Nathan

heck..it'd be impossible for the Per Se menu to be served in a 1.75 hours. I could see them telling a late party that they only had 3 hours.

for sure. what does this have to do with Per Se?

how does this differ from: "chef-driven haute and rustic cooking combined in an informal, casual atmosphere."?

LB isn't Per Se. I think it's fair to say that LB does 2 to 2.5 turns a night.

what FG said. I don't believe the story either. as FG noted, Per Se does do 1.5 seatings a night. agreed that this doesn't fit the European model. but it certainly helps keep the cost (somewhat) more accessible. furthermore, I, for one, get annoyed when trying to eat in Italy and you walk into a restaurant at 6:30 (hoping to maybe get away with a non-reserved meal) and you see cards on tables with a name and 9:00 written down. you know they have time to get you in and out...but they won't. not the custom. that's fine. NY is certainly far more accessible to walk-ins...and that's a good thing in my book.

I agree that it was early. but...bizarrely enough, I think he did them a favor. this past weekend reservations were available at Provence at all prime times (8, 8:30, 9, 9:30) on both Friday and Saturday. that's not a good sign. the review was positive enough that it should help.

not at all. if it doesn't detract from my service...then I could care less. if it does "hurt" me...then it's a sliding scale of merit. legitimate medical reasons, advanced seniority, that sort of thing...all good. while faux food allergies and vegetarians should never be accomodated.

It seems that that as soon as anyone finds a flaw in the latest exposition of the New Paradigm, a new definition is offered. Only those who believe in the paradigm in the first place are permitted to say which restaurants qualify. The many counter-examples offered by people like myself and docsconz are swatted away each and every time. ← I believe this is the definition that I have always given.

I don't think any restaurant has a problem with someone ordering several apps instead of an entree. it's probably a little more work for the kitchen but also more money for the bottom line. as for large portion sizes...I didn't think this thread was discussing chain restaurants.

As server or manager I would probably just grin and bear it. As a customer I cannot imagine having the nerve to ask for this. Splitting a salad or an entree, fine, but every single course? If you want a bunch of small plates, got to a tapas bar. There are restaurants that refuse reasonable modifications but then there are diners who are in the wrong restaurant. Other customers are going to suffer by the time being wasted on these people. ← speaking from the non-demanding customer's perspective...that's the real issue. special attention for others...usually detracts from normal attention for me...unless we're talking about a $300 a person four-star with a surplus of FOH and kitchen staff.

woah! burger or chinese or a diner...I'd think about Jackson Hole or something. Wu Liang Ye would be your best bet except not because of your dining companion (as with any decent Sichuan place, the Cantonese-American items at Wu aren't so good and the Sichuan items can be rather challenging). edit: a bacon cheeseburger at Melon's is $9 (a plain burger is $8)...fries are $3.75. Beer is another 5-6$ tax is $1.50. tip is $4. total: $23.25 that might be your best bet.

what is your budget...per person...including tax, tip and wine? there aren't a lot of great restaurants on the UES but there is something decent to good in every budget range.

hmmm....I wonder if you really need summer ingredients for that kitchen to show its stuff... my meal there this winter was.....ok....well, good...but not in the same orbit as Babbo.

I would have suggested the Bemelman's Bar but kinsey indicated that it has gone sharply downhill....(I haven't been in three years). The Campbell Apartment is a good idea.

Sake-based cocktails have certainly been becoming quite a bit more popular as well. a significant reason for this (at least in NY) is that apparently sake can be served on a wine, as opposed to a liquor, license.

a friend of mine through a dinner party recently and she made some sort of ginger syrup (a relatively complicated process involving overnight steeping etc.)...it was quite spicy and robust. I mixed it with rye and lemon juice and the result was fantastic. unfortunately, I haven't been able to reproduce her ginger syrup at home yet.

unfortunately, serious cocktails are almost non-existent in midtown (the NY cocktail connoisseur scene is located entirely downtown). the good news is that the cocktails off the house list at the Bar Room at the Modern are generally excellent. I just wouldn't ask them for anything off the menu. ditto for the cocktails at the London Bar at Gordon Ramsay. as Raji noted, midtown has a plethora of lounges and bars...often with great views and decor...however, the cocktails are almost uniformly crappy.

they changed the hours to midnight a couple weeks ago.

I usually say: "______ gin martini, very very very wet. orange bitters if you have them, angostura if you don't." this seems to reliably get me about a half ounce of vermouth.

oooh....that sounds good. I might try that tonight. I first tried 3-1 Junipero and Antica and that just didn't work. 3-1 with Noilly was darn good. I might try that with a touch of Antica...now.

somehow I don't think he cares or needs anyone photographing his food. but for the record, his comment was specific to an apparently false rumor posted on eater.

the Batali comment was specifically about an apparently false rumor posted on eater. and it's not like there aren't a lot of idiots posting online. edit: furthermore, AG was completely in the wrong on Le Cirque (his parents acted like rubes and they got a bad table and good service)...and I'm no defender of Le Cirque.

considering that it takes the bartender exactly the same amount of work to serve happy hour as a regular time...he/she shouldn't be penalized for working happy hour. I'd probably be offended at a forty cent tip too. a $1 a drink regardless of its price or $2-3 for a seriously well-made cocktail. 20% of the pre-tax bill for pitchers and the like.

I was about to say Kuruma. for quality sushi in midtown east after Yasuda and Kuruma? to my knowledge you're pretty much stuck with either Hatsuhana or Sushiden (its an outpost of a popular -- and large -- chain in Japan).