ulterior epicure

Momo, Jo Jo, Bobo... is there a Ho Ho?

Right, my comment above was not out of a fear that Bruni would go hungry post-NYT, so to speak. Rather I was just curious where he might land, given his many-credentialed and coloured past. 1. Is it a charade, necessarily? As Barber's article in this months' Gourmet demonstrates, it's not that obvious who the critic is... 2. The NYT could always import from another city and publication... Reichl was brought in that way. Bruni came from overseas...

Yes, exactly what you expect from a NYT two-star restaurant. Forget about the stars, for just the $$$$ alone...

, Yes, I know what you mean. Octopus with beans and cauliflower by any other name is still octopus with beans and cauliflower. Truth be told, I'm not looking for a per se-like experience; my meal there was rather unspectacular. I would hope that Oleana, or any of the others I'm considering in Boston could do just as well, if not better; perhaps not on ambience or service, but certainly, on food and value.

FG, thanks. That is much clearer (both the description and picture) now.

I'm bumping this thread to see if anyone has been to Salts recently. I'm headed to Boston soon, and am looking for two good restaurants. Particularly, I'd love to know: 1. Does the restaurant have a website? A quick Google turned up nothing. 2. How is Bremer doing these days? Is he in the kitchen (often)? 3. Any particularly compelling dishes at Salts? 4. Do they offer tasting menus? Thanks!

Thanks for reporting back. The duck is skin-on? So, what makes it "shawarma?" Would you still recommend it as a top choice for someone with only two nights and a list of about five restaurants he's considering?

Well, great... that saves me a trip to D.C. More good eating in NYC. I heard that White is now over at L'Impero?

Thanks, WHS. A 10 minute walk I think I can handle (actually, need, to walk up for and off my meal).

*whistles* My, deep indeed. FG, thanks for the great report and pictures. Next time, if you want to capture the food a little better, just remember: u.e. has camera, will snap for food. Other observations, questions and comments: 1. From the photo, it looks as if the cucumber, caviar, and eel "terrine" is lying down. I gather from your description that it was in fact standing up (layers one on top of each other). Given your description of the mechanics of eating it, do you think that the composition would have been mor successful lying down, or with the eel on bottom and (softer) cucumber on top? 2. Any idea what kind of wood the beef was "smoked" with?

If that's the case, then CSB is a must. I am an offal devotee. ← CSB is about as far as you can get from where you are staying ($30 cab ride) in a distinctly non-urban location--I find the sub-level room gloomy and the cult of Tony Maws a little creepy. I know for a fact that the T takes me into Harvard Square... how close is CSB to the campus? WHS (or anyone else out there who has been to O Ya), please do me a favor and read this post on my blog, and then tell me if you still think I would enjoy eating at O Ya. Thanks!

Nathan, I'm glad you mentioned this article. I especially enjoyed Barber's description of his phone exchange with Grimes. I find the whole chef-and-restaurant critic dance to be incredibly wonderful and silly. Speaking of Grimes, where is he today? I know that Mimi Sheraton went on to write in other capacities post-NYT. Of course, Reichl is at Gourmet. But, what of the other former NYT critics? And, what, would one suppose Bruni will do when he "retires" from this position?

Depends at what level you're talking about, I suppose. Regardless of Bruni, however, if a restaurant's main objective is to make $$, then I think the less likely a restaurateur/chef would tailor their designs with the tastes of the critic in mind. You just have to appeal to the masses - hip/trendy usually work.

The crisped rice is sushi rice? So, it was seasoned and vinegared? Now, that sounds interesting!

From the four I sampled on this one visit, I would disagree. I actually liked the combinations and compositions of all four. Again, nothing terribly groundbreaking - ice creams tended to mirror the main item - but I thought everything melded together nicely. If anything, some of the pairings were predictable. But, it's just the slight tweaking of each - like the rhubarb financier with slivered almonds, slightly sweetened strawberries and strawberry ice cream (a gussied-up strawberry shortcake) - which made them truly enjoyable for me. We weren't served the chocolate peanut butter cake that you mention.

