Nathan

I gotta echo slkinsey's sentiments. Purposely picking a brand because it is easier to mix? Instead of what? Training your staff to use it properly? I call "Bullshit". Likely, it's a pour cost issue. I also think it's a bit odd to say that Luxardo Maraschino is better sipped on its own. Aside from Jagermeister, do bars get any calls for straight liqueurs? ← I agree that answer smacks of horsecrap. Sounds totally like a cost issue to me. Don't know what the price differential is in NYC, but I bet it's significant enough to make them switch. That's also a lot easier than revamping the cocktail menu ever so slightly. I can't imagine sipping Luxardo Maraschino on it's own. That's just a bizarre suggestion. But I certainly get requests for liqueurs on their own - generally after dinner. Sambuca white and black, Amaretto, Grand Marnier, Kahlua or Tia Maria all go with coffee or by themselves at the end of a nice meal. ← this is Milk & Honey, there is no menu. my first thought (and nagging inclination) was that it was a cost issue...but at $15 a drink and with their (presumably relatively low) rent...that's hard to believe. as donbert noted, it isn't really a "mixing" staff/training issue...the Last Word has equal parts and I haven't noticed a drop in the M&H staff quality (East Side Company Bar and Little Branch are a different matter)...its strange.

I'd advise a look at the Otto thread here on egullet. edit: to be precise the 2004-6 thread is the one you want: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...ed&pid=1424341# edit2: put it this way...at least half the time I eat there I order neither a pizza nor a pasta (though the pizza is one of exactly two Lazio style places on the east coast to the best of my knowledge).

5 guys means a six-top. there's essentially two of those at the Spotted Pig...the wait could easily be hours...if they seat them at all. heck, I was there at midnight last night and there was still a long wait for two-tops.

Otto's not simplistic at all. You're going to be waiting a long time for a table at the Spotted Pig...I doubt you want that. if you think Otto looks boring you'll really be bored by Landmarc. haven't been to Prune for dinner.

why not Otto? perfect for a few guys that might get a little racuous...and there's something for everyone on the menu. then head over to Pegu Club or Little Branch (both are just a few blocks away). and that'd be in the $50-60 range apiece with plenty of wine...leaving some wallet room for cocktails after. or maybe E.U. or Ssam Bar followed by PDT or Death & Co.?

Well that's simply absurd. I agree with the overall point that a smooth-running restaurant has well-delineated roles for both FOH and BOH. But, restaurant owners (like the ones who started this thread)...have to care about both in ensuring the bottom line....(I think this is where chef-owners often run into problems). ← as a chef/owner, i am curious how you would continue your statement and explain how chef/owners run into problems ensuring the bottom line... ← I think some chef/owners know the BOH but not the FOH...if the owner/manager is always siding with the BOH in conflicts with FOH...that can cause turnover and other issues with FOH service in the long run. obviously some chef/owners pull it off quite well...others fail...it's a lot of hats to wear for one person. doesn't mean that it can't be done.

drank (and ate) here last night with Sneakeater. as my current hangover can attest, I pretty much sampled the entire cocktail menu. as usual with Junior, the combinations are always interesting (Berovchka in the rye drink?)...some cocktails were too sweet..the rye one unfortunately...others were perfectly balanced, the gin and the mezcal especially. Junior's out of town and I didn't go off the menu to test the bartender. the decor is quite nice...definitely a solid date place in terms of ambience. the food was pretty good as far as nouveau Latino goes (not really my thing). split a duck app that was slightly overcooked but the accompanying sauce was tasty enough. my lamb barbacoa was good. I enjoyed the food more than at Lucy's...that's for sure. but cocktails and ambience are what will make this place...so long as the food stays solid it will do well I think.

what's the actual price range?

of course....I grew up there (partially). American parents. but what I'm getting at is that different sensibilities have different benefits and drawbacks. one drawback of many European restaurants below the fine dining level is that if dinner is not your sole evening activity....the service can be quite aggravating...on the other hand, it's easy to feel rushed in an American restaurant.

different, yes. I'd say the service is usually worse than the U.S. below the fine dining level. fewer services for more tables (a function of the lack of a tipping culture), and a more leisurely cultural pace in general.... of course, that's not necessarily a bad thing...except when you're in a hurry..which I usually am.

I don't think they claim to be oenophiles. I would ask them.

