daisy17

I continue to be incredibly bored by this season. Roast chicken and peas? How is that the pre-finale Top Chef challenge? The show has become an exercise in who screws up the least. As Chris pointed out upthread, there isn't a Richard or Stephanie among this group.

One star

Welcome to eGullet.

I think you hit the nail on the head right here. You may not want to make that kind of food, you may not love it, but isn't there something for you to learn, from one of the best chefs in the country? Jamie was one of my favorites (talent wise) this season. Her attitude disappointed me. Also, she's classically trained, so it's even more difficult for me to understand why she would comment on Ripert's food that way.

She did say that, and I thought she was rude about it. Fine if you don't have the same cooking style, but it's Eric Ripert. Show some respect. I really like quick fires that show serious cooking technique and skills. I want more of them.

Great, so I'm STILL not spending enough time at D&Co?

I think it all depends on who you're talking about. When Mark Bittman did this crazy annoying video on cocktails, it was infinitely more wrong than it was right, and people had a lot to say about it. It irritated the crap out of me. I thought Rachel's video was fine, she's cute, it was not intended to be completely serious, she clearly gets some of it. Since food/cocktails aren't her career (yes, Mark, I'm looking at you), I was really able to let it go.

I was going to link to that NYT interview too. LOVE HER (even more than originally since she's into cocktails).

Thanks for these. I know both as places to go for dim sum; do they do large parties also?

I'm trying to help a friend come up with potential spots for a not fancy but lively wedding reception. Is there anyplace in Chinatown that you might recommend for a group of 40-50 people, with a private room and good food? Thanks in advance.

Oh, completely agree. I was there right before New Year's and the place was empty. Last week it was completely packed at 9pm - every table and the bar. I wouldn't have expected it but was pleased to see it.

I'm not sure I agree that higher end restaurants are dropping like flies here. Fiamma is the only one I can think of. Steve Hanson's restaurants are not exactly illustrative of the places most of us spend time at though. Just ask weinoo. Most of the restaurants and cocktail bars I frequent seem to be very busy - at 6:20 on Friday I snagged the last open bar stool at D&Co, so that hasn't changed too much. The Spotted Pig and Lupa are always packed when I'm there, ditto Ippudo, Rai Rai Ken and the Momofukus. Sripraphai was hopping two weeks ago. By all accounts you can't get into Co. These are not expensive places though (some are the absolute opposite), and I have heard that many places that seem busy are seeing much less spent per cover than a year ago. I believe that. New Yorkers pretty much have to go out if they want to be social, but everyone I know is trying to spend less money on dining right now. I can't remember the last time I went for a really expensive meal. On hold for now. I definitely have noticed varying degrees of fullness in the same restaurant in recent weeks - full on one visit, not the next (Irving Mill and Scarpetta come to mind). I've heard about hour long waits at L'Artusi but when I was there that wasn't the case. My sense is that it's even more desirable to eat at the bar in this economy - it lends itself well to spending less on a meal. On the other hand, there is a disturbing trend of availability of tables on Open Table. You used to never see 7:30 7:45 8:00 pop up as available for many places. Common occurrence right now.

Random! Never heard of La Sirene either, just read that review and I can't tell if Bruni liked it or was just amused by the owner. Lavagna has been an East Village standby for years, but I have no idea how it is now. The original chef at August left over the summer to take over the kitchen at Morandi. Haven't heard about either spot since then, really. August used to be excellent, but I haven't been in well over a year. Has a very rustic and warm feel to it. I don't know if you're open to other places. Convivio used to have a special relatively inexpensive Sunday night menu - don't know if that's still the case, but I've heard very good things. If you're looking for inexpensive Italian in the East Village and are willing to be super casual about it I'd point you to Terroir, the wine bar a few doors down from Hearth run by Marco Canora. The food is excellent and it's hard to spend more than $30/person (excluding wine). I'd check the NY Where To Eat thread for other spots. I feel like you can do better, especially if you're in from out of town.

I agree with this as well. Supporting local growers is essential. I prioritize local over organic, and I ask questions at the farmer's market about growing and spraying practices. Many small farms can't afford (or don't want to deal with) crazy federal regulations to get an "organic" label, but that doesn't mean you can't get comfortable with how they're growing your food. While I prefer locally produced eggs and milk, I really don't want hormones and antibiotics in my food. Period. Meat too.

