iheartoffal

In a lot of cases, yes, but there are two smaller tables on the upper level that are for deuces only.

Yup, you can get same items wrapped in bibb lettuce as you can in the rice flour pancake. I believe it's been that way since the very beginning.

It just seemed like people were making a bigger deal out of the MSG thing than was necessary. That is all.

Perhaps this would all be better kept in a forum for discussion on MSG. I regards to Dave using MSG, I don't see why everyone is making it out to be a huge revelation. Chances are that if no one had said anything, no one would have noticed. Just go down there and enjoy a tasty, headache-free meal.

You know, I never tried Sienna while I was living up there. Everytime someone mentioned it, we would always say, "Oh, that place...we should really go there sometime.", but we would always forget it was there. Perhaps I'll try it next time I'm in the area. I'm interested to see what Napa and Co. (in the Marriott Courtyard) is going to be like. It's being run by the same people that used to own Telluride. Looks pretty promising. Also, I'm told that owners of Match in Sono are opening opening up a restaurant somewhere in downtown Stamford. Perhaps the scene will go through revitalization of some sort. It really needs it.

Yup. They had floundered for quite awhile, and I'm actually surprised they stayed afloat as long as they did. Last time I was there, they had done away with a lot of the creative, exciting food that they earned their following from in favor of overdone italian favorites, with the hopes of appealing to a broader base of diners. Not the best idea in an area where there are already several italian eateries, all of which do it better. The feeling of confusion and desperation was palpable even from the street, and it was reflected in the increasingly empty dining room. It's sad, really. Now that Zanghi on Summer St and Wish Cafe are gone, there really isn't anything interesting going on in Stamford, with the possible exception of Patrick's food over at Ocean 211.

The owners got into a fist fight...in the dining room ....in the middle of service!!!!! Talk about dinner and a show! The place then shut down. I thought the food was inconsistent, but interesting. ← That's insane! Quite a bizarre ending for what I thought was one of the best restaurants in CT. I hope Bill sets up shop again before too long.

Just came back from there. I was expecting the same sort of premise as the original Momofuku , but was suprised to see that it's actually set up more like a fast food joint. That's certainly not a bad thing...that means I can get my fix of pork buns on the go. I tried the shredded berkshire pork in a rice flour pancake (essentially like a tortilla) stuffed with steamed rice, kimchee slaw, red kimchee puree, bacon braised black beans, and hoisin. Quite good, but perhaps a touch too sweet. A couple of squirts of sriracha (available along the counter) took care of that, though, and I happily devoured the rest.

I'm suddenly reminded of the dirty fork sketch from Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Our menu was pretty much the same that Bryan received with some modifications. All of the dishes were home runs with the exception of the turbot and the foie (both were undersalted). The desserts were enjoyable, though not terribly original. I'd have to say my favorite dish was the egg. It was hollowed out and filled with the yolk, osetra caviar, fresh uni, cauliflower puree, and a topped with a lobster-uni emulsion. Probably the most intense three bites I've ever had. You could have ended the meal there, and I would have been a happy guy. I have to agree with Bryan, there aren't really any restaurants that can compete with EMP at this price point since the arrival of Daniel Humm. The only food that I've had recently that even comes close is Scott Bryan's food at Veritas. Can't wait to go back.

Oh, am I glad he's calling bunk on Mercer Kitchen. I had the grave misfortune of being duped into a meal there not long ago. Quite possibly the worst meal I've had in New York. Calling it a cynical enterprise is an understatement. Uninspired, perfunctory cuisine, clueless staff, and a poorly selected, hideously marked-up wine list.

Ditto. I'll be there tomorrow. If I can survive the hole-in-the-wall chinese take-outs in my neighborhood, I think I can survive Danny Meyer's worst nightmare. Besides, after seeing what havoc the health dept's draconian rules have wreaked on several restaurants recently, I don't exactly put much stock in their system.

Heading there tonight. Hope to post a full report, as I haven't posted one in awhile.

Does anyone know what happened to Relish in Sono? I'm told that it closed. After eating in just about all of NYC's upper eschelon restaurants, I still loved to come up and eat Bill Taibe's food. Any word?

Sam can certainly pull that off with the following he has, but I see that Pichet Ong is also opening a similar place. One wonders if the dessert-only market is becoming too saturated to sustain all of these places.

Darn it all, I ate there the night before....missed you guys by a day. I didn't get to try the crawfish, unfortunately (judging by the picture, I missed out). Those of you who are reading this right now: shut down your computers, walk out the door, head down to Momofuku and order up a plate or six of the baby octopus (or is it octopi?). The dish was so full of flavor that I almost wept when it was all over. The sweetbreads and the softshell crabs with pickeled ramps weren't half bad either.

No more Stephen. I'll drink to that.

My point was that the presence or absence of the chef isn't the major factor that most people think it is...for good OR ill. Of course a bad meal is possible at even the best of restaurants. What I'm saying is there isn't always a direct correlation between the meal and wheather the chef is there or not. Perhaps I should have been clearer.

I always end up spending way too much money at Momofuku. It's a little phenomenon I've dubbed "Momofuku Math". For some reason, basic arithmetic goes out the window when I pick up a menu there. I think to myself, "Oh look, the prices are so low...and everything looks so good. Let's see: We'll take three orders of pork buns, some dumplings, a seasonal pickle platter, two pork bellies (I'm not sharing mine), the shrimp grits, oh, and we have to get the rice cakes. Hmm, they have greenmarket mustard greens, we should try those. Of course have to get the Momofuku ramen. And some sake...two bottles...the ultra premium. Come to think of it, let's add another order of pork buns. The three orders might not be enough. That all comes to, what? $30?" Sadly, I get a reality check when the bill comes. But that doesn't stop me from doing it all over again the next time I go there.

Ah heck, why do the Canadians get all the good programs?! That's it, I'm moving.

The thing that always irritates me is when people freak out if they go to eat at a celebrity chef-run restaurant and find out that said chef is not in the house, as if the meal cannot possibly be as good. It's an irrational assumption that seems (unfortunately) to be widely held. In the upper eschelon of restaurants, the people responsible for the day-to-day planning of the menu are intimately famiar with the chef's philisophy and values and fully capable of executing them faithfully...especially at a place like Per Se, where I know for a fact that a number of the people there have worked with Keller on and off for many years.

Thank you. I often wonder why people have such a hard time grasping this idea.

Wow. Quite a report, guys. I'm going back to Per Se toward the end of next month, and reading this has definitely whet my appetite.

That list seems almost arbitrary, like they picked their top 5 restaurants and then drew the rest of the names randomly out of a hat. Ridiculous.

We're all waiting patiently, Docsconz. Well, I am, anyway.