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mugsy

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Posts posted by mugsy

  1. we had 2 sommiliers at our table, and the table are very spaced out, did you eat at the cafe on broadway???

    three addition courses were sent out to our table.

    I have to ask, in all sincerity, are you by any chance known to the house? No other reviewer I am aware of has mentioned three extra courses being sent out, and two sommeliers in attendance at the table. That usually means you are (or they THINK you are) a VIP. Nothing wrong with that — I am delighted on the rare occasions it happens to me — but one must recognize that it is atypical.

    what prototype to you refer too, an open kichten does not make a bistro, i had an amazing meal at l'atelier last week, no bistro there, and no tablescloths... you criteria needs a re-boot, we are not in 1980's anymore!

    L'Atelier isn't a bistro; it also isn't a four-star restaurant. By the way, "bistro" isn't a negative term (at least in my book). It just describes a certain kind of place, which I think is exactly what they intended Lincoln to be. Some glitches (staff not yet familiar with the food) will likely improve over time.

    I was simply trying to point out that Lincoln is not a bistro, however I feel that my knowledge of restaurants does not compare with the "savants" in this website, i give up! you all win, enjoy your 20 million dollar bistro at lincoln center, with an uneven roof that has grass growing on it.... i know i will!

  2. What aspect of Lincoln is like a bistro, other than they serve food and drink... they have a door? they have tables? they play music? help me please!

    - Lack of tablecloths and other high-end service trappings

    - tables serviced by a single waiter

    - absence of sommelier or wine-specific staff consultation for some visitors at some tables

    - wait staff with limited food knowledge

    - absence of typical amuse courses and lavish mignardises

    - placement and proximity of tables to each other

    - lack of separation between dining room and bar

    - a la carte only menu format

    - wine list of bistro (albeit a very good bistro) level NOT above

    - open kitchen (and accompanying kitchen noise)

    It's almost the prototype for an upscale bistro, and fairly hard to argue objectively that it isn't less formal than Alto, for example.

    I'm sorry, but we must have eaten at two different restaurants... the table cloth thing is ridculous comment, some of the best resturants in the world don't have table clothes, Noma, and Alinea are two that come to mind right away.

    we had 2 sommiliers at our table, and the table are very spaced out, did you eat at the cafe on broadway???

    three addition courses were sent out to our table.

    what prototype to you refer too, an open kichten does not make a bistro, i had an amazing meal at l'atelier last week, no bistro there, and no tablesclothes... you criteria needs a re-boot, we are not in 1980's anymore!

  3. . . . it would best be characterized as an "elegant bistro", in a similar way to A Voce (the restaurant it reminds me most of).

    That strikes me as a very good analogy.

    I want to like this forum... but with comparing Lincoln to A Voce is like comparing apples to Lear Jets! How can anyone say that the two are even in the same breath. hey I think that Kansas City Royals will win the world series next year! I guess they are both Italian restaurants and so they must be compared. My meal at Lincoln was excellent! After two weeks it was far better than all my meals at EMP and slighty better than Daniel, but A Voce? elegant bistro? What aspect of Lincoln is like a bistro, other than they serve food and drink... they have a door? they have tables? they play music? help me please!

  4. Although Marea was supposed to be Michael White's shot a four-star place, I don't think it approaches that. You can have three-star food here if you order well and if the kitchen doesn't fall into a funk. But of course, it should not be that way.

    you should never have to "order well" to get three star food... what ever you order should be up to standards, or it's not three star... btw risotto was crunchy, why does everyone need to taste it, it wasn't done right so cook it correctly, simple solution, no need for a panel to determine whether it was cooked right, the table thought it wasn't, and thats all that matters!

  5. As to whether Per Se is "worth it": My dislike of the Columbus Circle mall setting probably colors my experience somewhat....

    I find this a little difficult to comprehend. You can go in a side entrance, take an elevator, and walk into Per Se. Your exposure to the "mall" lasts a grand total of about 4 minutes; the meal, about 4 hours.

    Exactly.

    And, and don't forget the shoppers gawking at the front trellis, the unworldly faux garden and the blue doors - one musn't forget those blue doors that aren't real either...

