BryanZ

Is the pass at Hearth better enjoyed early in the night (as soon as dinner service opens) or later (like 10 pm/after 2nd seating)? I'm trying to balance the best possible experience with the likelihood of getting 2 seats at the pass.

Not really an encouraging report for a new annointed Michelin 3-star restaurant. Pacing is an interesting thing since many diners have very different opinions on how long meals should take. Regardless, 2 hours for a restaurant of that caliber seems much too fast. I'm considering going back to Le Bernardin over the holiday season but it seems as though it's not "wowing" people.

My family went back to Venue again, for like the second time in the past few weeks. The consensus is that their meat dishes are better than their seafood ones. Also, they're not serving the "air" right now and are doing flavor "injectors" instead. Again, very El Bulli/Alinea. It's worth noting that members from the same party can order different numbers of courses, making it easier for individuals with different appetites to dine together. I will be going next week and will post a full report.

Great post. Thank you.

Were many of those dishes off-menu or simply new ones on the late fall/early winter tasting menu?

Whatever version I have is the "heavier" model. It's used for light butchering but is pretty much a chef's knife.

I took a look at Korin in NYC and see there are three different Masamoto lines. There are a couple of versions that are more at the Wusthof, Henckels price point (like the VG-Western Style). ← This site offers slightly lower prices and their customer service is excellent. Masamoto VG series is hard to beat! http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/MASAMOTO.html ← I think I use an HC Gyuto. Not that this has anything to do with Ronco knives, but some people might be interested. Anyway, I think the gyuto isn't really even a Japanese-style western knife. It's more of a butchering knife, but since I've grown up using pretty heavy German knives, the heavier gyuto version felt better in my hands. But that's just personal preference. I did pay maybe like 15% less in Japan and got it custom engraved. Hopefully our discussion of high-end knives will push Daniel to bite the bullet and invest in a sweet knife. edit to add: their traditional sushi knives are the ones that ridiculously expensive. I remember walking up the wall on the "Japanese" side of the store and seeing 30,000 (approx $300) yen, 40,000, 55,000.....it was shocking edit to add again (sorry the memories are coming back): whatever I have is their second highest line. The black handles are the best I think but they didn't have the size and heft I wanted in that line. Whatever you get from them will OWN anything you have now.

A great little story. And I completely agree on trying to do one's best, no matter how simple the task. Most people think I'm neurotic, too, when it comes to everyday meals, but I'd rather not eat that eat crap.

It is my understanding that there are several varieties of Masamoto knives. I'm no expert but the super, super expensive like several hundred dollar ones aren't really their primary business. I'm not sure about the exact price conversions but I happened to meet another English speaking woman while I was in the knife shop and she buying a couple knives for her chef-brother who said they were much cheaper in Japan.

Girasole is the other place I was thinking about recommending. (Seriously, I had a post for this thread early on all written up but I never ended up posting it). But yeah, Girasole isn't bad. I don't think it's as good as everyone says but one of the best in the area. You definitely need resos in advance there, too.

I've eaten off the fall lunch menu recently, but I don't have a copy. Perhaps I can help you out. PM me if you need anything.

If you ever make it to Japan you can get a bad ass Masamoto for way under US retail. That's what I did, and the knife absolutely owns. But then again, you do have to to get to Japan; a predicament that has both up and downsides.

I was thinking Origin. Origin has some of the best French Thai cuisine in the state. Not really all that authentic, but when they're on, very tasty. I'd go there. But definitely call ahead for reservations.

I've only been for lunch, but I generally enjoyed my experience. On par with the best Italian in the city, certainly not, but not a bad place. I have heard, from friends on multiple occasions, of several disappointing meals there. It seems that service isn't up to par with the food. Glaring service mistakes put a damper on what was should have been an enjoyable meal. I'd be curious to hear what you think when you come back.

They do most everything in house to the best of my knowledge. You have to keep in mind they have a system that works, one that's applied to restaurants, hotels, golf courses, airlines, retails stores, etc. For them to outsource one of their guides and use an 3rd party would be counterintuitive and would undermine their reputation (which many still trust). Granted, I think the system itself is stupid, but it sells their books.

For the love of all that is holy do not buy those knives. I respect your recent work too much (i.e. dinner thread, etc) for you to buy those knives.

I make egg white only souffles all the time. In fact, I prefer them. Here's my take 10 oz Bittersweet chocolate 3/4 cups Heavy cream 5 tbs. Sugar 2 tbs. Butter 1 tbs. Orange liquer 1 tbs. Vanilla extract 1/4 tsp. Salt 6 Egg whites 1 pinch Cream of tartar Preheat oven to 350 -Combine first 7 ingredients and melt over double boiler -Beat eggs and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Fold chocoloate mixtere into eggs until just combined. Ladel into buttered ramekins -Bake until puffed and just set in center, 12 minutes. Top with whipped cream or whatever you want. Pastry isn't exactly my strong suit but this is a really simple go to recipe and it's lighter than the w/ egg yolks version.

While I don't consider myself a Zagat apologist (I doubt oakapple does either), the guide is a good reference. It does not claim to list every restaurant, nor does it say that it's rating system is the most accurate. The only compile the views of 30,000 diners in a very simplistic 0-3 scale. As I've stated before, Zagat is a survey company, they collect data and information. They're not perfect in their ratings, but the company is not to blame for that. Blame the people who insist on calling Union Sq. Cafe one of the best restaurants in the city.

Back on topic: I'm not sure how long this has been up but www.davidbouley.com is a pretty nice site. People have already noted that both Bouley and Danube have simple but pretty functional websites. I'm not sure if this one is new, but upon initial inspection it seems to be pretty well-designed.

Oakapple is not saying that Zagat's rating system is necessarily good. It seems that he's just pointing out that inclusion in the Zagat guide is based on reader votes; it's not as though the editors are choosing which place to include or exclude. edit to add: this stuff isn't really pertinent to the thread's topic

Cuozzo brings up some good, albeit, obvious points. The TWC obviously brings in the people, Whole Foods is packed at lunch, but doesn't have much in the mid-priced range. Especially at lunch, when shoppers might want a quick but satisfying lunch in the $30 range, there's not a lot there. I often walked past Cafe Gray but always found the lunch menu to be too expensive for an everyday meal. BarMasa isn't bad but it's menu is rather limited and expensive if you get into the sushi. V Steakhouse offers economical lunch offerings but is, as Cuozzo says, depressingly quiet. Venues like Bouchon Bakery are what the TWC needs. If a version of Bouchon like in Las Vegas would open in the TWC, it would make a killing serving large volumes high quality food from a big name chef at a reasonable price.

Good article. It's certainly worth reading if you care at all about what's being discussed here.

That abbreviation is ridiculous. I feel like it takes longer to type that out than to write the full name. I'm amused, nonetheless.

i use one of the zojirushi hot water pots and love it. i always have 5 liters of nearly boiling water at the ready. perfect for tea, coffee, blanching veggies and filling a hot water bottle on a chilly night. ← That's exactly what I was talking about. They're made by National/Panasonic (I think they're the same brand now), Zojirushi, etc. A 2-liter model takes up no more room than an electric kettle, is more convenient, and more useful, I think.

The real sham is the businesses who try to sell fake plaques and stickers to unsuspecting restaurant owners. To be "Zagat Rated" is an honor, albeit a small one, since it's dependent on patrons nominating your restaurant. Zagat is a good on-line resource since they clearly present the phone number, hours, and location of most popular restaurants. If a website for the restaurant exists, Zagat probably links to it, as well; that's another time saver. As for the ratings, that's not what is being discussed here.