Sneakeater

That's interesting, because that's a flavor I absolutely LOVE. But if a chef is going to do that, don't you think it's incumbent on him to say so on the menu, so that diners know what to expect? (I'm thinking of the possibility that calf's liver, which I absolutely CAN'T STAND, would show up unannounced in some beef dish I had ordered. I don't know that I'd be able to keep it down.)

Because it's more a "scene" place than a real serious restaurant. (Although people I know who ate there were surprised at how good it was.)

First visit to Starwich (38th & 6th location). 1. When I was reading the Q&A with Starwich progenitor Spiro Baltas, I was inclined to agree in theory with the poster who said that $9 was not a high but rather a low price for the type of sandwich Starwich appeared to offer, and that perhaps $12 would be a fair price. Now that I've seen the size of ths sandwiches, I don't agree. When you first look (before you taste), you think $9 is pretty pricey for a sandwich that would best be described as "mid-size". After you eat it, you think it's so good that it's worth the $9. But I think anything above that would be too expensive, and I also think it would drive away business. 2. The sandwich was delicious! Not having taken the time to peruse their website and consider a custom order, I had one of their pre-configured "singature" sandwiches: braised short rib with balsamic poached red onion and cabrales on toasted challah ("toasted" is in a sense unnecessary to say as their breads are always toasted -- a preference with which I strongly concur). The meat was tender and full-flavored: unbelievably good for what is essentially a storefront sandwich place. The onions (and the challah, for that matter) were very tasty -- but the vinegar in the onions seemed to me to overwhelm the cabrales, which I could hardly taste at all. To the extent that's a criticism, it's hardly fatal: this was a really good sandwich. 3. Spiro seems to be following the same approach as Will Goldfarb and his people at Room 4 Dessert: extreme solicitousness to the customer. The counterpeople and buspeople were so nice and welcoming that I wondered whether Spiro was holding their families hostage somewhere to insure their good conduct. They have various kinds of jacks out on a table for customer cell-phone recharging. Although this particular location is tiny, they have made a significant effort to have comfortable seating. 4. This branch is only a few blocks away from the 'wichcraft kiosks in Bryant Park. I would be interested in people's comparisons. My initial thought, on the basis of this one sandwich at Starwich, is that as good as 'wichcraft is, Starwich might be a little better -- for the somewhat paradoxical reason that Starwich is less daring and sophisticated culinarily. Sometimes I admire 'wichcraft's sandwiches more than I like them: they aren't that easy to eat (I don't mean physically; I mean the way they taste). At lunch during the workday, you might not want to be challenged as much as comforted. My initial thought is that Starwich does this at a very high level -- higher, perhaps, than you'd ever have expected at a place like this.

Funny you should say that, cuz that certainly isn't the way anyone in New York seems to have read that review.

Seems pretty clear that Bruni gets weekends off, right? Just like the professional bloggers in the Nick Denton empire.

I don't think that's what he's saying. I think he's saying that, with real estate prices and media prejudices being what they are, it's easier for a young(ish) chef to develop in, say, Brooklyn than in Manhattan. In Manhattan, all eyes are on Urena and he has to hit a home run in order to stay in business. In Brooklyn, things are more forgiving. The fact that there are serious restaurants in Brooklyn proves rather than disproves this point. (FWIW, I pretty much prefer to eat in Brooklyn than in Manhattan these days. The restaurants in Brooklyn lack that overheated air of desperation, or the need to play to the balcony, that so often queers the contemporary Manhattan dining experience. Not to mention that it's CHEAPER.)

I really respect someone who has a cocktail even with a high fever, BTW.

The chicken soup might have tasted good, but it doesn't sound like it did the job.

To me, the difference between Lupa and Babbo is that at Lupa the food is fairly simple -- but NOT simplistic -- and very flavorful in a straightforward manner, whereas at Babbo some of the food seems kind of contrived. It's not so much an excess of "flavor" as an excess of "flavors" -- there's too much going on in some of the dishes. Sometimes the combinations don't work, and you think that if there were a few fewer ingredients, or if a certain flavor component were toned down a bit, the dish would be better. I guess the problem is that the more complicated you're being, the more "subtlety" becomes a desideratum. Cuz I agree with you that you don't miss it -- that it would in fact be counterproductive -- at Lupa. I don't want to be overly negative: Babbo is a very good restaurant -- and not only for the pastas. It just isn't, to me, all it's cracked up to be.

I didn't talk about that tongue dish cuz it's been so widely discussed and it seems like everybody (including me) has already had it. But I grew up with pickled tongue, too (you're not my brother, are you?), and I love that appetizer. Absolutely one of my favorite things on the menu. I always wondered how they fry the mayonaisse. My dining companion was mystified when she saw those cubes. (BTW, your story makes me feel better about asking, after they comped us each a glass of amaro at the end of the meal, if they could send us two additional glasses -- which they graciously did. In retrospect, I'm kind of mortified that I asked. The problem with these tasting menus with wine pairings is that, by the end, you can no longer be responsible for your conduct.)

