Jesikka

I've dined at both Redhead and (the now (temporarily?) defunct Seymour Burton). the people at both were very nice. but that was before Redhead opened as a real restaurant. don't know anyone who has been there since. ← I eat at Redhead once every week or two. They've been doing an excellent job with the new restaurant, though I miss the family style meals for their coziness and ridiculous bargain price (the prices are still excellent). I'm too lazy to start a new topic, though- not sure what to say. Its a great addition to the neighborhood.

As I said above, I think your perception of value here depends how much you think saving $10-20 is worth compromising in terms of cooking technique/overall taste. Our highly mediocre meal simply did not end up being so cheap that I felt like the flaws in the meal were worthwhile. As Spaetzle-maker asserts, I'd rather be eating at Redhead (or Ssam Bar or Noodle Bar or even at the now defunct Seymour Burton). Given that the proteins are utterly unadorned, a $14 burger (no fries!!) should simply look and taste (again, I didn't taste it) better. Likewise with an $18 piece of plain trout. The trout at Redhead (the same price and actually the same size although not a whole trout) also comes with heirloom tomato, white bean puree and tastiness. Since I didn't order the burger, I didn't note that it was grass fed. If the kitchen recommends it medium rare, they should certainly tell people that. The poor guy next to use ordered his well done- its a wonder he could even swallow it! However, the color of that burger was entirely perfect- it was just not juicy. If they can't get grass fed burgers to be moist, then their burgers are a complete failure. Can't they throw a pat of butter in there? Some egg? Pork fat? Duck fat? We could have simply had an off meal (the freqola was tasty), but I wouldn't travel that far east just to eat there again.

Unimpressive meal at Back Forty last night- I'd much rather spend another $10-20 in that neighborhood and have a meal twice as good. The vegetable salad was fine- nothing exciting. The cherries were a nice touch. I didn't think the yogurt dressing was particularly successful- the salad ended up being pretty bland despite seemingly good ingredients. My trout was a bit overcooked, though the skin could have used more crisping. Overall, not such a great texture. The fregola, mascarpone and guanciale side was very tasty, though the guanciale was undercooked and tasteless. I know something is wrong when I'm eating around the pork in a dish. My dining partner got a bacon cheeseburger- which came out with the most disgustingly undercooked flaccid bacon I've ever seen. I didn't taste the burger, but the meat was visibly lacking in fat. Hopefully she'll post a word or two with her thoughts. Overall, its a definite neighborhood skip.

What does "the audacious one with the charred leeks" mean?

Is there an occasion? What sort of places do these people enjoy? Is your question just what bar can accomodate 20 people or is it are there any good bars that can accomodate 20 people? You might consider the Belgian Beer Bar or Zum Schneider, but I don't know if you have a cocktail or beer crowd. Certainly neither of those are clubby.

Yeah I've been meaning to go to Jean Georges for lunch. Maybe I will sneak out on Friday. I usually have to eat lunch in the office (the life of a consultant ). ← Well, I recommend grabbing your blackberry and heading there. It's definitely worthwhile. Their foie is on brioche and the top is caramelized (they call it foie gras brulee). Would you call the EMP dish savory or did it have some sweetness to it?

No. I didn't mean that they gave me a free glass. I just meant that because I was alone I was forced to order by the glass. Honestly I don't order foie gras too often and have not had it at Jean George. I did like it more than the seared foie gras at Daniel although they are pretty different. It wasn't a torchon rather more of a mousse. ← In that case you should go try the dish at Jean Georges. They've got it paired with strawberries and balsamic right now- very good. Also the best lunch deal in the city at two courses for $28. I'd be curious to hear your comparison afterwards if you go.

Thanks for the review. Do you mean that they gave you a free glass of wine because you were alone? A sweet wine is an extremely common pairing with foie gras- the most classic pairing of all is sauternes. How would you compare the foie gras to that at Jean Georges? Is it a torchon?

Did you consider asking for a fork and knife or sending an overcooked piece of fish back? While obviously they shouldn't send out something that is overcooked, you can't really expect them to do anything about it if you don't let them know. Our stone bass portion was certainly not small by any means. It's not my favorite dish I've had there, but I don't think there's anything wrong with the value- I simply happen not to love that protein form. Maybe they give you extra small filets.

They definitely serve food past midnight. None of it requires cooking, which would explain why the kitchen can be "closed". I assume they have it listed that way because they want to keep people from begging the kitchen to give them stuff not on the late night menu when it is after midnight (such as I have done in the past). I think you may just not be familiar with the texture of stone bass, which to my palate is not particularly enjoyable. The swordfish comparison is apt. Additionally, I don't find Esca to be a hugely consistent experience in terms of perfection or service whatsoever. Not sure what you mean about accoutrements. I think $28 is a reasonable price for a very large piece of fish with excellent ingredients. While your particular piece may have been over cooked, that doesn't make it poor value. You should have sent it back if it was incorrectly made.

