Leonard Kim

This has to be my last post on this for a while (it's hard to stop, but I don't want to get tedious, and there's work to be done.) Anyway -- Ruth Reichl does, in one review, make a clear opposition between the two concepts, and then suggests a third. Please understand I'm not quoting these to prove anything by authority. Language is usage, as we like to say, and it's just interesting seeing the examples.

re: Red Cat Bruni's re-review says, "ATMOSPHERE A quietly stylish cross between a neighborhood tavern and a snazzier destination restaurant." In his Ici review he says the following: "Ici has the intentions and soul of a neighborhood bistro, not a destination restaurant" This is just to illustrate that there is, at some fuzzy level, polarized usage of the two phrases (as opposed to being completely independent descriptors.) And here, from Grimes, is further evidence for "quality-independence" of the "neighborhood" descriptor.

Thanks, but Marc deserves the credit for the bright idea of searching "neighborhood restaurant" in the Times reviews which is freely available information. I did try to be careful to separate Bouley Bakery and Marika which Grimes only compares to the "neighborhood restaurant" idea vs. the others which he actively identified as being neighborhood restaurants, sometimes with qualification, though I tried to include those (I think I left out his characterization of Wallse as a "glorified neighborhood restaurant.") I have something to say about re-reviews and Bryan Miller in particular, but that'll have to wait.

With that invitation ... Grimes is the most interesting case, with the most extensive discussions of what defines "neighborhood restaurants." There are 22 restaurants he discusses in these terms (which is about double Bruni's % of reviews). Reading these, Grimes seems to have an idealistic vision in terms of atmosphere, ambition, etc. ". . . neighborhood restaurant, an important but ill-understood institution. A real neighborhood restaurant is not only in, but of, the blocks around it. It fits stylistically. The food does not aim too high, but what it aims at, it hits. It's the kind of place that always seems like a good idea." The following restaurants are more or less explicitly identified as "neighborhood restaurants" by Grimes though sometimes accompanied by some comment as to how the restaurant is better than what might expect from a "neighborhood restaurant": Fleur de Sel (**), Village (*), Wallse (**), Tocqueville (**), 71 Clinton Fresh Food (**), Chanterelle (*** "In a city of neighborhoods, they created a neighborhood restaurant almost without equal"), Coup (*), Red Cat (*), 'Cesca (** "a little more stylish than a common neighborhood restaurant"), Cafe des Artistes (** "a kind of neighborhood restaurant for Manhattan's upper crust"), Parish & Company (*), Blue Ribbon Sushi (Brooklyn, *), Lentini (* "Lentini has aspirations that I would call neighborhood-plus. Location and atmosphere make it a neighborhood restaurant. Some of the dishes do, too. . . But look more closely at the menu, scan the ambitious wine list and its equally ambitious prices, and it becomes clear that Mr. Lentini wants to be more than a nice little local standby."), Verbena (* "I can see no reason for dinner at what is, at heart, a nice little neighborhood restaurant to take more than two and a half hours."), Ouest (**), Tappo (*), Azafran (*), Jean-Luc (*), Barrio (*), Vox (*), Arezzo (*), 92 (*) Plus there are two comparisons to the neighborhood restaurant "vibe" at opposite extremes: Marika (SATISFACTORY "Marika, for all its glamour, retains the feel of a neighborhood restaurant.) Bouley Bakery (**** "Despite its expansion and the fireworks in the kitchen, Bouley Bakery retains the feel of a small neighborhood restaurant. Diners feel comfortable showing up in shirtsleeves, and the staff shrewdly maintains a delicate balance between informality and the more disciplined level of service implicit in the food and decor. . . . ATMOSPHERE: Elegant and intimate, with a slightly casual, neighborhood feel.") Miller and Reichl, with far more reviews, only use the phrase a couple of times (Reichl about 7 times I can count and Miller only 3) and with the same basic "archetypal" understanding of the term.

Cantu taped for the current season (season 3) in a yet-to-be-aired battle.

