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Nathan

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Everything posted by Nathan

  1. oh...you were basing this criticism on a press release????
  2. Nathan

    BLT Burger

    amusing...we were all there at the same time. when I arrived at 12:45 the place was nearly empty. when I left at 1:30 it was almost packed.
  3. I should add that I am automatically a fan of any place that boldly states on the menu: "We do not serve vegetarian-friendly items." Especially when it stakes out such a claim in the EV.
  4. Second everything Sneakeater just wrote. One note: I thought the fried cauliflower was the best single item we had.
  5. Nathan

    BLT Burger

    I just ate here a few minutes ago. Still working out the kinks...burger was cooked more than the requested medium rare. With that said, it was very, very good. I had the "BLT Burger", two patties, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion. Ingredients were good and the meat was top notch. Had a beer from the interesting list. Also had waffle fries. Besides burgers, the menu has a variety of salads, milkshakes and the like. Service was solicitous and efficient. (Ate at the bar.) Prices were gentler than they had to be. They start doing takeout tomorrow. Tourondel was holding court at the bar. A significant proportion of the customers were known to him (and generally older than the area demographic would suggest)...it looks like his regulars are popping by right now. The room is small and spare. Highly recommend.
  6. correct. I didn't mean to say otherwise.
  7. I agree with the second half of your post. but, the plural of anecdote is not data. and, "I suppose it's a matter of opinion that if you expect bad treatment, you will get it but there is no reasonable scientific basis for that or the vice versa would hold true as well." actually, there are plenty of studies on confirmation bias. its real.
  8. to put it more succintly, when I read the first part of the blogpost, I expected to write here: "well, they acted like rubes so it's not a surprise that they were treated poorly at a place like LC. still, that's no excuse for poor service." but then I ran into one teeny problem. they admittedly had good service. AG wanted to disparage the place going in.
  9. the other thing is that all of this reeks of confirmation bias. if you walk into a restaurant expecting to be treated poorly...you will be (or at least you will think you were). and you'll perceive slights where they don't exist. and when you're treated well...except for the table placement....you won't try to rectify the table placement but will instead allow it influence everything else.
  10. after reading this: http://www.amateurgourmet.com/the_amateur_...a_jerk_wou.html I can't really muster any outrage. They started out wrong by kissing up to Sirio. Fricking amateurish...and it pinpoints them as rubes to begin with. and LC is one of those places, like Cipriani et al, where you absolutely do not begin that way if you are not known to the establishment. I have no reason to doubt JohnL...the entire secret to LC or any other place of that ilk is to act like you've been there before. instead of walking up to the owner, who doesn't know you from Adam, and ""Excuse me, Sirio," she said in her charming New York accent, "I just want to say how excited we are to eat here. We're very big fans."" yeah, you're already screwed when you begin that way. except for the really funny thing -- they had excellent service, no one spat in their food...etc. they just didn't like the table they got. well, yeah, act like rubes and you're going to get the worst table in the house...someone has to sit there. sorry to be so blunt, but this blogpost was worthless and inane. I thought that after the leadin I would read how poorly they were treated, etc. and none of it happened! they got a bad table. oh well. oh, and they didn't even speak up when given that table. that link is utter proof that JohnL is correct.
  11. well...Bruni isn't opposed to avant garde cuisine...at least if it's Italian anyway: http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/?p=139#more-139
  12. "well the format at gilt was not really a tasting menu,we gave multiple amuse buche,and a pre dessert,and lots of side dishes." What I meant was that this was a de facto tasting menu...and that it made Gilt a better value than it first appeared to be. But I thought that initial perception was a problem. In that sense, something more streamlined (at a lower initial dollar point) might make more sense and it sounds like that's the line you're thinking on....
  13. just as a sidenote on the question of Chicago v. NY.... I see this misconception a lot. WD-50 is considerably more avant-garde in terms of food than Alinea (tableware is another matter)....Alinea strikes me as being quite similar in concept to Gilt. which lead to this question for Chef Liebrandt: Do you think that when you open a new restaurant that you will adopt a more traditional menu format, say a tasting menu? I think one problem with Gilt was that the menu would indicate a prix fixe (at a rather expensive price for a prix fixe) when in fact one received a tasting menu for all practical purposes. In retrospect do you think that you might be better off indicating to a diner on the menu that they actually will receive numerous courses?
