Sneakeater

I can't speak for Donbert, but I for one was concentrating more on what was in my glass than what was in the kitchen.

You mean like instead of "See Alyssa Date" we could have "See John Drink"?

I'm developing a tremendous crush on Danyelle Freeman. This is embarrassing. http://code.tv/index.html?bcpid=78334397 (OK: you can't link directly to Code TV videos. From the link above, hit "food" in the row of buttons toward the top and then access "Tour" and "Enoteca Barbone" and -- especially -- "Picholine" [nice dress Danyelle].) Andrea Strong fans will want to view "Boqueria".

That's what they look like to me. PS -- That thing about Olmstead and Vaux's preference for Prospect Park over Central Park is historical fact. Take that, Megan!

Don't think so. ← Doesn't that sort of trash the whole Atelier concept?

I was going to ask whether Thursday is the night Jeannie is going to Idomeneo (since I just got tickets for then), but I guess not.

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?

How hard was it to get seated? What time did you go?

Not knowing what you like, I'll recommend Oriental Garden as a safe (and excellent!) bet in Chinatown. (Here's a thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=13515&hl=) Skip Little Italy. Much better Italian elsewhere. (If you don't mind going a bit upmarket, try A Voce. Thread here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=84744&hl=voce )

therese, if you take these business contacts you have to impress to Nick Tahou's, I'll personally pay you the difference between what you spend there and whatever high amount it is you're willing to spend elsewhere.

Despite it's Dale DeGroff-designed cocktail menu, the drinks at Gin Lane are NOT well made. And on at least one late Friday night, it was the same post-frat-boy scene that the Village Idiot had.

Like, sorry.

As Nathan said at the top of this thread, you could tell this place would be either really interesting or really bad. The website boded ill. What with the mock-Coplandesque music blaring out, I was sort of embarrassed to be viewing it at work. At first, reading the Western platitudes in the intro, I thought it must be ironic. But it gradually dawned on me that they were serious about that stuff. Or, if not serious, at least serious in believing that some segment of the public would be responsive. It made me apprehensive. No worry. This isn't the greatest place you'll ever visit, but it's interesting and solid. They're not just throwing a bunch of fancied-up stuff together and calling it "haute cowboy" cuisine. Somebody here knows what they're doing. Things started off weakly with a bland amuse that I mistakenly thought was my foie gras shooter. What a relief when the bartender (we ate at the bar) gave us the real foie gras shooters. These could best be described as fat in a glass. Their appeal is immediate -- and elemental. Not as elemental, however, as the appeal of the "prairie butter." This bone marrow differs from others only in that the bone is split lengthwise (making the marrow easier to extract), and the marrow itself is seasoned with more than just salt. You spread it on this flatbread they have some kind of cute name for which I've forgotten. It was difficult not to order any of the several highly attractive game dishes, but curiosity led me to the monkfish wrapped with lobster bacon with fried artichoke in pozole. The "bacon", while not wildly flavorful, made the monkfish more toothsome. The pozole was very good. Fried spinach is an idea whose time has come. It goes without saying that the menu is too gimmicky by half. But the good thing is, it all works. If they'd cut out the cute terminology and just serve the food, there'd be no reservations. This is one of those places where I had real trouble choosing between various menu items. I've already made plans to return.

I know I'm sounding like a broken record on this, but I think it isn't just to show that one star "means something", but also to show what it means. As Bruni said: But the definition of one star as “good” would quickly lose any meaning if the review space didn’t occasionally present examples, and reviews, of restaurants that fall below that mark. That argues for zero-star reviews from time to time. The point being, you need to have occassional reviews of restaurants that miss the one-star mark in order to show what the criteria for one star are (I mean a genuine one star, not a smack-down of a failed two-star). I think the comments in the Freeman's review about the food being too technically simple were meant to serve that purpose. OK, I'll stop repeating this.

I don't even see a place like Bette as being that downmarket. It was sort of a major opening, with a lot of publicity. I wouldn't go there myself on my own time, but if I were a professional restaurant reviewer I can see how I might feel constrained to review it. I don't agree that reviews should only be done of places the reviewer (or the people who read eGullet) likes or respects or even expects to be good.

You say that as if it's a BAD thing.

I'd rate Devi perhaps higher than the last two posters, and in fact chose it.

When you add the blatant sexism, though . . . . I mean, if some new restaurant opened that featured African-American servers dressed up as slaves serving old-style southern food to white patrons, well, a lot of us might wish it failure apart from any culinary reservations. (I think this was food-related, but if the moderators think it improperly blundered into politics, I apologize.)

I think it's fucking great. If Josh is reading this, congratulations on a fabulous job.

I personally think we should be saving our vitriol for the David Burke Hawaiin Bikini place. Although with luck it won't be there long enough to require much.

This is nitpicking, but I don't see how you could call this particular place (Freeman's) overpriced relative to anything. Even Bruni complimented them on their fair prices.

I don't want to be a nudge, but now that it's clear that the criteria extend beyond "modernist" (so that there can be more than one choice, I guess), I think people are seriously underrating EMP. For example, I don't have much doubt that, at least IMO, it's significantly better than (the excellent) Cru.

Isn't there a recipe for falernum linked on, like, the first page of this thread?

I think that reports of Urena's "creativity" have been greatly exaggerated. (I really like the food, though.)

It isn't cutting edge in any respect, but the largest tasting menu at Eleven Madison Park is superb.