The following press release reveals (all?) challengers and judges for the upcoming tapings (October 6-24) of the 4th season of Iron Chef America, scheduled to air in February. http://www.omnihotels.com/AboutOmniHotels/...essRelease.aspx This information can be found in a couple other places. In case the link doesn't work or they remove it, here are the listed challengers: Chris Cosentino (Incanto, SF) David Myers (Sona, LA) Graham Elliot Bowles (Avenues, Chicago) Jose Andres (Café Atlantico et al., D.C.) Tony Liu (August, NYC) Michael Carlson (Schwa, Chicago) Andrew Carmellini (A Voce, NY) Tim Love (The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Fort Worth) Robert Gadsby (Noe et al., LA, Houston, Chicago) Peter Kelly (Xaviar's et al., NY) Todd Richards (The Oakroom, Louisville) Marc Murphy (Landmarc, NYC) Mary Dumont (The Dunaway Restaurant at Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, NH) Lynn Crawford (Four Seasons, Toronto) Kurt Boucher (Pine Creek Cookhouse, Aspen, CO) Alexandra Guarnaschelli (Butter, NYC) Charles Clark (Ibiza Food and Wine Bar, Houston) Mark Tarbell (Tarbell’s et al. Phoenix) Fortunato Nicotra (Felidia, NYC) Linton Hopkins (Restaurant Eugene, Atlanta)

Tried your second recommendation, Mad Mex, and it was the best of three dinners I've had here so far. (It's not damning with faint praise because of the issues with the other two -- I really did enjoy it.) That's despite the fact that the other two dinners were "upscale." Mad Mex, in contrast, was in the heart of student apartment land, looked like a sports bar (boxing and baseball on TVs), was loud, had a menu which read like your standard bad Tex-Mex (burritos, enchiladas, tacos, etc.), albeit with unusually cheeky language. I looked a little out of place there, probably. But you know, it really was good. I had a margarita, chips and salsa, tortilla soup, and a carnitas burrito (with blue corn bread on the side). <$20. Sounds potentially bad and definitely boring, but it really surpassed all my expectations. Thank you.

Thanks for the recommendations. We went to Lucca and the food was fine but extremely slow in getting out despite the restaurant not being very crowded. The menu actually warns of this (saying something like "please allow for time" because of the "made to order" food), but on the other hand, almost all the dishes came out rather cold, so it really was too slow. So maybe not the best experience this time out, but I can see how one could have a good one there. We shared the calamari appetizer (though my fellow diners refused to touch the spinach that accompanied it), and I had the Bibb salad (with currants, almond slivers, some kind of berry vinaigrette, some kind of cheese) and the prosciutto-stuffed quail with apple bread and another accompaniment I don't remember.

I'm in Pittsburgh now for the week and would love some recommendations for dinner. I'm on the University of Pittsburgh Medical Campus, which I understand is in Oakland. I don't have a car -- is there anything good within walking? Dinner tonight was paid for. We ate at Le Mont. The view was nice. The food wasn't very. But, given that we were a pre-arranged party of ~20 or so and we could only choose between filet mignon or swordfish, it probably isn't a fair way to judge a place. Anyway, salad, bread, veggies, and steak were pretty bad. Soup (mushroom bisque), mashed potatoes, and dessert were OK.

Thank you for the recommendations (though sadly the second set comes too late.) It was raining as I set out so I went to Moxy, which was closest. I enjoyed my meal (which the server selected for me) -- scallops with fennel appetizer, maple-chipotle glazed salmon with corn salsa and sauteed spinach, chocolate hazelnut torte with coffee ice cream, a glass of Joullian Chardonnay.

Not sure which St. Louis thread I should be bumping. This one will do, I guess. I am here. I get one dinner. I'm told I'm in Central West End. (I'm visiting Barnes-Jewish Hospital). I will be walking. Where do I eat? Replies within 24 hours would be appreciated. Thanks.

