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adamru

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Everything posted by adamru

  1. I'm in a sort of a stupor of indulgence right now after dinner in the main dining room. I'll write something more tomorrow but I have to say what they're serving is an extremely well executed version of every meal I've ever had in the main dining room of Gramercy Tavern. I'd call it rustic but courses like the game and foie gras are lighter than one would expect. That it seemed that way after a second plate of canapes was brought is saying a lot. The lobster ravioli was exceptional. It tasted not as much like lobster but like that ocean and that was new and remarkable to me. I wish with the beef course that their definition of rare was the same as mine. It was closer to medium. I thought the bread was okay. I tried the sourdough and nothing special but the bread came after the canapes and just before the foie gras and I didn't want anymore bread. Dessert, best souffle ever. Apricot souffle with almonds in it and with amaretto ice cream. Its richness more than made up for the fact there was no chocolate option. The souffle followed a pineapple granite which was a fine palate cleanser but could have been colder - maybe frozen yogurt instead of yogurt - and six cheeses. The bon bon course, I ate one of everything. Peanut brittle, honeycomb, lime marshmallow, lemon cotton candy, jelly, rum cake, pistachio and chocolate and anise and raspberry macarons, coffee and crunchy orange and fresh mint and banana chocolates. And others. And coffee. After champagne and two glasses of wine. My date had the vegetarian menu prestige because why not try everything? A tomato consomme, sweet onion gratin, cepe risotto, vegetable medley. All very good and were presented and executed in a way that justified a high price but I do believe vegetarian options should be somewhat reduced in price, if only $10. Maybe charging the same price is the kitchen's way of saying we're putting just as much effort and quality into this menu as well. It was very much appreciated that the sommelier split glasses of wine and he was very friendly. Everyone was warm and displayed some sense of humor and the room needed that kind of ease. The check was about $400 and even ordering wine by the glass we basically doubled our food check so I suppose it is smart to charge less for food assuming you'll make money on wine. I almost didn't go tonight but I couldn't change my reservation for any other date or time til next year, I never would have guessed what an experience I was missing. I will say I hated the swivel chairs. They should be on wheels, otherwise, you're still pushing yourself in and out. They looked nice though. I was shocked at the intimacy of the room, I suppose I must have read this but only twelve tables! It felt a bit like eating inside a vault. The people watching was great, it's a calm room but some people at other tables knew each other and bridged gaps. As the night went on the average age in the room went down by half. Everyone interpreted smart dressing in different ways. And there was one guy in trainers. Good night.
  2. I've been reading this forum for months and this is my first contribution. it was a mild day in NYC today and I didn't feel like making an apple pie for a birthday today and last night I stumbled upon October's Gourmet and opened it up to Claude Colliot's apple puree with crisp apple skin and spiced syrup. It made for a very refreshing dish and went over as a success. I just think I left too much meat on the skins which affected their crisping. Now I just have to work on my presentation skills.
  3. I spent a few days in Belfast in August and stayed at the Merchant, not expensive for what it was if you haven't found a hotel yet, and the room package I booked came with one dinner for two and breakfast for two every morning. Both were a la carte and you could order as much as you wanted - we ordered plenty of extra courses - and there'd be no check unless you ordered alcohol. And the bar at the Merchant make the best old school cocktails, like Pegu Club in NYC. It's an opulent place without feeling stuffy but if it's not your scene, Deane's Deli is a relaxed, open room with incredible fresh food and you can buy prepared food there for the plane or train home too.
  4. I'm confused. I never ate here before, called up JG for a lunch reservation and I was asked if I wanted the casual or formal dining room. Is the casual dining room Nougatine? Or does JG have two dining rooms and Nougatine?
  5. adamru

    BLT Burger

    "It says "Bistro Laurent Tourondel" right on the menu, right below the initials "BLT". I think a lot of people will figure this out. Having said that, I basically agree that, to most diners, Laurent Tourondel is irrelevant—even assuming they vaguely know who he is. eGullet members are atypical. We have an interest in the food industry that is far greater than the dining population at large." Wow, you're right, it does. Do people really pay attention to that? It's like seeing a movie title then reading "A Miramax Film" beneath it.
  6. adamru

    BLT Burger

    Considering when I ate there and even reading these posts the most popular menu item is the BLT Burger which has bacon, lettuce and tomato as components, customers are ulitmately going to associate the name of the restaurant with its best offering and not the name Laurent Tourondel. I think over time they would develop a customer base that would be surprised to learn BLT stands for anything else.
  7. adamru

