Joe Gerard

I might as well join the nay-sayers. Based on my one dinner Vetri has to be the most overrated restaurant in the country. The famous crepe had no truffle flavor at all and neither did the pasta. There was a boring clam broth dish, and the goat, like just about every dish we tried, was woefully underseasoned. I wanted to go into the kitchen to see if they had any salt at all.

My wife and I enjoyed a very nice meal at Amada this past Sunday. Spanish cuisine is so poorly represented in New York - and sadly, the rest of the U.S. - that it was nice to be reminded of how good it can be. The evening was made even more pleasant by our server, who not only made accurate suggestions as to the number and type of dishes to order, but was extremely knowledgeable about the wine list and seemed genuinely excited to make suggestions and find out what we thought of them. After two clunkers in both food and service the previous nights, Amada helped restore our faith in the Philly restaurant scene.

Agreed. We're all musing about the number of pots being thrown in kitchens throughout the Bay Area. The Danko rating has to be especially painful in light of former co-owner Nick Peyton's 2-star coup at Cyrus. ← Wow, these guys are tough. The Danko ranking jumps off the page.

Freeman's and Da Silvano??? I have to believe there are more relevant places to review in New York, whether new or not. I would suggest that he start with updated reviews of the establishments that Hesser butchered during her reign of terror, but I have no faith that the results would be much of an improvement. This is probably Bruni's worst review. The writing is absolutely painful to muddle through ("It had a dead-on degree of the oxymoronic sweet sourness that this cheese is all about. ") In addition, he basically trashes the place and then awards it a star. Unbelievable.

To be clear, I ate there in early September and ordered the most expensive tasting menu (I believe it was $160). There was a much less expensive tasting menu offered (around $60-$80). Some of the courses included in my tasting menu were very small (the amazing langoustine) while others were quite sizable (the poached egg over spicy eggplant stew). During my entire meal the only other people to eat at the bar were a party of three who ordered two less expensive plates each plus dessert, and another couple who also ordered two plates each plus dessert. At no time did I, or as far as I could tell, my fellow diners, feel harassed or compelled to order more food or wine. My waiter, in fact, assumed I wanted the cheaper tasting menu until I corrected him. An amazing bread basket sits right in front of each diner to eat as much or as little of as he or she may desire (much in my case). Service was friendly, chatty without being overbearing and the counter atmosphere adds to this comfort level. I'll leave it to FG and others to decide for themselves.

I can't imagine they would scale down the level that much. Ducasse has shown no proclivity to give up Michelin stars ala Alain Senderens. If he does, it would be a sad day for French cuisine in NY.

I disagree that the cuisine at JG, LB and Daniel is better (I have had very disappointing experiences at each), but that will always be a subjective matter. But clearly one can dine at Atelier for much less than $150, and many people availed themselves of the opportunity when I was there.

Each diner can decide how many dishes to choose and at what price point, an option that is not available at any restaurant in NY that I can think of serving this level of food.

To suggest that Alain Ducasse NY is not in the top fifty best restaurants in the US is borderline delusional.

I could not disagree more. I had the tasting menu, and with the exception of the amuse, which I really disliked, and the sea urchin (a little too much taste of the sea) every course was a home run. The langoustine is amazing, the poached egg over spicy eggplant stew as refined and beautiful a dish as you will find anywhere. I would not turn down another shot at the quail and foie gras accompanied by those amazing mashed potatoes (an extra little crock covered with summer truffles appeared out of nowhere). I rarely have the experience of loving every dish on a tasting menu, and that goes for Boulud, Keller, etc. To expect perfection in any restaurant, even at this price point, is a recipe for an unhappy dining life. I would also add that several diners chose three or four courses for far less money, an option not available in most restaurants of this class. As for Bruni, if he awards two stars it should put the final nail in his coffin.

With Christopher Lee taking over at Gilt in NYC, does anyone know if he has been replaced at Striped Bass or will he be running both kitchens? Thanks.

APDC is one of the most unique restaurants in the world. Don't miss the boudin noir or brandade, and make sure you order the pouding de chomeuer for dessert. No one mentioning Toque here for some reason - probably the best in the city. L'Express will make you think you are in Paris, but I think best for lunch - excellent duck breast. Have fun!

I have reservations in two weeks so I hope you just hit them on an off night, as I have never had a bad meal there. However, Mark Ladner, formerly the chef at Lupa, is now at Del Posto. I have been wondering about attrition in the growing Batali empire. As chefs move through the ranks their replacements have to be just as capable in order to maintain standards.

Gabrielle's piece could not be more apropos. The last time I ate at Prune I had marrow bones and sweetbreads. If the food police and animal activists/terrorists have their way, these delicacies will soon suffer the same fate as our beloved Foie.

I suggest making your next lunch or dinner reservation at Le Francais. When I was there in October I ate lunch alone, and I mean really alone. So you'll be doing two good deeds - protesting this ludicrous ruling and supporting a gastronomic landmark that needs you.

This is an outrageous act by a bunch of ill-informed, hypocritical, headline grabbing politicians. And yes, without the publicity Trotter gave to this subject we would have been a long way from where we are today. When I dined there in October he had no problem serving rabbit and veal, no less (both were tasteless, so maybe that's his criteria for what is allowed on his menu). By the way, unless you are nuerotic, you can eat your burgers rare, your eggs runny and your cheeses raw if you are even slightly judicious about your sources. And Au Pied de Cochon is my favorite restaurant in the world.

What a strange rant. To suggest that SB from producers like Dagueneau, Ladoucette, Jolivet and, yes, Kim Crawford (which I enjoyed with some Petit Billy yesterday - what a match!) are not among the world's great white wines displays a very surprising level of intolerance for a professional. Perhaps Steinberger prefers wines that many critics enjoy these days, the ones that could come from any grape, and any place, but conform to their subjective preferences. Sauvignon Blanc is not that kind of wine.

Please do let me know how you think St Barts compares to Anguilla dining wise. This is actually my first trip to Anguilla. Thinking of Blanchard's, Malli, Altamer, Koal Keel and Tasty's. Cuisinart has a new chef who has an interesting background. Some places in St Barts will be closed when I visit, like Francois Plantation, so I was thinking of dropping a visit there altogether. I will be curious to hear your recs. Thanks.

Have you been to the French side of St martin?

I will be hitting all three towards the end of March, and will be eating bread and water for months afterwards to pay for it. Anyone have favorites to share or know of noteworthy chef changes, new places? Tony B., anything new on SXM?