Nathan

yup. to add to that...I've known an understandable tendency on the part of some (who I think are usually connected to the restaurant industry in some capacity)...to find it offensive when Bruni or another critic notes something that could hurt a restaurant...even though it's not directly related to food or service. Like I said, that's understandable. But, the NY Times critic is not some sort of ombudsman for the industry. To the extent that he/she represents anyone, it's the restaurant consumer. besides, I'm not so sure that being described as "the little restaurant that could" is such a negative for E.U.

http://media.nymag.com/docs/07/04/070416drinkart.pdf

I wouldn't be surprised to find that ReBar initiated a campaign for votes amongst its regulars.

oops. Gawker did make a phone call to a precinct and then stated that there was no warrant. imo, it was a mistake for Gawker to phrase it that way...the inexperience of the blogger v. the way a newspaper would have written it. Rivera has rebutted on Eater. I imagine that this will go on for a round or two more and then people will get through to both of them and my prior prediction will hold.

the new Beatrice Inn is most certainly primarily a bar. in fact, it's only about the scene. edit: I've never seen anyone eating there. not since the reopening. it's hipster central though. the problem is ReBar doesn't seem to classify as a scene. and Manhattan bar-going folks aren't traveling to Brooklyn just to hit a place that appears to be a cross between Lotus (not the MP club) and 1492. I likened it to Grocery cause I find it highly likely that it's simply a similar case of ballot-stuffing by people in its neighborhood.

its some Grocery style episode. (it was a readers' pick)... ReBar is some tapas joint in brooklyn with free wifi.

I tend to agree with Eater that if Bruni bothered to review it, it's probably a one-star.

gawker didn't say there wasn't a warrant...Neroni did. and calling up police precincts won't necessarily track down a bench warrant..etc. as well, a layperson may say "warrant" when they really mean an action for conversion...etc. ah..I'll shut up now. let's just say that none of us is in a position to confirm...either side of this story. to clarify: as far as I can see, neither of Gawker or Eater have made any assertions in this matter. they have simply published the respective claims of Neroni and Rivera. neither of Gawker or Eater has purported to have performed any fact-checking whatsoever (they'd be fools to do so).

I would suggest that there's not much point in speculating on this (obviously Eater has quoted Rivera's email correctly...what we don't and won't know is who is telling the truth -- Rivera or Neroni or neither) furthermore, we will never know the truth. this will end the way it always does: eventually, both parties will calm down and realize that it is in their mutual best interest to keep their respective mouths shut. both will continue to relate their respective stories in private...but not in a public forum.

I don't have the foggiest clue who's telling the truth nor do I care, but I laughed when I saw Neroni's assertion that he was fired for refusing to add sandwiches to the menu or serving lunch. that's just nonsensical.

this doesn't look like a situation where they would necessarily know that something was missing (other than a general feeling of disappointment) until after the fact...

interesting...I always thought the Mosco Street was the original one as well...it's great if you get them when they're fresh.

its a hard place to like and a hard place to hate. I live four blocks away. I don't mind it so much during the week...but on the weekends only find it tolerable late (after 1 a.m.). the staff can be quite rude...although if they know you're from the neighborhood they're much nicer...(I think the problem is their general annoyance with the heavily B&T/Eurotrash/tourist crowd....this is, after all, one of the few places where starf____ers go that actually has real celebs consistently) I've generally found bar dining to be much more comfortable there....the savory items tend to be quite good and hearty. but, if it wasn't the best late-night food option in the area (Pastis is even more aggravating)...I'd probably never eat there.

stopped in here again Saturday afternoon with a relatively large group, standouts included: beef offal soup....the broth was sort of like really really good pho...except better. pork leg with mustard greens...we also had the pork stomach with mustard greens...but that was kind of bland. the leg was great. a bean thread salad dish was great...as was the sweet sausage...both would have been nice dishes to cool down after a spicy dish. unfortunately, we didn't have any of those...even though we asked for Thai spicy...they still gave us mild. southern style curry with pork was great...also had a green curry with duck and eggplant. a special salad involving some sort of fried black fish was blah. and there was more...all good. I'm going to dream about that pork leg.

obviously the thing to do is to start making reservations under those names.

Alex Stupak on Varietal: "I was anticipating that review. I was pretty sure it was going to come out the way it did, and I think Jordan was, too. There’s a disconnect there: You had someone cooking very rustic, borderline bistro style food, and then you had someone creating extremely esoteric, highly conceptual desserts; some with 15 or 20 components. They both can be great, but trying to combine them in one restaurant creates a kind of disconnect. " http://www.gothamist.com/2007/04/04/alex_stupak_che.php

I'll also note that you can get Intelligentsia's blend at a new coffee shop on Bleecker...close to 6th Ave. now if we could only get Alterra here...

Dean & Deluca sells a variety of them in tubs ... but I think they're all frozen. I believe some of them are from D'Artagnan...so you could stop there and see if some of them aren't frozen.

with all respect...we weren't just responding to you. and you did bring up price (the $3.25 Bahn Mi at Bahn Mi #1 which was $3.00..until recently). fwiw, I used to live on Elizabeth and Spring and have eaten from Bahn Mi #1 at least 50 times. imo, the Bahn Mi is better at Ssam Bar...now is it 4 times better? maybe not. I would agree that it's not something I would probably bother to order at Ssam Bar again. but the brussel sprouts, the mackerel, the uni, the bo ssam...ok, I'm going again this weekend!

Are those people anything like Julie Andrews? ← Exactly. in fact, Chang is so much like Julie Andrews that when they film Ssam Bar, the Musical, there will be a massive scandal because Colin Farrell will be chosen to play the starring role instead of Chang himself. edit: also like Ms. Andrews in Viktor/Viktoria...there is some gender and sibling-related confusion with the White Stripes.

translation of Sneakeater: uncomfortable and geriatric = uncomfortable uncomfortable and filled with Russian models = cool and energetic

Cru tries to be both...and seems to make it. they even used to have an avant garde pastry chef

this is true. I'm the type of person who can't read at home but can become engrossed in a book at a noisy coffee shop like Doma. I've got a feeling that Robyn, for example, would hate Ssam Bar....the atmosphere could be distracting and detracting for many...

as I noted up the thread...I've eaten there since the review and found it as great as ever. that unheralded mackerel dish is seriously good btw.

agreed. well...as with the RTR review, this proves that Bruni isn't always recognized (unlike the RTR the 4 Seasons probably wasn't expecting a review though)....it's clear that at some point they caught on...but not right away.