    BLT Burger

    I had lunch there today. they're open from 1130am - 11pm. I got there at 1145 and before noon the bar was half full and a few tables in the back were full. They offer counter service at the bar for which all the singles opted and while we were probably overworking the bartender George, whose service was great. I had the BLT Burger which everyone at the bar ordered while I was there. It's the best value - two patties with bacon lettuce tomato and peppercorn sauce for $11. The bun is basically the same as Shake Shack. The burger, the portions are giant. I read somewhere yesterday the burger was Shake Shack-sized but it's a monster. The bun held up okay, but it's a multi-napkin enterprise. For how full it left me, it was a bargain, I'd probably have the smaller classic for lunch in the future though. The peppercorn sauce was spicy but no flavor was dominant and it just added to the mess. (Of course ordering the burger rare probably didn't help.) There was one great benefit to the leaking sauce and all the beef drippings. I had a side of the vidalia onion rings which were huge and sweet. I'd guess there were eight or less in a side. But the batter was so thick and doughy and I find that a turn-off. (By contrast my ideal onion rings are those at Soho Park. Unfortunately, the fried pickles at Soho Park lack but require the BLT-style batter.) The drippings and sauce did a lot by the end of my burger to dissolve and flavor the dough making them far more appealing at the end than the start of my meal. The drink menu. There are six glasses of wine, none over $8. Maybe a dozen beers. And about fifteen variations on ice cream drinks. Milk shakes. Floats - black cow, pink cow, etc. and alcoholic milk shakes. Several bottled sodas. Fountain soda. And I had a Pop Bomb which is 1/4 Coke, 1/4 Dr. Pepper, 1/4 Sprite and 1/4 Ginger Ale. Tasted like a vanilla Coke. Free refills, refilled without asking and it was $2. Dessert. Cupcakes are $3. There are cookies and ice cream seclections. And I had a Peanut Butter and Jelly Donut: A jelly donut sliced longways with two thick slices of a crunchy peanut butter cream which tastes like Jacques Torres' peanut butter. It needed more jelly and it wasn't $6 great. With more jelly it could be $4-$5 great. I think it was the most expensive dessert. $25, $5 tip, $30. Not a lunch I can have everyday but one of the combos with tax and tip would cut the price in half and I could eat there twice as often. I don't know if I'd want to be there when they're packed, but for a new lunch option in the neighborhood I'd come here instead of Ditch Plains and during the winter while Shake Shack's closed.
  8. I frequently ate there til 2000, the lobster salad and ravioli was one of my favorite meals. I also learned when bringing an attractive enough date someone would come over and offer to make us anything we wanted not on the menu. So I could see there being equal and opposite behavior as well. Ultimately it was higher prices for portions small to start that led me to stop eating there and aren't there flatscreen TVs over the bar now? It's a different place.
  9. do they have a non-japanese bias on the phone or once you're inside as well? I never heard of the place until this forum started and I ate there wednesday night. short wait for a table and the service didn't seem off as just generally overwhelmed, two waitresses in a packed room can only do so much and they were very nice about our wait to order. also I'd say half the people eating there were not japanese.
  10. At Gordon Ramsay in London, it's same number different currency, 40 pounds for three courses at lunch, 85 pounds for three courses at dinner, which with the current exchange rate means the meals in NYC would be half price.
  11. adamru

    Gilt

    Wow. I read that over and it does sound like a press release. At least in two places. I think reading the bad releases on Eater has infected my writing style. It was a good meal, I'd waited a year too long to eat there and I have a thing for bar rooms. I think the big shock for me was that the scene was at Nobu57 which I read nothing about ever and not at Gilt which I hear about or maybe just read about here all the time. Ugh. I still read like a release.
  12. adamru

