DutchMuse

Very very weird......there must be something going on that we don't know for it to have been left out once again. Very very odd.

I will enjoy sitting down later and reading this thread in a leisurely way. Might be fun to try jenever in some cocktails---in Holland I don't think I ever remember anyone drinking jenever any way but 'straight.' I could be wrong, but I think you would get a funny look if you ordered jenever in some kind of cocktail--but correct me as maybe I am wrong about that. Still, doesn't make it incorrect--could be very good. My favourite jenever brands are Ketel Een (Ketel One) and another whose name I'm blocking on (starts with a 'V.') I just looked and see I have run out of jenever except for a bottle of oude jenever. Also saw a bottle of Koren Wijn---anyone try Koren Wijn?

Funny you bring this up; I was talking with a chef friend this past week and we were lamenting that they don't serve lunch anymore. Its about time I made it back here--I've always loved my meals there.

Hmmmm....Bread Bar (my partner and I got written up in Time Out NY in the 'regulars' column since we go there so much)....all time fav. Chris, the chef in Bread Bar, is terrific, and I still love the chicken tikka not to mention the specials. Also, one of the few places in town to stock my fav gin--Old Raj. I suppose Eleven Madison would be considered a special restaurant, but its a reg place that I wouldn't want to live without. Two visits ago, I mentioned that I love Badoit water, and voila--this week I went and they put a bottle of Badoit on the table! (Not on the menu but they bought a few bottles b/c I had mentioned it--how's that for customer service). Momofuku Ssam Bar. The pork belly buns are reason enough to put this on a regular rotation. Tia Pol. Love the charred peppers, the chorizo, the croquettes, etc etc. Grand Sichuan International on 24th. Favs are the sour string beans with minced pork and the "fresh killed" Aui Zhou Spicy Chicken. John's on Bleeker St. I still love the #32 with extra garlic. That about sums it up, I think, as for regular rotation places.

Thanks, Toby--I haven't yet found Old Raj in Chicago in a bar so it will be a pleasure to to go there this weekend. Sounds great.

I haven't read all the pages of this thread, but anyone know if the Violet Hour has Old Raj gin? Also....if I go around 6:30 (shortly after they open) on Sunday night, I presume there won't be a wait, correct?

Agree except I wish they wouldn't slice their house made bread by machine....sliced like a loaf of white american bread. To me, the best bread in Chicago is served at L20 (also house made).

Good to know, FG; I haven't been to Toloache.

I agree with Nathan, having lived in Los Angeles for 13 years before moving to NYC 12 years ago. Even though Mexican cuisine is not profoundly complicated, it just seems New York cannot get it right for some reason. Skip Mexican. I second the idea of Italian, or French--that's what NY does best, especially French.

I haven't been to Bemelman's in about 6 months but it was firing on all cylinders then. Who is the guy from PS who is there?

I went there Thursday night and loved the place. Love the vibe, the friendly staff, and the cuisine. I went with mid-level expectations (was not expecting a "tops" place) and wasn't disappointed, except for the chicken main course--it seemed overcooked and dry. But other than that, the other things were terrific. I'll weigh in on the mac and cheese--loved it. The sweetbreads appetizer was great as well. To me this is a mid-level "go to" place for creative and reliable food.

I moved away from NYC 3 months ago (but still return a couple of days/week for work so it almost doesn't count), so I can relate. I'd put EMP at the very top of your list, J-G too. Places I regularly return to that are unique to NYC include Bread Bar at Tabla and Grand Sichuan International. Of course, Daniel is great. Its interesting that although EMP has been one of my fav places ever since Daniel Humm arrived, I've found myself going there more often AFTER I moved than before; I really miss that place!

For me, Pegu sets the standard for quality of traditional cocktails. I also love PDT and Milk and Honey. I'll add a wild card to the mix. My double down says Bemelman's Bar will come back into the public consciousness as the grandfather of them all, and will be popular in a retro sort of way.

What's with all these psychologists and neuroscientists here? :-) I'm a neuropsychologist as well. The standard, posed by some above, that "genius" must "change humanity" or be on a scale of a breakthrough of something like the theory of relativity is too narrow and sets the bar absurdly high. To me, a genius chef is someone who invents something, revered by others, that is new and that had not been thought of before. A genius produces novel, high quality food on some kind of regular basis. I've probably met 2 chef geniuses in my life; they are obviously quite rare.

