[vivin]

Went in about 3pm on Sat, 1st. That was indeed the first day open. They said it is open only for dinner.. Managed to get in at 6:30pm. Had the Foie and the Arctic Char. The Foie was very good but the Char was outstanding. Followed by panna cotta and tomato peach. both delicious. I think they reopen on Tuesday.

[murkcury]

Made it in on Saturday (first table) for the first "Thank You" night. I'm always hesitant about being over zealous on an inaugural visit, but Tailor has me really excited. REALLY excited. The space is nicely thought out. Well designed, cool, comfortable, but not overdone. Interesting details throughout.

Once I saw the menu I was curious to try everything offered, alas it was one salty and one sweet plate per. Had the duck tartare and snapper (believe it's listed as mackerel above) for salty. Both spot on dishes. Great balances of flavor, color and texture. Everything that should have been there was. For sweet had the tomato, peach, ricotta and the blueberry, black olive, yogurt. Again, perfectly thought out and expertly executed. Truly enjoyable to eat. Cocktails sounded slightly bizarre/esoteric on paper, but once they hit the palate they seemed rather classic in nature; classic with tiny little twists. They were, of course, delicious as well. Amuse bouche of shiso gaspacho was clean, bright and refreshing. Petit four of yellow plum tomato gelee was outstanding (especially enjoyed the arugula garnish, nice little touch). Service was warm, helpful, and friendly, albeit slightly green (obviously forgiven given the unofficial nature of the meal). Overall the staff seems well-informed and well-intentioned.

Very excited to come back for a more thorough taste of the menu. Just worried it won't be so easy once the good word gets out. It was a long wait, but I think it should take off. Good luck to the whole team.

[ulterior epicure]

Any word as to whether they take reservations? I heard (before opening) that they intend to take reservations.

[Nathan]

they take reservations.

[Nathan]

I can confirm that Tailor isn't open yet.

the given reasons are variable.

A. if they think you're a walk-in pretending to have a reservation, they would tell you that they were "closed for a private party"
B. once they figured out that you did in fact have a reservation they would tell you that there was a "plumbing issue" and then graciously invite you downstairs for a complimentary drink.
C. I'm pretty certain that the actual issue is liquor license related. they're booking reservations for this weekend so hopefully it'll be worked out by then.

I will say that once things were straightened out a bit, they were gracious, welcoming and apologetic.

as for the cocktails:

the Cascade is superb. gin and hops. why didn't I think of that? I wouldn't want to drink a bunch of them but it's a nice palate opener. most people will hate it.
the peppery punch drink is also very good.

brown butter rum was almost great...it needs a little bit less brown butter and a little more rum...but I liked it a lot.

pumpernickle scotch was really nice.

the bubblegum vodka drink was hilarious, ironic and will be a massive, un-ironic hit with the great unwashed.

[vivin]

I have been calling but no one picks up. Guess you have to walk in there to snag a reservation. Can someone confirm this?

[ulterior epicure]

vivin, on Sep 5 2007, 10:26 AM, said:

I have been calling but no one picks up. Guess you have to walk in there to snag a reservation. Can someone confirm this?

Have experienced the same.

[Nathan]

the only reservations I'm familiar with so far have been made in person.

[Jesikka]

Nathan, on Sep 5 2007, 11:54 AM, said:

the only reservations I'm familiar with so far have been made in person.

I'm not sure that they're actually taking reservations, other than as a courtesy to the people that they failed to serve who had reservations. They definitely do not pick up the phone or return messages (although you do get to listen to Sam's sexy voice saying "Tailor"). Since my first two reservations have been failed to various degrees (Saturday they were open and everything was free with a set menu of one savory, one sweet and one cocktail and yesterday was as described by Nathan previously), I'm waiting to see what happens with our reservation for Sunday. They're clearly having liquor license issues, but the GM seems to be a pathological liar, so it's not entirely clear when that will be cleared up.

Report to follow, but the previews on Saturday were really great and the cocktails are definitely among the best and most interesting available in New York right now. That being said, they should make room for a Kold-Draft machine. The way they're making ice right now works (provided that they use it, which they didn't on Saturday) but seems arduous. The cocktails were remarkably better downstairs at the bar with proper ice and Alex the bartender making them.

