Nathan

I take it back...there's hope for this menu.

ah...I was in on Friday night and there were a couple empty seats the entire time. as for the half-servings of cocktails...certainly...I'd try more things. I make drinks at home that way sometimes...(though it's considerably more work for the bartender). you'll note that serious cocktail bars do serve significantly smaller drinks than standard bars.

actually, I enjoy the flights at Flatiron Lounge very much.

well, if you really like the wine...you could just get another taste...your total markup would be 50 cents. and Terroir doesn't seem to be that crowded anymore. the DailyCandy crowd is somewhere else... (I really need to start reading it to figure out where all the nubile young things are eating and drinking each week)

I use ratios or parts on occasion...makes it easier to scale the drink. most of the time I'm making a 2.5-4 ounce cocktail but sometimes you have to save time when mixing for a bunch of people... if the ratio is measured correctly, the drink will taste the same at all sizes...other than the temperature issue as you get through a large cocktail. but, for example, I recently discovered that one jigger I was using which I had thought was a 1oz/2oz jigger was actually a .75oz/1.5oz jigger. Oops. which explains how some drinks were off when using more than one jigger...but for drinks where I only used that jigger...it makes no difference that it wasn't the size I thought it was. they were just coming out slightly smaller.

I should note that if one actually peruses the bottle list...you'll find that there are about 20 dessert wines, ports and sherries available by the taste/glass in addition to the standard taste/glass selections. the list of Rieslings by the bottle is exceptional. one of my favorite things about the place is that they price all the tastes as simply half the glass price plus 25 cents. there is simply no reason to ever order by the glass here.

lol!

I should add, the 323 is absolutely magnificient. rosemary infused Hendricks, lemon juice, reduced balsamic and muddled strawberries and basil.

was here last night. cocktails are top-notch...slightly sweet for my palate, but balanced all the same. excellent bar gear, everyone's using jiggers...Tony was in evidence and very gracious (as were the rest of the staff). Murray Hill gets its first legitimate cocktails. I'll certainly be back for them. decor wise, I'm not really a fan...it does kind of reflect the neighborhood...there's no TV above the bar (than goodness!) but one wouldn't feel out of place. the dining room is better. as for the food, we tried four dishes. liked the polpo (with grilled endive?), nice slightly charred flavor. not a fan of the porcini with a garlic sfumato..the porcini were kind of flavorless. however, the "osso buco ravioli" were nifty and really good. the tripe with polenta and essentially in brodo wasn't bad at all....if really kind of simple. and that might be the problem. considering the location and prices, comparisons to A Voce are inevitable. that's a high bar to reach. something to keep an eye on.

I stand corrected.

I think it's basically a diner?

I checked out The Hideout last night. didn't go off menu but the house list seems well-mixed. the emphasis here is much more on using things like fig jam, etc. than say the more vieux carre type drinks you tend to find at PDT or D&C. but they're thoughtfully composed. decor is easy on the eyes. definitely recommend if you're in the neighborhood.

ok, the beef ribs are pretty good. the hot dog is absolutely fricking terrific. better than any I've had in NY (other than arguably the Chicago-style at the Shake Shack...which really isn't comparable...it's such a different style). sides were serviceable. local beer selection is quite good.

steak-wise I prefer the steak at Wolfgang's (haven't been to the Striphouse). Craftsteak blows everybody away on non-steak items of course.

if you're talking about xai long bao....my friends that have resided in Shanghai say that nothing here really compares. with that said, the general consensus seems to be on: Shanghai Cafe Yeah Shanghai Joe's Shanghai.

bingo. I mean, Spice Market was honestly good in the early going. not Hesser's three stars good. but honestly good. two stars would have been very legitimate. especially considering the theatrical nature of the space (and that it wasn't overpriced considering).

going here tonight. apparently the beef ribs are the thing to get...what else?

true...that's a darn good steak.

the great thing about Craftsteak is that a large proportion of the Craft menu is (literally) replicated on its menu. so you can get a steak and enjoy some of Craft without the hassle

its amazing what you can get couriered in from France....

in addition to the NY bistro standards, the Benoit in Paris carries such classic dishes as: partridge stew with chestnuts and salsify veloute of cepes and crayfish John Dory with mustard sauce langoustine bisque calf's tongue with foie tete de veau Bresse poulet on its menu. so far, I don't see much evidence of this for Benoit NY. hopefully they will be there.

Shit, are 50 year old seniors now? ← actually, according to the AARP, yes. (I realize that this is because the AARP has a strong incentive to make its membership as large as possible)

It very well could be, but that isn't tantamount to failure: Bar American is still in business. ← and doing very well I would imagine. but it's not taken seriously. that would be a kind of sad fate for Ducasse in NY don't you think?

put differently, I'm worried that this will simply be an analogue to Bobby Flay's Bar Americaine

indeed, the cookie-cutter tourist ones is exactly what I'm talking about. there's a bunch of them. and, yes, I think they're very relevant to a discussion of a Ducasse bistro in midtown NY. something slightly different are the small, very expensive Eurotrash places on the midtown east/UES border....