    ... the restaurant is definitely in a mall... no 2 ways about it. I'll agree that once your inside, the mall effect disappears - and yes, that is the majority of your "per se experience." However, for the mall-averse, I can easily see how the mall setting taints the overal feel - from the first impression to the very last when you "walk" out those faux doors...

    i must be missing something with the doors... there is no other way in the restaurant, you walk up to the doors and the glass slides open on either side, what is the problem with that, do you need the actual blue door to open to have a better meal????

  6. We've just returned from a 2 week trip to Germany.  We had a lot of good food.  And we dined at 2 3 star Michelin restaurants - Dieter Muller and Vendome.  Both were exquisite.  The maitre d' at Vendome told us an interesting story.  He traveled to New York recently with a companion/partner - to learn about new food and food trends in the US.  He dined at the usual suspects in New York - every place from JG to Masa to Per Se.  Although he is a maitre d' - and I doubt he earns a  huge amount - his companion apparently is not in the same income bracket.  They had a 7 pm reservation at Per Se.  Arrived 15 minutes late.

    fyi robin, per se does not have a 7pm reservation in their system.

  7. I first found out about grower Champagnes at a blind Champagne tasting led by Willie Gluckstern.  We must have tasted at between 50 and 100 Champagnes, from grower-producers to premium brands.  I remember that many described Cristal as tasting like piss.  Willie said that many in the industry have given Veuve Clicquot the nickname "agent orange".  On the whole, the grower-producers fared much better than the large Négociants.

    i will take krug and salon against any grower champagne, any day of the week.

    robyn, sometimes when you get lost and don't know your way home you leave a trail of breadcrumbs.... sorry i guess wrong crowd for that type of humor.

  8. I've heard the term "grower Champagne" - but haven't seen it on menus.

    Is it "real" Champagne (from the Champagne region of France)?  Any particular labels any of you would recommend?

    Yes, they're not Cremant.

    "grower Champagne" refers to Champagne made from the grapes of a single vineyard. (virtually every standard Champagne, even the most highly regarded V and NV, is blended from the grapes of several vineyards.) grower Champagne is primarily made by small producers. they are very diverse in flavor since they are so expressive of the terroir due to their origin. in contrast, standard Champagnes are specifically designed to reflect the house "feel" year after year.

    does that make krug "clos de mesnil" a "grower champagne", if so i love "grower champagnes"!....and robyn, raymond sokolov???? i read one of his reviews and thought to myself, "darn, i don't have enough breadcrumbs to find my way home!" the last thing the nyt needs is a tired, old critic, bruni brings life, energy, spirit... i know that his style takes a beating on this thread, but i kind of like it, his writing that is... when i read a review of a restaurant, i don't want it to read like that of a book review or a consumer report of a new car. "he didn't mention that enough" or "he never goes into to much detail about ...", but i say he does, he just leaves to the readers imagination to place themselves in his shoes and have the reader fill in the blanks.

  9. i most be missing the boat in this society of professional eaters... it is amazing to me that still that people thought that varital should have got a better review. varital should wake up this morining and kiss the sky and have "grower champagne" that they recieved one star. that is an illconceived restaurant that was very pretentios, and not very good food, unpolished service, an empty dining room, and then the desserts.... of course bruni talk more about the desserts, he has probably being reading blogs like this that say how amazing they are. "everyone" is talking about the desserts! talking yes, eating not so much, on my visits to varital the restaurant wasn't very busy. i think bruni is very entertaining, and i think he doesn't review restaurants like reports, i think he tells a story and most times they are fun to read, he has fun with his job and that is why he is successful.

  10. I've been thinking about it, and have come to the following conclusion:

    Momofuku Ssam Bar is the best restaurant in New York City right now.

    I don't mean that in terms of value proposition, as in "Gray's Papaya is the best restaurant in New York because you can get a great meal for $3." I mean, rather, that Momofuku Ssam Bar is serving the best food in New York at any price.

    Yes, I'm disregarding comfort and the trappings of fine dining (though I hasten to add that the service at Momofuku Ssam Bar is excellent: friendly, knowledgeable and attentive). I'm just talking about food. I think the best dishes at Momofuku Ssam Bar are better than anything I've had at Per Se, Jean Georges, Le Bernardin and so on down the line.

