Sneakeater

Also, the duck I had at Benoit was not only better than any duck I've ever had at Balthazar. It was better than any anything I've ever had at Balthazar. They must have thought I was Bruni.

Are you talking about charcuterie or overall? I disagree with either claim but am interested in which you're making. The good dishes at Benoit are categorically superior to anything I've had at Balthazar. The worst dishes at Benoit are not. The frites at Balthazar are better. ← For whatever it's worth, I wanted to express my agreement with every word FG wrote in this post.

Nostalgia? When there are plenty of current places serving a roughly similar type of food, but worse? If someone could explain to me how Balthazar is in any way better than Benoit (I mean, sure, Balthazar is more consistent -- but more consistent at a lower level), I'd like to hear and understand it.

I find the beating that Benoit is taking at the hands of the critics distressing. It's like they don't respect this kind of food. Cuisine bourgeoise -- tre ordinaire. Benoit is uneven, yes. But when it's good -- which in my experience has been most of the time -- it's better than anyone else trying to do like things in New York. I mean, like, immeasurably better than Baltazar, which up to now has pretty much been the top of that heap. It's a pity the reviewers don't seem to respect that.

That would be me. Glad you like it! ← Me, too (FWIW)!

Sssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Nobody's supposed to know that Liebrandt's doing that.

I think the JohnDog is one of the most efficient machines for the soaking up of alcohol yet invented by man.

I actually agree no carts doesn't matter. But the guy asking the question said that "no carts" disqualified Dim Sum Go Go.

Chinatown Brasserie isn't in Chinatown. Also, no carts. If you're willing to leave Chinatown (as you'd have to do to go to Chinatown Brasserie), World Tong in Brooklyn (the place where Chinatown Brasserie's genius dim sum chef came from -- and they've replaced him with someone nearly as good) remains superb.

Yeah. I don't think one pizza for two people there could be enough.

I have to say that, unlike Ssam Bar, I don't see how Franny's becomes a better deal with more people. You (or at least I) end up ordering the same amount of food per person, OR MORE. (My typical dinner there alone: one antipasto, one pizza. (My typical dinner there with a group: a bunch of antipasti, a bunch of pastas and pizzas.)

ANYBODY would've had a cocktail first. There's your $80. (ETA: Agree that's not a snack. That's more than I usually have there for dinner.)

Although not if you're really hung up on Michelin NYC ratings.

To me it tastes like large blocks of Polly-O cheese. I really don't get the support for this place.

Although I'd note that the fact that they're so similar (as Nathan points out) suggests that they don't intend you to eat a whole bunch of them together at one sitting. I agree with Nathan: if you don't order carefully, multiple antipasti at Franny's can get monotonous. (The way to avoid the monotony is not to concentrate solely on green vegetables.)

That's exactly what I always say to people who complain about the expense.

People have ALWAYS complained -- with some justification -- about Franny's expense.

It's true that I've sometimes had two antipasti and then a pizza or pasta. I just didn't want to look like a pig by saying so.

The typical Franny's meal: one app/antipasto per person (and those are easy to share), and then either a pie or a pasta dish per person. That's not so daunting. If you look at the dining room, you can see that it's not set up for groups. The huge majority of tables are two-tops.

There's a point there: if you cut Franny's pies into four quarters (as you -- or at least I -- do when you're eating them yourself) (or at most sharing a piece with your dining companion), it's a pain, but not so bad. It becomes a big problem mainly when you try to cut a pie into eighths, to be split among a big group. Then the pieces tend to get ripped to shreds. But, again, the kitchen INTENDS that the pies be eaten individually. When they first opened, they made a big deal of explaining that.

As someone who's there A LOT, I would just note that typically Franny's pies are consumed on a one-pie-to-a-person basis. That's certainly always been the kitchen's intent. (That said, I too find the pies to be a pain to cut.)

It's not their process that's frustrating. It's the demand.

If I had a small restaurant, I would ban all photography just as I would ban use of laptops if I had a cocktail lounge. (I didn't realize I was such a fascist.)

I'm incredibly excited to have this nearby. But is this going to be another place that's simply impossible to get into?

(Now I'm wondering what the implications of that last paragraph are for Benoit, a restaurant I defend heartily.)