Nathan

how far south? the UWS has very little in the way of decent restaurants (Kefi being an exception): around the TWC, Flatiron and the WV have lots of good options.

America's best restaurant writer, Alan Richman, weighs in on the Momofuku's (he apparently got a preview of some Ko items): http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_6207

as we know....I completely disagree (re: Bruni). rather than assume that Little Owl and Le Cirque were in separate categories with separate maximums and minimums...I find it just as easy (if not easier, see Bar Room at the Modern) to explain the ratings simply by noting that Bruni weighs price quite heavily (which also explains the rating for Cipriani)

if price is no object, the city's best restaurants are: Per Se, Masa, Jean-Georges, Les Bernardin, Daniel....and then you'll have arguments for Esca, Babbo, Robuchon, Eleven Madison Park, Picholine, WD-50 and the Modern. all of these restaurants can give you a special meal. for something different, consider Momofuku Ssam Bar....where every chef that visits NY goes right now...and for good reason, it's the most exciting restaurant in the city....and very casual. for something different, consider Tailor. Prune and Red Cat (???????) are nice neighborhood places. I'm incredulous that anyone would even cross town for them as a destination. you can find restaurants like them in every city in the country...I find it kind of absurd to send a visitor to them.

well, ok, that's true. it's just uncommon. (and on the flipside, I've had the train from Princeton to Princeton Junction run late, miss the connection and had to sit for 45 minutes waiting for the next train from Princeton Junction to Penn Station)

what's absurdly amusing about that review is Platt's affection for the Bazooka...which tells you everything you need to know about his lack of taste (at least when it comes to cocktails). the Bazooka is a joke, the first ironic cocktail. it's intended to be insipidly sweet and schlocky...that's why it's the one vodka drink on the menu. and he loved it. he seemed to liked the food that he had. (he was spotted once and sat at the bar with his wife)

I've been riding the subways all my life and the notion that "at 3 in the morning you never wait more than 5 minutes on the 6 line" is simply ludicrous. ← have you ridden the 4/6 at 3 a.m. in the last few years? (5 minutes might be an exaggeration but I doubt I've ever waited as much as 10)

this place opened up a month or so ago a bit under the radar. it's apparently by a former Babbo sommelier. one medium sized room with a long bar at one side, an open kitchen on the other side (with counter seating around it) and tables in the middle. small wine list. well-balanced Italian cocktails (a nice Negroni with burnt orange etc.)...bartenders free-pour but the drinks seem to be decently constructed. based upon my small sampling of the menu, it's better than say Morandi or Centro...pastas were very good...and a bit cheaper. also has an assortment of Ino style bruschetta. so a great place for a snack as well. it's not food that I would travel for but it's the kind of place that everyone should have in their neighborhood....but often doesn't. I'm going to eat here a lot.

ate here with a group of 8 last night. ordered a lot (a lot!) of food. not a fan of the frog dish. tripe, enhanced pork and lamb were all terrific. I've had that pork dish before elsewhere but under different names. my general take was that it's better than the GS' or the Wu but considering the trek it's not exponentially better. everyone should do it at least once though. we were definitely victims of CARS though...as the spice level was kind of low.

yup, this popped up on Eater a month ago...I was a little surprised to see no discussion of it here then.

Morandi has a fun bar (but it shuts down early...the only McNally spot to do so) but the food is only ok and I wouldn't call it romantic.

huh? the 6 runs about every 5-8 minutes during non-rush hour times. the 4/5 runs about the same. after midnight, the 4 runs local, thus actually increasing the number of (de facto) 6 trains....so at 3 in the morning you never wait more than 5 minutes on the 6 line. the A/C/E line has one of those trains running about every 6 minutes at any time. ditto for the N/R/W/Q the L can have long waits at off-peak times but at least they have terminals telling you when the next train is.

the point is that most of us have no intention of doing either.

that's impressive. on the other hand...see what Barber said about what they did when Grimes was spotted (or rather, who they thought was Grimes)

I'm really supposed to care about pastries and sliders? really? I understand that some people do but I don't. so far, we've really established that Cucharamama and maybe the Ironbound are unique....though, like most Manhattan residents, I'm probably more likely to actually go to Portugal than the Ironbound. the thing is, mass transit isn't really that easy. it just isn't. ok, getting to Hoboken is....I've done it twice in the last six years, and you're right, it's quick. fair enough. but as soon as you start talking about dealing with NJtransit (to anywhere other than the Newark airport or Newark Penn Station), it's like dealing with the LIRR...you have to carry a schedule, make sure you hit the transfers, make sure your meal doesn't run late, etc. etc....those are all costs. and I'm not lazy for inserting those into my calculus. heck, it's an incredible pain in the arse for me to get to the UES from either of where I live or work....let alone taking a subway to a train to a bus and back...and making all the connections work.

Are you suggesting that Cipriani could serve better food than they served to Bruni? Aren't you the one that always argues that there's not much a restaurant can do to change what they do for a critic? ← hell no, that's Fat Guy. (I've argued the complete opposite many times.)

the box gives you a choice of rice or the bun. obviously I chose wrong.

hmm...the use of savories and seafood is what I see as "unusual"...using olive oil, ricotta, corn, zucchini (my parents used to do this), etc. isn't that uncommon in the U.S. red wine sorbet is a pretty standard treat (heck, I've made it)

went back last night just to snack. gotta say that I don't quite get why only Sneakeater, myself or ewindels (plus the Bruni) like it. it's really good. those lamb ribs are darn tasty. so are the sauces with the frites. so are the house made sausages. no, it's not "authentic" Belgian food....at least not all of it. more like "Belgian-inspired" with some semi-authentic dishes strewn around (the bitterballen, the waterzooi, the carbonnade, the moules)...but it blows Cafe Bruxelles or Markt out of the water in terms of being good...I really don't care how authentic it is.

so this thread just inspired me to get BonBon takeout for lunch. I didn't have any problem with the taciturn waitstaff. the chicken was good...ordered the "spicy" box...as you would expect, it wasn't actually spicy, but the flavor was good and the skin crispy. (what's up with the plain white rice accompaniment though? why bother? I just tossed it.) but I'd still pick the fish and chips place on Church and Reade as being the best fried food option in the area.

technically speaking, I think the name is Bu'n. thanks for your report.

on another note: since Eater has now publicly stated that Bruni and Platt have been to Tailor; I was told that Bruni has been spotted three times and Platt once. both appear to have been since the introduction of the tasting menu...unlike Adams (as today's review illustrates). so it appears that Tailor will have the benefit of their presence since its reached some level of maturity.

of course. but it is a data point. I've heard of other people having fabulous meals there. I think it's probably fair to say that Del Posto can produce an excellent meal...it's just that one's individual probability of having one isn't so high. of course, I would surmise that Bruni was recognized at Del Posto (I doubt they repeated their mistake of not spotting him before the Babbo review)....conversely, they clearly didn't at Cipriani.

I think we're operating under different definitions of "theme restaurants"

I think you're right that he generally gives Italian places a little extra...with that said, Del Posto does have two Michelin stars.