cchen
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Posts posted by cchen
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Thanks to all for the suggestions!
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I'm heading up to Harvard b-school for an event on Saturday and am looking for somewhere I'd be able to grab a quick meal to go, or have a quick meal at the counter since I will be short on time. Whats my best choice? Is there anything delicious AND quick?
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Anyone been to this place lately? I am thinking of taking the Mrs. there for the anniversary.
Not worth it, IMO. For the money, you could do Nobu
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Let me first say that I love raw oysters. I personally prefer an oyster that is very briny. An example would be the Peace Passage Oyster at Yasuda. Out of all of them, the kumamoto was the best. I didn't find that any of them in particular had much flavor at all. They didn't have any taste of the sea, which I feel all oysters should have, regardless of their origin.
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I believe they were malapeque, blue point, kumamoto, and another I can't remember. By not good, I didn't imply bad per se. They were just bland, hence boring in my book.
And yes, the prices are before discount.
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Is there a top steakhouse that would repeatedly draw you back? It sounds like the only real disappointment was the dessert. If the oysters are fresh it is difficult to ask for more than that - at least for people who love fresh oysters.
Steakhouses are not generally known for their creativity. What they should be doing is providing excellent meat, reliably well prepared along with fine accompaniments. They need to do this in a consistant fashion to satisfy those with a craving for that product.
I will go to a steakhouse occassionally and I enjoy them when I do, but I will rarely do so in NYC or similar locales because I do like creative cuisine that much more and I get to these places too infrequently to use up one of my visits on a steakhouse unless it happens to be one that is particularly great and a great value. Rays the Steaks in DC is an example of that. Wjhat is the value like here aside from the dessert?
On that point, you're right. A steakhouse is what it is. What I meant in my post was while everything was fine for the most part, it wasn't special. Even if the desserts aren't creative, I would expect (at this level) for them to at least be executed perfectly, which they were not.
As for prices, the scallops app was $17, and the oysters were $16 for a half dozen. Speaking of the oysters, just because they're fresh doesn't mean they're good. The porterhouse for 2 was $78, and I believe the veal chop was $35. The sides were $9 each. Desserts $10 each.
I feel like the apps, sides, and desserts are way overpriced. The entrees are priced about right.
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Its one of my favorites in Chinatown. IMO better than Yeah
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So we had
apps:
1 of each oyster - fresh, but boring
scallops - very nice
entrees:
porterhouse for 2 - good, but nothing that i couldn't have made at home
veal chop - this was very delicious
sides:
onion rings
mashed potatoes
both were fine
dessert:
pineapple upside down cake
cookies
both very disappointing
The porterhouse was fine, but not better than other top steakhouses. Service was exceptional. The veal chop was the highlight of the meal - I could have this every day. I was very disaapointed by the desserts. The pineapple cake was so dry and the cookies were very plain. $10 for each 0 imo not a good value at all.
Overall, the food is fine, but I don't consider it a top restaurant at all. I would return, only to sit at the bar and have a veal chop. The veal chop really was that good.
Oh, and no problems with the 20% off.
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Have a reservation for tonight. Very excited, but I hope they don't forget the discount!
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Hey wait. I thought they said they were only going to accept reservations at the bar for the 6 o'clock seating, and it would be first-come-first-served after that. I guess not?
Don't think so.
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How hard was it to get seated?
What time did you go?
My friend had made the reservation a few weeks back for a 9pm seating.
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I had dinner last night at the bar. Something to note - dining to my left were Jean-Georges and his wife, celebrating their anniversary, as well as Chef Regis Monges of Le Cirque. Robuchon himself was overseeing the kitchen and was schmoozing with the all guests.
But on to the food. I had the tasting, and added a cheese course as well. My friend and I both found the tasting menu inconsistent, with the misses being the capellini w/ caviar and and the cod. The capellini I thought really didn't have any susbstance and the cod dish was very bland. But every other dish was very, very good.
