BryanZ

I'd say your assessment of Daniel, while somewhat amplified by your fullness and the early FOH blunders, is highly accurate. I still think it's a great restaurant, but like some of the other four stars it lacks some of the legendary magic it is known for. Regarding the wine thing, there could be two explanations. Daniel is known for trying to turn tables, so that may be it. More likley, however, is that they were going out of their way to make sure you didn't feel neglected. People often do order bottles of wine before they know what they're eating, which I personally find very strange, but at least by asking they're not leaving you without the option to order (and spend more money).

Stopped by Picholine tonight with the family. Work for my parents had been crazy, so it was somewhat relaxing to all get together after lots of travel and just enjoy a relaxed meal. The room is about as purple as everyone says and the clientele nearly as elderly, especially before around 9 PM. Other than that, the meal was really solid. I won't say there were any groundbreaking revelations, but the cooking is very precise and quite delicious. This was not a light meal by any means, however. The dishes aren't so much complex as they are assertive and rich. We selected the tasting menu, with a couple substitutions. My mother and sister ordered the John Dory with truffle vinaigrette and chanterelles and the veal with favas and, like, crispy potatoes and a grassy soft cheese. We also got one passion fruit cannoli in place of the standard chocolate souffle. I must say that the two semi-downers of the night were our inability to order the chicken as tupac did as part of the tasting menu and the fact that we were served pre-selected cheese assortments. To speak to these semi-issues, our captain told us that the only way that they could do the chicken is if they split it between my mom and sister. Since we wanted to try more items, we declined. I kind of wanted to choose my own cheeses too, but, with that said, we were each served three different cheeses on each of the four individual boards. In the end we were able to try 12 cheeses by sharing and they were unquestionably excellent, but I guess part of the mystique of working through the fabled cart was denied. I think part of the problem was that they were busy and the cheese guy already had a queue of tables to visit who had ordered the cheese a la carte. I'm seriously considering going back just to try the cheeses at the bar. All in all, the food was very solid. Comparisons to Country and Gordon Ramsay are apt, with this meal far outshining Country. I might be inclined to say that I enjoyed my few courses at GR slightly more, but experience with that restaurant is so limited that I can't make an accurate judgement. Nevertheless, I place Picholine at low to solid three stars. Given that I'm not necessarily enamored with this type of classical cooking, that's pretty high praise. Highlights were the cheese course (without a doubt) and the crayfish bisque with boudin blanc. Those were truly excellent dishes. I liked the much lauded cauliflower panna cotta but wasn't enamored. The seaweed the borders the dish in an attempt to add some texture was kind of distracting. The blood orange with the scallop was a very nice touch, but could only do so much to break the hackneyed cauliflower-scallop combination. Nevertheless it was a very solid dish. Also, the John Dory was kind of a surprise. Perhaps because the rest of us were eating lamb or veal, the crispy fish with acidic vinaigrette and nutty mushrooms really worked. Nothing revolutionary, just tasty and somewhat refreshing. That pan fried fish with butter-cooked mushrooms was refreshing speaks to the heaviness of the food that Sneakeater had mentioned. The souffle was good, if predictable. I, too, wished it was lighter and had a different accompaniment to foil the richness and sweetness. The passion fruit cannoli was a really nice dessert. The shell was dried pineapple and the filling was a pineapple mousse. A tropical fruit soup and, like, salsa were at the bottom of bowl. Chocolates, petits fours, and coffee rounded out the meal. We were all, and still are, extremely full. I was kind of hoping for a refreshing pre-dessert that never came, so perhaps that also could be improved. Nevertheless the whole meal was just a very good "fine dining" experience. I still feel like the place is somewhat trapped in time (or at least a time different to what I'm accustomed to), but this is not necessarily to its detriment. The restaurant was very full and more lively than I had predicted.

That must've been sooooo cool. It appears that everything just really fell into place for you at this meal. Looking forward to further dishes.

Actually, yes, good point. The faint yellow strip there is hardly warning enough and it is rather dim.

Perhaps useless speculation as to the type of food that's going to be served.

It crossed my mind that the Seth on eG who does Asian-inflected pastry and the Seth at the Asian-inflected Perilla might be one and the same. In fact, we even discussed it and noted that the pastry seemed more modern than the savories.

