Nathan

my current favorite sloe cocktail is here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=117347 just really really balances out the assertiveness of the sloe gin and has a great finish.

as slkinsey noted above, the NY cocktail scene is replete with variations on the Vieux Carre...I'd even venture to say that a third of the list at some bars is essentially in that family....especially in the winter. its also amazing what bitters and a little simple can do to harmonize two spirits...

ok...since I made that first post Rhong-Tiam has gotten a great deal of press coverage....some pretty overstated. the pork moo-na-rok isn't as interesting the second time (i.e. the "pork on fire"...it's got some heat but nothing crazy), the house-ground curries have a nice balanced flavor, but they tend to overcook poultry. still a fan of the larb.

Reads like PR boilerplate to me. Sure, he has "new concepts" but given his track record good luck finding financing. I don't think we'll see anything soon other than the turning of Grayz into a real restaurant this August.

PDT is definitely open on Sunday nights.

not really. either is great for a first visit. they both have the same approach to food...just different, quite variable dishes.

this is very easily walkable; I do the equivalent pretty much every weekend day in town. let's say you eat at Perry Street from 12-2. then you can gradually stroll up the WV (along the water if you'd like) up into Chelsea and Tia Pol. thing is, that's only a half hour walk (if moving with purpose)...or you can stroll through Chelsea Market etc and kill some time (I doubt Tia Pol is open before 5?). But then Tia Pol is in walking distance of Penn Station...so maybe save it for post-dinner snacks? so instead I'd walk from Perry Street through the WV, SoHo and NoLIta (I do this walk several times a weekend)....do some shopping, etc...and then enter the EV and eat at Momofuku Noodle whenever I felt like it. then take a $10 cab ride back up to Tia Pol for snacks/wine. that is easily the most efficient and scenic route.

It's practically unheard of for a restaurant to open on time in NY. Always add at least three months to the projected opening date (and usually more)

after a couple recent mediocre meals here, I'm happy to report that tonight's meal has been fabulous. There's a wonderful lamb's tongue salad. More robust and less subtle than the Babbo classic, but extremely good. The current version of the branzino dish is classic ssam bar: perfectly balances the butter and salt with acidity while cooking the fish just right.

their "summer of reisling" is in full swing. About 20 of them by the taste and glass. Some quite interesting.

The revamped L'Impero in Tudor City. Stopped in last night with a friend. Restrained, elegant decor. Mostly older crowd (i.e. we were the youngest people in the room by far until spotting a large table of young-uns near the bar as we were leaving). Service was very good. After taking our order she noticed that some of our dishes replicated the $59 pre fixe and recommended that she convert half of our order into it (thus essentially ending up with a free dessert). Nice touch. More polished than you usually see at restaurants of this price point. wine list by the glass is excellent...some funky southern Italian choices. bread service was fine. began with three sfizi: carciofi and the like. some whelks served in a nice broth. all good. then had the piedini di maiale...not a difficult dish to find these day's (pig's feet and beans) but well-prepared. primi were oriechette with pork shoulder ragu and malloredous with sea urchin and crab. I can't recall seeing malloredous (sort of a gnudi) on a NY menu before...though I had it a couple months ago at Sardinia in Miami. both primi were quite tasty. then we had a fried red mullet dish...interesting and good and I had the porchetta...a massive portion of pork...the outer part was quite tasty but the center was unfortunately dry and overcooked. the only negative note in the entire meal. really liked the cracklings and the bitter greens...accenting the richness of the pork. also had a contorini of potatoes with pecorino...simple but not overcooked the way potatoes often are... desserts were fine....the panna cotta was quite good...but the blackberry jam part was too sweet. portions are large and prices gentle by contemporary standards. it's not revelatory but it is very good Southern Italian..a lot of it not really seen in NY. Definitely recommended.

about 25 seats, basically a communal table.

ah, I've made a modernista, didn't catch the connection! Ok, will try it with grenadine included tonight. Edit: aren't you already getting the anise/red fruit combo with the sloe?

so last night playing with the iPhone cocktail app I ran across the Modern No.2 (out of the Savoy) which calls for 2 sloe gin, 1 scotch, and dashes of orange bitters, absinthe and grenadine. I made it with Plymouth Sloe, Peat Monster, Fee's orange and Edouard 72. I omitted the genadine as pushing the sweetness too high (rightly I think). Anyway, this is an awesome drink. Worthy of contemplation. Loved it. Anyone know more about these cocktails? Had them?

yes, among the jalapeno-infused drinks around, that's been my favorite as well..

I've been eager for this place ever since it was announced a few weeks ago. Its by the same guy as La Nacional...which for years has been the lodestar for paella in New York. Its small with a pleasant decor...liked the wooden ceiling. Still BYO at this point. There's a (crappy) wine store around the corner. Nearly full....not La Nacional regulars...but some neighborhood Chelsea....the group on my left mentioned Urban Daddy as their source. as for the food? as with La Nacional the tapas were quite variable. grilled veggies with romesco had a good smoky flavor. grilled squid was too chewy, though the garlicky broth was addictive (fun to sop up with bread). the paella (there are several to choose from..as well as a couple with fideo) was perhaps not as great as the best I've had at La Nacional....but close. it did have a good socarrat. any paella or fideo is $21 a person (minimum two people).

I've been to Lake Park Bistro any number of times. I like it for what it is...but it's important to understand what that is is. It's a fantastically beautiful restaurant serving bistro standards...usually well-executed. But no more than that.

ah kool, yeah he knows his stuff. Edit: sitting at the bar at Pdt and don tells me I am an idiot for not knowing who naren is.

Was the anchovy prepared or presented in any special way, because after all, anchovies are one of the main components of a classic salad nicoise? ← I just liked the way it was whimsically placed in the dish.

dined at the bar from the new menu last night. the culinary aesthetic hasn't changed (described up the thread). prices are higher. apps hover just shy of $20 while mains are all around $30. portions are large (some apps are downright massive). place was packed. a deconstructed nicoise salad featured excellent ingredients but was no more than the sum of its parts. the anchovy was a nice touch. sweatbreads with (poached?) pear were ample and nicely cooked. but I guess it's hard for me to really eat sweetbreads anywhere now without comparing them unfavorably to the Ssam Bar version. lamb chop was served with a pile of braised lamb middleneck (which was on the defunct latenight menu). perfectly cooked to order. nice flavor. the latenight menu is supposed to return in the fall.

I like it. nice amount of complexity. be careful with balance though...it's plenty sweet. had the crazy idea that maybe a take on the Aviation would work...it kind of does if you pump the lemon juice way up (at least an ounce and a half)

since I first had that daq with the dram I've been working with that combination quite a bit....it really is a harmonious union.

last night I finally met the guy (Navann sp.?) behind the cocktail program here...he used to work at Pegu (figures) and is quite knowledgeable. you can go off-menu with him...so chalk it up as an alternative to Little Branch...

You do realize that we're in complete agreement? ← What happened to "no one goes there" and "not a destination"? ← what I actually said was "no one goes there to go out"...which is true. downtowners don't come uptown for nightlife (including restaurants). people in the neighborhood do go out in their own neighborhood (when they're not coming downtown instead). "going somewhere" means that you're coming from somewhere (i.e. you don't live there). the UES is not a destination neighborhood because people from other neighborhoods don't go there to go out.

You do realize that we're in complete agreement?