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They serve food there? I thought it was just a place to see and be seen.

There have been several comments on the name of the new restaurant Per Se, opened in New York City by Thomas Keller. Many members have indicated "Per Se" is a horrible name for a restaurant and at least one person said they wouldn't eat there because of the name. What are some of the best and worst restaurant names? Would a name either encourage or discourage you to attend? Best - Sidebern's - Tampa, FL (very clever being next door to Bern's) Henry's End - Brooklyn, NY (evokes pity) Hemingway's - Orlando, FL (quite bohemian) The Rattlesnack Club - Dallas, TX (mystery, danger & romance) Union Pacific, NY, NY (reminiscent of train food when it was good - much like the Chattanooga Choo-Choo) Worst - El Bulli - Spain (reminds me of matadors) Victoria & Albert - Disney World (tobacco in a can) Babbo - NYC, NY (a child's bathwater) Felidia - NYC, NY (did a porno star name this?) Sweet Basil - Staten Island, NY (I like basil, but it's not sweet)

I find that very interesting. I guess Per Se filled its first couple of weeks by offering tables to hotels (I'm sure the Mandarin got a few) and probably some friends, VIPs and the media. I wonder why they chose not to open the phone lines.

I was a regular at Per Se until they re-opened. Since I ate there on one of the five days they were open until the fire, they considered me a regular. But now, alas, I 'm just another pretty credit card number.

The Duck Joint because of its atmosphere, pate at the bar while waiting for a table (sometimes I hoped I would never be called) and for the best roast duck, goose and pork schnietzel (sp?) I ever tasted.

Per Se was much warmer than Trotter's. Right away, at the hostess stand, there were smiles and a sense of camaraderie. The vibe was: "Isn't it great that we're all here right now?" At Trotter's the vibe was: "You are the in the presence of greatness, please act accordingly." The cities had very little to do with it. Was just wondering how you and your parents got the reservations. Since there was no phone line open, how was the reservation made?

Rachel's Sister. She's three-year-old by Rodeo. She was injured last year just before her scheduled debut at Saratoga. She's training beautifully (Linda Rice is her trainer) and she'll probably be the favorite first time out, so you won't be able to make much money. She'll be entered in the next 6-furlong NY-bred MSW race at Belmont. None scheduled in the condition book at this point, but it should come up as an "extra" in about ten days. She'll have her last 5-furlong breeze tomorrow morning at the Belmont Traning Track.

That's a great choice Doc! I've had some luck with the Stags' Leap 2002-3 Chenin Blanc and softshell crabs. The fruit would be a great contrast with the caper/butter sauce. My other choice would be the Dr. Frank 1999-2000 Pinot Noir. Both are excellent vintages. Nice fruit with some backbone to stand up to the sauce. Enjoy your birthday. My filly will be making her first start at Belmont within ten days and then (if she does as well as everyone thinks) it will be off to Saratoga in late July.

I hate the name El Bulli, so I decided I'm not going for dinner there tomorrow evening. Anyone want the reservation? But I do like the name McDonald, so from now on that's where I'm eating everyday!

Mine!

I say all egullet members show up tomorrow evening (after the Derby) and just go sit at an open table - there should be a lot of them.

The phone says they will open tomorrow and start taking reservations tomorrow for July 1st. So who is eating there from tomorrow (or three days ago) until May 20th? Can you just walk-in and be seated? If no one is taking reservations before July 1st and the earliest re-scheduled people won't be going until May 20th, that's a three-week gap.

There's nothing quite like Rock & Roll - 33. The best macro-brewed beer in the world. If you don't like R&R, you don't understand beer.

Staten Island has an excellenet Filipino restaurant.

Cliches become cliches because they are cliches. Saying that, I have read this entire thread with great interest and must compliment all of you for making fascinating and provocative points. But I have a sense it comes down to this cliche: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Every critic is an individual with likes and dislikes that can never be totally erased from their mind when reviewing a restaurant. No review can ever be written without some degree of subjectivity - food is just too personal. Therefore, find a critic who shares your concepts; read, enjoy and visit the recommended places. Advice to the new NY Times critic - ignore all the advice and just be yourself.

Sixty days out is what they said to me. That's what it was before the closing.

Received my re-scheduling call moments ago. Unfortunately, we were not able to work out a date. (Only taking reservations through July 4th now.) They have made a note of my preference of July 12th and will give me "preference" when I call on May 12th. They did know: 1. I ate there on 2/17 and 2. that my second reservation was cancelled due to the fire. Phone service was extremely polite and professional. I did ask when the restaurant was re-opening and the answer was "...on or about May 20th."

I still haven't received my re-scheduling call. I had an April 11th reservation. Has anyone with a later date been called yet?

Something new on Per Se's website this morning: "The reservations office will reopen on May 1st and will be taking requests for Thursday, July 1st. Thank you for your patience during our renovation process. We look forward to seeing you at Per Se soon!" I guess the NY Times was wrong about a May 1st opening for dinner, unless the first three weeks are for VIP's, media and other dignitaries.

The French Laundry site now states that they will not begin to accept reservations until May 1st. It was April 15th as of two days ago. It does say the restaurant will open in May. Is it possible both the French Laundry and Per Se will re-open on the same day? It seems May 1st is going to be a very busy day. I hope the phone companies can handle the traffic.

The worst I remember is my stove breaking down the night before I was having 75 people over for my annual holiday party ( and I do all the cooking.) I called the emergency number and the person asked if it was truly an emergency. When I explained, the repariman was there within two hours. It cost me $350, but I was saved from catastrophe.

Just went to check the actual paper as I could not find the info on the NYT website. In the "Off the Menu" section it says Per Se "will reopen May 1 and will begin taking reservations that day at (phone)..." To me, that certainly means that someone will be dining there that night. I'd be annoyed too if that is in fact the case. Maybe their press agents have just done another outstanding job in mastering the art of confusion.

I assume that they have rescheduled cancelled reservations to fill tables for a few weeks, at least. True, they have re-scheduled, but no one has a date prior to May 20th. According to the people on this board who have been called, that was the first date offered.

The New York Times reported today that Per Se will re-open May 1st and their reservation line will open the same day. Does this mean anyone can walk in on Saturday the first (also Kentucky Derby Day) and be seated? Or at least the first 16 groups? Why would they open the reservation lines the same day they're opening the restaurant?

Easy - catch the redeye out of San Francisco - sleep on the plane. Arrive in Newark at 5:30am, go to the restaurant, prepare the night's menu, catch the 3:00pm out of Newark, arrive back in SF at 5:00pm - just in time for dinner hour. That schedule wouldn't kill Keller too much... But he's had so much time to rest the last few months.