Just came back for a surprisingly strong meal at Insieme. I really don't have anything negative to say about the restaurant, well, except for its location. Convenient to the boys and girls at Lehman, but that's about it. For context, there's a TGI Friday's effectively next door (but then again Le Bernardin is but a stone's throw away too). My sister and I weren't particularly moved by the tasting menu itself so we created tasting menus for ourselves, sort of. All together, we tried the fritto misti, asparagus soup, sea risotto, lasagna, a calves liver and veal ravioli with pesto special, the lamb, and the seafood stew. The staff was quite accomodating in offering to split portions, so those not fond of plate switching can go without fear and still try a lot. With that said, we just passed to make things go more quickly. I must say the dishes were really quite satisfying. As Emma noted, the frito misti batter is more eggy and bready like than light and crispy. It's a very simple dish, comprised of the four meats, some lemon, and grilled asparagus. The sweetbread was by far my favorite, as I thought it actually worked with the eggy batter. The sea risotto isn't nearly as unappealing as I think others have made it sound. I think sea urchin just raises foodie expectations much like the mention of pork belly or foie gras. With that said, I felt this dish was more about the various salty notes of the seaweed, with the urchin acting as a creamy burst of flavor when present. I do wish there were a couple more tongues on the dish to amplify this effect. The pastas were uniformly very strong, and I particularly enjoyed the silky softness of the lasagna. It's soft and smooth and subtle, like haute lasagna that's not that haute after all. The asparagus soup was excellent, as everyone else has said. I really, really enjoyed the lamb and seafood stew mains, too. The lamb dish was slightly too salty, but was redeemed by the fact that each of the four preparation had a distinct flavor and texture. If they tone down that broth just slightly you'd have a truly excellent dish. The seafood stew may have been my favorite dish of the evening. It was very simple, perhaps second only to the frito misti in that regard, but very compelling. Each of the pieces of seafood was of excellent quality and the tomato gravy/sauce was just right in assertiveness and texture. The mussels and octopus were absolutely standout. Hell, the head-on prawns also were noteworthy. I was able to convince my sister to suck juices out of the head without much protest. Everyday is a new battle, and I think she enjoyed it Desserts were the highly recommended giadunja bar and cannoli. My sister liked the latter, I preferred the former. My favorite part about the chocolate bar was its texture. It's like a Kit-Kat, just much, much, much more refined. Service was quite polished throughout the evening. The runners don't explain the dishes, so if you're server isn't in the immediate area then you're kind of left in the cold as to what exactly you're eating. With that said, the front waiters knew the food very well. We hit one somewhat slow point in the meal, but it's hardly worth noting. I also really appreciated the "tastes" of wine via the 3 oz. portions. A great idea that more restaurants should offer. The recommended wines were tasty and relatively inexpensive. A really strong experience through and through. Total came to about $110/person after tax and tip with two half glasses of wine. A very strong two stars, and if Bruni gave A Voce three, I don't see why the same couldn't happen here. The room also doesn't suck as bad as everyone says it does, though the entrance to the dining room from the hotel is awkward as hell. Stick to the street entrance for sure.