Especially considering that Chang makes a habit of his experiments being instant failures that he converts to huge successes over time.

Yes, but how many of those ingredients are Italian? I don't think anyone is suggesting that seafood and cheese have never been served together or don't get used together in many cultures. These answers seem to indicate that even the Italian American culture may have a different approach to seafood and cheese. As the friend who said this to Ulterior Epicure, I was responding his surprise that a clam pizza at Franny's had no cheese. Given that my favorite local Italian joint refuses to give you parmesan on seafood even if you ask, I said that I thought there was an Italian prohibition against it. This may be a regional preference, but there is certainly a strong response in some places in Italy and serving Italian food in America.

Yes, it would be wrong because Arturos is definitively in the village.

Dave H and I decided to have a "quick bite to eat" at WD-50 last night after we got back from the Berkshires, which turned into a bit of a feast. I'll post more about it later, but highlights were the popcorn soup, eggs benedict and the jasmine dessert. We were also able to sample some really fantastic cocktails and some lovely wines. The desserts seemed every bit as good as the Sam Mason days and definitely very fresh and new and interesting. The savory food all hit that interesting but tastes good note. If you haven't been in awhile, you should definitely get back to WD-50 asap. My pizza pebbles were nowhere to be seen, though I did notice they're still on the tasting menu. Oh, and the mignardes at the end- wow!

I'm not so sure about that. The dinner menu at Gramercy Tavern is $82, compared to $85 at Ko. That menu is nominally only three courses, but after you count bread and amuses, you're getting food comparable to about six of Ko's "courses," and there's no doubt the service is in an entirely different zip code. ← I don't think you're actually getting that much food (equivalent of 6 courses), but I haven't been to GT for a tasting menu in quite awhile. You also get some amuses and additional dishes at Ko. Counting bread makes no sense to me unless you're comparing for some sort of fullness component. Either way, Bryan's contention was simply meals of similar quality, which seems right. I don't think there are many other examples of tasting menus of that quality in that price range.

ha, didnt think he would call you on it, sad attempt above ← I completely stand by my assessment of the dish, but that doesn't mean that I don't love lots of what Wylie does. I would certainly count myself among a small population of NYers interested in making sure that avant garde cuisine exists in NY. If there's not room for discussion (or "calling me out" as you put it), then there's no reason for sites such as egullet. I'd be happy to drop off a few bags of my pizza pebbles at your house for you to enjoy.

Can't I get a lifetime supply of lamb belly? Or the hot dog you're making for PDT? Not to be picky... Have I mentioned that I love lots of other dishes you serve?

While you may find the pebbles revolting, what makes your opinion any more objective than mine or others who find them fun? I am not discounting the validity of your opinion, just questioning your subjective use of the word objective in this instance. I, for one, have never had three year old vending machine food, so I can't relate to the comparison. I have had pizze that have tasted like the pebbles, though, and enjoyed the reference to them. ← They are chalky fake tasting balls of "pizza". I do not understand what is fun about them; they don't taste good. All four of us- Nathan, Sneakeater, Dave H and I agreed that they were revolting. I simply cannot imagine anyone would disagree, but obviously you do. I didn't taste any pizza- just chalky fake dustiness. I suppose all taste is subjective, but I don't believe that there aren't things that taste bad and the pizza pebbles fall into that category.

No, she was talking about price. She was saying that although it's not inexpensive, it's not in the the top eschelon of expense of New York. (At least I think that's what she was saying.) ← Correct.

The union square location is very very different, as it's a restaurant and wine bar, whereas the E. Village location is more of a coffeeshop. I've not eating panini at either location, but the union square location has always used very fresh ingredients in the food I've eaten. I do not think the food has anything in common, as the menus are entirely different (and union sq has a much much larger menu).

I'd also recommend Ushi Wakamaru on Houston between Sullivan and Macdougal for sushi. It's not cheap, but it's definitely not in the eschalon of the more expensive sushi places in NY. The fish is really excellent.

Taralucci e Vino is on 18th St and Broadway near union square. Its a wine and coffee bar with a pretty developed menu. I would highly recommend it for a snack and wine or for a great espresso drink and tasty breakfast. They have good baked goods and nice egg dishes. They also make excellent but simple pastas. The prices are reasonable, though the food portions can be a bit small (they're bizarrely inconsistent).

I think the pizza pebbles are objectively revolting, but that's just one opinion. I'm sure someone likes the taste of powdered 3 year old vending machine food.

I think there's a lot more butter used than either.

Grudgingly given in which direction? ← I just got the sense that he really wanted to give it two but couldn't. *shrug* Like I said, it doesn't matter. ← That was just completely not my read on it. In my read he liked it quite a lot but found it a touch inconsistent. Regardless, I think he got it (the description, the stars, everything) exactly right.