[Gabe Quiros]

Can anyone put up a report with pictures please!

[Jesikka]

Gabe Quiros, on Sep 8 2007, 10:42 AM, said:

Can anyone put up a report with pictures please!

Monday.

[BryanZ]

I understand that the official press opening is Monday. Hopefully all issues will be resolved by then.

[Jesikka]

A group of 6 of us are going Sunday night. At least one of us will report afterwards.

[ulterior epicure]

Gabe Quiros, on Sep 8 2007, 09:42 AM, said:

Can anyone put up a report with pictures please!

If you can wait less than a week, I'll try to get there and report back (photographically).

u.e.

[Nathan]

I'll report on Sunday night but I don't take food pictures...possibly someone in the group will.

[cellardoor]

Anyone know _for sure_ if they're open tonight (sunday)? I tried calling them, got Tailor's vmail...

edit: Having read the rest of the thread, not sure if they're still in

a)no liquor license mode
b)reservations only mode

tho the lack of answering is not a signal of closedness, i guess...

This post has been edited by cellardoor: 09 September 2007 - 04:07 PM

[Nathan]

based upon one meal, Tailor is one of the best restaurants in NY.

ate there last night. seating is comfortable, the service professional. Eben's full cocktail list has been unveiled in all its glory. they're good, quite good. I'm generally not a fan of cocktails that use various kitchen techniques (too often it's basically food or dessert with alcohol added as an afterthought)...but these are really good.

the food is among the best in NY (as in top-5). it's seriously that good.

foie gras with peanut butter was simply the best foie course I've ever had. the other courses were spectacular as well (the poached arctic char could have used a tad bit of salt). pork belly, artichoke and butterscotch....wow! the duck "tartare".....

we had the entire menu...there were no clunkers. even when I thought I spotted a cliche (slivers of jicama)....they turned out to instead be playful bits of green apple (providing a welcome tartness).

the cuisine at Tailor isn't really "molecular"...but it is avant garde in the sense that it uses ingredients that aren't normally placed together....and they all work. go. go now. go.

This post has been edited by Nathan: 10 September 2007 - 08:22 AM

[kathryn]

Nathan, on Sep 10 2007, 07:19 AM, said:

based upon one meal, Tailor is one of the best restaurants in NY.

ate there last night.  seating is comfortable, the service professional.  Eben's full cocktail list has been unveiled in all its glory.  they're good, quite good.  I'm generally not a fan of cocktails that use various kitchen techniques (too often it's basically food or dessert with alcohol added as an afterthought)...but these are really good.

the food is among the best in NY (as in top-5).  it's seriously that good.

foie gras with peanut butter was simply the best foie course I've ever had.  the other courses were spectacular as well (the poached arctic char could have used a tad bit of salt).  pork belly, artichoke and butterscotch....wow!  the duck "tartare".....

we had the entire menu...there were no clunkers.  even when I thought I spotted a cliche (slivers of jicama)....they turned out to instead be playful bits of green apple (providing a welcome tartness).

the cuisine at Tailor isn't really "molecular"...but it is avant garde in the sense that it uses ingredients that aren't normally placed together....and they all work.  go.  go now. go.

Wow, the entire menu? How many were you? What was the total bill?

And I noticed you didn't single out any cocktails for mentioning...

What would you recommend off of the "sweets" menu for a group coming after dinner?

[ulterior epicure]

... or, any savories that are so good that one should hold back at dinner??

[Nathan]

there were six of us so we had three of everything.

I talked about some of the cocktails up the thread from my previous visit. also highly recommend the Chanterais (a Sidecar variation with roasted walnut infused cognac, dandelion cointreau and lemon juice). unfortunately, this will be off the menu soon due to supply difficulties. the bourbon and smoked coke is very interesting.

I don't like dessert so I didn't really have preferences among the sweet dishes. none were that sweet (which made them tenable for me) and they all seemed to be extremely well-executed.

