Sneakeater

But the trouble with the review is, he says that. But then you read the review, and all he really complains about (apart from the caviar service) is the sturgeon (and I guess an incidental-seeming mention of some inconsistencies in preparation). I don't doubt that Bruni thought that "more than a few dishes weren't so successful." But the review doesn't illustrate it. Instead, the review makes the food sound pretty great. (I admit I have a potential problem in that I've eaten there a couple of times and found the food pretty great.) I came away from the review pretty confused about what Bruni thought about the food.

As for "making sense", I think the problem -- which Bruni sort of touches on but doesn't really develop -- is that the whole current concept of the RTR doesn't make sense. It doesn't make sense to hire a famous fusion chef with no background in Russian cooking to revitalize this traditionally highly traditional restaurant. I happen to think the food works. But I think the whole concept is sort of silly.

The thing is, Robins could be looking for a job even if the review didn't find any real BOH problems.

Also, I think all this confusion about whether Bruni thought the food at RTR was "three star" or "two star" points to a lack of writing ability (about food) on his part. On the one hand, as Nathan said, he sounded as enthusiastic about this food as he ever has. On the other hand, as oakappple said, Bruni did mention inconsistencies and find fault with a few dishes. I guess I'm saying that Bruni should be able to make it clearer what he thinks. Of course, if the service problems hadn't been there to muck it up, we'd look at the star rating and say either, "it was a strong two-star" or "it was a mixed three-star". This is another example of how mixing everything up into one definitive small-number numerical rating at least in my view encumbers rather than enhances communication.

Rich, I was joking. But, for the record, of course you're right: no way is that four-star food. If I were a star kind of guy, though, I'd call it three-star.

Ya know, rich always asks about places with four-star food but one-star service. This appears to come close.

It's too bad, because to me he seemed like a really good guy.

It's strange, because this week's RTR review in the the New Yorker also focusses on service problems. Yet, the times I was there, service was sweet and attentive. Indeed, the exact same problem popped up for me as for Bruni -- the cellar was out of a bottle I'd selected -- but in my case, the sommelier notified me immediately and recommended a less expensive alternative. I didn't experience any delays, either. I'm obviously not denying that the reported services glitches -- in Bruni's case an inexcusable one -- happened. I'm just remarking on how different my experiences were. (I do think that it's too early for this place to receive a full Times review.)

Uh oh. Now the American food press is getting started on Saltshaker . . . .

Lulu will be crestfallen.

More than a bit.

Absolutely NOT.

It's also interesting you'd say that. I've noticed that taste, as have some others. But still others say that don't. Interesting.

That's weird.

This is interesting. The post on solo dining seems to have disappeared from the BruniBlog. I wonder if it's because many readers appeared to have been offended by comments by Bruni that, fairly read, suggested he thought that solo diners ought to be pitied and their situation concealed.

I find your reactions to WD-50 interesting. Because, when it first opened, my feelings about WD-50 were about the same as yours. Over time, I've come to like it very much. I've always wondered how much I've moved toward them, and how much they've moved toward me. Given that a substantial number of other commentators have seemed to have undergone the same evolution of feelings about WD-50, I've always suspected that it was the restaurant that's done most of the moving. But reading your posts, I wonder. I mean, what you said is almost EXACTLY what I'd have said after my first couple of visits, when the place was new. So maybe it really is that many of us are getting used to it at similar rates, simultaneously undergoing similar evolutions in our appreciation. Interesting.

Times change. I just went to Craft for the first time since it was new. When Craft opened, it kind of pissed me off. I thought the mix-and-match menu concept was kind of an abdication of the chef's role. I also thought that the separate charges for each dish jacked up the price well above what I thought was reasonable. Since then, they've moderated the menu concept a bit. Meanwhile, separately-priced side dishes have become sufficiently common in New York non-steakhouse restaurants that the concept, while lamentable, is no longer shocking. So now I was ready to appreciate Craft just for the food. And the food is very very good. Excellent, in fact. I'd rank it at the level of, say, Picholine, which to me is very high indeeed. Whoever the current chef de cuisine is there, he (or she) is a very talented guy. We had the chicken egg and escargots, the roasted and braised partridge with foie gras, the venison, the roasted brussel sprouts, the yellowfoot (or something) chanterelles, and the grits with pig's trotters. Standouts, to me, were the chicken egg and escargots (where do they get snails that plump?) and the grits with pig's trotters (how rich can they make the grits? how perfectly can they cook the pig's trotters? will I ever be able to eat anyone else's pig's trotter's again?). The partridge was almost too rich (I don't know if that's a criticism or high praise). But the emblematic dish was the brussel sprouts. They were perfect. (Roasted with bits of bacon.) You don't think you're going to be going around celebrating something like brussel sprouts, but that's what Craft is about. The wine list needs more bottles under $100 -- although our waiter steered us to a $75 West Coast pinot noir that was very good. One other thing. I went with someone with an almost whimsical list of dietary restrictions, owing to celiac disease (real) and lactose intolerance (she at least thinks it's real). Craft is a perfect place for someone like that. Most preparations are both simple and transparent. And even when they normally use butter, as in the brussel sprouts and the mushrooms, it was easy for them not too (the grits they couldn't help).

