flinflon28

To be perfectly honest I found the baba to be one of the most offensive desserts I've had in a while. Just seemed half assed. Especially after all I'd heard.

On a not totally unrelated note I stuck my head in the bar area of Benoit which was naturally empty due to the lack of a liquor license. Something I found particularly hilarious is that the restaurant's color scheme when put together (downstairs bathrooms, main dining room and bar area) make it resemble the Black Lodge from Twin Peaks.

Kind of like the shoestring fries you get with the burger at the spotted pig but cut into 2 inch segments. They're not particularly good but look impressive. Not really sure how they're getting them into that shape but I'd guess there's a plastic ringmold being used. The middle of the pile tended to be on the soggy side.

We arrived at 1:45 to a practically deserted restaurant. Greeted warmly and they asked us if we had brought anything to drink. We presented them with our six pack of Grolsch and they actually seemed delighted someone had finally brought beer instead of wine. The space is definitely a looker. It brings your spirits up just walking in there. Service was fine but they certainly weren't slammed so we were well taken care of. Bread consisted of mini-baguettes that were crunchy and addictive as well as some sliced bread. Butter unfortunately was ice cube cold but delicious once it got to room temperature. We had the charcuterie for 2 which was dynamite. Particluar standouts were the country pate and the pate en croute. The foie gras torchon was awesome too. For the price and the portion size this might be one of the best deals in NYC right now. The chicken for two is a show as well. It's brought out in a copper pot, presented with a HUGE bouquet (like peacock feathers) of fresh herbs sticking out of the pot and then taken back to the kitchen for carving. While the skin was not crispy the chicken itself was incredibly moist and delicious. An excellent dish and once again a pretty good bargain. Also comes with to roasted heads of garlic that can be smeared on bread (insanely delicious), chicken jus, and the thin cut fries that were forgetable. I don't usually do dessert but the profiteroles seemed tempting and they were delicious. Once again...for the price which I think was $9 you get enough to easily feed 3-4 people. It came with some of the best vanilla ice cream I've ever had and a little fondue pot of chocolate. We ALSO...didn't need it....had the Rum Baba. Not really my scene but I'd heard it's one of Ducasse's most famous desserts. Seemed like cold pund cake drizzled with too much rum. The home made whipped cream was delicious but...nothing to remember. We had coffee and capuccino too. The best part of the whole deal right now is the BYO....lunch for two before tip was $127. I will definitely be back.

Just made a reservation for lunch today at 1:45...still BYO. Dissapointed to see the Cassoulet isn't on the lunch menu but I'm sure we'll cope.

A vendor took my team out to dinner at Craftsteak last night and it ended up being one of the best meals I've had in NYC. Hadn't been in about a year and a half and there have been massive improvements in the steak preparation. Service was excellent and pacing was perfect for a large party. Our table shared the Grand Seafood Tasting and it was delicious. Hadn't had oysters that tasted exactly like the ocean in a while. Really transporting. The raw bar at Craftsteak has always been good but this was a step up. I had the grassfed NY Strip medrare and it was cooked perfectly. As noted before not a serious char but definitely more than there used to be. Incredible flavor. The rest of the party seemed happy with their short ribs, filet, and ribeye. Sides were onion rings (enormous and perfectly cooked), ramps and pea risotto (my new favorite dish in NY besides the kimchee stew at Momofuku), french fries (very nice and crisp but ultimately just french fries), hen of the woods mushrooms (steak for non-steak eaters...wow), braised ramps (a little salty but still delicious). Great cheese selection too. All in all a great meal.

Apparently it's only served at lunch/brunch so plan accordingly. It also sells out VERY quickly.

Unfortunately I only get the Kimchee stew at Noodle Bar because it's so good I can't bring myself to deviate. I go about 1 a month and can say that the quality of that dish at least has improved since the move. And those fried sweetbreads are dynamite.

http://nymag.com/bestofny/food/2008/grilledcheese/ It's even better than it sounds.

Finally went for brunch a couple of weeks ago and ate at the bar. Owner/manager was very firendly. The burger lived up to all the hype it had when this place opened but the "grilled cheese" was one for the ages. One of the richest and most delicious dishes I've ever tried.