[Nathan]

ulterior epicure, on Sep 10 2007, 07:41 AM, said:

... or, any savories that are so good that one should hold back at dinner??

the savories are extraordinary. this was one of the best meals I've ever had in NY. perhaps the second best.

[vivin]

I can report similar findings to Nathan and company. Had the entire menu (salty and sweet) on Sat night. Not one flop. The foie gras was better than the version I had on Sep 1st. The service was impeccable. Whoever said any of the staff was less than courteous has not been there. Great meal. Ended up ordering multiples on some. Arctic char, pork belly and duck in that order were my favs. Seriously good. I was expecting good sweet dishes but the consistency in the savory dishes was outstanding. Go now.

Few things of note:
1) This resveration was made on the phone.
2) I took a couple of bottles of wine as their wine list is not up yet. just a few by the glass.
3) They informed me of 25 dollar corkage but was never charged a cent. On top of that they gave us free wine.
Blow away experience.

[Nathan]

one other thought:

Tailor is most definitely a "New Paradigm" restaurant.

[oakapple]

I haven't been yet, but the most impressive comment came from Eater's post-opening comment: between 8:30 and 11:00 p.m., Mason did not leave the kitchen to schmooze the dining room, despite the presence of a number of celebrities. That suggests his attention is where it should be—on the food.

The concept of a New Paradigm is, of course, totally fictional.

[Jesikka]

kathryn, on Sep 10 2007, 10:15 AM, said:

Nathan, on Sep 10 2007, 07:19 AM, said:

Wow, the entire menu? How many were you? What was the total bill?

And I noticed you didn't single out any cocktails for mentioning...

What would you recommend off of the "sweets" menu for a group coming after dinner?

I think this food is every bit as good as Alinea, which is my favorite meal of my life. There is no question that Sam is turning out the best avant garde food in NY right now and that he's completely capable of doing savories. In fact, I think the savory courses are significantly better than the desserts right now. Since I know Sam can make some kick ass dessert, I have very high expectations for the future of Tailor. Every savory course except the duck was a serious hit for me.

We actually ate 3 of every course on the entire menu, and we were six people, so each course was shared between two people. The amount of food was not too much.

With tip, I think the total bill was $800- about $133/person. We were all having significant trouble with math at that point in the evening. I believe pretip was $687. We gave some amount between $687 and $1000. That part of the evening is fuzzy.

I think Nathan's failure to single out any cocktails is due to the fact that they are great and quite varied. I've forgotten several of the names, but I like the Lavendar Fizz, the Paprika Punch (I'd imagine bell pepper tastes like this to the host of iron chef) and the Cascade, which is super dry and truly delicious.

I think the soft chocolate and caramel panna cotta dishes are fantastic. I wish I could remember the olive cake better, but I remember thinking the yogurt ice cream was insanely good.

[lambretta76]

My wife and I went for an early dinner on Saturday, and our experience preety much mirrored Nathan's. While I won't say it's a top 5 of NYC, it's a fantastic restaurant with great service and an interesting cocktail program. (The Chanterais, made with walnut-infused cognac, was amazing. The red pepper cocktail was a little too savory, though; it would have been better as a drink amuse-bouche/small shot. It was tasty, but too big.)

Favorite dishes were the foie gras with raw peanuts (they taste like sprouts - who knew) and the amazing pork belly with butterscotch. Since the butterscotch wasn't too sweet, the dish worked perfectly. I disagree on the artic char dish - I found the salting to be appropriate and the avocado ice cream to work very well with the fish and watermelon.

The desserts were again very good - the panna cotta a squiggle of tasty pudding on a plate coated with coffee "crunch" or whatever it was called. It was delicious.

The only disappointment was the corn sorbet - we had hoped that it was Sam's amazing cornbread ice cream from wd~50 re-purposed. Sadly, it wasn't. It was still a good dish, just not what we had hoped for.

4 cocktails, a bottle of sparking water, 4 savory dishes ($15 a pop), 3 desserts ($11 a pop) - and it came to about $190 with tax and tip.

I think the menu is great and I'm hoping to see it expand some. I'd like to have some spice in the components - whether savory or sweet dishes - and I think some of the dessert options should bring a little more saltiness to the table.