    I can't name a dish at any of the top fine-dining restaurants that I think is better than Momofuku Ssam Bar's uni with tapioca and whipped tofu (I'll put it up against "oysters and pearls" any day), Chawan mushi with escargots (I'd choose it over Gray Kunz's risotto), or even the humble fried Brussels sprouts (far tastier, to me, than Jean Georges scallops with cauliflower). Not since the early days of Lespinasse have I experienced so many flavor revelations at one restaurant.

    that's a bold statement, but even going on food alone, not to mention the other things that go in to making a truly great restaurant, msb can not hold a candle to masa... the food there is about five levels beyond msb. not to mention there is a really chef with years of experience making it for me, not a bunch of young line cooks. masa has superior product, superior technique, superior execution. don't get me wrong i love msb, but i love it for what it is to me, another late night place where i can get great food. i'm not going to eat there before midnight. i don't know much about restaurants, but i don't think it's the best restaurant in nyc, and neither does the ny times, post, daily news, etc.

  11. Having wanted to try Degustation for quite some time now, I wasn't sure what I'd been missing.  After going this past Saturday, and trying literally every single item on the menu, I'm still somewhat unsure what I've been missing.  Frankly, I was just not that impressed.

    Being forced to wait 45 minutes past a reservation is, on a Saturday night in a restaurant this small, forgivable.  Once seated, I really liked our seats.  The first two tucked into the left corner once you step in.  So we only had people on one side of us, and we were right in front of the pass, so to speak, so we saw most of the food going out, and were able to engage the chef in conversation now and again.

    As I mentioned, we ordered the entire menu among the two of us.  Not actually as crazy as it sounds.  It was actually a nice amount of food, leaving us full but not dying at the end.

    Thoughts on the food: The tortilla was, to me, instantly forgettable.  One of those one-bite dishes you pop into your mouth expecting a bit more flavor-wise.  The croqueta was tasty; warm, crispy exterior, luxuriously creamy interior.  Would never have guess that apple was part of the filling, but it worked quite well.  The plancha items were delicious, if a bit overpriced.  $10 for a langostine?  This is not L'Atelier, people.  The poached egg with jamon serrano, chorizo, rice cracker crusted asparagus and smoked cheese foam was quite tasty, with the yolk turning the dish into almost a soup.  The grilled mackerel with trio of apples was also nice.  The seared scallops?  Eh, not so much.  My friend hated this dish, actually.  I didn't think it was that bad.  But honestly, I didn't think it was that good either.  Mediocre flavor and a bit boring.  The squid stuffed with short ribs and the sweetbreads have each received some praise here on eGullet, and rightfully so.  Both delicious, and among the standouts of the evening.  I'm not sure the squid is quite as revelatory as some on this thread and elsewhere may have suggested, but it is pretty tasty.  The sweetbreads, essentially chicken-fried, should absolutely replace popcorn as the movie snack of choice.  The quail and the rabbit were passable, if a bit lacking.  The kind of dish you eat expecting to have a new flavor, or a new texture surprise the palate at any moment, yet that moment never comes.  The suckling pig was quite flavorful, but I wish they'd crisped the skin a bit better to create some textural contrast.  The lamb belly was, for both of us, terrible.  Quite easily the weakest dish of the night.  I've had ____ belly countless time before: pork (mmm Fatty Crab pork-and-watermelon salad), lamb, tuna, salmon, you name it.  I recognize it's about the wonderful interplay between flesh and fat, meatiness and unctuous fattiness.  This block of lamb belly was, unfortunately, all fat.  Essentially inedible.  To make things worse, the hash brown alongside it had long ago passed the stage of being crispy and was now simply black.  Overcooked?  I'd say so.  Overall, the flavors in this dish could have and should have worked together well, but both the raw ingredient (the lamb belly) and the cooking (or more precisely, overcooking) were its downfall.  As I said, absolutely the weakest dish of the night.  Luckily, the kitchen soon redeemed themselves with a very flavorful ribeye, which, at $15, I consider a pretty damn good deal for the price.  We finished with a nice cheese plate of four different cheeses, two Spanish and two Italian.  I really enjoyed the marcona almond butter they provided as an accompaniement.  And just to round things out properly, we ordered the lone dessert on the menu, an apple "tarte tatin" with greek yogurt.  Decent, but its inclusion on the menu was clearly an afterthought.  If you're not going to do dessert, fine.  But don't do a half-assed dessert for no reason at all.  Finally, we closed things out with a class of highly unremarkable sherry, and that was that.