My wife thinks I complain too much about oversalting. But I like Fiddleheads and personally haven't had that problem there. I had lunch there today and enjoyed it: roasted corn and lemongrass soup, lamb sandwich with sweet potato hash. From my standpoint, it's very close to where I work and I'd rather pay $16 for that lunch vs. soup and sandwich at T.G.I. Friday's or its ilk. I'm glad it's there.

Here is a link to an article describing the dishes prepared at the Atlanta ICA challenger search, written by one of the judges. http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/f.../05/090706.html

Not that anybody cares, but I made a mistake in my calculations and this post was in error. Bruni's % of ** reviews is rock steady. His distribution of stars continues (numerically) to be a very close match to Grimes. As for the kinds of restaurants Bruni reviews -- I don't know that I can offer much here other than, say, a list of all of Bruni's ** restaurants vs. some other critic's. Somebody more knowledgeable than I would then have to make the call as to whether Bruni puts relatively more "neighborhood places" in this category.

You'll be given a list of dishes characteristic to 20 different world cuisines (e.g., French: pâté de foie gras.) Give a concise description of each dish. Those below the passing mark are herewith declared officially "unqualified" to write about food. Those who fail again upon re-examination will have their accounts terminated. Unlike some other threads (rhymes with "loony"), I don't feel the issue here is minimum knowledge or qualifications. It's more about different groups finding opposite conclusions "obvious" and then, sadly, using that as a form of belittlement (implicit or explicit.) The reviewer is as guilty of this as we are. As Megan says, the tone is clearly, "of course, no one likes goose liver pate, so thank goodness I didn't order it by accident, because, obviously, it would have been gross." It's probably fair to say that the reviewer thinks her readers will be sympathetic to this. And it's probably fair to say she'd know her readers better than we would. What makes this unfortunate is the opinion of others that foie gras is "one of the most delectable foods on earth." BTW, setting the bar at "enharmonic modulation" is way too high in that 1) I suspect many practicing music critics would fail it 2) I can't imagine a music review that'd be helped by mentioning it, and 3) it goes against my assertion that one can be a fine music critic without musical training -- I'm looking at you SE.

http://www.theweekly.com/news/2006/August/...od_Network.html This is an article about an Iron Chef America challenger search in Atlanta that will take place this Monday, seemingly similar to the event that took place last year in Washington D.C. that produced challenger Morou. The winner will tape in October. Taste of Atlanta is hosting, and the winner will also be featured at said festival. Contestants are: Gerry Klaskala of Aria, Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene, Annie Quatrano of Bacchanalia, and Kevin Rathbun of Rathbun's.

I ate at Il Posto once one or two years ago. Except for the calamari appetizer (as I've said upthread, I've yet to have an irreproachable calamari experience in the area), everything was very enjoyable. I haven't eaten at all the well-known Italian places in the area, so I can't absolutely say where Il Posto ranks. But I think, of those I've tried, it's probably been the best.

Had dinner at Brasserie Zinc in West Bloomfield (Orchard Lake Rd. just south of Maple), which has been open for 2+ years, but was only just reviewed this May in the Detroit News: http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?A...=73254184258388 It's owned by the people who own Redcoat. (The Redcoat burger is on the menu.) Nothing we ate was outright bad -- I don't regret eating there -- but nor did anything strike me as much more than OK. My wife is more positive about the experience, I think. Me, I'd rather just have a Redcoat burger. I had the mussels and fries dish cited in the review above as well as the house greens salad and profiterole for dessert. Portions are very large. Restaurant was very loud for my taste. Here's the Metrotimes review from 2004 which is a little out-dated (we didn't see the half-glass wine "tastes" mentioned in this article, for example). The reviewer's opinion that the entrees she tasted needed "fine-tuning" matches my general thinking on why I didn't care more for the food. http://www.metrotimes.com/guide/restaurant...iew.asp?id=8768

Maybe it's just context. I was on foot around the EMU campus looking for quick, cheap carryout at 11 am. Given the other options, I was sure happy with what I ended up with.

But it is three star worthy?

