Sneakeater

You can't argue with those dim sum. I just can't stop going and eating them.

Don't tell Mr. Ramsay, but unfortunately New Yorkers don't intimidate very easily.

Days when Soltner was there. Food. (I don't really consider the post-Soltner period to be "Lutece".)

I'm glad to see that the posters on this site are not gonna let Eater tell them what to do.

Of course you're right, but IMO Cafe Boulud doesn't approach the level of Lutece.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/01/science/...artner=homepage

(I thought that if I attributed things to my dining companions, everybody would get on me like they get on Bruni.)

Yes, it was eatmywords's idea that they have a pork sampler.

Note to Ll http://marisachurchill.com/calendar.php I'm just sayin.

I (who am not the person you asked) read it in Gael Greene's write-up in New York: http://nymag.com/redirects/insatiablecritic.htm It's quite possible they've changed it since then.

Amplifying Nathan's point (on this fairly silly dispute), people aren't just falling into BLT Burger. They're going there because they're being led there. Every notice this place is getting emphasizes that it's a burger joint run by famous chef Laurent Tourondel. So even if they didn't know who he was before, they know it now.

(If we're going off-topic let's go all the way.) We'll all agree that just about everybody who goes to Perry Street knows who JGV is. Would we all agree that most people who go to Spice Market -- even now -- know who he is? I would think so.

I hope they add boudin noir to EVERY menu.

I wonder about that. (Your average Shake Shack customer certainly knows and cares who Danny Meyer is.) (Which is not to say that I disagree with the rest of your post. I don't.)

I think the demise of Cello hit him hard. One day his investors ripped out the carpet from under his legs, and suddenly the restaurant was done. BLT Steak, Prime, and Burger are basically formula restaurants. If strong management is in place, they should be able to operate for years with only occasional tune-up visits from Tourondel. With at least two more BLT restaurants in the planning stages, I don't see him going back to a Cello-like concept anytime soon. Of the existing brood, BLT Fish is the one that most clearly needs a strong hand in the kitchen, and I suspect he hasn't been there very much. ← I eagerly await BLT Papaya.

Waltzed into BLT Burger for a late (10:30ish) supper after a long Sunday's work. The place was nearly empty. Which shows the stupidity of trying to go to a highly publicized, not very expensive place on opening day, as I tried (but failed) to do earlier this week. I had a BLT Burger, which is a double burger with au poive sauce and bacon (applewood, of course) and a leaf of lettuce. It was very good, as were the fries I had with it. The BLT Burger was $11, and the fries were an additional $3 or $4. This shows what a great deal is the Burger Bar at the Cafe Centro, in whatever they call the Pan Am building these days. That burger is at least as good as the BLT Burger, comes with fries (and cheese)(both extra at BLT), and, at least the last time I was there, was only $12. I like In and Out burgers best of all, and (not counting air fare) they're only a few dollars. Laurent Tourondel -- or at least someone I took to be him -- was still holding court at the bar (still surrounded by people who appeared to be industry insiders) at the end of this day. I wanted to grab him by the shoulders shake him. The man who used to be the chef of Cello is now represented by two steakhouses, a fish place, and now this. I understand the economic considerations (it was like that NYT article about entree prices come to life). But it's like one of those man-to-ape charts we used to see, as jokes, when we were kids. I'm happy he's making money (as I assume he is). But this stuff is beneath him.

How did you do that? Did you just walk in? How long did you have to wait to be seated?

Had the late-night menu. It was very good. Although not exactly all that's been represented. Reading the hype, you get the idea that there's this elite corps of chefs creating these highly imaginative go-for-broke dishes in the Momofuko style. The "in the Momofuko style" is right, but other than that, there was nothing that wouldn't have been at home on the menu at Momofuko proper. In other words, late-night Ssam is sort of like all-day Momofuko, except that there's comfortable seating and the centerpiece of the menu is a bunch of cured-ham-or-pork plates instead of a bunch of ramen bowls. I'm not gonna go through the dishes we had. All were good -- and I'm sure that everything on the menu is good. As at Momofuko proper, standards of ingredients and execution are high. Unless you're some died-in-the-wool pork freak, selection among the pork plates has to be almost comically random (I sure can't tell in advance what the differences between these producers and styles will be), so it's going to have to be a matter of trying and contrasting over time. (Since all the pork plates are similarly or maybe even identically priced, it would be nice if they allowed combination platters or "flights" or something. Maybe they even do: we didn't ask.) The pork plates consist of a bunch of thinly-cut strips of cured pork or ham, together with some bread and a very delicious spiced apple butter. (By going on a about the pork plates, I don't want to give the impression that they tower over the rest of the menu. They don't: I'd even say I liked some of the cooked dishes better. It's just that, as I said, the pork plates seem to be the centerpiece of the late-night menu.) Prices are gentle. This is a very good addition to the late-night dining scene.

Hmph. Now I have to go back and read the whole thread to figure out what you're talking about! Seriously, it'll be fine. He's less of a diner than an eater, but it'll buy him a few months of me not nagging him to go back to Per Se. ← Hey. Since it's your birthday, I'll save you the trouble and tell you what I'm talking about. Atelier has fabulous, superlative food in the French haute tradition with absolutely none of the bullshit ritual that drives unpretentious people away from fine French dining. There is absolutely nothing you have to "put up with" during a meal at Atelier. All food, no bullshit. (And, especially at the counter, fast, too.)

Actually, I agree with you.

Of course, that was AFTER the blogger had put the story of his family's mistreatment on a blog. And AFTER that blog entry had gotten linked by a more mainstream site.

At the risk of being accused of blatant self-promotion, my extended thoughts about many of the places on your list are here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=79211&hl=

I'd say, go to Don Chon by all means. I loved it. For the food (although admittedly in large part because the food was so "interesting"). (And I thought the ant eggs were just delicious. So there!) I walked there, alone, with no qualms -- but then, I'm a male who lives in Brooklyn, so maybe I'm less bothered by possibly questionable street scenes. For the little it's worth I FAR FAR FAR preferred Aguila y Sol to Izote. As for Tezka, if you're not planning to go to Spain, I for one wouldn't miss it. (If you are planning to go to Spain, then go to Arzak and free up this dining slot.) I think that was one of the best meals I had in 2005. As far as dress code goes, I guess I always wear a sport coat everywhere when I'm in a city -- but I can still look pretty scruffy, and I was treated like gold there.

Mas thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...&hl=(farmhouse)

Me too.