Nathan

yup...walked past it on my way home on Friday. totally packed.

this is exactly what I was going to say. there's a large group of people out there who aren't exactly civilians, but they're not as obsessed as us. they keep a lot of good restaurants in business. they're the Zagat voters, the Yelp writers....or they do neither of those...but they're that kind of people.

which specific instance of kewpie are you talking about?

No, I meant what the restaurant would have to do to convince you it was serious, and worth going to. The issue I'm raising is how high the bar is -- what kind of information you'd require -- before you'd brave the throngs of braying drunk girls wearing halter tops even though it's 15 degrees out, falling all over you because their heels are getting caught in the cobblestones, in order to try a restaurant. (You know, described that way, it doesn't sound so bad.) I'm suggesting you might need to hear more solid favorable reports before you'd go there, whereas in other parts of the City you'd be more apt to give a new place the benefit of the doubt and drop in to try it just because it sounds interesting. Whereas in the MPD (or MePa), you might instead tend to start from the assumption that a new place is a low-level clip joint (no matter how respectable the names behind it), until "proven" otherwise. (That's why it was such a disaster for them to open the restaurant at a time when Marcus Sammuelson couldn't attend. What signal did that send about his commitment to Merkato as a serious reflection of his culinary vision?) ← precisely. by comparison, the early reports on Chop Suey are almost enough for me to check it out...but not quite enough yet.

I question whether any restaurant in the MP will stay serious and good...just like I would with Times Square. at some point they're going to turn cynical and not bother.

No, we're talking about Jersey travelling to us. ← hee! though to be fair, I hear a lot of French, German and British accents when walking through the MP these days...

precisely. especially on weekends. edit: these days, it's a bit like opening a restaurant in Times Square. I mean, the early word on Chop Suey is actually good...but Pelaccio can't actually be expecting foodies to go there....

right. and Spice Market opened at a time when the MP was taken much more seriously. on the other hand, they haven't put a lot into the space at Merkato while Spice Market was always about the decor (genuinely exhilarating the first time you saw it) and scene.

ah...ok. both of those look a lot better....

[NB. Lists of ingredients are fair use] ← I tried this recipe. just didn't work, imo....

Nardini is always trustworthy. maybe not the most exciting but there's something to be said for reliably good.

I tip 20-25% standard. I'd tip less for poor service but virtually never have it.

1. You have obviously done your research. 2. You are simply wrong on momofuku. Quite curious as to exactly what on those menus you think you have seen before?

Its a lunch menu though

Gawker's pretty up on what they can and can't legally do in terms of "fair use" when it comes to photos....

so I dined here again last night. the cocktail list is indeed much better and the bartenders know what they're doing. the drinks skew a little sweet in terms of the proportions they use...but perhaps that's a reality of serving cocktails in midtown. I'd rather have a Monkey Gland with a tad too much grenadine than not have one at all. (I'll note that no one else seemed to be drinking cocktails.) on to the food. yes, the menu has greatly expanded. began with the weisswurst. darn good. about as perfect as a sausage can be. (its equivalent to the liverwurst at Bar Room at the Modern...both are perfect for what they are.) short ribs in horseradish "foam" were very very good. but they're just not $40 good. this should be a $25-30 dish. short ribs! obviously you're paying for all the accoutrements (on the other hand, Kuntz is only paying 360K a year for that entire space, plus a free year). thing is, you can do an entire tasting menu with paired wines that includes just as good short ribs at the Monday room. the small plates here are very good for what they are and reasonable. I just don't see how the mains are worth it.

Amaro is a somewhat bitter digestif.

you know, maybe it's a NY thing, but the idea of a restaurant critic who doesn't cook is hardly surprising.

so...I heard from Sneakeater that the cocktail list at Grayz had remarkably improved. its now on the website and it is marvelously better. all classics. one original (the "Agave Sour") this is very good news.

Per Se doesn't have two set seatings cruise ship style. they have staggered seatings just like any other restaurant. they start at 5:30. for example, right now reservations are available for fourtops this Monday night at 5:30 and 8.

of course, ADNY was reviewed at least three times in a six or seven year period. that's a lot. more than any other restaurant I would think.

your technical point as to GR also applied to Ducasse. Bruni discussed Gilt under Lee in a Diner's Brief.

I was talking about formality, not luxury or haute cuisine. I'm not sure we're in disagreement then.

I might be going tonight or tomorrow...will report. (it's literally around the corner from my apartment building)

absolutely. and your first point has to be considered in light of all the restaurants that closed between 1999 and 2003. but it doesn't change the fact that there is less formal dining now than 20 years ago.