  14. "I certainly get the sense that there used to be a slower climb than there is today, though there may have been exceptions then and now." This I can believe.
  15. some really interesting info in this link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/northam..._Michelin_guide
  16. quick question: is it literally true that when Michelin first introduces a guide for a new area that no restaurant in that area gets more than a star? I have a hard time believing that has ever been the case. I'm willing to lay some cash down that it's a myth. Further, I'm also willing to bet that when an already established chef opens a new restaurant...that that restaurant may well open with more than one star...even in Paris.
  17. "They even got the neighborhood wrong for Masa, listing it as Midtown East. Think they went?" yes, I think they went. as for the neighborhood listings...a lot of them are weird. but they're not so weird once you realize that they're written for tourists. as for Yasuda, yeah, I'm surprised that it didn't get a star...but you haven't explained, imo, why Masa would merit three as opposed to two...which is a great honor. you know, in a perverse sort of way, I think two-star Michelin restaurants are screwed. people understand that one is an honor and many are happy just to have that. three is understood as the creme de la creme...but we treat two stars as meaning that they fell short of three....which I think in Michelin's view is entirely the wrong way to look at it. I see this misunderstanding all over the place. for example, this blogger couldn't understand why there would be an equal number of two and three star michelin restaurants (last year): http://augieland.blogs.com/augie_land/2005..._silly_fre.html
  18. interesting...it appears that Michelin does issue contradictory statements as to how the stars are chosen...
  19. one star is supposed to be soley about the food (within its category) three stars is not. that was the explanation for "a star" not "three stars"
  20. having been to Alinea...I would absolutely travel for it. it is that good. I don't doubt that Masa could be at that level....but I tend to think I probably don't have the palate to ascertain the difference between it and Yasuda (for example).... I suppose, if one was attempting to defend giving Masa two as opposed to three stars, the argument would be that anyone can appreciate what is special about Per Se...whereas you might have to be pretty experienced to understand what makes Masa better than Yasuda. note: I am not saying Masa deserves two but not three...I am saying that the above would be an argument...whether it is valid, I do not know. (I also find it surprising that Yasuda was not starred....but at least they added two Japanese restaurants this year....)
  21. I would also suggest that people not take the Michelin "worth traveling for" too literally. There are plenty of people here devoted (or insane) enough to travel hundreds of miles for a slice of pizza (I'm not one of them).
  22. augieland states: "I simply assert that if you are offering a travel guide, as Michelin is, it would be a mistake to overlook three restaurants operating at a level superior to their counterparts which can only be experienced in the place you are referencing." dude, what are you talking about? they're in the guide! further note: they may be "operating at a level superior to their counterparts" in NY, but if you don't think that their equal or better can be found in the rest of the country...
  23. dosconz...we agree. It was Augieland that asserted that those three restaurants all merited stars merely for sourcing local ingredients.
  24. thanks for all your advice above. the good news is that I will have a traveling companion.... the bad news is that I will only be in Verona on Sunday, when both Il Desco and Dodici Apostoli are closed. btw, considering that it's the offseason...how likely is it that I will need to make reservations at Alle Testiere and the like? I don't have the capability to make international phone calls so it appears difficult to do from here... think I can wait to ask the hotel concierge?
  25. "The pedigree of the chefs and the menus driven by indigenous ingredients make all three only possible in NY." I need to revisit this statement. I first read it as saying that only in NY could a restaurant driven by indigenous NY ingredients be possible. Which is true, if tautological and trite. But if what you actually meant was that only in NY could accomplished chefs open a restaurant predicated upon local ingredients...well, this is so wrong that it's not even wrong.
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