I agree that it's a very personal decision. After much reading about the topic I strongly prefer to buy milk from grass-fed, hormone-free, antibiotic free cows and eggs from hormone/antibiotic free chickens. I also like to consume locally-produced food, so I mostly buy Ronnybrook or Sky Top Farms milk. Sky Top is my new favorite food find - their milk and yogurt are divine. Fresh and good. You can absolutely taste the difference.

Oh, that cracked me up. To me, Danny Meyer is the gold standard in service - professional, knowledgeable, warm, enthusiastic. You don't have to be a celebrity to be treated well at his restaurants. I agree that service is a major component of a meal. It can make it or break it, period. I dined solo at the bar at Incanto in SF (off topic geographically, but it stands out in my mind) a couple of weeks ago and while there was nothing "wrong" with the service per se, it lacked interest and warmth and felt dismissive to me. So while the food was pretty damned good, I walked away unsatisfied. I need to think a bit about examples. One thing that I really enjoy service-wise is when the staff mirrors your enthusiasm for the food. Per Se comes to mind - I was just overjoyed at being there, and that was validated by the level of service we received. I've always similarly enjoyed the staff at Momofuku Ssam and Noodle Bar. Ko when it first opened - not as much. Really affects my meal.

I've heard great things about Barbone as well. Completely agree that Hearth would be really tough on $50/person (other than the set menu weinoo mentions). For Lupa though, if you're not drinking, I don't think it's very hard. Antipasti/salads are $6-10, pastas in the mid teens, and entrees top out at $25. Had lunch at the bar yesterday, fantastic as usual. Still, could be hard for 4 for dinner w/o a reservation.

I loved scarpetta, thought it was probably out of the $50/head price range though.

You could go to Lupa but it might be a wait for 4. They take a limited # of reservations and save the rest for walkins. If you order well and don't drink you could get out for $50/person. I like Otto, for a lighter, more grazing kind of meal (salad, bruschetta, pizza, pasta) definitely within your budget, but it's really loud. Really. Loud. I really liked L'Artusi in the West Village a few weeks ago. The food was excellent and is more of a small plate kind of deal, so it's not very expensive. Fun vibe too. dell'anima is their other spot, but it's smaller and tougher to get in. Great food though. Cacio e Pepe in the East Village has been solid in the past but I haven't been there in the last year. It's not fun like L'Artusi or even Lupa, more sedate and homey. Places I've enjoyed and frequented in the past but haven't been to lately (and are within your budget): Bellavitae and Po (Village), 'inoteca and Falai (LES). Frankie's Sputino (LES) has been on my list forever and I've heard it's great, but I haven't made it there yet. I used to LOVE Pepolino right by Tribeca but haven't been there in forever - anyone know if it's still good? (You had mentioned Little Italy - I would avoid it like the plague.)

If you didn't make it to PDT last time then you should hit it! (go early or late and sit at the bar)

The only canned stuff I use regularly other than tomatoes are beans - the high level of sodium in most brands scares me, but there are some organic labels that have no added sodium and I think they taste fine. I've actually never soaked dried beans (more because I don't plan ahead than any other reason) and am curious - is there a noticeable difference in taste?

When they showed Blue Hill at Stone Barns (one of my favorite places, I just love those pigs) I wondered if they were going to make everyone pretend it was January and cook kale and beets. New judge completely irritates me. They need Gail back. Oh, right, and more talented cooks. In seasons past it was so obvious to me who would be standing at the end. Here, I'm not even sure that I care.

FloFab reports today that "SCOTT BRYAN, who was the chef at Veritas, then moved to Virginia, has returned to New York to be the executive chef at Apiary, replacing Neil Manacle." I'm hoping that Bryan's peripatetic days are behind him. I loved his food at Veritas. First time I ever had foie gras was there, and it was so good it made me cry.

I think you want the liquid - that's what I've seen in Mexico anyway. In my "research" I've concluded that no two people make their michelada the same way. I have almost always seen hot sauce in them, but not always maggi/worcestershire sauce.

In my four trips to Mexico over the last 3 years it has managed to completely win my heart. Food has played a big part in that, and I thought Bourdain showed it well. What I appreciated most was Carlos's story, which is similar to countless Poblanos here (most of NY's Mexican immigrants are from Puebla) who left their families and homes at a young age to work their asses off here. I know a guy who left Puebla alone at the age of 12 to come to NY, and he hasn't been back in 20+ years because he doesn't have citizenship here. His wife still makes tamales and mole poblano though.