Not that informative, but on point: http://nymag.com/news/articles/reasonstoloveny/2006/25607/

For some reason, when I got to that sentence I couldn't stop laughing. You guys are machines.

Yeah. He was very skinny.

Thanks, FoodPassion. I'd like to say one other thing, since we know that people from Varietal are reading this thread. And PLEASE, everybody, accept this in the spirit of its being meant as constructive criticism given to a worthy enterprise, not carping or whining or discouraging people from trying this place. I recently ate in Porchetta, another new(ish) place that, at least then, was having serious problems with pacing in the kitchen, and also with the front of the house (just about every online review of the place mentioned them). But there, the owner of the restaurant came to our table, unbidden, to apologize for the delays while we were waiting for our food. Indeed, without our having uttered one word of complaint, he told us he was comping us our bottle of wine. At Varietal, no one really said anything to me. All they would have had to do is tell me their computer system was down, and I'd have been completely understanding. But instead, they essentially ignored me. I had to practically go up to a bartender and bite him on the leg to attract his attention so I could order a dessert wine as my wait dragged on. And even then, he didn't tell me he was comping it at the time (which would have been the thing to do to make sure I wasn't disgruntled); I didn't find out about that until my bill came. My point in saying all this isn't to rag on this place or its overstressed service staff. It's just to note that there's a way to handle problems like this that gets your customers on your side -- and they didn't do it. I sympathize with the problems that any new restaurant has. I just want to tell Varietal that they could have been a bit more gracious about them. I say this not because I wish Varietal ill, but precisely because I wish it well. As I said, I hope that everyone will take this post in the spirit in which it was written.

Ya know, I didn't mention that only because I was afraid Lupa would fall outside the $15-$20 entree parameter. But having just checked the menu and seen that prices are exactly within mmm_chocalate's range, I have to agree that Lupa/Pegu Club is the best combination possible.

BTW, about catsup/ketjap: http://homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/aa021400a.htm

I don't want to get into a fight, but I do want to make a few small points in case I haven't been clear. 1. When I mentioned "comfort food", I wasn't criticizing Chef Kahn's creations for not being comfort food (much less suggesting that I expected comfort food from this Alinea veteran). All I was trying to say was that since Chef Kahn's work obviously isn't comfort food, it was unfortunate that service glitches prevented me from being in a position to appreciate it. 2. As a general matter, the suggestion that you can't have a three-course late supper at the bar of a fine restaurant is completely unfounded. I do it all the time. And sure, it usually takes no more than an hour or so. When you're eating alone at a bar, you eat faster than you do when you're conversing with a companion at a table. One reason I prefer eating at bars when I eat alone is that the pace of service is usually faster than at a table. (And, it seems almost too obvious to state, that fast pace doesn't mean you're not savoring the food. If anything, when you eat alone you pay more attention to the food, since you're not also talking to a companion.) I'm not saying any of that to try to lay blame on Varietal for having understandable service glitches right after opening. I just don't want a general assertion, going beyond this particular restaurant, that I believe is dead wrong on the facts to go unrebutted. 3. I assumed it was understood by everyone that service glitches often happen at new places, and that's just the way it goes. I had hoped that the comment at the end of my review post stating my intention to return to Varietal conveyed my impression of the relative (un)importance of the service glitches I experienced as compared to the obvious potential of the food. (I.e., it's more a probably temporary factor to consider, at least for scheduling purposes, than a reason to stay away.) If it didn't, I apologize to both the restaurant and the readers. And I'll repeat that Chef Kahn, aside from being a tremendously talented cook, is really a class act.

sneakeater, i just wanted to first say thank you for the kind words and also for coming by the restaurant to see us. it's always a great personal pleasure of mine to "feed" egulleteers. i also wanted to apologize for the duration of time you waited for your dessert. this is by no means an excuse, and should not happen under any circumstances, however, that particular night our POS (that's the name, i'm not saying piece of shit) computer system went down, and many tickets and orders were lost all night long. i again am so sorry that you were on the receiving end of this dilemma, and it is a major detail that has been corrected, and i can assure you will not happen again. i would love for you to come back and see us, and have desserts the way in which they were intended. also, just to clarify... the sauce on the wolfberry dish is ketjap manis, which is southeast asian condiment made from soy sauce, licorice, star anise, and molasses. thanks and sorry again. j. ← Jordan, there's no question I'll be back. (Hell, I almost went back last night.) FWIW, I admire your professionalism tremendously.