oakapple

Plenty of restaurants deteriorate. I don't know whether this one did, as I haven't gone lately, but there would be nothing strange about this. It happens all the time.

I don't get what happened at Adour. I wasn't fond of the place, but it got 3 stars from both Bruni and Platt, and 2 stars from Michelin—esentially the maximum he could have expected from all of those sources. I have to assume that Esnault's departure was for "non-food reasons."Benoit, on the other hand, clearly did need shaking up. It will be tough to lure the critics back, but if Schaedelin is bold enough perhaps it's possible.

No, I don't think so. Michelin is a foreign tire brand, and their New York Guide is pretty new. It would be unrealistic for them to expect to become the go-to restaurant guide for New Yorkers. ...however much they might hope... ← I doubt that even the Michelin people expected their guide to become the go-to source for New Yorkers. Even with perfect execution, that wouldn't have been realistic, given Zagat's huge market lead. But the Guide has been influential with visitors, which of course was its intention.

I'm not sure if anybody does. I mean, I can't think of very many "restaurants" that serve dinner just one night out of 14. I suspect that, for this reason, it won't get a full rated review in the Times, either.

Equally interesting, there is no online menu. Here again, this could be a brilliant strategy to keep expectations low. Or it could be just an oversight. It's hard to tell.

What's remarkable is that after 3½ weeks, there are hardly any reports on this place. Sickchangeup's post yesterday and three paragraphs by Ruth Reichl are all I can find. When there's a high-profile opening (which this clearly was), it usually doesn't take more than a week for early reviews to come out. Either Bouley is very skillfully tamping down the early word-of-mouth (while the new space gets its act in gear), or he's managing the rollout as ineptly as he did at Secession.

This is good news, and I hope they can sustain it.

With so many great restaurants in this town, I wouldn't choose two Vongerichten restaurants in the same trip. If you're looking for an alternative, I'd suggest Bar Room at the Modern. Momofuku Noodle Bar doesn't take reservations. You shouldn't have any trouble at all getting into Perry St., assuming you still want to go that route. Jean Georges probably won't be difficult either, especially in January. GT and Babbo are the two challenging ones. You really have to reserve the day they open their book—and even then, you might not get in. However, Babbo has tables available for walk-ins, and it's not hard to get one, as long as you're early.

It is extremely difficult to lure Frank Bruni back for a second look. Usually, there needs to be an intervening event that puts the restaurant back in the news, and even then there's only a slim chance of it. In 4½ years, only 6 restaurants have managed to get him back for a second review.I suspect the more pertinent issue is that he shortchanged Dennis Foy in the first place. It was one of his rare double reviews, and the only time in his tenure that he reviewed two restaurants together that weren't somehow thematically related. Leonard Kim has pointed out that, before Ruth Reichl, Times critics routinely reviewed 2 restaurants a week, rather than one. It was a format that was much more conducive to giving places like this a second look. I completely agree that the Ssäm Bar review was journalistically irresponsible. But it was a disservice, not so much to Dennis Foy, but to plenty of very good restaurants that haven't had a Times review at all.

Grub Street had a post about the recession special. Basically, the restaurant has been empty, and the $27 prix fixe is an attempt to get bums into the seats. My only visit was in April 2007, and we thought it was pretty good. But even then, it was only a quarter full at prime time on a Friday evening. The restaurant deserves better, but in a way, I am surprised it has lasted this long.

Josh Ozersky ("Mr. Cutlets") raves about the burger at Veselka (see here). If you google "Veselka burger," you'll find plenty of raves all over the web. I wouldn't ordinarily go out of my way for this kind of place, but it's definitely on my radar now.

Can you clarify what "moderately priced" means to you? Some people think that entrées in the mid-twenties are "moderate," and others think that's "expensive." And occasionally people have expectations that are quite simply impossible.

Thanks for the guidance, Pan. I do have a lunch reservation lined up at J-G next week. I have never had the opportunity to eat in a four-star restaurant, though I have visited several three-star places on past trips. I was attracted to J-G because I have never eaten in any of the J-G restaurants, I would like to try the four-starred flagship, and the lunch deal sounded unbeatable. I'll be sure to report back when my trip is over. Lunch at J-G is the best lunch deal in town at a high-end restaurant. Every acclaimed restaurant is the subject of occasional reviews that say, "I was underwhelmed." That's partly because even the best places trip up occasionally. Or it could be that the particular reviewer just doesn't care for that type of cuisine. Restaurants can also be the victim of their own hype: one goes with outsized expectations that can't be met. With Jean Georges, you're talking about a place that many critics, not just one, have put in the upper echelon of NYC restaurants. That doesn't mean you'll love it, but it's more than just one person's opinion.The distinction between three and four-star restaurants can't be boiled down to an easy explanation. If you dine at JG and Perry Street (4* and 3* respectively, and both Vongerichten restaurants), I am pretty sure you'll see a big difference. But there are some 3* places that just barely missed four stars, or had four in the past, and in some folks' opinion might be just as deserving as JG. Bouley would be an example, though I wouldn't go there now, as they've recently moved and are only just settling in.

L'Atelier's price zip code puts it in the top 1% in NYC—probably the top 0.05%. In that zip code, their policy is not defensible.

Sad news for Kunz, who in the space of a year has gone from two restaurants to zero. Cutlets exonerates Kunz from the failures at Café Gray and Grayz, saying that neither one was really his fault. I think he's being a bit too generous. Fat Guy laboriously documented the pre-opening plans for Café Gray. I'm sure Kunz had investors to placate, but it was very much his concept. Grayz, too, was beset by conceptual flaws in which Kunz must have had some influence. My sense is that if Kunz wants to return to New York in a serious restaurant, he needs someone with experience making the business decisions (Danny Meyer anyone?), so that Kunz can focus on what he does best.

