glenn

I can't deny the logic of BC and MR's rationale, but I have my own. I would never cancel a 12 person xmas reservation the day before. I don't make multiple reservations often -- for that matter, I'm hard pressed to make reservations at all because I'm not one for planning in advance -- but the ocassional times that I do, I try to be fair about canceling by canceling in what I feel is a timely manner. Not to get off topic and I believe we've covered this ground before, but in the event of a dispute, the credit card companies, except for American Express in certain circumstances, will not side with a restaurant who charges a customer who does not show, whether it's a guaranteed reservation or a deposit is given. American Express has no restaurant policy for deposits and the customer will likely win in case of a dispute -- as per our amex rep. As for guaranteed reservations, the restaurant must sign an agreement with AMEX and follow certain rules. I know you (FG) once stated that the customer might prevail in court (if they want to go through such trouble), but master card and visa disagree, at least per our credit card processor.

I've been called worse. I occasionally make reservations at 2 places for various reasons, mostly cuz I can't make up my mind. The last time I did this was thanksgiving cuz I couldn't decide if we were gonna go to nyc or nj. Why does this get people's panites in a bunch? I cancelled one of the reservations a few days beforehand, and I always cancel the one I'm not going to as soon as I make up my mind, though with enough time for the restaurant to give my reservation to someone else. For those restaurants that require a credit card guarantee, I have no problem doing so and always abide by the cancelation policy. I agree about the lowlifes who don't show or cancel, and perhaps that's all you were referring to, but that's not how it's stated. People trying to bullshit and intimidate the hostess saying they made reservations are the ones that should have their toenails removed.

You didn't answer the question... why should the bathroom be singled out as THE INDICATOR of the cleanliness of the kitchen as opposed to the dozens of other factors that might show a lack of concern of the appearance? You also need to take into account that at times at some restaurants it's impossible to monitor the bathrooms. Besides, you normally DO need to be concerned with the cleanliness of the kitchen no matter what the condition of the bathrooms.

Pure mythololgy. Why single out bread and bathrooms? If the outdoor sign is crooked or the front glass is smudged or the floor has a crack or the table cloth has a tear or they don't use tablecloths or the table is wobbly or the hostess is wearing unfashionable glasses or the hostess doesn't appear unitl 3 minutes after you arrive or you caught the busser picking his nose or a light bulb is out, these are surely just as reliable indicators that the restaurant places little importance on a clean kitchen.

Hi Rene, thanks for speaking up. I enjoyed your review on After Athens and agree with much of what you say. All in all, I had a fun time there and enjoyed the food, and I think you were basically saying the same. As for bathrooms, I've worked in 2 restaurants where the condition of the bathrooms ranged from abyssmal at one and clean enough to eat off the floor at another. At the one with the disgusting bathrooms, probably not enough attention was paid to them during service, but that is not such a simple job. When the restaurant is packed and the toilets are in constant use, how do you consistently keep them clean? A busser was assigned the task, but he didn't have time to take away from his other duties to give the rooms the attention that was needed. Certainly the restaurant could have employed someone to do the job, but that was cost prohibitive. I'm not being entirely defensive of the restaurant, but it certainly had no bearing on the food -- cooks normally wash their hands in the kitchen anyway. You have no idea what slobs some customers are. There was one place where every so often the sh!t had to be wiped off the floor. And just last week, someone put a huge hole in the toilet bowl -- we're still trying to figure out how he/she did it. And the one with the squeaky clean bathrooms -- the owner is obsessed with cleanliness and has nothing better to do with her time, seriously! And you would not believe some of the stuff that goes on there. And yeah, post those pictures sometime :)).

Now you're sounding like a JC waitress! And take that dang 95 Greene St. off your list already until they friggin' open. I'm tired of making journeys there and Anabelle getting car sick, all for nothing. And I probably stick to JC cuz practically anywhere else you need to make a reservation at least a few hours in advance. Hmmm, there might be a relationship between the quality of food and having to make a reservation at 8 PM on Sat. night. Btw, I did overlook an excellent diner in JC which goes back to the Paleozoic era, the Flamingo. You must know it, Rosie :)). I hear they're closing cuz the city is using their right of eminent domain or something like that.

First we went to Pesto's as we were in the mood for Italian. But the 12 tables or so were taken. In all the times I've eaten there I've never seen a host/ess let alone anyone resembling a manager. We stood there like dummies for a few minutes to find out how long the wait was, no one came up to us, so we left. We then went to check to see if 95 Greene St., (Jersey City) was open yet. I went up the stairs and peered at the sign which said it was open for lunch and to be open for dinner in February. But I gotta say, it hardly looked impressive. I'm really bewildered by the lack of imagination and mediocre places in JC. Were those vinyl table cloths on the tables?? Rosie, did you get a menu with your press release? It's right next door to the Iron Monkey, so we ate there. It's been a couple of months since we've been there. I never found the food more than average, and kind of on the expensive side all things considered, but last night was a pleasant surprise. The place was crowded, something I rarely see there. The soup was ok, but it was the entrees that gave me some hope that Jersey City wasn't completely for the shits. I had the fish special, filet of sole stuffed with scallops. It was cooked perfectly and presented beautifully. Anabelle had the seafood chippino which consisted of lobster, jumbo shrimp, little neck clams, mussels and whitefish. Again, beautiful presentation and delicious. The service has always been good, and last night was no exception. Our server was new but his knowledge of the menu was quite impressive. Still, not a place to travel to, but it's getting there.