Well that's simply absurd. I agree with the overall point that a smooth-running restaurant has well-delineated roles for both FOH and BOH. But, restaurant owners (like the ones who started this thread)...have to care about both in ensuring the bottom line....(I think this is where chef-owners often run into problems).

both the menu and cocktail list are here: http://www.rayuelanyc.com/menu.htm

if they catered a meal somewhere else for 18 people...I would imagine they would hire someone. at our meal for about a dozen...they hired someone who assisted on various matters....but she wasn't simply a waiter.

for some reason I was thinking about Otto on the subway this morning. it's an interesting restaurant. Bruni would be crucified (somewhat understandably) if he gave it two stars...but that's what Grimes gave it with scarcely a murmur.... If you follow a specific ordering pattern, it's most definitely possible to have a two-star meal there....but I'd daresay that most diners do not have a two-star meal. It's simply not a two-star restaurant...but I've also eaten there more than any restaurant in NY (excepting delivery from Grand Sichuan). the Lazio-style pizzas are not to NY taste...but a couple of them are quite good...the lardo and the guanciale when it's offered. the pastas are mostly not great...with occasional superlative exceptions...but they're a bargain at $9 (much better than the $9 pasta offered at any corner pizza place). but for Batali/Ladner pasta on the cheap...Lupa is definitely the way to go. as with Lupa, the meats are terrific. so are many of the contorini, and none are objectionable. the gelato is simply the best in NY. combined with one of the best Italian wine lists in NY....and some excellent cheeses...served with various condiments...honey and jams like you'll often find in Italy... you can have an excellent meal if you order as follows: carne, lardo pizza, contorini, cheese, gelato...and lots of wine. house fruit-infused grappa to finish. at a low price point. but if you order any other way (other than simply stopping in for cheese or gelato and wine -- which I highly recommend)...you'll probably be disappointed. another thing, eat at the bar. the general waitstaff is inexperienced (the bartenders are not). the only caveat is that some of the bartenders (who've all been great to me over the years) perhaps enjoy a little too much humor at the expense of tourists and B&T. I've seen them be pretty snotty when someone walked in and ordered a "Shiraz" or left the quartino at the bar not realizing it accompanied their glass. it's not a place I take out-of-towners too...but it's my go-to for a simple, superb meal (if you know what to order) without any stress or thought.

That's largely true, though there are some well known counter-examples. If El Bulli were the hypothetical profit-maximizing capitalist enterprise that you learn about in Economics class, it wouldn't be closed 6 months a year. ← that's not necessarily true at all. corporations donate monies to charity and the fine arts under the economic justification that such acts create goodwill and in the long run enhance corporate profits. there's a reason why tobacco and liquor companies tend to donate the most and why WalMart did some very generous giving in Katrina relief. of course, if a public corporation donates too much then its corporate officers can be found to have violated their fiduciary duty...in other words, corporate charity is supposed to be economically justified...it is a profit maximizing activity. as for El Bulli...part of the restaurant's cachet and appeal is the massive reinvention it undergoes every year....which necessitates the time-off period. furthermore, this constant reinvention underlies Adria's reputation thus providing the economic foundation for his other (and other planned) money-making endeavours. so, yeah, El Bulli probably is intended to be profit-maximizing.

as I was implying above, NY is the best city in the world for last-minute fine-dining.

not really...either a simple typographical error or (quite likely) there was once a synagogue there.

well, as they said, it was against Times policy so there's not really a controversy per se. the only conceivable defense of Hesser is that she may well have forgotten about a blurb from 8 years ago. the publishing industry being what it is...many/most blurbs are written by people who haven't even read the book they're contributing a favorable blurb for.

so while I was having a Last Word made at Milk & Honey last night I noticed that they were using Stock Maraschino. I asked if they preferred it to Luxardo and Maraskova. they stated that Luxardo was too difficult to balance in cocktails...too strong and that it was better sipped on its own. this seems to fly against CW but I have noticed that when I make an Aviation at home with Luxardo I use less of it than when I used Stock...alternatively, it works well when tempered with violette liqueur. thoughts?

I haven't been to Resto. What exactly is "haute" or technically accomplished on the menu at Landmarc?

I'm planning on stopping in on Thursday for cocktails...I share your lack of enthusiasm for Lucy's.

Mick Jagger was allowed to wear jeans at Per Se...but my understanding is that was the only such occasion. I'd say jackets are still de rigueur on men in NY four stars....and Chicago for that matter. Miami and L.A. are more casual.

its done in their apartment except when people request it done elsewhere... about a dozen. it can be one large table if it's a group or they've also split it up if it was several small groups. no.

"haute and basic cuisine on the same menu in a casual atmosphere" "chef-driven haute and rustic cooking combined in an informal, casual atmosphere" ???? if anything my definition is slightly narrower. are you saying that "basic" is narrower than "rustic"?