I was on the EMU campus yesterday and carryout from La Fiesta Mexicana was just the ticket. It's been mentioned a couple times on this site already, so this place is hardly news. But still good. I like bitter lemonade, even though my wife didn't care for it. (But why do we accept the texture of something like skirt steak in Mexican and Korean food even though it really is objectively rather unacceptable -- you need a good set of chompers to be able to chew and swallow the stuff. I'm Korean, so I'm used to it, but I still wonder about it sometime.)

'Cause he's already been on the show? (As a sous-chef for Michael Laiskonis.) I think it's pretty clear that you can bring whomever the heck you want on the show as a "sous-chef." For the other side, I don't see any obvious connection between Psilakis and Gennaro Picone, although someone can correct me. Two upcoming challengers, Elizabeth Falkner and Patricia Yeo, have already been on as sous-chefs.

Still catching this show in bits and pieces. It occurs to me, though they'd never do it, that this show would lose nothing and be a lot more comfortable to watch if they just did away with the verdict. The key "reality TV" moment of the show is, after all, having Flay show up unannounced and getting the reaction shots. And honestly, that is awfully entertaining. They can still have the cook off and have multiple people, including professional judges, express preferences for one or another. Just don't have the whole thing end with making someone a loser, given the show's insistence that everybody's a winner and the laudable efforts to put the put-upon contestant in a good light. I think it wouldn't be any less exciting, both live and on-air. It'd still be bigtime pressure to succeed for the contestant to serve dishes in direct televised comparison with Mr. Famous to (on some episodes) prominent judges. They'll never do it, but I hope it's considered. It'd do away with the only potentially unpleasant aspect of the show. As it is, I still think they deserve some credit for trying to keep the unpleasantness factor to a minimum, at least on air.

I would submit that, at least with respect to concerts and other performances, but probably with restaurants as well, that the issue is less with the "performers" than with other patrons. I think most musicians would take any audience they can get, however dressed. And it's not as if they can or do scrutinize the audience during performance, especially if the venue is darkened. Patrons, on the other hand, may care about the overall experience, on top of the sounds or tastes, that includes things like the community with which they are sharing the experience. I would guess that direct or subtle discouragement of perhaps underdressed patrons on the part of the staff is a result of some unspoken agreement or understanding with their regular demographic and their preferences. The staff's thinking process, justified or not, is something like, "if I don't make at least some show of caring about dress, in the larger picture, that may upset more of the people on whom our livelihood depends." In the end, it's less about "the restaurant," whatever nebulous thing that might be, than with the specific instances of personal interaction involved, which may indeed be poorly handled. And perhaps those instances may sometimes be more reflective of the specific staff member than the offended/offending patron. Maybe you should start a no-hire list of staff members who've upset you. Or maybe that system is in place already (get enough complaints and ...) and there's little point to this. If there's evidence that a restaurant as an institution has a systematic policy of belittling certain kinds of customers (the Mel Gibson House of Pork, for example), that's different and would be worth calling out.

As I said, it is a sensitive situation. Ben would obviously rather win than lose, and maybe he did feel bad about it. All I'm saying is that the producers seem to be making the effort to make the participant look good rather than showing him up or smacking him down. Like I said, the potential for bad is there, but the show tries to minimize the amount of bad that is aired, unlike a lot of reality TV. The birthday thing does seem a little off. But you gotta figure he agreed ahead of time to have himself taped at the party, right? The only difference is what was taped. Another thing to remember is that it's a new show and there are always kinks to work out. I did read something on the web that made me feel bad for the chowder guy. He apparently wasn't aware how the judging would work (he thought it would be by popular vote by the spectators) so gave out his best bowls to them rather than saving it for the judge. If true, that's something they should have made clear as soon as he agreed to the throwdown. Also, since he didn't know Flay was coming and thought the taping was just going to be one big chowder party, he had downed a few beers ahead of time, which I think he said he wouldn't have, if he'd known. (I don't have the website in front of me so I'm paraphrasing but hopefully not making anything up.) FTV should find a way to prevent that kind of thing without giving away the surprise.