Stopped by P*ONG for the third meal of yesterday evening and had no problem getting a seat right in front of the production (as opposed to drinks) side of the bar. Chef Ong was not in the house on this evening, but I was attended to by a very nice young girl who assembled my desserts. She was assisted by a prep cook who did some plating and someone obviously in training who seemed to require help more often than not. With that said, the restaurant was full but not packed so everything came out in a timely fashion. Much like Chikaliciousa nd R4D, much of the fun is in watching the desserts during their assembly. With that said, these desserts are relatively simplistic, certainly more so than those at R4D. Also, for a place claiming to not be a dessert bar, nothing is really cooked to order, save for the cheese souffle. To answer my own question upthread, I don't think the 10-course tasting menu is really a meal in itself. There's nothing cooked on it. It's all pre-prepared salads and things like that. This isn't to say what P*ONG is offering is unappealing, however. It's just not really a true restaurant. We'll see if Tailor can finally break the dessert bar/restaurant divide. I had the three-course option $25. There's also a five-course for $35 which looked relatively appealing, but I had already eaten, twice. Per the online menu, I had: chevre cheesecake croquette, pineapple, walnut, chocolate-coffee fudge/ 10 miso ice cream and evoo cake sandwich, wasabi candy, strawberries/ 12 malted chocolate bavarian tart, caramelized banana, ovaltine TM ice cream/ 12 Tasting portions are the same size or only slightly smaller than full size, so the tasting is a good value. My favorite was actually the cherve cheesecake, probably because it was most savory of the three. Nevertheless, it's still firmly in the dessert realm and the "croquette" aspect refers only to its appearance, not its preparation. It's effectively a sweetened whipped goat cheese filling rolled in like cookie crumbs. The chocolate adds some nice sweet bitterness. The miso ice cream sandwich was good, but I wasn't in love. I wish the cake had more peppery, oliv-ey bite. I also found the strawberry sorbet to be full of ice crystals, which is quite surprising considering everything is spun via PacoJet. The chocolate was my least favorite but not objectionable. The ovaltine ice cream tastes very, very malted. Interesting. Finally, I was served a ton of petits fours. There must've been, like, seven different offerings. A mustard, salt, and pepper chocolate was perhaps the most interesting offering, if far from the tastiest. All in all, not a bad spot and close to lots of stuff I would be hanging around anyways. With that said, I still like R4D more.

Before dinner at Perilla yesterday evening, I grabbed some solo pre-dinner at the bar at Soto. I don't want to write a full review, as I only ordered a few dishes and was out in about 40 minutes to make my next appointment. With that said, I really liked Soto. I wasn't blown away but it felt "right." The space isn't as cool as Yasuda but its not unattractive either. Staff was very accomodating and friendly, although I was one of like seven diners in the restaurant at the time and the only at the bar. No attitude whatsoever when I walked in an explained how I wanted to just try a few things before continuing on for the evening. People have made a big deal about the Atlanta location's $80 15-course omakase menu. I have a very hard time believing that he'll be able to offer the same meal at that price in NY. Prices here are not cheap. I spent like $65 on just three small dishes. While this could be a meal for some, it was but a substantial snack for me. I'm not saying its overpriced, it just probably won't be the deal that the Atlanta location was. As has been posted elsewhere online, the restaurant is small with only two itamae. There are 10 seats at the bar. The restaurant lacks the sleek serenity of some sushi bars I've been to but also stays away from the big-box design vibe of many newer Japanese eateries. I had the shima aji carpaccio ($18), broiled langoustine ($16), and the sushi roll of the day ($12). The carpaccio was aji with super thinly shaved ginger and green onion, topped with a spoonful of potent truffle soy sauce. This dish was really successful despite its simplicity. The aji is a very subtle fish yet was not terribly overpowered by its condiments. I kept thinking I was eating like truffle butter, thanks to the silky texture of the fish and umami, earthy assertiveness of the sauce. The langoustine was nice, but I thought there was too much mayonnaise in the shiitake topping. The tender and sweet langoustine was enhanced by the mushrooms and the creamy sauce, but in a less-is-more fashion. The roll of the day was tuna tartare, asian pear, cucuumber, avocado, sesame, pine nut, and scallion, wrapped in nori and green kelp. Usually I'm not one to order this kind of new age sushi roll, but it was the only non-traditional item on the sushi menu, so I thought I should try it. While it won't keep me from ordering negitoro rolls in the future, it was actually better than I thought it would be. The buttery tuna and soft avocado serving as great foils to the crunchy cuccumber, nuts, and pear. My favorite part was how each of the latter elements had its own distinct texture. All in all, not bad way to start my evening, though not cheap. An eight piece sushi set is $40, making it significantly more expensive than Yasuda, if I recall correctly. It will be interesting to see how this place sets itself apart from its competitors and attempts to make a spot for itself among the city's best. As it stands right now, it's more creative than Yasuda by a long shot, yet its sushi is more conservative than somewhere like Gari. We shall see.

