RobinsonCuisine

As a manager, this has been my experience 60-75% of the time. (2 star level)

I stopped by tonight, sat at the bar and agree with some of the comments but disagree with others. For one, I didn't find it expensive, especially in regard to the generous portions. I thought the food was well excecuted but ordinary. My cocktail was delicious, but I have a feeling the bartender is limited to only mixing the few on the list (He had trouble understanding another guest's request for several well known liquors). The wine list is very limited, to the point of disapointment and the menu is short. But, considering how well the food was prepared, I will return on one of those occasions when I don't want to think too much about what I am eating. The space is cluttered, but warm and they have wisely blocked the view of the street.

Menu Pages tend to lag way behind in keeping their info up to date. Which is not to knock them, it would be hard to stay on top of everything, but you're always better going to the restaurant's own web site if possible.

I think its a little rude of RG to review a restaurant on its first night. Personally, I think there should be a moritorium on reviewing any new restaurant for at least 3 weeks after they open. Give the place a chance. I read her review as negative and changed my mind on going until I reread it and got that it was opening night. Then I changed my opinion of RG.

I think the paella at Boqueria is good and there is a form of paella at Washington Square that I have enjoyed. Never been to La National but always heard good things and the same for their new place Ostia. I think a lot of people fail to recognize that paella is not a set dish, but can take many forms.

Had dinner there tonight for the first time. I had waited until they had time to work out the kinks. Alas, I should have given it a few more weeks. First, the hosts ignored me while I waited at the host stand (there was only one other party waiting who were also being ignored). From my eventual seat at the bar, I could see this was standard. I have never seen anything like that room on any of my trips to Italy. Not even in Florence, the capital of kitsch. I love Pastis and Balthazar--they recreate the idea of France, but this recreated the idea of a chain restaurant in a strip mall in Indiana. Wine was warm. Too warm. Almost mulled. And the bartender might as well have been putting it in a blender before serving he was shaking the bottle so much when he opened it. Once I got a seat, I ordered the fried artichokes (which I had loved at Gusto). Flavorless and dull. Like someone had raked the lawn and then fried the leaves. I tried the lemon on them, but no joy. Followed with the spaghetti with clams. Well, it looked like it had been sitting under a heat lamp for a good 10 minutes before I got it. The pasta on top was nearly crisp. No flavor from either the pasta or clams until I got to the bottom of the dish and found the remaining juice. I think the dish could have been good at one point, but not when it got to me. I had almost the same dish on my last visit to Pastis for lunch and it was far superior. On the bartender's suggestion, I had a chocolate mousse dessert. It looked for all the world like freshly harvested Rocky Mountain oysters. The marscapone/grappa/honey topping had no flavor as if the various components cancelled each other out. The mousse was fine. Not great. Before I left a lovely woman sat down next to me and offered me one of her fried olives. It was the best thing I had all night. Juicey, fresh and hot with a tasty filling. The bartender was very nice and I only lacked for attention when he got caught up in conversation with other guests. Not really his fault. There were three bartenders and only enough work for two. Its hard for any service person to keep alert when they are just standing there. And yes, it was busy when I first got there but the bar is too small for three people behind it. I was surprised to see it emptying out so early on a weekend night. Not at all like the experience at other McNally spots, even Schiller's.

Valentine's Day is more of a problem because every table is two people. Which means the server has to give the same speech etc that they ordinarliy give to a mix of 2, 3 4,5 and 6 people. It takes a great deal of time, taxes the kitchen etc. Add to that the unrealistic expectations of the day, the number of "once a year" diners and you get an idea of why it is such a mess. Its one of the few days in the year when restaurant professionals question why they went into the business.

If the police receive a complaint about a business which has a clean record, as I'm sure the restaurants you list do, first move is for the sargent to call the GM, relate the complaint (a 19 year old drinking with his parents fits this bill) and let them know that they are now on the radar. That is all it would take for the restaurant to crack down on carding.