What Sneakeater said was right. You can't find this anywhere else in NYC. While I did spend a lot (after wine and such), I think it was money well spent.
BTW, they're changing the menu soon, so if you want some of the current dishes, try to go soon!!
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They also deliver.
Their delivery service is spotty, at best. They always forget something from the order.
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Raji, does Kuruma fry up the shrimp head and served as appetizer after the use of the tail for sushi?
no.
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Yasuda: $145 after tax and tip
Kuruma: about $275 after tax and tip
and yes, the kuruma does refer to the kurumaebi, which i did have that time i went. Certainly, there's a point where the prices at Kuruma become ridiculous. I don't think $275 is outrageous considering the quality and quantity. Sure, you can say that there's better in Tokyo, you'd rather go to Tokyo (I would too), but being here in NYC, if I want sushi of that caliber now, thats the only place to go.
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I'm very excited about the opening! Too bad no photos will be allowed
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And then...well, how to explain why the bread has burnt crust? "Uh, it's supposed to be that way," I gamely ventured. "But why?" asked the 13-year-old. "Who wants burnt bread?" Who indeed. Speaking of bread, why do we have to ask for the olive oil? I mean, we're dropping over $300 for a meal for four. Can't they at least offer it?
The Marinated Sardine antipasto ($11) consists, I kid you not, of three PARTIAL sardines. That's it. Plus a lump of carmelized fennel and a few drops of what must have been the promised lobster oil.
I agree with the bread. Never did like their bread very much. The bread at Lupa is better. About the sardine dish comment - I understand your sentiment, but really high quality sardines are pretty expensive. $11 for the 3 is probably a good value.
Finally, for a while, I thought that Babbo was dropping. But a few recent meals there have changed my mind. Overall, they're less consistent than they used to be, but still, imo, a superb restaurant. I would definitely address those issues you had with the management of the restaurant.
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Had dinner at Yasuda tonight, at Chef Yasuda's station. Tonight was my second visit there. I'm convinced that Kuruma is "better" than Yasuda. Here's why. I think the fish quality at Kuruma is ridiculous (in a good way) and better than Yasuda. Yasuda does have the edge on fish variety, and his eel is amazing (obviously since he used to be an eel chef). However, every single piece at Kuruma was amazing. I remember giggling in delight as each piece was served. At Yasuda, there were moments where I was very excited - the eel, the different uni, the oyster. But on the whole, I was completely blown away at Kuruma, and I left Yasuda feeling somewhat disappointed. That said, Yasuda's rice was good, but not as good as I had expected. On one of the pieces of uni, the rice completely broke apart. I was disappointed. But in his toro roll, I could really taste how much better his rice was than others.
Maybe it comes down to preference. I would definitely return to Yasuda, but it isn't a place I'd go really out of the way to get a reservation for. I'd much rather wait, save the money, and go to Kuruma. And I wouldn't go back to Gari - well maybe... if it were a quarter cheaper.
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I just called and was told that, since it's Labor Day weekend, they decided to take reservations from hotel guests only -- and they're booked for the entire night (including the counter, which I thought they normally weren't going to reserve after the 6:00 PM seating).
Damn.
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I'm thinking of checking it out tonight, since it seems, most people are out of the city. Is there a dress code?? Is the tasting menu still the best option?
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How would it, in your opinion, compare to the 4 stars? (Specifically JG or Per Se)
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In my estimation there is only one best answer for your request - Jean-George, one of if not the greatest lunch value on the planet. The food is great and at $12/course you can have as many courses as you like after a minimum of, I believe, three and still have a very reasonable cost in debatably the finest restaurant in the City.
I second the JG recommendation. What an awesome value.
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No idea why they aren't answering the phone but its a solid neighborhood restaurant. Slightly overpriced for what it is but probably the best Japanese option near Columbia
Upper West Side/Columbus Circle
in New York: Dining
Posted
My vote goes to Telepan. 69th and Columbus (i think?). Just had another wonderful dinner there the other night