    Gilt

    Saturday night I went to the bar at Gilt. I'd never been to the space in any of its previous incarnations and was unaware of the murals and ornament of the room but I was impressed to see it mesh with the purple glacial shell that served as a backdrop to the bar. It reminded me of the Madama Butterfly production now at the Met, a classic space with just the smallest modern cinematic touch on stage that can transform the whole room. It works here yet I couldn't imagine that going up in the King Cole Bar a couple blocks away. The food. The soups and salads changed from the online fall bar menu and that was a letdown but what my girlfriend and I ordered was plenty. To start, the roasted gnocchi with parmesan poached egg. About eight pieces surrounding the egg, with split pieces of haricots verts between the gnocchi. The gnocchi broke as easily as the yolk flooding the plate with a warm well-seasoned custard. At $12 it's the bargain of the menu too. Next came the slider sampler ($24) and the truffled fries with bacon dip ($11.) The fries are a generous portion even for two people and resemble closest the fries at DB. It's immediately clear to taste that they're cooked in fat and the bacon dip has small pieces of bacon in what tasted like a bacon flavored sour cream. I'm sure I don't know anywhere else that charges that much for french fries and I'm sure I've had better ones but these were very good and a great side to the slider sampler which justified its price while remaining light. The heaviest of the sliders is the Wagyu cheeseburger with pickled onions. It melts in your mouth, like all the sliders it's on a buttery roll and the flavors of the three ingredients were all well balanced. Size-wise, it's half a Shack burger. The braised pork slider is shredded pork topped with avacado and pineapple. The pineapple absolutely gave it a certain kick that also lightened the dish. And the lobster club was fine but we ate that last and there was nothing special about it - cucumber and crispy shallots if they were in there went unnoticed - and so while fine the lack of any special touch made it a letdown. For dessert we shared the fall fruit plate with ginger beer ice cream and ginger snaps. I'm never one to order fruit for dessert and a black forest mousse sounded amazing, but this was such a refreshing and contrasting dish, the fruit custardy and the ice cream effervescent that we left very satisfied. As for service, excellent. Every employee who passed through the bar must have waited on us or checked on us at one point. When asked if we wanted more drinks, the waitress returned immediately with two that the bartender was making for someone else. At $160 with tax and tip for four plates and four drinks I'm sure it was cheaper but also less food than the main dining room but I'd like to think we left just as satisfied. I don't know if it was empty just because it's in midtown east or in a hotel or if they only do so many seatings - we were there from just past 830 til just past 10 - but no one else on a Saturday night was seated in that time which seemed a shame. Shortly afterward what really surprised us was going to Nobu 57 which always looks so staid outside that you'd think it's closed and discovering a rather wild alternative to Next Door Nobu, old men, escorts, europeans, young tourists and bridge and tunnel all very much enjoying themselves and absolutely packed to the rafters. I just wonder if that's a charm of Nobu restaurants as it's also rather hidden on a deserted block that doesn't get much night traffic.
  13. According to the Today Show this morning, a NJ state rep inspired by NYC's proposed ban is today proposing legistlation for a statewide ban of transfats.
  14. I ate at the biltmore room on halloween last year and it was billed as an opulent feast one might find in a jazz age hotel served by appropriately decked-out servers. if that's robins's idea of a theme night then classic russian and french fare served by waiters in coat tails, as described on restaurantgirl's site, working around a giant glass bear - I'm guessing they've kept that? - might be a situation where robins feels comfortable. but really I'm just glad it's not another new steakhouse.
  15. There's a sign outside the restaurant saying limited numbers of reservations are available for tonight and tomorrow. They're not open on Sundays and Mondays.
  16. after seeing hannah and her sisters last night at moma, I wanted an authentically new york night to follow and from my short list on where to go I picked cafe gray. don't mock this. I like roaming time warner late at night when it's empty - it reminds me of the world trade center but with better food - and on the way up to dinner I first questioned what was going on in a roped-off section of the 2nd floor outside borders and was invited inside to the illy espresso event which was an open bar and all small tastes from asiate with the chef on hand to oversee it all. venison carpaccio, tuna carpaccio, black bean soup that was stew like filled with bacon and potatoes, a sweet chunky tomato gazpacho, and a basil tapioca atop tirami su. all of these were the chef's interpretations of the flavors of illy espresso and I've never had a meal that great at asiate so I'm glad something so inspired the chef. and the artist james rosenquist was there signing cans he designed which carried over the vibe from moma. afterward I went up to porter house which had a friends and family night where I got a drink at the bar and while I wasn't excited that every new restaurant is a steakhouse this fall, the low ceilings, modern interior, dim but with bright wood all made for a very welcoming environment. the bar was packed with walk-ins who were turned away from stone rose which seemed to also be having a private event. the stone rose turnaways were either the reason bar masa and the bar at cafe gray were completely packed at 10pm on a weeknight or the restaurants at time warner are far busier than I ever imagined. eating and drinking all that, by the time my date and I got to cafe gray, we just stayed in the brasserie room up front and it's the first time I ever had food there that left me thinking what could make it better. I was surprised too how much of the bar menu seemed more like it belonged at bread bar than cafe gray. the tamarind glazed chicken lollipops were a single skewer of five pieces that were hearty and well-flavored but the plate of cauliflower and curry were incredibly sweet to the point of inedible. the shrimp croque monsieur was great but cut into four triangles, it's basically shrimp pressed between two pieces of toast and the $22 price was hard to get over. it should have been much thicker at this price. the dessert menu that came was the restaurant menu and we had the chocolate grand marnier