    Overall, there were some hits and some misses.  Nothing was terrible (well, the lamb..), but nothing really sticks out in my mind as having been outstanding either.  Nothing I'm craving to return and have again.  As I mentioned in another thread, with Momofuku Ssam Bar just a short walk away, I'm not sure I'll ever be back to Degustation, actually.  To me, the cooking at Ssam is clearly several steps above what they're putting out at Degustation, and, at the end of the day, the quality of the food is what it all comes down to.

    WOW! for someone with a "i heart ny" call sign, you are quick to trash one of the most exciting eateriers in the city. i am no experted, but i don't think it is very fair to compare the pork belly at fatty crab to the lamb breast at degustation. what is being done at fatty crab is easy and boring! give me someone who is going to take risks and go out on a limb to create something special. i had the lamb at degustation and it was wonderful. to belly ache at the price of langostines, which until about 4 years of ago, getting fresh langostines in the states was unheard off, thank you fedex, and with fresh langostine comes more coin, that is how it works. if you want something wonderful sometimes you pay more, or you get shrimp from the gulf. i had a most memorable meal there, i went by myself, i was supposed to meet someone, but they couldn't get out of work (weak) on time. i had most everything on the menu. that restaurant is unique in a city of pomp and posh and money, to have someone just busting it out night after night, sometimes you just have to say thank you and pat them on the back, and even if it didn't meet your expectations, which i would love to hear what those were, and you did not enjoy the meal, don't complain about the prices and make it seem like there making millions by making up fresh langostines. just walk on by to the ssam bar and we'll enjoy those two seats in the corner. thank you degustation crew and keep up the great work, you have exceed my expectations!

  12. My fave burger in Cleveland is at Close Quarters on Lake Rd. in Avon Lake. It's a tiny little place, you would miss it if you weren't looking for it. I swear they put crack in those burgers. They also cut fries to order.

    To give you some perspective on my taste, the only other place from which I'll order a burger is Red Coat Tavern in Detroit.

    I haven't had a Moxie burger but I look forward to trying one.

    the best burger in cleveland is mawby's!!!

  13. ? Could the mystery dessert be a malted milk ball ?

    Kouign,

    The dessert is called "milk and cereal."

    Its a raw milk ice cream with chocolate wheat malt perals & cold chocolate cream.

    The raw milk comes to us from farmer George Rasmussen of Swan Creek Farm.

    Its produced by a 15 year old organic cow named Fatima.

    Kriss Harvey's (the pastry chef of Butter) idea of this pre dessert

    was to recreate milk and cereal. Having an unflovored ice cream, to show case the raw milk and to pair with the crisp malt wheat.

    I love the simplicity of this dessert.

    Ryan Poli

    just curious chef... do you know a good recipe for "authentic" mexican red rice. i heard a rumor that the mexicans like to char the bottom of the pot to get that flavor. maybe with your culinary backround you can help me. and who knows maybe you have made red rice in your past. thanks.

  14. Best of luck with Varietal, I'm looking foward to seeing your stuff.

    thanks, i will update any new info about the restaurant as things develop, as far as opening, press releases, website, etc.

    j.

    jordan... i was wondering if you will be serving the "coffee and doughnuts".

    ps. "i never had a chance to say thank you"!

    sorry.. the C & D is a thomas keller signature dish. they're very good, however my style is a little different.

    ps. you're welcome.

    jordan the correct response is... "and you'll never have to!"

  15. Best of luck with Varietal, I'm looking foward to seeing your stuff.

    thanks, i will update any new info about the restaurant as things develop, as far as opening, press releases, website, etc.

    j.

    jordan... i was wondering if you will be serving the "coffee and doughnuts".

    ps. "i never had a chance to say thank you"!

  16. I think the $45 supplement on the truffle dish is pretty reasonable compared to the $109 supplement I noticed on Per Se's menu a few weeks ago.

    Having had a risotto dish back in July that was extraordinary I can only imagine one with white truffle's shaved on top.

    Thank you for posting the menu! Looks fantastic.

    it is the same supplement at per se 54 for the tasting menu and 108 on the five course... remember that per se has 20% built in to all its cost 45 + 20% = 54 and 90 (which is what tfl charges on the other menu) + 20% = 108 its the same with the menu prices...

