Nathan

I haven't been but Crispo has always been primarily known for its apparently excellent carbonara.

all too true. and even Little Branch is quite variable (if certain people are working...great! if not.....) this is why I have to give props to the new people at Pegu....even though the drinks I order often cause them to make their first....they follow the book (right down to the poor bloke I cursed with making a horse's neck!)

they started serving the tasting menu as of Thursday. had a long conversation with Eban on Friday about where they're taking the cocktail menu...it's going to be fun. sidenote: this should not be treated as a regular serious cocktail bar. it's not, nor is it intended to be. some of the bartenders are using jiggers for the very first time. don't go in and order a Last Word or the like!

hmm...good point. sounds like someone at Bombay did some ill-advised "tweaking"...

if your group is early enough (think 6 or 7) Pegu Club might work with you (far far better than the other bars)...but if you're looking at post-dinner...you're better off picking any larger bar and just hoping your friends show up in staggered groups...

nope. A. I'm pretty sure that the Brambles they were making at East Side Company Bar a while back used muddled blackberries. B. more importantly, the following is a recipe for the Bramble put forth by the Bombay Sapphire company that at least implies to be Bradsell's, it uses muddled blackberries: http://prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=10270

on Friday night post Labor Day? 20 people? not a dive bar and not crowded? oy. none of these are great bars but they should be able to handle you if you come early enough (i.e. have most people there by 10 before they get crowded)...some of these have back gardens: Sweet & Vicious, d.b.a (actually a pretty good bar), Spring Lounge, Niagara downstairs (but you definitely need to be there early with a group that size), 2A is never really crowded (especially upstairs). none of these are great bars but what you're asking for is a tall order.

interesting..the one I had had muddled blackberries. well, the important thing is that we all agree fresh fruit is better when available...

I too loved that passionfruit poached char. souse vide would make sense for its texture. I do agree that Tailor is ultimately more primal than Alinea or WD-50 (though its platings and general level of execution are certainly sophisticated enough!)... I didn't realize that you liked Babbo that much....along with Ssam Bar (I'm very curious about your thoughts on that restaurant), it's the most "primal" restaurant in NY. At one level WD-50 is the most cerebral of any of them. although Alinea's combination of its courses with its elaborate and individualized utensils provides a similar aggregate effect -- I suppose this also contributes to your "museum feelings" toward Alinea. but I think that Alinea is ultimately more conservative than WD-50. I perceive Tailor as being about as radical as Alinea (i.e. less than WD-50)....but I agree that it seems less sterile or intellectual than Alinea (but I don't mind that about Alinea in the slightest)

The point is, I think, that they're using fresh fruit instead of a liqueur. Thus the different, but clearly derivative name. ← Dick Bradsell's Bramble uses both creme de mure and muddled blackberries. so I'm not sure I see the difference, except in the switch to raspberries.

why not Soto?

ah...fair point... (I'll note that for me 2 ounces gin usually means more like 2.25 or so....like to overflow that jigger a little)

Nathan, can you elaborate on brands a bit? I'd think half an ounce of Luxardo maraschino would overpower all the other flavours, so I've love to know what types of gin, vermouth and maraschino you're using! ← plymouth or citadelle. Martini Bianco or Carpano Antica depending upon which route I want to go with the vermouth (nothing overpowers CA!)...I like a lot of funkiness in my maraschino drinks. 2 dashes you're not even going to notice.

fiddled around last night with a Manhattan variation: 2 rye (Rittenhouse Bonded) 1 sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica) couple dashes of orange bitters washed a glass with about .25 compass box peat monster. left it in the glass. terrific.

2 gin, 1 vermouth, .5 maraschino, bitters to taste.

[Note: Split from the fruit topic] sounds like a raspberry bramble to me. (are they using a touch of raspberry liquor instead creme de mure?....I'll ask tonight or tomorrow)

several of these have been discussed on this thread. the Bazooka is an ironic drink...it's not supposed to be good. it's just supposed to sell. Cascade is bone-dry, very hoppy and quite interesting. the Violet Fizz is basically a standard version of the various fizz drinks using the R & W violette that is circulating now. Paprika Punch I liked a lot. very peppery. Crumble is quite good. the brown butter rum is a little too buttery on its own but works well in a cocktail. Bohemio is only the second cocktail I've ever seen to use Becherovka. it's well-balanced and good. Good Ol Boy is a bourbon and smoked coke. it works. Blood and Sand is a variation on the classic. Charantais is simply a sidecar with house made walnut cognac and dandeloin cointreau. very good. this will disappear from the menu shortly. get it now. I haven't tried the Antoine but it sure looks like a classic Sazerac to me (until about 1880 the Sazerac used cognac not rye)

It's still Chinatown in Manhattan which is predominately Cantonese. 8th Ave or Flushing is a whole different story. ← I'm only basing this on eating in Chinatown with Mandarin-speaking friends...who found that often (not the majority of the time) the servers are actually Mandarin speakers from Taiwan or elsewhere....there's definitely a new recent wave of immigration.

The Modern?

Is it safe to assume the guy who answers the phone speak cantonese?... are there any Cantonese speakers out there who could do me a small favor? PM if you can. I ought to call in the reservation today, but the headcount could easily double by Saturday.... ← a lot of these places have Taiwanese or Fujanese immigrants working...Mandarin seems to work better then

three ounces of liquor is standard. you'll see that at Pegu, Flatiron, M&H, P.D.T... most restaurants and bars do larger than that due to customer expectations. I know that Tailor is waiting on much of their liquor order. I imagine the same is true for wine. as you noted, there will be a chef's tasting menu (I'm hopeful that this might be composed of dishes not on the ala carte menu ... as at WD-50). it'll be interesting to see how this turns out. (sidenote on the photos...my guess is that if you hadn't used flash they wouldn't have said anything to you)

when I had lunch with u.e. at Perry Street they asked him to stop taking pictures. I believe that a more expanded wine list and menu are in the works for Tailor. the cocktails are the correct size. cooler and punch style drinks (i.e. containing soda or the like) are served in larger tall glasses while the other cocktails are the correct size for well-made drinks (most places today serve cocktails way too large with the result that they get too warm...you can check with the cocktail forum or any standard reference book.)

Bruni's review of Bar Stuzzichini is up. a perfectly correct one-star.

always check menupages. 212-334-5182

sure thing. 5 Mile Creek or the Sunburnt Cow. I believe that Public and maybe Bondi Road have kangaroo meat on occasion as well.