It may be that I haven't been paying attention (I don't watch TV, so I don't have any exposure to Batali's shows), but I thought the point of Babbo was sort of, "this is what a first-class Italian restaurant is like if it's located in the United States, with access to U.S. rather than Italian ingredients and cooked for a U.S. audience." In other words, I thought a salutory inauthenticity was supposed to be part of the deal. As I said, though, I could have misconstrued.

Ya see, to me that makes it sound good. (Thanks, BTW.)

I agree completely, FWIW.

I don't think we're talking about the "demise" of Babbo. I think Babbo was like this from the start. I think most of the criticisms being leveled at it in recent posts would always have been warranted. I hope Nathan has read mikeycook's post, because this is the general reputaton Babbo has -- and has always had -- that I think makes its limitations troubling.

But the distinction I was trying to draw is that nobody touts BLT Fish and Cafe Gray as generally great restaurants, the way Babbo is frequently touted. Sure, BLT Fish and Cafe Gray are pricey, but they have nowhere near the reputation for general excellence that Babbo has.

Which is why I would NEVER recommend Cafe Gray to ANYONE, and have feelings about it that vacillate between anger and resignation. I couldn't begin to list all the truly superlative entrees I've had in Italy. As for the US, I think back to early days of Centanni, which at that time (the 80s) was the Italian restaurant in New York that most resembled the places I'd eaten in Italy. I don't know that I'd say the entrees were "superlative", but they were excellent. Similarly, people may say Al Di La is an overrated neighborhood place, but entrees there are excellent -- and fully the equals of the best primi and pastas on their menu.

And I was waiting for you to make that last point. The difference is that none of the restaurants you mention is a luxury place widely held to be at the top of its class. They're either non-luxury places (Sripraphai) where you'd expect to have to pick and choose, or places that everyone knows are problematical in one way or another (BLT Fish and Cafe Gray). Babbo is generally presented as "the best Italian restaurant in NYC" or "Mario Batali's flagship restaurant" or some such other. Not as a "pasta place" where you basically have to avoid all segundi. (And again I apologize for sounding much more confrontational than I mean to.)

I also found it quite tasty, although I thought it could easily have been pushed over the edge into a dessert as much as it was a successful savory course. It's funny you said that, only because I meant to make that point, too, but forgot to. And what's interesting -- as you also touch upon -- is that I distnctly did NOT feel that way the first couple of times I ate at WD-50, in its very early days. Then, I thought the food, while interesting, just didn't taste that good. Not that it was bad, but that it just seemed to put "interest" and novelty over taste. An interesting sidelight is that I've had a similar reaction to their cocktails. In the beginning, I thought the cocktails were interesting both conceptually and in their combinations of ingredients -- but I didn't think they tasted good AT ALL. Now, I find all of them I try to be delicious. Maybe it's because I have more confidence in my judgments of cocktails than in my judgments of food, but I'm pretty sure that in the case of the cocktails they've reined themselves in a bit and changed their approach a little to emphasize taste over novelty and conceptualization. I still am not sure if that's the case with the food, or if in that case I've moved over to meet them. My preference is not particularly for heartier food, although I enjoy that as well, but I share with you a taste for Wylie's food that grows as I have more of it. That may raise the question of how long this will continue, but what I think it says is that the shock value some may ascribe to this kind of food, or even the newness of it, is not particularly at the heart of its appeal. ← As noted above, to an extent I'd even argue that you have to get over the shock value in order to get to the food's appeal. As for "how long this will continue", speaking for myself, I'm now liking the food so much that my taste for it may not have to keep "growing" for me to cheerfully keep returning. It can plateau right where it is and I'll be happy.

Thing is, Nathan, you would never know that from looking at the menu. I'm not trying to imply that this is blameworthy, necessarily, but it's problematic for a highly-touted restaurant to have so serious a weakness in a whole portion of its menu, which you have to know about in advance from other sources (cuz you can't find it out there) in order to avoid disappointment. What I'm trying to say is that this isn't like being savvy enough to avoid the non-Sechuan dishes at Grand Sechuan International (something you'd expect of any experienced diner). What you're saying is that to get the best out of this famous restaurant, you have to avoid a whole section of the menu (which you'd expect to be excellent at a restaurant of Babbo's reputation) and order in a way that would normally be ill-considered. (That sounds more accusatory and confrontational than I mean it to be. Sorry about that to both Nathan and Babbo.)

You make an interesting point about Lupa (my favorite Batali-Bastianich place, and a personal favorite place, period). I've never booked in advance there: my friends and I always wander in, and we almost always are able to be seated (even if sometimes it's at the bar). I guess we're leading a charmed existence. But I agree with you that Lupa is not the kind of place that warrants booking far in advance -- and if I had to do so, I'd like it a lot less. I guess I really am sort of lucky, Lupa-wise.