  17. I had the chance to work with Doug at The French Laundry when he was there.  I just bought the book yesterday and of course skipped right to the chapter on TFL,  I will read the rest soon. It did remind me of things that did happen, good and bad while I was there.  I will say this about Doug.  For the first month or so I couldn't stand the guy.  He came on very strong in the beggining and looking back on it was already not that happy there. That being said, I consider Doug a friend and would work for him again if he called.  He helped me alot when he was there ,  and I learned alot from him.  I still learn from him.  A couple of weeks ago I had a question about a recipe I was working on,  so I emailed Doug from work asking for him to call me at work if he had the chance.  Not 15 minutes later Doug was on the phone answering all my questions.  This is not a comment or opinion on the chapter regarding TFL but rather my thoughts on Doug as some of you have painted him as a someone that is dishonest.

    well... you can clear up some doubt then... are the points that doug makes true, is tfl kitchen dirty and unkempt, is the food not interesting, and where you one of the cooks that says,"that is just the way it is done."?

  18. On another forum I was reading (ie not eG) there has been some mention that this book has skipped over some key moments of Psaltis' professional career and in particular the circumstances under which he left TFL and elsewhere.

    I haven't read the book, nor do I know much about about Psaltis but how true are these accusations?  Is the book, a case of rose tinted glasses or at the very least skipping over relevant issues.

    i wonder sometimes... did doug go to tfl to make a difference and learn and teach, or did he go there just to write the final chapter of his book? if the latter is true than you have to disregard all that he said about thomas keller, because he had a agenda that was preconceived. not to mention the truth is extremely distorted in that chapter.

  19. Seki is a native Japanese speaker, I am doubtful that he is Chinese, although I suppose he could be ethnic Chinese raised in Japan.  The older chef who works to Seki's right is also a native Japanese speaker.  That man orders and preps the fish and in fact seems to be in charge in some ways, I strongly suspect he is a part owner of the restaurant.  My dining friend is a native Japanese speaker and based on her conversations with them, she's not sure who is really running the place.  Seki might be the business man in overall charge, the older guy seems to be in charge of the fish and what they do with it.  The man to the older guy's right is not a native Japanese speaker and is probably Chinese.  The man to his right is a native Japanese speaker, and he is not a full fledged chef.  The rest of the staff seems to be almost 100% native Japanese speaker.  Dining at a sushi bar with a Tokyo native and Wasada graduate has its advantages.

    seki is most definitely chinese, he is from eastern china.

    I'll ask next time I'm in the place, but he speaks unaccented Japanese and my friend has had some fairly long conversations with him in Japanese.... She's a native speaker and moved out of Tokyo when was 28. She could be wrong but...The chef who I think is Chinese is the one who works alone at night BTW.

    you never trust me???

  20. Seki is a native Japanese speaker, I am doubtful that he is Chinese, although I suppose he could be ethnic Chinese raised in Japan.  The older chef who works to Seki's right is also a native Japanese speaker.  That man orders and preps the fish and in fact seems to be in charge in some ways, I strongly suspect he is a part owner of the restaurant.  My dining friend is a native Japanese speaker and based on her conversations with them, she's not sure who is really running the place.  Seki might be the business man in overall charge, the older guy seems to be in charge of the fish and what they do with it.  The man to the older guy's right is not a native Japanese speaker and is probably Chinese.  The man to his right is a native Japanese speaker, and he is not a full fledged chef.  The rest of the staff seems to be almost 100% native Japanese speaker.  Dining at a sushi bar with a Tokyo native and Wasada graduate has its advantages.

    seki is most definitely chinese, he is from eastern china.

  21. Thanks for the detail Brian...

    So how did you end up securing the reservation?

    The old-fashioned way. I was trying to swing a connection I had for earlier in the summer but that never materialized, so I simply got on the phone 2 months before the day I knew them to reopen at about 9:58 AM and redialed like crazy. My word of advice is stay on the phone even if you can't get through. I was getting busy signals for quite some time and still managed a reservation.

    Bux, you raise some very good points. In terms of table quality, I was simply speaking from my experience and preferences. As for the comparison between Daniel and Per Se, perhaps overall I would be more inclined to dine at Daniel because it is easier to get a table on shorter notice and costs somewhat less. Still, Per Se is an amazing restaurant that I can find few faults with. It is somewhere people should try to experience if they have the means.

    do people go to dinner to find faults???

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