Sneakeater

Same apology from me for continual misspelling of bollito.

I honestly can't wait to read what you think of it. (I've got to get a life.)

I agree with gaylesn's characterization of the shallot cornbread as "dense and interesting (and cold)." That's kind of what turns me off places like this. If you want to charge premium prices because you're credentialed chefs "elevating" vernacular cooking, then you'd better come up with something better than the ordinary. Not just "interesting", but delicious.

I thought Dirty Bird, while good, was very expensive for what you get. Sort of like if Shake Shack charged $7 for a shackburger. Part of my problem may be that, as I didn't feel like schlepping a bag of fried chicken and stuff over to Brooklyn via subway, I ate my dinner there. Which, when the place is packed for the dinnertime rush, is not a pleasant experience.

One of the new ice cream coupes (as my reflexive order of quark dumplings was obstructed by their having been dropped from the menu). The ice cream coupe was good.

I had the exact same appetizer/entree combination Monday. I note it, first, because it was all some of the best food I've yet had at this by-now-personal-favorite restaurant. But second, I must be a much bigger pig than Mr. Therese, cuz I had no trouble at all finishing both courses and then not stinting on dessert. I disgust myself.

Are you sure the Milk & Honey people own Employees Only?

Not much commentary about Ici lately, so I thought I'd use a recent meal there as an excuse. Ici is, to me, an emblematic "new Brooklyn" restaurant. It's earnest, homey, modest in scope and price, but more ambitious than you'd necessarily expect in reach and execution. It's not worth a detour, necessarily. But on the other hand, it's the kind of restaurant that would be very hard to succeed with in Manhattan. Given the high fixed costs there, you'd have to be pricier and probably more ambitious (or at least pretentious) -- but also less individual and quirky. Ici's food takes off from French bistro, but with twists. (And -- to the extent anyone cares -- with an emphasis on organic ingredients.) There are all sorts of Mediterranean and sometimes even Asian accents. You get the feeling that the menu consists pretty much of what the chef (a woman with experience at Daniel and elswhere) conceives of that week or even day, based on market availability, the weather, etc. Not everything is great -- change that, not anything is great -- but the food ranges from very good to good. Thinking it over, Ici is sort of what Jarnac's supporters claim for that West Village spot -- but, to me, much more successful. Last Saturday, I started with an excellent appetizer of local squid with lemon and lots and lots of smoked paprika. The lots and lots of smoked paprika turned out to be a good thing, as it added flavor interest to a dish that would otherwise have mostly been texture. This was Ici at its best: not wildly innovative, but unexpected and very good. I then had roast duck. This was Ici at its most middling. The duck was a little dry, and the dish as a whole, while good enough, was nothing special. The best dessert there is prettty consistently the date one. On Saturday, though, I opted for a fairly rich poundcake topped with a compote of "last of the season blood orange and first of the season rhubarb." (I ordered it pretty much because I was so charmed by the nomenclature.) It was fine. Reading this over, it doesn't really communicate how much I enjoy Ici. The food is actually better than I made it sound (if, I emphasize, not worth a special trip). The room is pleasant in the extreme. And I love the extremely mixed -- in all conceivable ways -- clientele that Fort Greene restaurants attract. If you're in the neighborhood (at BAM, say), I really recommend your giving Ici a try.

I was going to say the exact same thing.

Actually, though, subsequent reviews here indicate that this problem has since been ameliorated.

As someone who eats at those other places, too, I think Gilt's wine selection is SERIOUSLY overpriced to an extent that I, at least, would not "so what?".

In other words, while I don't support smoking bans, I can see an arguable basis for them. This foie gras ban is just retarded.

I don't support smoking bans, but they're different. Their purpose is to protect non-smokers from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke. Not to protect those who choose to smoke themselves.

I think the Lexington/39th one is currently a little better.

FWIW, I like the fries well enough, but I don't think I've ever had a meal at Les Halles that I considered good.

Beer is the obvious choice. If you've gotta have wine, zinfindel is the obvious choice. But as an alternative, consider an Aregentine malbec.

Soon it'll be warm enough for you to order a Sex On The Beach.

There are certainly no hip hotels in that neighborhood. Actually, the hippest thing in that neighborhood is probably 'Cesca. If they have a bar there, it would probably be your best option.

Since somebody has to state the obvious, I think you're going to have a real hard time finding a basis for a constitutional challenge to this law.

I think the problem is that the idea of Del Posto as a ritzy impersonation of a "classy" restaurant is more interesting to most people than the fact of the food that is served there. Especially given the prices -- and, in that regard, especially given the existence of much-liked, less expensive options within the Batali/Bastianich group.

Thing is, you impress people by being impressive. You get people to like you by being likeable. If you know enough about wine, and you're nice enough, that a sommelier is gonna wanna favor you, that's because of the way you are. If you aren't that way, you're not going to be able to "cadge" favors by pretending to be otherwise. When I was in my twenties and first learning about wine, I'm sure I said all sorts of things that would now make my teeth curl. It's part of growing up. I probably didn't deserve to get special pours then. I get them sometimes now. I guess my point is, your goal in life should be to be yourself. Your goal in life shouldn't be to impress midtown sommeliers. Of course, if you can impress midtown sommeliers by being yourself, all the better.

I'll bet it's the best thing since Morimoto.

There's no dress code, but people seem to tend to dress up a bit.

Be sure to post a very detailed review.

Not to pile on needlessly, but I think it's amazing how frequently this happens.