Oh, I forgot about all the stock you own in that rag :)). Actually, I just noticed that the restaurant in question only recently closed. Sorry sorry!!

Wow, that's hard to believe in this day and age. Is that true for publications in general, or is NJ Monthly technologically behind and/or too lazy to check the facts before the deadline?

I guess you misunderstood or as usual, I did not articulate myself very well. I think Jersey City is the pits when it comes to dining. Nothing comes close to being a standout as far as fine dining. There's a few half way decent ethnic places, though even those are the exception. The recently opened Lighthorse Tavern has the potential, but has a long way to go judging from my one experience there shortly after it opened.

The **1/2 star rating by the current issue of NJ Monthly was very disappointing. The review itself was pretty accurate and I wouldn't quibble with anything. The dishes that weren't liked I didn't try. However, the reviewer must have been there early on to say the service and front of the house had some problems. On the contrary. On the plus side, I guess the mediocre rating won't make it impossible to get reservations.

If the server is enthusiastic and shows knowledge about what he is upselling. it gets me excited and interested. However, I detest upselling for the sake of it, whether it be to comply with restaurant policy or to increase sales and the resulting tip. The most flagrant example of the latter is when you're asked if you want sparkling or mineral water.

When your mother stops wearing combat boots.

Steer clear of La Sandwicherie in the meatpacking district. At least don't get the burger, double yuck. The Times mentioned this in their tidbit section a month or so ago as well as the burger article, "carved out of the back of the kitchen of the Moroccan restaurant Zitoune, on Gansevoort Street, serves Moroccan-inspired burgers, made with spicy lamb sausage and salmon". I ordered it medium rare but it came so well done I couldn't even tell what meat(s) were in it. And the bun is presently being used as a paperweight. But the price was right, $8.

Btw, the handle is white, other than that, it's the same as the picture. It's been just over a month since I got this way overkill gadget, but I must say, I could never ever go back to the cheap stuff. One of these days I'm gonna chop my finger off. And it actually motivated me to do a little more cooking. Actually, I was embarrassed to admit, but the original purpose of the purchase was to chop up veggies and fruit for my bird, I rarely cook. Now look what I do .... :))

Hi Danny, my questions are somewhat personal - if you feel uncomfortable answering it in a public forum I understand. What factors did you look at when you were searching for a locale for Blue Smoke? I imagine a space that could accomodate the specialized equipment was a large factor. As a restaurant accountant, the method of valuing a restaurant (for purchase or sale) has always been of interest to me, not to mention somewhat mystifying. Other than the obvious factors such as amount and length of lease, location and existing equipment, can you tell us some of the major criteria you used in determining what to pay for 27 Standard? Other venues? Did Blue Smoke "break the mold" since it was something completely different than its predecessor? Since you have quite a bit of experience at this sort of thing, have you developed a template when you look to buy or sell a restaurant? When developing a financial plan, what is the minimum acceptable net profit (%)? Many thanks!

The Burger Takes Center Stage It was so refreshing to read a burger article where Corner Bistro is not listed as among the best. And the Old Homestead burger sounds absolutely hideous.

Re: charging the server for the credit card fees -- it's up to the restaurant. We don't because the amount of work involved to determine the charges is not worth it, especially to me since I would have to do the calculations :)). The calculation is not so straightforward since the credit card companies have different fees, though some restaurants I know of simply take an approximation. It's also not so straightforward if it's not a pooled house cuz then you'd have to figure each server's share of the fees separately. However, I suppose the savings could be quite substantial to the larger restaurants, especially chains.

Maybe I'm a tad negative and unromantic, but in my view that's the worst day of the year to go within 100 yards of a restaurant.

I'd say that ranks in the "that takes balls category". There was a discussion about Rebecca's who has a similar policy over here.

ahem ahem [glad to hear you had a great time and happy birthday!]

nicholas website

IN addition to the 2 good suggestions, and there are many more, my favorite is Hell's Kitchen on 9th Ave.

We went there for lunch today after the movies. The place was completely desserted at 2 PM! But I got to meet the infamous Fink who said business couldn't be better. He deserves it. My favorite side so far is the sweet potato torte. It's like a dessert.

Yikes almighty, someone actually likes this grease joint that smells like the refineries of Elizabeth? Jeezus H. Christ, I can't believe it. The only thing worse than dinner here is brunch. Have we ever discussed it? Shall we? Can we start with the wobbly dirty tables? the decor that make you feel like you're in an eglutton nightmare?