So, what you're saying, as someone who "worked for Danny Meyer and several other 2, 3 and 4 star restaurants" where was "emphasized over and over that we were NOT to serve minors even if they were with their parents" is that if a customer looked like he reasonably might be 21 years old, but perhaps might not be 21 years old, you "wouldn't concern yourself" and would serve that customer. I have always understood that the law, at least as it applies in bars and shops, says you're supposed to card any customer who looks like he might possibly not be 21. You're applying the opposite standard, and saying that you wouldn't card a customer who looks like he might possibly be 21. Plenty of 18-20 year olds -- especially girls, who can avail themselves of makeup -- look like they might be 21 years old. Most of them, in fact. This is exactly what we've been talking about. I couldn't think of a better example than the one you've just given. We're not talking about 13 year olds. I was speaking as a customer in a restaurant, not as a server. As a customer, if I saw an obviously underage person being served, I would be concerned, but I'm trusting the restaurant to make the call on those who might or might not be. I card/carded anyone and everyone whom I thought might be underage. It is one of the greatest compliments a 30 year old can get. Many a 17-20 year old has been served alcohol in public. Many of them with their parents and the restaurant has chosen to turn a blind eye. But the enforcement here in NYC has changed because of the issues that have resulted from the summer. I think we are going to see more and more enforcement where it didn't exist before.

You probably won't find many. But, its not because of lack of enforcement. I worked for Danny Meyer (as this concerns EMP) and several other 2, 3 and 4 star restaurants for several years and it was emphasized over and over that we were NOT to serve minors even if they were with their parents. It would be a PR disaster if the restaurant were fined and trust me, if a Danny Meyer restaurant was cited for underage drinking, it would make the news just like the Shake Shack HD report did. I would not return to a restaurant that was known to serve minors or where I saw them being served. Now, I dont' know how old Bryan looks and really wouldn't concern myself unless the drinker obviously looked under age (I'm not witch hunting), but for whatever reason the server at EMP chose to card him, he isn't of legal age and the server had no choice but to stand ground.

If a waiter/bartender in NYC is found to be serving an underage guest alcohol, the waiter goes to court--and the courts don't care if the waiter works at Cafeteria, or Per Se, its underage drinking. If underage drinkers (or drinkers without ID regardless of age) are found on premesis, its the managers/bouncers in addition to the server, whomever let them in the door, who can end up in jail. If there is an accident or death involved, they can be prosecuted, not the owner who may have told them to let them in (unless the owner is on site when they can be the one sent to jail). Again, no leeway is allowed for the number of stars in the reveiw. Several incidents can lead to a review or suspension of the license and future refusal of new licenses and immediate shuttering if the police want. Just having guests on site without ID is cause enough for shutting a store down and one of the easiest tools the police have in regulating underage drinking and controling liquor abuse in general. Just because these laws havn't been enforced in the past doesn't mean they can't be if the police need to or want to. Enforcement of these laws has been stepped up recently in response to the incidents at various nightclubs/restaurants that have resulted in rapes/stabbings/deaths of young patrons and the law really doesn't allow for a difference in type of venue. A liquor license is a liquor license. One of the favorite sting operations the police use (I think it is actually used as part of a training course) is to send in a young cadet with an older officer and try and order a drink. The minute the drink hits the table, they bust the server. I've seen it happen, and known of it to happen. It doesn't even have to be the cadet who is served. If an officer observes an underage patron being served, they can make the arrest. Regular citizens can also complain or report underage drinking to the authorities leading to an investigation and lien on the liquor license. As someone noted earlier, these laws were put in place to protect young people from drinking and killing themselves or being killed. No exceptions were put in place for fine dining, foreign tourists or responsible drinking with your parents.

I havn't paid much attention to Gatekeepers. I consider the manager the real power in FOH.

I'm headed to Berlin in the next couple of days and interested in recomendations. Is the 44 mentioned the restaurant in the Swiss hotel? What is the restaurant in the Madison at Potsdamer Platz like? What was the atmosphere at VAU? What would be an equivalent in NYC for example. Thanks, ps--any other recomendations would be welcome also.

I umderstand they have problems keeping staff. One of the hosts of JG was over heard offering work to a waitress at another restaurant while he was seated at her table. Very tacky.