souffle with grenadine oranges and we ordered a scoop of rum raisin ice cream beside it. (no charge for the ice cream.) the souffle was such a huge disappointment after the last two I had at blue hill and perry st. I don't make souffles and I don't know what the exact composition is meant to be I assume custardy and cakelike at once, but this was a burnt top filled with a very soupy bottom. and it was the smallest souffle I can recall. the check for two drinks, two appetizers and a souffle were $100 after the tip. not at all justified, but a small price to pay for the entire experience the night provided. the service was very good throughout. next time I'll go back to the dining room and stick to the risotto and pork chop. also, I've always defended the decor and I still stand by the banquettes and tiled floors and wood and mirrored walls, but spending enough time at the bar I now believe the painted flowers on the banquettes and the low back chairs give the room a schizophrenic asian feel in total contrast with the all the brasserie details.
  17. I walked past The Russian Tea Room today and saw life for the first time in years that I can recall. The windows being cleaned, doors being polished, lights on and people coming and going inside. I looked it up online and it was sold in 2002 to the US Golf Association and then in 2004 to a group turning it condo with the intention - as recently as 2005 - of opening a restaurant on the ground floor. It seemed odd that it was being cleaned up and not gutted. Anyone know what's moving in?
  18. They don't take reservations and I've only ever seen it packed on weekend afternoons when it can average a half hour wait. I've never seen it more than half-full on a weekday afternoon.
  19. When someone from the restaurant called yesterday to confirm my reservation, the message they left was unenthusiastic and unintelligible and they butchered my name like a bad telemarketer and it made me concerned for what was to come. When I arrived on time for my reservation, they first could not find it, then explained that my party was already seated. This seemed reasonable since my date was expected to get there ahead of me. But no, my whole party was seated. I explained that could not be and the hostess went back to ask the party their name and she came back and told me that yes, they are who I was claiming to be. Then another host or manager came over, went back to the same party who it turned out had a name not at all similar to mine and he came back and told the hostess so. Within the next ten minutes, my date arrived and we were both seated. We were seated at a table that on one hand had a great view of the kitchen and on the other hand was practically inside the kitchen. At this point there are only four tables occupied at the restaurant. They have to work on all that. From that point on, it was an entirely different experience. Our waitress was incredibly perky, enthused to be working there, very knowledgable about the menu, and explained the complexity and variety in the dishes, their flavors and textures. We already knew what we wanted but this was the best explanation of a menu I've had since at Alinea six months ago. We ordered five appetizers, but first the amuse. Texas toast with chili ricotta and some green leaf on top. This tasted like a heavily peppered rice cake and was the only let down of the night in terms of food. Next came two foie gras shooters which look like a shot glass filled with egg yolk topped with creme fraiche and there's a piece of foie gras tuile on top to eat afterward. It's delicious. Warm, milky, silky and savory, it goes down smooth and they're cheap enough ($5) that we considered ordering another round. The red chili jumbo shrimp and the chili crusted scallops - four shrimp, two scallops - were both well-seasoned, had similar tasting sauces and an intense heat that grew after eating them. The scallops with corn sauce are a flawless dish. The only flaw with the shrimp is that they could not at all pick up the pepper hollandaise sauce. The prarie butter was next. The menu reads that it comes with roasted chiles but they're few and far between cut thin and mixed with a lot of sweet roasted onions all of which are just great. The marrow was not too salty, just well seasoned and in endless supply. And splitting the bones is just a great idea making the marrow more accessible and more visually appealing. The grilled camp bread was only warm from the plate, though soft and fresh, but I expected grilled bread would toast, it's not. But it works. It's also the same bread served to the table, and while not warm, the butter's soft. The last dish, the lobster cakes with orange sauce and black bean salsa. The salsa is great. The orange sauce does not overwhelm the lobster cakes, in fact they give the cakes they're only flavor. It's the only dish of the five neither of us would order again. Fortunately with the prices so low for the portion and quality of the dishes, one can afford to make a mistake. Two cocktails, two shooters and the four other appetizers were $83 before tip. I look forward to going back for entrees. A few notes, there is no dessert menu on paper yet, but there are half dozen the server recited. A chili chocolate cake sounded best. There was a panna cotta and a fruit dish with a margarita cream that I remember. They're working on a cocktail menu but have no house drinks yet. The house margarita is $10. The tomahawk chop ribeye with lobster tail, mashed potatoes and scallops that's not on the online menu is at market price. If you don't want to ask, it's $125. It serves two. Everything coming out of the kitchen looked great and the restaurant filled up quite a bit more when we left but more people were eating at the bar. I didn't think the restaurant would be so small but I think the intimate size keeps it from feeling like a theme restaurant. I was worried this would be like an Outback Steakhouse alternative but the only thing they have over Lonesome Dove is a better hostess.
  20. couldn't it be that he looked at the dining landscape of the lower east side and with freeman's constantly busy, their expansion and - according to the journal on eater - their attempts to expand on and improve their menu, that bruni thought a lower east side equivalent to the spotted pig had the most potential to be star-worthy in a neighborhood that doesn't get much critical attention?
  21. I went to London in the spring and at the time Harrods had the Truly British collection. Chocolates filled with sherry trifle, apple crumble, sticky toffee and other classic desserts. And you can go to Laduree while you're there.
  22. 212-350-6658 That's the number according to today's DailyCandy. They confirm soft opening is today and it's open to the public after Labor Day.
  23. adamru

