rich

I think a lot of people do. I certainly have been known to do so. ← Actually, me too. I never have more than one glass of wine with breakfast.

Thought I'd revise this as the 2003 Chuck Cabernet is on the stands. I think it's the best Cabernet they have released. Fruity, light tannins and very drinkable. At $3 on the east coast, it's fine with simple foods - it's a $10 wine. The 2005 Sauvignon Blanc just came as well - it's okay, has a grassy quality but very light - probably a $5-6 wine. The recent Merlot, Chardonnay and Shiraz are not worth $3 or $2 or $1 - tasted them in-house and wouldn't buy a bottle to use as a weapon...

No better place than the Rainbow Room if you want a view. Until four+ years ago, the only better view in NYC for drinks was the Windows bar at the World Trade Center.

I noticed it was in the $25 and under when I got home and read the rest of the paper last evening - it was a bit strange. I was told about the place by a friend who stopped on his way to Luger. He was going to get some oysters before going to Luger - wound up cancelling Luger and stayed at Marlowe's the entire evening. Said he enjoyed the meal more than he ever enjoyed Luger. SE - What has been the problem with Diner? It was standing room only when I left Marlowe's at 9:45 last evening.

There's finally a reason to travel to Williamsburg and it's not Peter Luger. I went to Marlowe's last evening at 81 Broadway and had an excellent dinner. Located next door to Diner, which I will try shortly, Marlowe's boasts a small retail shop in the front and a bar and small dining room in the rear. It's a bit funky, so for those who care more about ambiance than food, this place is not for you. It has marble tables with benches and step stools for chairs - but every table has its own water bottle to satisfy the "waterholics." My wife and I ordered four small plates and one entree - had a terrific Rhone and a wonderful time. We started with a large bowl of Calamata and green olives marinated in garlic and EVOO - excellent. The crostini with White Beans was more like a salad on top of toasted sourdough - excellent. Three cheeses served with raisin and plain bread was superb - the cheese was a perfect temperture and the selection was terrific - creamy chevre, vermont cheddar and an aged gouda. Up next was the highlight of the evening - chicken liver mousse. It was absolutely the best I ever had - it would make me quit fois gras. Light, airy, creamy only begin to describe it. It contains no cream or egg whites, but is made with anise, sherry a bit of vinegar and lightly poached chicken livers. It is then "moussed" with an emersion blender for "a long time." I will try this at home - they were very nice to give me the recipe. We then split the Brick Chicken served with lemony collard greens. It was perefectly cooked - crisp skin, moist meat. And the Collard Greens were quite flavorful - an oustanding dish. We didn't have dessert, but ordered two glasses of a house Malbec with the chicken. With a bottle of wine, two glasses of wine, four small plates and one entree the bill was $107 before tip. Right up there with the best $100 I ever spent in a resto. Next came the retail shop where I bought dessert - a Clark Bar, which I was told is only made in England now. There are oils, vinegars, loose homemade and dried pastas (I bought some) and some produce, cheese and several types of bacon (I purchased the pepper bacon). The bood oranges looked great as did the avocados. Got out the the retail shop spending less than $30 - not bad for me. This is more than a neighborhood place - it's a destination spot for the adventurous. For those who don't care about white linens and beet foam wrapped alligator feet, you will enjoy yourself here. It's what the term "good eats" truly means.

Last evening at 5:30 there were a few people in the place - looked as though they were cleaning. This morning a new sign appeared - we will be open "in a few more days."

Everyone should take advantage of the presented business opportunites. Not to do so is defeatist. Who cares if these people cook anymore? They must have been good at one time, but you probably wouldn't want them cooking in the restaurant now. It's fairly common knowledge that CCs would only get in the way if they tried to work in a "real" professional kitchen. Better they should sign autographs, then try to create signature dishes. A CCs profession is his/her persona and the "media" business, and all the ramifications, created by it. They graduated and should leave the cooking to the real chefs.

And on the decor - again. I guess when you're not confident talking about the food, you need to fill up the column in other ways. No mention of dining campanions this week - probably no one wants to eat with him anymore, they're afraid of being misquoted or misguided (your choice).

Nice place, great views, good food - you won't be disappointed. I think it's the third or fourth best restaurant in Brooklyn. The only negative - it's somewhat overpriced with the food and grossly overpriced with the wine.

Still closed, same sign in window as of 9:15 am today.