At a restaurant like GR, which at the time was considered a NYT 4-star contender, it was unacceptable. For the prices GR was charging (and still does charge), you should have the table as long as you reasonably want it. Most of the places mentioned on this thread are far lower on the dining spectrum.Also, I think GR did a number of things early on that made them seem arrogant. It's one thing to tell prospective customers in isolated cases that they'll need the table back after two hours. It's another thing to make a categorical public statement, especially for a new place at the apex of luxury dining that is trying to win over a new audience.

The suggestion that the ingredients are only $10 a head is indeed absurd. The rest of the post is just one reasonable response to the meal — albeit a minority one. I haven't yet found the restaurant that was loved by everybody. Ko was overdue for a post like this.

I don't know if there's a trend here, or if LPShanet had an unlucky streak. If anything, the trend lately is that restaurants aren't as full as they used to be...for some reason. It goes without saying that any restaurant ought to offer you a drink if your whole party shows up on time, and if they fail to seat you within a few minutes. Coaxing a lingering party to leave is a more difficult matter. A good manager will offer to buy them after-dinner drinks at the bar. The party will usually take the hint: they get a free glass of port or cognac, and you get your table. If there actually is a trend, it could be that restaurants are packing their reservation books more tightly. If they feel they need to do that, then they should give a time limit. I don't mind being told, "Yes, we have a table at 7:00, but you'll need to be finished by 8:45." I know this is controversial, but as long as I'm told about it up-front, I don't mind such limits. It's no different than any other glitch. I wouldn't write off a well known restaurant based on one report. At a busy place, this policy actually works to everyone's benefit—the restaurant's, as well as most diners. It's not acceptable at a fine dining restaurant, or if the place isn't busy. Otherwise, I don't have a problem with it.

I think the truth lies somewhere between the two poles. ADNY had a six-year run, which wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't filling seats. I wouldn't call that failure. A lot of critics, Bruni among them, are hostile to luxury French restaurants, and believe no one with any sense wants to dine that way any more. They saw ADNY's demise as confirmation of what they already wanted fervently to believe. On the other hand, as you point out, the fact that Ducasse took it down a peg when he opened Adour suggests that he wasn't comfortable re-opening with an exact clone of what he had before. I'm still waiting to hear the real scoop about why Esnault has left Adour, and where Ducasse now wants to take the restaurant.I think Ducasse engages in a little double-talk about Benoit, as well. He complains that the critics are ill-informed (which they are), but also concedes that the restaurant was perhaps opened too quickly.

I'm a contrarian on the Little Italy question, because I've known guests to go there and have a good time. Who am I to say, "Excuse me, but you shouldn't have enjoyed that." But the reality is that for someone who had their sights set on Babbo and Eleven Madison Park, it's not likely that a Little Italy meal—especially at a restaurant essentially "chosen at random"— will measure up. I agree that WD~50 should not be on anyone's list unless they already know they like avant-garde cuisine. I do not recommened booking one blow-out meal (e.g., Jean Georges), and skimping on the rest of the trip. It sets up a situation where if the restaurant happens to have an off-night when you're there—and it happens at even the best places—it casts a pall on the rest of your vacation. I think it's better to have several meals booked that have the potential to be very good, so that the culinary part of your holiday isn't hanging entirely on the success or failure of one evening.

I agree that if you're a steakhouse person, and you're from England, you'll probably be impressed by the quality available in New York. But it's extremely difficult to get a three-course steakhouse meal, with wine, for under $200. Taking BLT Prime for instance, the porterhouse ($79), two appetizers (avg. $14 ea.), two sides (avg. $9 ea.), and two desserts ($10 ea.), gets you to $144 before wine, and there are very few bottles there below $50. Hence, you're well above $200 with tax and tip.

I wouldn't shy away from Babbo, as long as you're willing to go early (before 6:00 p.m.) and wait for a bar table. Those tables are unreserved, but they serve the full menu. A reservation on such short notice is unlikely, unless you happen to get a cancellation. As Sneakeater noted, the standard tip in New York is 20%, and sales tax is 8.75%. If you want to stay within $200, that means you need to keep food and wine to $155 for two. Unfortunately, this precludes Eleven Madison Park, unless you spend much less on some of your other meals. What you can do on your budget depends on how much you tend to spend on wine. For those restaurants with online wine lists, it's a good idea to look in advance. Unfortunately, there are some restaurants where the food is reasonable, but there are hardly any wine bottles—or at least, none that are very appealing—below $50. I'm not saying that happens everywhere, but it does happen, especially at top and upper-middle tier places. I endorse the idea of having some of your better meals at lunch, as you'll get a very good feel for these places and your dollar will go a lot farther.

Since he's only been gone a very short time, they're probably still serving most of Ferguson's menu. How good will it be? It depends on the quality of the people he left behind and how excited they are to be there. There are plenty of good restaurants, so I wouldn't be inclined to visit a place with such a huge question mark hanging over it.

You have to wonder if Achatz, a Thomas Keller protegé, would be tempted to do as Keller did, and open a NYC clone of his insanely popular Chicago restaurant.

According to ZagatBuzz, the new Bouley finally opens tomorrow, but "with a limited menu, with the full version to be up and running by the end of the month." Based on Secession's rocky start, I wouldn't rush in.