Tupac, his friend, and I dropped by Perilla yesterday evening. We had some Food Network "C" list celebrity citings. First, Miss This-is-too-oily herself, the Japanese Iron Chef Judge. She was taking notes like a banshee and getting, shall we say, very generous pours of wine. Her meal was entirely comped too. She's amusing to watch and very, very, very thin. Also saw that really obnoxious Exec VP of Marketing from Food Network who's on Next Food Network Star and is always very condescending. Full food report coming. I was pretty much underwhelmed.

Straight from Chef Chang himself, via Eater, Momofuku Noodle Bar will become Momofuku Ko. Interesting if I say so myself. Noodle Bar fans need not worry, as it will be relocated in a bigger space one block uptown. David Chang is pretty sweet for putting up a fake "sports bar" menu in the space that will hold the new Noodle Bar. Of course, Chef Chang doesn't want people talking about this place. I'll leave that up to you guys to decide.

I know this story all too well. It comes with the territory of being a hardcore eater. With that said, I'm not sure if it's inappropriate to say so, but you do quite well for yourself. Yes, but the music, the bathrooms? Bruni is a fickle beast.

Went back to Raul's earlier this week (second visit in three days) for some more empanadas. Yes, I realize I probably will die. This time had the Inferno, Third Heaven, Curry Chicken, Cuban, and Choclate Hazelnut, though I shared with one other person. General consensus was that the Third Heaven was the best, the Inferno still delicious but could certainly be spicier, curry nice, cuban a bit flat and would be better with a bit more cheese or something, and the chocolate hazelnut good but in need of better quality and more bitter chocolate. Also tried an order of the chicharones, effectively crisp little nubbins of pork belly. A little plain on their own but nice when dipped in the mango-habanero salsa for some sweetness, acidity, and spice.

It's Bravo. There has to be drama. In related news, from a Bravo press release: It's like my dream come true. Seriously. Harold, Stephen, Marcel, Elia, what more could you want? Airs on June 6, where the meal will be served to the 15 new contestants of Top Chef 3: Miami.

I was also one of the party who dined at Bite Club on Sunday evening. Bite Club was my first significant meal of the summer and a thoroughly enjoyable one at that. More than a meal, however, a visit to Bite Club is a holistic experience. Yes, there's the innate appeal of the underground and of the uncommon, but my favorite part of the evening was being able to interact with our hosts and all the other guests. I also feel that I can speak to this meal from a relatively unique perspective, in that I've been in our hosts' shoes for the past 9 months, hosting similar parties of my own. Although our cuisines are different, the goal of creating an intimate, hospitable, and delicious experience is very much the same. I arose from the subway and began walking toward the destination but had forgotten the exact address on my desk. As I phoned home to confirm the location, I passed by a building that looked promising. A well-dressed young woman was outside, also on the phone. "I'm here. I'm at the place. Can you come down and get me?" I overheard her say. Not sure if she was to be one of my dining companions, I slunk into the building behind her without saying much of anything. It would soon become clear that we were both bound for the same table and would actually be seated next to one another. This seemingly random assortment of semi-strangers thrown together in a somewhat bizzare culinary context is a big part of the appeal of Bite Club. We were also supposedly pretty close to getting Bruni himself to come, but apparently he had to back out relatively last minute. The culinary scope of Bite Club is quite ambitious. As Nathan posted, our meal was eleven courses long. I actually thought that the amount of food was slightly overwhelming, but then again I cleaned all eleven of my plates, so I suppose I shouldn't be complaining. Pretty much everything is made in-house and the sourcing of the ingredients is diverse to say the least. Crabs from Citarella, produce from the Greenmarket, cassia bark from a local ethnic grocer, spices and wines straight from Canada of all places, etc. The Sullivan St. breads along with the chicken liver pate, truffle cream cheese, and butter were also appreciated. Serving bread in a context like this is a risky proposition because assholes like me keep asking for more. I don't serve it and I know Shola at SK didn't either. Then again, I don't have easy access to a great bakery. In general, the dining room is quite attractive, painted in a deep red and decked out with quirky art. The table setting was very attractive though not as formal as my tastes dictate. Without going into too much detail regarding the food, I enjoyed most all of it. It wasn't the best I've had, but it "worked" and was well-prepared. It was made explicitly clear to me in private conversation that our hosts were not trying to reinvent the wheel. "The food I like to eat, with a little bit of creativity," is how it was summed it up, and I wholeheartedly agree. With that in mind, there were also some standout dishes that I really, really liked. I thought the cauliflower was great but do agree just one more flavor dimension would've been nice beyond the clever salinity from the caviar. I've already got ideas for a modernized version. Also loved the beet ravioli, a very subtle dish. Only suggestion there would've been to brown the butter sauce for more nuttiness to foil the sweetness of the beet. It also explained that the goat was poached in butter, effectively a beurre monte. A very nice preparation that tasted of a cross between spring lamb and veal. While I very much enjoyed the rare meat, I think just a bit more cooking would've made the dish objectively better. The Rancho Gordo beans, pureed with proscuitto broth, were pretty damn delicious. I plan to steal this idea and employ it liberally. Also loved the tres leches cake, something I'd never had before, much less made myself. The Cuban-style recipe was quite nice, though perhaps the rose essence was a bit too subtle. A good deal of wine was enjoyed by most everyone, some choosing to imbibe more than others. I found some of the wines on the front half of the meal to be a bit flat, but the pairing with the goat was very nice. The sparkling wine offered before dinner officially began was also a classy touch to serve as something like an apertif. All in all a great experience. If I sound like I'm being overly critical it's because I figure our hosts will eventually read this at some point and I want to offer my honest feedback. I would go again without hesitation. Perhaps the one called Ulterior Epicure will post or link to pictures.