He's got a winner on his hands here if he keeps up the quality and service.

[BryanZ]

This is all very, very exciting. It's been a rather long time coming and, of course, these are but a few very early reports, but I hope Sam totally rocks it. Mainly, however, I'm so sad I'm not home right now.

[lambretta76]

I can't believe I forgot the olive cake - that dish was brilliant. The two types of blueberries that accompanied it (I believe a blueberry "soil" or crunch, and fresh, stewed blueberries) really went well with the sour yoghurt topping, which was texturally somewhere between a foam and a sorbet.

[Nathan]

yeah...that olive cake was good.

[Jesikka]

Nathan, on Sep 10 2007, 12:22 PM, said:

yeah...that olive cake was good.

Damn, I need to go back and retaste that. I'm posting the review I started to write because I don't know if I'll actually have time to go through every dish. Maybe the member of our group who took pictures will post them?

My 1/6 of a review:

Upon our late, as usual, arrival, our dinner companions were already well into their second (third?) cocktails. Having already sampled at least 12 cocktails on 4 different occasions at Tailor myself, I can’t say I blame them. The cocktails are just as good as anything being done at Death & Company or Pegu Club, but they’re pushing flavor boundaries even further. I’m loving the Lavendar Fizz, the Cascade and the Paprika Punch. Nathan or Sneakeater can talk about the cocktails, though, since they’re far more expert consumers.

After our reservations snafus over the past two weeks, the service could not have been more welcoming or gracious. Throughout the evening we were served by our waiter, had the GM to explain each dish and the head bartender stopped by several times with cocktails and occasional special tastes of new beverages. I’m not personally a fan of drinking cocktails (even great ones) with dinner, so I’ll look forward a full wine list becoming available. That being said, I expect to find myself at the bar as often as in the restaurant.

Because of the number of components in the dishes, sharing a Tailor dish among more than two people is somewhat untenable, so we ordered three of every dish for our table of six.

The Salty

I think our entire table unanimously agreed that the foie gras and peanut butter was a standout hit. Quotable quote of the night: “I’ll know I’ve found my future wife when she and I go together as well as foie gras and peanut butter.” When you taste this dish, the combo seems too obvious to be as novel as it is. The foie is 80% foie and 20% peanut butter, sprinkled in bitter chocolate with raw green peanuts and finely diced pear on the side. The raw peanuts enhance the peanut flavors while giving the dish a tiny bit of bite. I thought the dish was even better than the first time I had it, though Dave H pointed out that it was a smaller portion than the first time- not a good sign.

The pork belly, miso butterscotch and artichoke was the other dish that I had eaten previously. I think this dish is absolutely fantastic. The butterscotch somehow avoids being clingly sweet, and the artichokes are the true star of the dish. The pork belly was less tenderly cooked than the last time (it’s sous vide), but it was still delicious. I hope they’ll quickly be able to improve the consistency of the dishes to turn out perfectly cooked versions of this stuff every time, because the food is too good for the cooking or ingredient quality not to stand up. There's also some sort of alcohol in the butterscotch.

An aside: the bread at Tailor is fantastic. They have an olive bread and a raisin bread- top quality. The breads are served with a canelle of butter topped with thin chives. It is especially great if you steal ALL of the chives for your slice. Again, raisins and chives- why aren’t more people doing it? (And don’t tell me you’re putting chive cream cheese on your raisin bagel, because I don’t accept raisin bagels to begin with).

It’s kind of hard to pick favorites from this menu, but the peeky toe crab, smoked pineapple and basil may have been my favorite of the new dishes I tasted. The menu fails to mention the delicious, preciously thin iberico ham “chip” that adds the necessary salt for this dish. Each of the three spoonfuls of peeky toe crab salad have a smear of pine nut butter beneath them, bringing a wonderful nutty woodsiness into the mix. Like many avant garde dishes, it’s best if you combine all of the elements in each bite. The crab, pine nut, microbasil, pineapple and ham all bring a necessary taste and texture element to the dish. If they sold ham chips like that in bags in our vending machine at work, I’d have a serious problem on my hands.