We just moved to Chicago from New York and have noticed a new restaurant that opened some 6 weeks or so ago on Ontario near Kingsbury in the River North area of Chicago. This place--Blue 13--should be on the culinary map of foodies....something great and impressive is happening here. Its a bit intangible--I don't now if it was the sleek style of the restaurant that somewhat reminded me of the look of Perillo in NYC, or the edgy music that almost reminded me of Babbo, or the soft lighting and a king of informatlity that reminded me of Tabla/Bread Bar. But, put together, it worked its magic on me--I loved being there. Something impressive is happening in the place. Take my word for it. We first noticed the menu in walking by---a menu that reached high and revealed some sophistication. Take a look: an appetizer of "Deconstructed Caprese: Tomato water, Tomato Confit, Fresh Mozzarella and pesto." Or: "Fish and Chips"--"tuna tartar cocktail, wasabi foam, and tarro root chips." For main courses--Rabbit Duo--loin strudel wrapped in grape leaf, braised leg, roasted cipolini onions, and baby carrots." There could be many more examples. We walked into the restaurant that had the appearance of sophistication but the music and art revealed some edginess. The restaurant is sleek, with dark wood, mirrors, and soft lighting. The music speaks of east village. The tattoos on the arms of Chef Chris Curren reinforce the edginess. This is one of the few restaurants in Chicago, outside such luminaries as Alinea or L2O, that I felt could truly and successfully compete in New York. This is a sophisticated chef in a stylish yet unassuming setting. I started with the lobster pizza--beautifully prepared with not quite New York-thin crust, but crispy and perfectly crisped in a hot oven, with a great tomato sauce and lobster. Lovely! My main course of pan seared halibut with asian vegetables and a mango nage was beautifully cooked--flirting with under-doneness as sometimes has been said. My partner had the a carpaccio which looked beautiful--with balsamico, horseradish foam and baby greens. A friend had the fish and chips which I tasted--very fresh sushi grade tuna. My partner's main course were the asian spiced roasted lamb chops with asian long beans, onion confit, and a potato gratin. The lamb was cooked medium rare and perfectly, IMHO. Don't get me wrong--this is not a competitor to Jean Georges or Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park in NYC....but for a newcomer start-up, this is a place to notice. My meal was excellent--with sophistication and integrity. Though the chef has a solid but relatively modest pedigree (he worked at several restaurants in Cleveland before Chicago), he has real native talent and is someone to notice. I have no affiliation with the restaurant other than being a foodie and a recent resident of Chicago. But I was stunned at the quality and sophistication of the dishes for a new and thus far unheralded restaurant. You should take note of this place and the chef. Very good things are happening here.

Just amazing how fast it fell apart. Didn't it have one Michelin *? I had a number of good meals there a couple of years ago; and now THIS?

Anybody know if they allow BYOB?

As someone who has great respect and utility for the Michelin Guide in Europe (especially France), it has fallen on its face in the USA. The ratings are just short of laughable and I don't feel I'm exaggerating.

I wrote this email to Danny Meyer a couple of days ago and am posting it publically to share my experience: Dear Danny Twenty fours cannot go by without my telling you about how special last night's dinner was at Eleven Madison Park. You have on your hands one of the best restaurants in the world. I think the dinner last night rivaled my dinner a year ago at Troisgros (when Pierre graced us by joining us and introducing us to his son, Michel). Last night's food, wine and service is among the three best meals I've had in my life--the other two being Troisgros and Jamin. I've said it before, but I continue to find it reinforced--Daniel Humm is, in my mind, another Robuchon. What a team you have put together--these folks just work magic! Look how beautiful the room looks--the flowers, the smiles on everyone's faces, the colors, the warmth in the attitudes of the staff, and the incredibly beautiful presentation of the dishes. Can you find more beautiful presentations in any restaurant in NY? Not in my book. The FOH has evolved to now being perfection defined. A brief turn of the head would result in our Captain, Meghan, being right there. How are people omnipresent yet non-intrusive? And how does John Ragan manage to be everywhere at once, yet unhurried and relaxed, with a smile on his face, as he picked the perfect and interesting wines for our meal? And Will and his managers were as watchful, helpful, but obviously monitoring the floor the whole night, as people could be. The food challenged and stimulated us. The wine took the food to even greater heights. The service made the whole thing come together. The last time I was there (just a week prior) and last night, I noticed something I haven't seen before--tables enjoying their meals for multi-hours. I don't know, maybe as a restauranteur that isn't the best for profits, but as a serious foodie, it tells me the place is now filled with people who love the experience and are savoring it. No more of this in and out stuff....these people are seriously enjoying their experience. My friend Mark (who, himself, is a serious foodie--he used to get a Christmas card every year from Jean-Claude Vrinat) in addition to being wowed by the food, commented "how do they create a perfet service of a Michelin 3 star restaurant in a restaurant much larger than most 3 star restaurants? They are doing it." And its true. Even down to the wait staff and wait-staff assistants. One of the runners (my term; not sure what the proper title is for the people) who delivered our plates seemed to be so enjoying himself--he had a genuine (nothing forced) smile on his face every time he would come to the table. It was obvious he was interested in his job and his work. I said "you must have an interest in food and all this." "Oh, I do--I graduated from the Cornell school ..." he replied. We chatted a bit but he was so excited by his work--and this as a runner. Think how great he'll continue to be as he is promoted down the road. It just permeats the whole place and the whole staff. You have every right to be proud of these folks--it has become the best of the best--but with warmth and a smile and no sense of smugness that would mar the experience. I'm already looking forward to my next visit. Thank you again for putting all the pieces together and making it possible for us to enjoy this experience. We were on a major high when we left, and my friends and I who dined last night talked again today about how thrilled we were by the whole experience.

Dank U Poffertjes!

La Scarola fits your request to a tee.

Ok, I tried a recipe tonight that worked (not enough time to approach it the jackal way this g'round). By the way, these are heirloom breed chickens at a farm in Michigan that raises them to a high standard and air cools them (vs. water cooling). They sell them to the French Laundry and Per Se, so we're not talking about a tough rooster here. I tried the recipe from Cafe Boulud with a Tuscan bread stuffing under the skin and roasted in the oven (versus my prior attempt at the rotisserie on a TEC grill). They came out fabulous. The legs on these chickens are HUGE. And the skin seems thicker than "regular" chickens but it was crisp as I used the convection oven. Nothing tough tonight about them and they were incredibly flavorful. Success at last. Next time perhaps I'll try a slow roasting method, but I think Keller cooks them similar to what he describes in his French Laundry cookbook.

Thanks much. Yes, I know all about sous vide cooking and several of my chef friends have secured approval by the NYC DOH for sous vide cooking. Thanks for the explanation re the additional roasting time; much appreciated!

Can you explain a bit more about the rationale for that, jackal? Thanks!

I recently moved to Chicago but I've thought Paulina Meat Market had pretty impressive Polish Sausages.