I am expecting many, many photos, doc.

After reading all the positive reports on Raul's, I stopped by this afternoon. After driving from NC to NJ this morning and unpacking all of my stuff from year at school, it is a testament to everyone's substantial praise that my first food-related stop of summer vacation was at Raul's. In general, this place lives up to its reputation. The empanadas are absolutely delicious. Before talking about them, however, there were a couple not-so-great things that could be improved. First of all, the girl working the register and taking orders when Raul was not doing so was not the most efficient employee in the world. She also had a hard time describing the various offerings. At least she spoke clear English so communication isn't a problem for us gringos out there. Also, I was kind of bummed that the milkshakes don't come in individual sizes; all the restaurant offers is a large pitcher. Finally, the fact that the restaurant only sells bottled water, and doesn't have a basic water fountain, is kind of annoying. I had already had lunch just prior, so I ordered four empanadas and planned to eat half of each. Perhaps predictably, within minutes after receiving my order all of them were gone. It was a rush. I had the five sausage with lime, Inferno (beef w/ three chilies), Third Heaven (chicken, beef, and shrimp), and the Adam's Apple (apple, caramel, nuts). The five sausage was actually my least favorite. It was heavily spiced and tasty, but I would've liked a more assertive citrus influence. Had I had this alone, though, I still would've been totally satisfied. The Inferno was quite delicious and was even marginally spicy with the chilies contributing a distinct flavor. I wish it was spicier, however. The one that I most enjoyed, however, was the Third Heaven. At first I thought it was overpowered by herbs, but this was slowly tamed and melded with the medely of chunky meat. Absolutely delcious. The Adam's Apple was good if not spectacular, probably better than the sausage but worse than the Inferno if one can compare sweet to savory. The three different types of doughs is also really cool. One is firm and nearly crunchy, another is similar but softer and more bread like, the dessert dough is softer still and has a barely chewy puff pastry feel to it. I see myself becoming addicted to these things. I did not get the chance to talk to Raul in any depth but would like to in the future. I also may have been in the store at the same time as another eG reader. I overheard some conversation that seemed to be directly pulled from this thread, but it could've just been a coincidence. Anyway, small world.

The potential contestants also seem really really boring. There could be a couple decent cooks though.

It's amazing how quickly they're putting out a new season.

Wait, are you "the" Rancho Gordo?

Did you have to pay a supplement for your substitutions?

I just ordered my third bath. Will post pictures and performance notes. It seems like it should be a good one.

From Eater: From today's review: And there's more Gavin and Bella commentary. A total waste of a review.

I was actually bummed that I never made it to the Atlanta location. We'll see how Soto does in a much, much bigger pond.

If you want tables and a variety of small plates, Sssam is going to be your best bet. You can probably find menus on Menupages or something.