Sneakeater

Oakapple said what I was about to say about the pool of reviewable restaurants. Times reviews don't have to be limited to new openings in Manhattan (although I agree that has to be the main focus). I also agree with Fat Guy, though, that, since a reviewer with 52 slots can't cover every opening, he has to prioritize. And, like Fat Guy, I think it presents a blinkered view of what the Times should be covering to say that Max Brenner didn't "deserve" a review slot.

Actually, this is what I've been trying to say. But you said it better. Thanks.

Of course. But the problem I'm having is that, while I'm saying something unfalsifiable, I think you're saying something circular. If I understand you correctly, you're saying that something can't be a "hidden gem" because once it gets identified by a professional reviewer, it's no longer "hidden". All I'm saying is that the place was "hidden" until the first reviewer found it. (We're talking about places without PR firms now.) And for every place that's "discovered" like that, there is probably some multiple number of worthy places that remain "undiscovered."

Part of the problem with discussing "hidden gems" is that they're hidden. You can't expect me to name places I don't know about.

No no. I meant the possibility that one of these "neighborhood" places is extraordinary. It's possible. THAT would be a "hidden gem".

Yeah, but SOMEBODY had to "discover" it (and then the rest followed). And who knows how many places there are in, say, Western Queens that are worthy of "discovery" but haven't been yet?

I think there are three types of "hidden gems" that remain possible in the City. One is outer-borough places that don't hire PR people (some do, many don't). Two is Manhattan places that don't hire PR people (mostly these would be unprepossessing ethnic places and maybe the occassional pure neighborhood place, I think). Three is places that are well-publicized, but in a way that would not make anyone expect them to have good food (think Buddhakan).

That's certainly right.

It makes precisely that difference. It's a la carte only at the bar, and prix fixe only in the dining room.

I don't want this to sound like a "mine is bigger than yours" type comment, but I had certainly heard of Rasanjin before Bruni reviewed it. And my sources are almost exactly the same as yours. I think you just might not have been paying attention in that case (I want to emphasize that I don't mean that as a pejorative -- I mean, big deal, you didn't pay attention to some delivery place opening a small dining room). But I wouldn't universalize it.

Just to add, when the first Max Brenner opened, it was featured in Eater and other food blogs. I think it may even have had a thread here. It definitely got the kind of attention from serious sources that, say, Olive Garden never has. (EDITED TO ADD: Here's the link to the eG thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...6888&hl=brenner. Sure, the consensus utlmately established that the place wasn't very good -- but at least one initial post compared it to Jacques Torres. And there was plenty of interest. Why would a place worthy of a thread here not be worthy of a NYT review?)

I'll bet you'd see children in Landmarc if (unlike either of us, ever*) you went early enough. I mean, there has to be a reason they have a children's menu. _______________________________________________________ * That's another point. Consider the times you usually eat. Any children are probably gone by then.

(I mean, I've seen children in Bouley Upstairs. But I'm not saying it's the norm.)

Bubby's?

Chinatown? Neighborhood places in Tribeca? People with children take them to restaurants all the time. Just not fine-dining restaurants. Although I agree with oakapple that, if there ever was a restaurant that should have anticipated having family groups eat there, it's Kefi.

Actually, let me take back that parenthetical. And add that, if I didn't take it back, I'd add, "EXCEPT CHINATOWN."

That's more a function of the kind of neighborhoods you've lived in and frequented, and the kind of restaurants you go to, than any kind of reflection on the reality of restaurants in NYC. I would guess that the neighborhoods in which you see children in restaurants outnumber those in which you don't. (Although I'd also guess that, on the whole, they tend to have worse restaurants.)

But this is no longer a $90-per-person place.

Eating-out costs in London are insane, right? Isn't this is just another example of the insanity? As for the Fatty Crab "authenticity" debate, I don't really go to Fatty Crab with any expectation that it will be authentic. I go for a certain type of ethnic cuisine filtered through the sensibility of a chef I really like. (I mean, do I care whether the pickled watermelon with pork belly is a true Malaysian dish, a Zak Pelaccio dish, or something in between? NO.) Maybe if I was even superficially familiar with real Malaysian food (all I've had are two or three meals in various outposts of that NYC Malaysian chain, Penang) I'd have more reservations about the food at Fatty Crab. But I'm not, and I don't. I just focus on how tasty I think it is.

If you're over 40 and have recently been to Morandi in Manhattan, you're probably not wondering anymore.

I had some surgery last year, and the surgeon told me that frozen peas in a plastic bad made an excellent cold compress.

Since nobody's written about Little Owl in a while, I thought my ordering two dishes I'd never had before during a visit last week would be an excuse. Little Owl's popularity hasn't diminished. I walked in late-ish on a midweek night, and the place was packed. As usual, though, they were able to create a place for an additional (solo) diner at the bar, and off I went. My appetizer of fideos -- the spaghetti-like Spanish pasta -- with fava beans, red pepper, and olive oil was another one of those unexpectedly great dishes that pop out of the kitchen here with some regularity. So seemingly simple, so deeply flavorful. Like last year's cavatelli, a winner. My lamb shank main dish was fine. It wasn't as great as a lamb shank as the pork chop is as a pork chop, if you know what I mean. But it was still excellently prepared, and well worth the price. It's not really a criticism of Little Owl to say that only some of the dishes are miraculous. There was no reason to suspect there'd been any recent downturn here. But nevertheless, I'm happy to report that Little Owl's as good as ever. (COMP DISCLOSURE: When my lamb shank was brought to me, a bottle of a Bordeaux petite chateau suddenly appeared along with it, with the advice that Chef Joey thought it would be a better accompaniment to the lamb than any of the wines on the by-the-glass list. Then, Chef Joey himself materialized, and we proceeded to split the bottle. Which did not, of course, appear on my check. I don't think this largesse had any effect on my feelings about the meal. They had me with the fideos.)

I don't think that Shake Shack slipped so much as it got so crowded that nobody goes there. If you go at meal times, the waits are insane. Nothing could be worth that.

In this case -- unlike most Oakapple cites -- it isn't just Bruni, though. It's like the entire New York food media were so blinded by their expectations* that they were unable to judge Ramsay at the London for what it is. _________________________________________________ * Obviously Ramsay was complicit in this.

Thing is, though, Ramsay still got manhandled by the food press. Obviously, "better than Country, not as good as Picholine" isn't what Ramsay was aiming for. But still, does anybody seriously think this is a two-star restaurant? Part of it, of course -- as you've pointed out -- is that Ramsay plays directly into (meaning against) Bruni's and Platt's biases. But I think there's also a bit of overreacting going on. It's like, once this restaurant doesn't deserve four stars (and, as you say, nearly everybody agrees it doesn't), it might as well get only two. Just seems nuts to me. And, although I have no basis for this belief, I can't believe it was that much worse under Neil Ferguson.