Tasting menu (with wine pairings) last night. Rather than go through the whole multitude of dishes, a few impressions of some particularly notable ones. Carrot-Coconut "Sunnyside Up". See, it looks like a fried egg. It has the consistency of a fried egg (the yolk even breaks and bleeds when you put your fork to it). It even has what look like little flecks of peper on it. But . . . the white is coconut and the yolk is carrot. OK, it's a gimmick. But it's also hilarious. The wine paring of a pinot noir Cava Rosado was inspired. Shrimp Cannelloni with Chorizo Emulsion. As we all know, not only is the cannelloni's filling made of shrimp, but so is the cannelloni. But the real thrill of this dish is the chorizo emulsion. A little dab of liquid that tastes just like a delicious slab of sausage. Tastes beautiful with the shrimp. They served an assyrtika (sp?) with this. It's not so much that it was an inspired pairing as that I've lately been really taken with this wine, and this was the best example of it I've ever had (Bibila Chora "Estate White" from Macedonia). Langoustine, Celery Root, Banana Mustard. The langoustine was just barely cooked. Now who'd think that langoustine would make a brilliant taste combination with banana? It's just amazing how well that worked. I've loved petrouchka since I was a little boy, and, as with every other foodstuff in the world, frying it just makes it better. I would almost go back tonight for more of this dish if I were sure they were going to have it. I'm not sure I'd have paired it with a pinot noir, myself, though -- even the very light New Zealand one they served. Duck Breast, Parsnip "Ricotta", Spaghetti Squash, Black Vinegar. This provided an interesting opportunity to think about Wylie's cuisine. Because I could compare it in my mind to the fabulous duck dish I recently tried at Cafe Boulud, duck with (I think it's called) motard di fruta. Now that's a much more traditional dish than this. But it's sublime, whereas this is "only" delicious. Well, delicious and interesting. The parsnip "ricotta" was another successful culinary pun -- it has the look and consistency of ricotta, but it's really parsnip! That kind of thing would get tiresome if the food didn't taste so good. This was paired with a meritage wine I'd never heard of before, a cabernet, merlot, syrah blend from Washington called "House Wine". I'd like to explore it further. Celery Sorbet, Peanut Butter Powder, Cinnamon Poached Raisons. I guess I've heard of people putting peanut butter on celery, but I wouldn't have thought I'd want to go near that combination myself. Until I had this astonishingly delicious intermezzo. I and my date literally gobbled this down. Manchego Cheesecake, Foamed Pineapple, Quince. A tremendous success (and one that's available on the regular a la carte menu). It tastes like you'd think it would taste, no surprises. But you'd think it would taste great. WD-50 will never be my favorite restaurant. My preference is for simpler, heartier food. But I love that you can get food this interesting and thoughtful for such relatively sensible prices in such a pleasant, comfortable atmosphere with so little hassle. I like WD-50 more every time I go there. Whether that means Wiley and Sam are improving or I'm getting more used to them is a moot question.

(Of course, I think we all want to hear your thoughts about Lupa now.)

Adding to the pile-on, gaf's is the first writing I've read that accurately expresses what my own feelings are about Babbo. Thanks.

Ate here a few nights ago for the first time in several years. Still very good. Make that very VERY good. I ate alone, so my order was limited. 1. Crunchy Eggplant Hong Kong Style (or some such). Breaded, fried eggplant with chives and other oniony stuff on top. Excellent dish. 2. The highly-lauded "Hometown" Lobster. Boiled or steamed (I can't tell you) lobster, then apparently cracked and sauteed(?), with egg, scallion, and ginger. A simply fabulous lobster preparation. Whenever you return to one of these places after a few years' absence, you worry about whether passing time and changing chefs have taken their toll. Not here, happily.

I sort of stumbled upon the Zebu Grill -- a Brazilian restaurant on E. 92nd St. between 2nd & 3rd Aves. -- last night. It's never been reviewed here -- although a search disclosed, to my surprise, that it's listed in Michelin. Zebu Grill is surprisingly good for a neighborhood Brazilian place. As one of my dining companions exclaimed when the first plates of food came out, "This looks like it's very fine!" And that really is what's surprising about Zebu Grill: the food seems "fine", i.e., prepared with above-average ingredients with a lot of apparent attention to detail and to execution. Which is not what you (or at least I) would expect at a place like this (I was expecting the standard glop). Prices are moderate (appetizers going up to, say, $10 but mainly hovering around $7 and $8; entrees going up to $20 or $21 but mainly hovering around $17). For the rundown, I had the pork ribs with coffee glaze as an appetizer (not really recommended, in retrospect). For my main I had the picadinho -- diced beef in some sort of gravy with a poached egg on top -- and it was good, but frankly everybody's entree looked good. Our table split an order of deep-fried yucca, and to me that's the dish that, in a way, tells the tale here: perfectly, greaselessly fried, much better than you'd have any right to expect. I find this a hard neighborhood to eat well in, and am happy to know about this place.