After our meal at adour I vowed to try the wine bar soon after but never made it around. I will be there some time next week. Thanks for the strategy tips!

That would present an amazing savings!

Nice write up on the restaurant. This is the first thing I've read on L'Atelier that actually made me want to eat there immediately.

Show up as a walk in with Robuchon and you'll be golden.

This strikes me as the type of restaurant with a high probability of a drop in quality after the review cycle is over. ← In that respect the best compliment I can pay it is that it's a GREAT place for lunch. At least the times I've been there.

Went to 2nd Ave Deli on Saturday around 2:00. 5 minute wait and had the "Instant Heart Attack" (Pastrami piled high between two potato pancakes). It was delicious and decadent to say the least. I'm not a Deli expert by any means but it was great meat and my friend's corned beef sandwich was very tasty too. It was the service that was worthy of note. Incredibly firendly waitress. Also brought us mini shots of chocolate egg creams with the check. Not sure if that happens with every check drop.

Did a search under Kerry Heffernan and South Gate and didn't find a thread for the new restaurant. Doesn't mean it's not on here but I may have missed it. Went to the bar on Wed for a snack and drinks before seeing Macbeth on Broadway. In all the descriptions I'd heard the room seemed like it would be unappealing but it was actually quite beautiful. Bright with soft colors and hard surfaces and airy. The view of Central Park didn't hurt either. The bar is kind of set up like a "T" so it made for some cool seating...almost a communal table on the sides. Cocktail prices were steep and the drinks themselves not particularly remarkable but I don't think they're going for serious cocktail program. Had two glasses of a nice Viognier and split the gougeres, chicken sandwich and tarte flambe with my companion. I noticed that almost all of the dishes on the bar menu at least had been at Eleven Madison Park from Kerry's tenure as chef. Some were almost exact (mushroom pizza, gougeres, chicken sandwich, linguca sandwich) and a few had minor tweaks. The tarte flame was new and having had these all through NYC over the past few years the Bar Room at the Modern has nothing to worry about. The tarte here was very heavy with carmelized onions and the bacon while thick was chewy and fatty (but not in a pleasant way). The gougeres were a hit at EMP and they are great here. The chicken sandwich was expensive ($18 I think) but I have to admit that it was spectacular. St.Andre cheese, bacon and very thinly sliced seasoned chicken breast on griddled bread. Flavor explosion. Served with a side of beet chips and an underseasoned side field greens. Chef Kerry was making the rounds in the dining room and bar area. He's always been one of the most social kitchen personalites.

I THINK...THINK that there is a fuller late night menu Thursday through Saturday.

Stopped by around 1am last night for what was going to be a quick small bite but ended up having two oysters and the skate dish. Being so late the place was practically a ghost town and the few people in there either seemed to work at Noodle Bar or were just getting off work from another restaurant. Server mentioned it was incredibly slow the whole night probably due to the weather. The skate was incredible. Simply dredged in what I think may have been seasoned Wondra a few roasted fingerling potatos and a spicy aioli. VERY spicy but I loved it. I think for the price (which I think was $22) it was a steal.

That's pretty remarkable. Did you have any say in that before the meal started? I'll be pretty chapped next week if I don't get the foie dish I had on my first visit but it's being offered to first timers.

That was almost two months ago. He'd also mentioned to me that he would probably revamp the Cafe menu first and gradually tackle the fine dining side second. I will say I still haven't eaten there under either chef just visited the bar for drinks.

http://nymag.com/daily/food/2008/04/new_co...ml#comment-list Finally the official announcement that Willis Loughhhead has taken over at Country for Doug. He's been there since the end of last year. I worked with him at the Bar Room at the Modern and wish him the best. Great Chef! I leave it up to the higher-ups to determine if perhaps a new thread is in order?

Something along the lines of $32 if I recall correctly.

The 41st st branch also has a all you can drink/eat wings and beer deal in the summer. At least they did last year. That place is almost always empty.

Has anyone been recently?