I don't understand why the fuss. Batali is the same as every other celebrity chef. He has been given opportunities and taken them. He realizes, just as DeSpirito, Ray, Ducasse, Flay, Lagasse and all the others before him, that they have a limited time to cash-in on their celebrity. Wish them and their ventures all the success - no one knows how long their star will shine. And after all, I thought the whole purpose of becoming a chef was not to cook anymore except on TV or other media events. Don't you hate celebrity chefs who attempt to cook? Look at Dufresne for example - isn't it terrible he spends most of this time in the kitchen? If he keeps that up, he's going to ruin it for other CCs. Hopefully some CCs will talk to him soon - get him to stop his silly behavior. Kitchens run more smooth when the CC is out doing a guest spot on "Animal Kingdom." In fact, I try not to eat in any restaurant when the CC is in the house because it's sure to cause chaos in the kitchen and disaster on the plate.

I think all restaurant staff (from the chef to the dishwasher) should be women so us men can be served for once. It would be nice to relax. That's one of the reasons I only went to restaurants (when I was paying) that had female chefs in 2005. Last week, my wife phoned me in a panic - she had no idea where she was. I calmed her down and asked her to describe her surroundings. After a minute or two I told her to relax, gave her directions to find her way out and then reassured her not to be frightened again - it was only the kitchen.

I think this istatement is a more interesting one. Would he actually dare to turn someone away based on this? ← Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I'm sure green will be more beautiful to him than anything else.

Same sign still on the door as of 9:05 am today.

Sounds like a great trip. The restaurants seemed fun and interesting. It's too bad you didn't have time to visit the outer boroughs once. I still think that's where the best NYC ethnic restos are located - especially Italian and Thai.

Passed by shortly after 9am this morning - same sign on the door.

A conundrum - the title says Manhattan, but the topic post reads best in NYC. As far as I know Brooklyn is still part of NYC. Staten Island attempted to secede a few years ago, but that's because we're the most southern of all boroughs. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and I'm still with you guys. Anyway, I don't look good in gray.

If I said that, I would be banned from the board for life.

Just passed by and it is closed. The handwritten sign on the door indicates a personal matter and does not state a re-opening date. I will be in the neighborhood Monday and will pass on any additional info.

Actually, I think the River Cafe is very good as well, but I recall a few people saying it's the view that attracts most of the people, not the food. That list is there as an example of things mentioned in posts based on my recollection - and most are not mine (for instance, I would never include Luger, but most would). I'm sure many of the listed restos would draw varying opinions on both food and ambiance.

I drove by there this morning and it look as though the doors were open. I must drive by to get home this evening - I'll take a look.

There's a very small place place on 11th Avenue off 65th Street in Brooklyn (Bensonhurst) called Mama Rao's that serves very nice pasta and veal dishes for next to nothing - excellent value for basic Italian-American fare. No relation to the Rao's on Pleasant Avenue, but does get its share of local politicos.

I can't wait for you to start your processed sugar-based cereal thread.

Oh, absolutely. I included restaurants in both categories where I don't necessarily agree, but those observations have been made in posts. It's fun to voice and hear differing views on restaurants and people here have changed my mind on a few. I will try Urena shortly based on reviews here and will not try Morimoto for the same reason. Del Posto and Gilt are still up in the air and my inclination changes daily. And I was totally impressed with WD-50 - a restaurant I was "iffy" about until reading the posted reviews. With so many NYC restaurant options, you need to take your lead from someplace - so it might as well be this place.

Maybe Urena is just one of those places we've all discussed and debated in the past - a restaurant that serves three or possibly four-star food in one-star surroundings. There are a few places aside from Cafe Gray that have been mentioned over time that fall into the less than stellar ambiance, but terrific food category; WD-50, Tasting Room (my personal example), Babbo, Sri, Di Fara, Peter Luger, Saul, Roberto's, Sapori d'Ischia, Annisa, Blue Hill, Pearl Oyster Bar, Al di La and probably a few I missed. I think a few people have recently complained about ADNY's tired look (aside from the non-working bathrooms). And then there are others that serve less than stellar food in great surroundings: One If By Land, River Cafe, Four Seasons, Spice Market, Cafe de Artistes, Del Posto, Matsuri, Water Club, Tavern on the Green, Morimoto and a few more that I missed. It probably just comes down to an individual choice of what level of importance ambiance plays in having a good meal - and everyone has a different degree of tolerance. I have a friend who goes nuts if his water glass isn't constantly filled and that wouldn't bother me at all unless I was eating at a place in the Sahara. Different strokes...