They even look like croutons. I was really pleasantly surprised by the tofu when I bit into one - I thought the were croutons, since this was brought out by the kitchen (i.e. we didn't order it), and I hadn't paid attention to the menu description. One note - when I first saw this plate, I don't know why, but I thought it was a warm dish... I think it's because the "pickled shallots" on top looked like they had been sweated or cooked.

I would be curious to know, FG, what you think is particularly weak about the desserts at Gramercy Tavern now (under Olson)? I'll have to say that nothing we got was particularly innovative - all pretty much standard favorites given slight tweaks - chocolate bread pudding, financier with strawberries (recalling strawberry shortcake), and a fruit tart... but they were all very well-made and satisfying - and somewhat interesting (e.g. I especially like the blackberry lime ice cream and the mint ice cream taken together with a slightly warm blackberry and nectarine tartlet. Edited: Correction on the spelling of Ms. Olson's name.

Thanks for letting me know, FG. I didn't know (as this was my first visit and I don't owns said cookbook) that the Coconut Tapioca is a signature dessert. It is wonderful. The bonus, of course, is that now I can *try* to recreate it at home.

As I had expected, I had a fine meal at Gramercy Tavern not too long ago. See all the pictures here. The evening started off strong and on a good note. The chef offered to cook for us, which on a weekend night, I found to be quite gracious and generous. What I hadn't realized when we accepted the offer is that in Chef Anthony/Gramercy Tavern parlance, this meant that everyone of us at the table would receive something different for each course. I was most appreciative and grateful for the gesture, but as in meals past when each guest gets something different, I find that my attention inevitably gets diverted to some other person's dish... and what I call "course envy" sets in. There's a lot of sharing and fumbling with plates and tasting and forks-across-tables... it usually leaves my head spinning after the meal - sensory overload; the meal ends up being a confusion of fragments the morning after... The restaurant was especially busy, and my only disappointment for the evening was that service suffered. We were serviced, but not always by our server, whom we found missing or hurrying about in our section. I think the restaurant was particularly busy because the room seemed unusually crowded with (extra?) tables (Although I've never been in the dining room before, I have seen pictures - but I'm not sure they're an accurate gauge either). Our poor server was clearly over-loaded and I did feel sorry for him... but it was a little annoying to have to flag someone down to find him a few times. Silverware was not always replaced, and coffee nor after-dinner drinks were ever offered. The back waitstaff was efficient, but the language skills were a little lacking. I could hardly understand half of what was said that evening, and had to beg for repeats. Disclaimer: a significant portion of our bill was mysteriously discounted. I didn't ask what for/why. As far as food goes, every single dish was impeccably composed and executed. Plating was uniformly beautiful and elegant. Here was our progression: Amuse Bouche (a triptych) Salad Fish and Shellfish Fish Pasta Meat Cheese (we opted to supplemented - and were not disappointed, despite warnings from another eGullet member not to, for fear of stomach failure). Pre-Dessert (the *best* pre-dessert I've ever tasted in my entire life) Desserts Petite Fours I can't say that there was one course that failed - not even close. However, I can't name one dish that absolutely sang, either. They were all very very good. Some I preferred over others, but those instances were strictly a matter of personal taste. The ingredients were fresh, seasonal, and well-cared for. The preparations were excellent, as stated. Fish were moist and flaky, meats were red, juicy, and flavorful - not over or undercooked. Sauces were rich, some preparations were even heavy at times - but in a reserved and appropriate manner. Combinations and concepts, for the most part (savories) were pretty straightforward. No outlandish combinations; classic, elegant, and "simple. Now, having been to Blue Hill at Stone Barns, whence Chef Anthony came, I can definitely see the farm-to-table approach in the cooking at Gramercy Tavern now. No plate came with more than perhaps five different elements, and each one could be appreciated on its own, or in concert with the others. Stand-out dishes: all of the pastas, particularly the House-made Papardelle with Beef Ragu (it was the scallions that did it for me). In fact, if I had to pick a favorite dish of the evening, that would be it. Also, I truly enjoyed (what little I tasted) of my friend's Smoked Trout with pickled onion vinaigrette and celery root puree. An heirloom tomato salad at the a beginning was also a successful first volley for the night (I apparently forgot to upload the picture - will do it tonight). Not to be outdone or overlooked, Pastry Chef Olson is my new diva of sweets. Many of you know that I don't have much of a sweet-tooth, but Olsen had me at the pre-dessert: "Coconut Tapioca". A quenelle of bright passion fruit sorbet sat upon a tuile raft floating atop a small pool of passion fruit caramel surrounded by creamy and cold coconut cream studded with perfectly-cooked tapioca pearls. The entire composition was encircled by a thin ring of cilantro syrup. The colours alone were magnificent. There was silence at the table. All of our desserts were *wonderful.* Sweet? Yes. But, wonderful. I can't say that I had a favorite. The most interesting dessert, I think, was a Chocolate-Coconut Tart. Here's the description of the from my flickr (getting lazy at this point - and you're probably getting tired of reading): Again, overall, the food at Gramercy Tavern isn't sending off any sparks or putting on any showy pyrotechnics. It's just damn fine food. The cooking is truly solid right now. The service issues, I hope, were just an anomaly, and I was able to overlook them for the most part. Wine parings were across the board pretty solid and on par with my tastes and sensibilities. (I will note that I had stressed to the sommelier that I would only be able to handle maybe two half pours and a beer at the most... he gave us generous full pours and it ended up being a beer and three full pours before I had to pull the plug. However, I don't think we were charged extra, which means they were probably just trying to be very generous with our party.) This was my first visit to Gramercy Tavern, and I'm sure, based on this meal and Chef Anthony's and Pastry Chef Olson's performance, it will hopefully not be my last. Edited: Correction on the spelling of Ms. Olson's name.

