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Sneakeater

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Everything posted by Sneakeater

  1. I forgot to add something. The first time I went to the London Bar, in February, I ordered a Vesper and had a lengthy chat with the bartender about it. (I'd been meaning to order one somewhere since the movie came out in November, but kept forgetting -- or getting distracted by other cocktails.) My next visit to the London Bar, three weeks later . . . The Vesper was added to the cocktail menu. I give myself full credit for this.
  2. All I can tell you is that I remember in the early 80s that someone -- maybe it was Seymour Britchkey -- was making a big fuss about how good Grotto Azzura was.
  3. Let me put it this way: better than Country, a little worse perhaps than Picholine. But in no way a lot worse.
  4. I think Gordon Ramsey is being mistreated by the NYC food media. I finally got to eat in the dining room last night. It was very enjoyable -- in a highly retro sort of way. The food did not knock my socks off, but it was all immaculately prepared and quite delicious. The experience reminded me of when I started "fine dining" as a young law associate 25 years ago. I was always vaguely uncomfortable in "fancy" restaurants, with their batteries of deferential servers. And the food, too, was "fancy" in a way you don't see anymore. Not in the "classic French"/Le Grenuoille sense, but in a somewhat more (formerly) contemporary elaborate-but-not-innovative, full-fatted sense that nouvelle cuisine was beginning to root out but which I caught the tail end of. Now I'm comfortable in my own skin, and not intimidated by servers in restaurants. But on the other hand, there's no question that the predominant style of service at top NYC restaurants has become more informal over the last 25 years. So the kind of service you get at GR brought me back, because it's not like what you see in NYC restaurants these days. It's more like the European model, where every table gets four or so servers. Of course, under the European model, everything happens effortlessly, whereas here effort seems to be the word. Bryan said he was confused, because he didn't know who to ask for what. I felt the same way. As I said, it took me back to the days when I didn't feel like I knew what I was doing in restaurants. As for the food, it's pretty much as has been described here. Old-fashioned sauces, rather than the much lighter emulsions Jean-Georges Vongerichten has accustomed us to (what a revelation JoJo was in that regard, when it first opened!). No Asian influences. Just good tasty haute Franco-British food. As this thread has worn on, I think the emphasis has been lost on just how good it tastes. By the end of the meal (I had the three-course dinner, not the tasting menu), I had to admit it was cumulatively too rich for me. But each dish was itself balanced, and while they weren't challenging in any way, none was boring. I was paying too much attention to conversation (and to my date) to give any kind of detailed rundown of what I ate. But my general comments above stand. This is not one of the great restaurants of New York, as Ramsay surely hoped. But it's nothing close to mediocre. It's very very very good. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
  5. Sneakeater

    Papatzul

    There are daily specials.
  6. I recently ran across a review of Esca on one of those websites where the poster said something to the effect of, "The menu is ridiculous. If you don't like fish, there's almost nothing to order."
  7. I had a friend visiting from St. Louis a couple of years ago. Although she was nearly 60, she had rarely if ever visited New York before. She wanted to go somewhere in Little Italy for pastries. "Where do New Yorkers go when they feel like going to Little Italy?" she asked. "They don't," I answered. "New Yorkers don't go to Little Italy." She refused to believe me. She thought I was being my usual snobby self. I couldn't get her to get that, as far as people in this City are concerned, that neighborhood is a dead letter.
  8. How much are they?
  9. Sneakeater

    Esca

    That's the theory, anyway.
  10. Sneakeater

    Esca

    To tell you the truth, I walked from midtown down to 7th & Waverly -- a longer walk -- but then deigned to take the subway back uptown when Morandi didn't pan out.
  11. Sneakeater

    Esca

    I stopped in here moderately late for dinner last night (don't quite remember the time). No need to talk in depth about the food; just want to discuss availability. (Just so you don't think I'm a review whore, the last time I ate here was two weeks ago.) The bar was packed. But the hostess sort of recognized me, and Vic the Bartender definitely recognized me, and they knew I was gonna eat and probably eat a lot, so they pulled a seat out of the coat check (I hope not the one the checker sits on -- although I'm afraid it was) and shoved it into whatever space could be found at the bar. Vic has got to be one of the nicest bartenders in New York. (OK OK the food. I had the snow crab -- mixed up with Ritz crackers, no less -- a very seasonal dish that's not long for the menu. Try it while you can. Then the classic bucatini with octopus, which was exactly what I was in the mood for. Then some grilled sturgeon. Someone in the kitchen there really knows how to cook fish.)
  12. Sneakeater

    Morandi

    I tried to drop into Morandi for a late bite last night -- I wanted to try the daily special of Busecco -- but it was a complete zoo. It was actively unpleasant to even walk over to the bar to see if anything looked to be available. Of course, this is going to dissipate over time.
  13. Was/is the cafe at Fairway open for weekday breakfasts? If so, how does/did it do?
  14. I'm so happy to hear somebody else say this.
  15. It seems superfluous to state agreement with FG, but, yeah, exactly.
  16. Sneakeater

    p*ong

    I think yesterday (Wed.).
  17. Downtown is 12 noon to 2 AM Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 2 AM Saturday and Sunday. I'm not saying it's not different, but is it THAT different? (I assume the people working at 7 AM aren't the same as the people working at 1 AM.)
  18. Uhh, Will: it's NOT JUST PAM.
  19. Sneakeater

    Esca

    I still eat at the bar, but (a) it's cramped and uncomfortable and (b) for all the talk of Esca's "remote" location, there's rarely any assurance you'll be able to get a seat, at least during anything approaching prime dining hours.
  20. Sneakeater

    Esca

    I would like to second Bruni's observation that the current configuration of the bar at Esca is MUCH too small.
  21. Now THAT'S funny.
  22. Just for the record, this is very not true anymore.
  23. I wonder what percentage of the posters on eGullet's NY Board ate there last night. 50%? 70%? 95%?
  24. It's not just about price. You would never take your family to Compass for the prix fixe as a substitute for cooking. The place is too formal, and the food is too "strange". Children would not seem welcome there. And, since Compass isn't open late night, you couldn't drop in there for a late-night bite even if you wanted to and the menu accomodated that (which it doesn't). Compass more of an "eating out" restaurant, even if you limit yourself to the prix fixe.
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