Nathan

I'm planning on going soon. Richman has some interesting points about what is and isn't "Italian"...but it's an old debate. I mean, A Voce is classified as Italian...but it's pretty French to me... but I guess that's modern restaurant cuisine in general...it's really pretty globalized...

perry street

I've never gotten the sense that Bruni was worried about the outcry that would ensue after his ratings came out, have you? ← I kind of wonder if he didn't with Ssam Bar. it reads like a three star review.

if you count being worried about an outcry as an additional criteria....

no, you just have to conclude that the lack of a wine list and a few too many clunkers in a massive menu reduced Sri a star and that he just didn't quite have the cojones to give Ssam Bar its deserved three stars (and to be fair, Ssam Bar is better now than it was then...and lunch does suck). no, I really don't see why he must be operating on additional rules. as for an expensive Italian restaurant...I simply decide whether it's worth the money, not worth the money, or so fricking good that it doesn't matter how expensive it is.

as a mall it's actually quite schizophrenic...j.crew and tourneau?

I don't put restaurants into categories and I eat in them all the time. Bruni has explicitly described his thought process for assessing restaurants. so does the Times in a written policy. personally, put differently, I have a real problem with the mindset that if a restauranteur dresses the waitstaff in tuxes, has expensive flower arrangements, low or no music, widely-spaced tables, and uses ossetra caviar and truffles (at least as options), and has high enough prices to keep the hoi polloi out...that therefore it's automatically guaranteed at least three stars...even if the food is tasteless. while a restaurant with none of the above and not-delicate but awesome-tasting food can't get above one or maybe two stars. I really really have a problem with that mindset. it's about class not food. I want passion in my food -- food is ultimately a purely sensual activity...even when it has its cerebral aspects (they're not necessarily at odds)....and I get that passion from JG, Madame Sripaphai and Chang. that's food that in my book gets three or four stars. (yes, I think decor, service, wine lists and price matter....but those are minority factors...) (and Bruni said something very similar)

once again: the Times does not divide restaurants into categories. there is no such thing as a "one star restaurant with two stars" in the Times system. inexpensive excellence is exactly what could garner a restaurant two stars (or more) under the Times system. I understand where this idea comes from (Michelin)...but it's simply not what the Times system is avowed to be (even if some previous reviewers did think that way -- I don't have the foggiest clue if any did or not).

my guess is that the number of people who have been down that way recently is pretty limited. (I work downtown but when I leave work at 8 or 9 the last thing I want to do is stay down there)

don't forget Minneapolis!

L'Impero predated Alto.

I believe phaelon made that assertion. hopefully he'll comment.

this is why you should rely upon egullet. Craftsteak radically improved its quality almost a year ago. Craftsteak serves 75% of Craft's menu (seriously)...and probably serves an identical turkeyday meal....by all means, go for it.

NY Vietnamese restaurants are apparently all run by ethnic Chinese (that doesn't mean they didn't spend time in Vietnam)....none are highly regarded (Nha Trang and Pho Bang seem to have the best reputations...and they're the best I've had here). there is plenty of excellent Chinese in Flushing...and some in Manhattan if you know where to go (GS, Shanghai Cafe, Oriental Garden)

I'm talking way out of my league here...but my understanding is that the Chinese culinary influence on Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and (especially) Thailand is primarily very recent...i.e. noodles didn't really make it into any of these countries from China until the 19th century, ditto for chopsticks (to the extent that they made it at all...see Thailand where they pretty much aren't used)

well, in Manhattan, Chinatown for produce. Trader Joe's. also keep an eye on specials everywhere else...the lower end grocery stores (Food Emporium and the like) all run weekly specials at below cost in an attempt to compete with TJ's.

I can buy that. that does sort of fit into the "Brooklyn curve" paradigm (i.e. A Di La or Franny's certainly deserve attention beyond their neighborhood...but....)

gosh, I hear ya. I rarely get to expense account dinners and I'm not made of money so I seriously contemplate whether it's worth it when I go above the $100 a person or so range...(i.e. if I can eat at Babbo four times for the price of one meal at Per Se....or twice at JG...that's an awfully high bar for Per Se to pass)...on the other hand, so far, when I've thrown caution to the wind, it's been rewarded (haven't been to Per Se though). but yeah, the risk is significant. so could be the reward. only you can know the right calculus for you. but yeah, sometimes I wonder where some people are coming from (a conversation a couple weeks ago...me: "well, I haven't been to San Domenico"; him: "well you simply can't purport to rank the best Italian restaurants in NY until you've been there".....my thought process: seriously, I don't have an unlimited budget. I'm not going to spend $300 on a meal at a place which most people I trust say sucks...except for some stodgy elderly types who probably get VIP'd anyway)....with that said, almost everyone seems to really enjoy Per Se...it's probably worth the risk.

the Gusto winebar is terrific for wine and a snack. not a fan of the restaurant part.

any other criteria? a lot of places meet that description. Lupa comes to mind.

well...I always had the impression that the praise for Etats-Unis has always been more of the "really good for its culinary blackhole neighborhood" variety....kind of like the "Brooklyn curve"

many high-end restaurants (of the three and four star range) will "cook for you" if you ask...especially if not on a weekend. this is best confirmed ahead of time.

"pajata" refers to lamb intestines that are milk-filled (i.e. mother's milk)

Jay McInerny discusses the winelist here: http://www.houseandgarden.com/winefood/blo...ng-lucky-a.html (in sum, he thought the list was very serious but the markups absurd...) he liked the food too.

the LI duck breast was new to me. get the liverwurst. tarte flambee is still good. (I dined at the Bar Room about 10 times in 06 and only a couple times in 07 so some things new to me might be old hat to others)