Is it Japanese-owned, or Chinese/Korean-owned? In what way? I agree. I especially love their pickled dishes and seaweed salad (with or without squid/octopus). I could compose a whole meal off of the appetizers. It's good to know that I'm not alone in this - I've been numerous times for lunch and the service has, well, AWOL after the orders are placed.

So, last year, I started this thread, and, as moosnsqrl aptly put it, I received - our very own restaurant week here in Kansas City. Well, apparently, this year's was a flash in the pan, 'cause I missed it. I've been awfully busy lately, so I haven't exactly been keeping my ear to the ground as closely as I usually do, but this year's KC Originals Restaurant week was from September 9-13. I was OOT for most of that week, so that also explains why I totally missed out. Would love to hear from any members who offered/took advantage of the local Restaurant Week menus.

Alas and alack, I haven't been either. I am an uni devotee, and I do like it "a la straightforward." I will have to check this place out soon. Do they have a good selection of sake? Have you been to Domo? I'd be interested to hear what you think of their sushi.

... and makes it hell for the photographer.Thanks for the compliment. I agree with AvsKick21, I would definitely been able to appreciate and enjoy them better had they been spaced apart on service. It's not like they needed my table - there were plenty of other tables available - not to mention the *stepchild yellow room,* which was completely empty.

I can't believe I failed to mention my dinner at Bouley back in the early summer (May) of this year. I had the chef's tasting, which was far from revelatory, but interesting - and well executed, for the most part. I will say, the deep claret-stained dining room is probably one of the most beautiful I've dined in - ever. It's rich and thick - like the staff. I was a disappointed with the service, which was stuffy and kind of snotty. From observing most of the clientele the evening I was in, I gather that's the kind of attitude that is not only appreciated, but (masochistically?) demanded of the place. One complaint - the desserts, the entire progression, came all at once. I had ice creams and foams melting and deflating on three different plates. My table was a-clutter. I was not the only one who got this onslaught of desserts - it seems that's the way the restaurant handles the end of the meal. Has anyone else experienced this? You can see pictures and comments of the entire meal on my Flickr account here.

If that's the case, then CSB is a must. I am an offal devotee.