chefboy24

pdr (private dining room) at eleven madison may fit your bill for $35/person for lunch plus drinks......they overlook the main dining room, definitely look into it.

thanks! edit: well actually this damn ny times website takes so long!.....the restaurant search must be very oldschool because it takes forrrrrevvvvvvvvvorrrrrr to go from page to page, and 80% of the time it totally stops working altogether and reverts to an oldschool nytimes design

does there exist a list anywhere of a list of all the 3/4 star nyt restaurants? a while back i saw a list of michelin star restaurants with their nyt and zagat rating all on one sheet does there exist such a list anywhere around the net these days? thanks in advance!

yeah jack's stir brew http://www.jacksstirbrew.com/ great spot i love cafe grumpy too, and la colombe

oh come on no one has anything to add? aren't we all bored talking about david chang/jean georges/thomas keller/pdt/pegu club/danny meyer ?

went down to south street/front street yesterday some really cool stuff north of the mall http://nymag.com/restaurants/features/17198/ check out this article here some some insanely delicious fisher island oysters and muscadet at stella maris (aparently the chef was at le bernardin for a while) - definitely need to go back soon to try the fish, but his winelist needs help! picked up some neato cocktail glasses a la pegu club from pansanella and son vinters (and btw that store is exploding with style, marco pansanella is like a male martha stewart!) there's a neato wine bar and serious coffee shop. its a fun space, and calatravas cubes are possibly going up where the parking lot currently is

looks awesome! they use some very professional line cook style devices - and a sick viking oven! did they ever cook professionally other than their b&b and inn?

going tonight for a celebration dinner whats the difference between the two rooms i've only eaten in the red room and only for lunch

haha. she was in the corner table closest to the time warner building. she was having a great time! i think you could bring anyone to jean georges and they'd have a great time, that's the beauty of this restaurant. theres a thread on chow about it, some woman brought her 11 year olds and they were blown away. jean georges food isn't that complicated! sophisticated yes, but anyone can apreciate correctly cooked fish, meat and vegetables, no? (and i say that with a father who lives in tennessee and just discovered grilling tilapia)

thanks for the input!

honestly on my birthday, i had a $1000 bottle of pommard rugiens out of magnum , 1990 montille. the sommelier is aldo sohm. he didnt even crack a smile, he didnt charm, nothing. nothing. the bill came to $3100 for 10 of us, no gratuity was added, which was very nice. they have so many wine waiters and assistants that its sort of irrelevant. know what im saying? sommeliers always take a cut of the pool anyway (along with base), unless they are a wine director and receive salary ($70k and up)

mortified cuz your moms said hello? c'mon, he's in the dining room for a reason! he's actually very nice. i'd be mortified if my mom was like "my son has a food blog and...." and started blabbing! i think if a celebrity chef is in the dining room, i always say hello, something like. "hey i'm a big fan, i love your corn ravioli! this is my third time here, i have your cookbooks, i went to cia, i work at yada yada" It can't hurt. I promise. when i worked at jojo, he put that short rib on the jojo menu...and when i was lunching at jg, he stopped by to say hello, asked about the new jojo menu, i told him that guests were scared of the spicey shortrib description, so he should downplay it. next day at jojo, message from corporate to change the menu description of the shortrib. very cool. paula dean was also in the house. she walked by my table when my boyfriend and i were up to the cheese cart ,and she said, "i don't know how y'all can eat that stinky cheese" in the most beautiful exadurated southern drawl i have ever heard.

anyone been lately?

had to bump this thread up. oceana's kept their michelin star for 3 years now, and its still 3 star NYT. Ben Pollinger is the new chef and he's got quite a resume (Tabla, Union Square, Delouvrier) and the pastry chef is from Ducasse. $78 prix fixe or $100 tasting. Anyone been? Any info?

