Nathan

Apparently there are some renovations in store with the downstairs more of a bar and the upstairs emphasizing dining. Patrick Connolly's new menu is more ambitious and higher priced. I snacked on the olive oil poached lamb. the lamb was correctly cooked but the dish was essentially a salad and didn't come together for me.

finally made it here. yeah, it's good. not blow your socks off..but quite good. don't really have anything to add to the above. but it was the most successful "upscale" Mexican I've had in NY (not a great feat, but still something). it should get more attention.

Not such a strange name, the Negroni is named after the Florentine Count Negroni. ← huh? my point is that it's a standard rule of thumb that any drink with "chocolate" in the title is automatically rubbish. the joke is that this one is not.

Naren Young made me an interesting take on the Negroni last night....his absurdly named "Chocolate Negroni"...regular Negroni proportions and ingredients plus a scant half ounce of creme de cacao. it works....somehow.

that version with the Junipero Genevieve at D&C is a very nice drink.

Naren premieres a new cocktail menu on Friday....mix of classics and his own creations. Bobo was also mentioned in the Times today as having a variety of off-menu non-alcoholic drinks of distinction (I didn't know about this).

well, yes and no. the restaurant has been open for years. but it was just another cookie-cutter mediocre EV Italian restaurant. the young Italian chef who has radically revised the menu (and is doing some avant garde stuff) has only been there for a few months (Grub Street first spread the word). so the Perbacco you heard about is not the Perbacco Bruni was reviewing.

I've dined at both Redhead and (the now (temporarily?) defunct Seymour Burton). the people at both were very nice. but that was before Redhead opened as a real restaurant. don't know anyone who has been there since.

yeah, pig's ear is primarily about texture...

the heads on "purple broccoli" (identical in taste to regular broccoli) should have a slightly purplish cast...but that's the only difference. I imagine that it might not be discernable after cooking.

What does "the audacious one with the charred leeks" mean? ← big. bodacious, bold, salty, olive oil-slicked robust flavors.

I don't like the current version of the branzino dish as much as the audacious one with the charred leeks...but it's still very good. the current lamb loin/belly dish is the best yet.

It's a fun concept....modernized takes on deli food combined with a club/bar space (downstairs). Staff was competent and friendly. Panzanella could have used more flavorful tomatoes but it's not a bad rendition of the dish. Of course, the idiot girls sitting next to me at the bar sent theirs back because they had ordered it with "dressing on the side." (Beats me how you can ask for olive oil and tomato water on the side...but then they didn't seem real swift.) halibut tacos were kind of bland. "reuben fritters" were good (how could they not be?)...deep-fried and dipped in thousand island dressing. portions are very generous and prices reasonable. I think they've probably calibrated the location and price point exactly right. think Stanton Social does deli and you pretty much have the food/scene pinned.

you know, I've eaten here twice recently (including last night) and they really haven't missed a beat...if anything the execution is more consistent now. I've finally decided the beef ribs just aren't worth bothering with. not bad, but not great. however, the chicken (not just the beer can game hen) puts most $40 chickens at NY restaurants to shame. and that moist (fatty) brisket is a work of art.

Zum Schneider would almost certainly be too packed...especially outside. Lure for happy hour might be an idea. or Art Bar (the back room). Sweet and Vicious would work but it apparently just closed (per Gawker). Which day of the week (that makes a huge difference)?

from what I've seen/heard, these last couple posts seem to downplay the breadth of what's on offer at Matsugen.

the kibbeh or the lamb schwarma sandwiches at Alfanoose are pretty good too. otherwise, FiDi is kind of a culinary black hole.

the only M-F part is the "hidden extra"

yup! they actually sell a VEP Last Word for $12 (!!!!!!) at Bar Milano.

I was there on Sunday for lunch. both of the desserts were the best I've had there. the molten chocolate cake (if you're one of those people who likes chocolate) with pistachio ice cream and the peach cobbler with a (sour cream?) ice cream. I also like the latest iteration of the shrimp dish. and that crab/mango salad is very nice.

yeah, all their soups are fantastic. I need to try that pork ball one. last week I had that offal soup again...amazing.

it was overcooked all the way through and it wasn't a large piece of fish at all. maybe they give you extra large filets. I find all of the Momofukus to be very fairly priced over all. but that particular dish is charged at the same rate as restaurants with similar quality ingredients which also happen to provide silverware, seats and tablecloths.

in reference to the hours discussion above...posted outside it says open til 2 a.m. but kitchen closes at midnight. anyway, like the watermelon/shrimp soup thingy. this iteration of the Sichuan beef tendon works well. a tomato/eggplant (not really noticeable)/anchovy tartine was fine. I like the general prep of the stone bass dish (now on the printed menu) and it uses excellent ingredients but the fish itself was overcooked and dry. but the real problem with the dish is the price. $28. I ate at Esca on Saturday night and when you're charging Esca-like prices for a main it's fair to ask whether you shouldn't also be delivering Esca-like perfection, service and accoutrements.

And to Bruni's point, I bet the average Ducasse customer is more likely to complain about a sub-par dish than the average Momofuku customer. ← considering the relative price points.....

I of course don't disagree with any of this.