    Bondi Road

    I asked about their gas at dinner tonight. Apparently it was turned on Monday night but they're still serving the $25 seven course menu. It's the only option. Cocktails are $7 - $8. Four drinks, fourteen courses, tax and tip, $100 and definitely worth it. They were having air conditioning issues - we sat outside tonight - but that could explain not turning the ovens on yet. I took photos and I'll post a review tomorrow.
  24. I had a great experience there yesterday morning. I had the $6 breakfast of meyer lemon soda and two toasted brioche halves with a small dish of nutella. It's a nice treat to be able to sit down to that for the same price of a large drink at Starbucks and now that movie tickets in Manhattan in the morning are only $6 I can see a movie and have breakfast for the price of a normal ticket, two reasons to wake up before noon now! Despite the fact I was served almost instantly, he was more than attentive in taking out the El Bulli cookbook and giving me advice on my tea ravioli trials for about an hour before I walked out with my fresh supply of Willpowders. There was one customer who stopped in just for an orange juice and with the customer and I both he was willing to top off or refill drinks as well.
  25. I ate at the bar last week where diners have the option of bar menu or full menu. There are five or six offerings, and I believe my date and I tried everything but the gougeres. We started with the grilled cheese sandwiches and lobster clubs. The menu doesn't make it clear but you receive six of each sandwich in miniature, each wrapped in paper and the bread must be sliced from minature loaves and then toasted as it has that shape. The grilled cheese is melted gruyere, sliced pork belly and mustard. The lobster club has two pieces of bread not three and I couldn't find any lobster in the salad. Both are very buttery but the flavor combination in the grilled cheese surpasses the butter flavor while the lobster club succumbs to it. Next we had the smoked salmon which I believe were small bites - again, about six - on small squares of foccacia with dabs of creme fraiche I believe. Nothing special and like the lobster a gross lack of the main ingredient for the price. Then came the mushroom pizza. It came in four or six slices on a crisp but not burnt bread and was piled with a tower of the most flavorful mushrooms like I've never seen before. So it was hit and miss, two dishes worked, two didn't; the more comfort food / cheaper ingredient dishes far more successful and satisfying than the seafood dishes by which the logic the cheese puffs should be amazing. I believe all the small plates averaged around $14 each. Their cocktail menu was a treat as well; I only wish I could remember all I drank. As the evening began at 230 Fifth, I was glad we came to EMP second as even though it lacks a view it showed 230 up on food and drink. (230 Fifth doesn't even have a full bar.)
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