dude i dont know who's more of a dork, you or me? we should get drunk some time

wd~50 review: photos on blog: http://chefboysfoodandwineblog.blogspot.co...comfort_26.html There are times when you demand comfort food in this hectic city. After a stressful week or a long day – you just may have a hankering for, say, the Pork Chop at Little Owl. Or Scott Conant’s polenta with mushrooms and truffles at L’Impero (I wonder if Michael White left this on the menu still – most likely no. ) When I’m really stressed – the chu-toro scallion roll at Soto gives me a heady feeling of pure elation – it makes me forget all my troubles, forget all my past. I go downtown. Anyway - there’s a great thread on eGullet about New York’s best dishes here. Read it, and don’t be a lurker. (Wow, I love hyperlinking!) wd~50 is not a comfort food kind of place. It is about being playful, whimsical – even straight up cheeky with your food. Don’t go to wd~50 if you are exhausted, if you are starving, if you seek comfort. To dine at wd~50 is to experience high cuisine, high art, without pretense or snobbery. You wouldn’t go to MoMA if you really wanted to stay in, watch Zoolander, and order a pizza. wd~50’s flavors are clean, pure, and explosive – and the presentation is more minimal-fabulous than anywhere else in Manhattan – and that is saying something. Service is honest, although extremely familiar (our waitress/server even told us a story of the lone line-cook at wd~50 who didn’t go out and get coked up with the rest of the cooks and he felt like an outsider). If that isn’t Michelin starred service ladies and gentlemen, I don’t know what is. There was an Eater post on the wd~50 bread recently. I love this bread. It’s a flat bread – salty and crisp, light and airy. But more importantly – would a French roll be totally out of place? Of course it would. I am giving this newfangled interpretation of bread service a standing ovation. There were many courses to follow – 8 savory plus dessert. A few courses in, Jerry and I decided that of course we might as well add on the 5 course dessert tasting (when in Rome they say!). Ridiculous. A cavalcade of dishes. The “Pizza Pebbles” is a new dish on their menu if I can recall correctly. Do you remember Pizza Combos when you were a kid? Or maybe even last Tuesday when you saw them at the deli and you thought they might be a wonderful pairing with your turkey sandwich? They’re delicious. And so was this dish – and the minimal-fabulous was already beginning. There were little balls of pepperoni dough lined on the plate, while more pebbles of a sort of tomato-creamy puree sphere interspersed between them. Dehydrated shiitake flakes were spiked in the spheres, and to round out this Italian flavor profile (pepperoni, tomato, cream, mushrooms) – micro basil garnished the spheres. But it totally tasted like Pizza Combos. The real effect of this dish, however, was to put a smile on your face – to give pleasure. Unfortunately too many chefs in this town have forgotten that to give pleasure from cooking is what this whole thing is really all about. And what tasting menu would be complete without a foie gras course? Foie is integral to fine dining. It is about opulence, luxury, experiencing something rare. But mostly it is about fat. So foie can either be served hot or cold. When hot, it is always crosshatched and seared (hopefully a sizeable 3-5 ounce piece). When cold, it is usually served as a tourchon and sliced into that fabulous hockey puck size fatty-heavenly disk garnished with toast and fruit. Not at wd~50! Which is why they call this dish “Knot foie.” It’s not (knot?) foie that you’re used to. It’s also tied in a knot. And of course you canknot have foie without fleur de sel for crunch, saltyness, and punch. Instead of cherries or some fruit compote made from huckleberries or rhubarb or something from the greenmarket of that nature – this foie is accompanied by little orbs of a fruit gel (I believe apricot). And there were crunchy nutty garnishes as well which provided the well needed textural contrast, as you can see here they are resting on the knot. This dish was knot something I’m going to forget anytime soon. Next was a wd~50 classic – the Beef Tongue with Fried Mayo. wd~50 is a Lower East Side restaurant – by far the most serious and accomplished of all the LES restaurants. I’m not going into a history lesson for you readers out there, but before the gentrification of this neighborhood (Whole Foods, Thor, sad frat boys and sorority sluts) – it was ethnic. And as foodies – we all know that where there is an ethnic community, there is great ethnic cuisine. You probably have a 70 year old Jewish grandmother down your hall who still enjoys a good beef tongue sandwich from time to time. I know I do. So this dish is an homage to the Lower East Side, to Jewish-American cuisine – and I can guarantee you that this dish is knot going anywhere (hopefully Russ & Daughters won’t either). The tongue is, to be expected, meaty, salty, and delicious. The Fried mayonnaise is an experience – and it tastes exactly what you think it would taste like – warm mayo, but with a firm exterior holding it all inside a cube of fatty-goodness. There is romaine flecked on the tongue as well, and a painstakingly perfect brunoise (that’s BROON-WAZZ, not BRUN-WAH) of romaine to the side. A tomato molasses on the left provides a jammy sweetness to counterpoint the saltyness of the tongue. Good stuff. Moving on, as you have probably heard, Wylie plays with food presentations. Many chefs reinvent classic pairings (Mac & Cheese, peas & carrots, PB&J, lamb & mint, etc etc) – Wylie reinvents presentation. He used to have a dish that looked like a sunny side up egg - but the egg white was played by a gelled coconut milk concoction and the yolk was played by something yellow and runny and definitely not egg yolk. The surf clam dish does this as well – as you can see those aren’t watermelon seeds but a fermented black bean paste (which is damn tasty) shaped in their form. The chewey surf clam, the sweet and crisp watermelon, the garlicy pungency – everything worked. More importantly, this dish started as an idea, an original idea, and from Asian flavor themed concept to execution to tasting – it was a success. Next was “Lamb belly, black chickpea, cherried cucumber.” It wasn’t exactly memorable, it was okay. Look for yourself. Probably the only miss of the evening. Then desserts. I don’t a clear memory of all of them (I was starting to feel like I had eaten some LSD and I was drugged on this tasting menu at that point). Second up was “Fried butterscotch pudding, mango, taro, smoked macadamia”. Very delicious. This one is “Yuzu, shortbread, spruce yogurt, pistachio.” A play on things green. And I have a love affair with yuzu – the sexy and unmistakable trendy Japanese citrus. Next I believe this is “Local strawberries, pandan, popcorn sorbet.” “Creamsicle, rooibus, squash, orange blossom.” And finally, “Soft chocolate, avocado, licorice, lime.” I really loved these desserts – so many intense flavors – like distilled down versions of the original ingredients in so many unexpected combinations. I love that rooibus flavor – and while I normally enjoy it in a hot tea on a cold winter night – rooibus is really yummy as a foam or a sorbet. Alex Stupak is really doing beautiful stuff, and more often than not, his combinations are effective and truly delicious. The Textures, presentation, temperature, creativity and originality were brilliant and refreshing. This is daring dessert. You may not enjoy any of them. You may try them and your impression may very well be, “Eh.” But I thought they were awesome. The wine list was small, but carefully selected. We enjoyed a 1995 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay – which was a showstopper. American Chardonnay at the high end should be aged – when you are lucky enough to find one, buy it! Old American Chardonnay is an altogether different beast. With the age – the wine produced lanolin, earthy, minerally and funky aromas – a perfect pair for Wylie’s food. I don’t know where they found this as I’d surely be stocking my Eurocave with a case if I could find it. I believe Kalin cellars releases their American Chardonnays aged like this as well. So – go to wd~50, do the tasting, enjoy the whimsical and playful creations. See if you like this molecular cuisine. Wylie does something spectacular here, and it’s much cheaper than a flight to Barcelona and a dinner at El Bulli. But if you’re starving, get some take out Chinese.

