve never seen wasabi leaves like the ones they’re working with there. These guys are working at a level that is duplicated at only at a handful of restaurants in the world.”

Now do you understand why a trip to Chicago centered around a single meal is warranted?