Bland Mac & Cheese seems to be the order of the day lately. I tried the M&C at Balducci's and it tasted like cardboard. Way too many breadcrumbs and no cheese flavor of any kind. As for the chicken at Dirty Bird, I had a very small piece that was well cooked, but bland. No wait for service. Very nice girl at the counter. But it was much too expensive for what I got. Perhaps if the location were in the meat packing district where people are less discerning it wouldn't matter, but I don't think 14th St. will accept them unless they are seen to be good value. I'm also looking forward to the fried version.

Stopped by today and had the rotisseri. Good, but not terrific considering the price. I'm looking forward to the fried and the mac and cheese. The landlord has a rep of being difficult (read lots of problems), so hope they can make a go of it.

I live nearby and it looks more like next Monday at the earliest.

When I was invited to tour the vineyards of Australia, the best Sparkling Black Shiraz was reputed to be from Rockford in Barossa Valley. It sells out immediately at the vineyard and is not exported. I did get to taste the next vintage which was outstanding while at the cellar door and then scoured every wine shop in Adelaide and Sydney until a bottle was unearthed. It was not cheap and none of the others I have tasted have come close in quality. It is resting in my cave until an appropriate time to celebrate. I was told by several sommeliers in Sydney that it was the best and saw it on the list at Tetsurya and Luke Magnan's restaurants.

Landmarc, a restaurant in the TriBeCa area of NYC, has staked its reputation on both its food (very good) AND amazingly reasonable markups on wine, that put to shame literally every single restaurant in over-restauranted city!!! ←

I've seen the press release for Urena and the restaurant is described as Spanish. Ferran this, Ferran that and prominent mention of Suba and Alex's working Spanish food there. It reads very much like his bio on the Suba web site with the addition of information on the dessert chef (although it fails to mention that she is also a Suba alum). Last time I was at Suba I asked our waiter about Alex and he was very complimentary of him and his talent, less so of the dessert chef who apparently wasn't there very long. Suba and Urena do not have the same PR agency according to the manager I spoke with who also had only good things to say of both Alex and his dessert chef. As a veteran of the restaurant business in NYC for over 20 years, I can also say that PR agencies take their lead from the client and that if they have been misrepresented, it is their own fault for not correcting the errors. A PR agency will often elaborate or embellish (the press more so), but they do not creat a misdirection of the client's intent. Perhaps my disapointment is rooted in my expectations. As I posted earlier, I only know Alex from his menu at Suba. Now that I know he is going in an entirely different direction, I may give Urena another chance in a year or so. But not until I hear better word of mouth from people I know and trust.

I've tried to like Urena. I've been there twice. But it just isn't happening. I first experienced Alex Urena's food at Suba. Dramatic space, good service, beautiful presentation, etc. I was a fan, and still am, they do Alex proud. I went the first week he opened Urena and there were lots of problems, but I wrote it off to the opening jitters. I went last week and nothing had changed. Menu is not Spanish and far from El Bulli (not even close). Food is good, but not exciting. Desserts are still dreadful. Room is dreary (every table feels like Siberia), missing light fixtures, etc.....and what lighting there was made my wife look ten years older than she is. I won't comment on the service or wine list. I read Platt's review and felt he had hit the nail on the head, but was being kinder than anyone deserved.

Urena doesn't either. Very safe.

As the chef is the owner, it is hard to believe he had no part in the PR presentation.

I love Spanish food and find that NYC is lacking in that area. Of the few, Tia Pol is my favorite Tapas bar, Suba my favorite restaurant (and there is a difference between a restaurant and a tapas bar) and Casa Mono my favorite "Spanishish" bistro (its not authentic Spanish, the food is good, the wine list very good, but like all Mario restaurants, its a mirage of the real thing). What Tia Pol does best is represent the meaning of Tapas. Its first come, first served. You eat as little or as much as you like. There are several beverages to choose from in whatever format you wish and the ambiance is casual. I go as often as I can and don't want to see it ruined by the wannabe "foodies" looking for a scene.

.............i think that the marseille/suba years can fairly be categorized as the leaner years in his strong career in nyc,.................. Hm.........but wasn't Suba the place where he first created his own menu?