i'm a downtown kinda guy myself (i live in battery park) so i rarely go above 28th street. citarella west village - great fish, knowledgeable, clean, flawless, fast fish guys. i bought some salmon for house guests on a thursday - turned out one didn't eat fish, and filleted up that 1.5 pound piece of salmon 6 days later and it was still some of the best salmon i've ever eaten. rouget, too. anything swimming in the sea that you could ask for - and this is the best you can get at retail. dipalo diary - you take a number, you wait for it to be called - and then you taste simply some of the best prosciuttos, coppa, mortadella, tallegio, pecorinos, parmagianos, and OF COURSE gorgonzolas - you talk about the food, its a very foodie experience balthazar bakery - great breads. blue ribbon bakery - more great breads. russ & daughters - exact similar experience - but instead of italian goodies - its smoked and preserved fishes, herrings, etc. the red licorice is ridiculous as well. murrays - great stuff overall, taste before you buy, make sure the taste you get is from the piece you're buying - don't buy any prepackaged stuff. (although artisinal some times edges them out on wash rind stuff or random other things that are really top quality) florence meat - amazing amazing beef (only prime), chicken, pork - all cuts - insanely low prices. so there is this west village area that i love i hope you find - murrays, florence, lobster place, amy's bread, citarella all within a tiny radius. and if you get hungry you can go to las ramblas for tapas or soto for ridiculous sushi. this area would be the epicenter of my real estate search if i was in the market. i would say - start at murrays and rotate out enjoy nyc

how is the service?

so what's going on there recently is the dining room empty they have been hiring on craigslist very agressively?

so who's going tonight

my fish from freshdirect has been very good - but not excellent Also - if I'm paying $18/pound or more for a fillet - I really expect there to be no pin bones. I think thats fair. And when I get a thicker fillet from freshdirect - there are ALWAYS pinbones. It doesn't take long when you have the entire whole fish - before you cut it into fillets - you remove the bones. Used to do this all the time in restaurants and it is an expected courtesy I feel for fish that are $20/pound for this to be done.

update well i stocked up at the west village citarella last ngiht got some phenominal rouget - the fish guy prepped that whole fish so fast i didn't even know he was done - head, tails, guts off in a flash! got some wild striped bass fillets that were thick and gleaming! the bellys too i cut off and diced and made a ridiculously awesome-o tartare (took the french laundry recipe for the salmon coronets) will keep everyone updated as i try the salmon, bass, and rougets (i plan on doing a mary's style fry-and-serve on a stick!)

gigi's, terrapin check out bounty and colavita at CIA also.

so i did some searching online and thru this messageboard found nothing conclusive who's got the best retail fish in the city i'm looking for things like - sea bass, black bass, salmons, cod, oysters, lobsters, monk, rouget, sable, etc etc citarella? (is there a difference between the UES, UWS, west village?) whole foods? lobster place? wild edibles? anything in chinatown/jas/sunrise that i should explore?

i dont know how i missed this thread the first time around i love my gray kunz spoons - i use them at home every single day they are balanced - they are the best spoons i have ever used, anywhere, for plating. they're dishwasher safe, heavy but not clumsy, they just feel right when you're ON and you're plating - they're perfect. also - every last white boy (and most hispanic) line cooks in any 3 or 4 star kitchen in manhattan is using them.