Jesikka

I can see a lot of potential flaws with the Zagat statistics, though it's not clear to me why those flaws would argue for underreporting in New York and overreporting in Texas. The more reliable statistics would probably come from the National Restaurant Association. They're more precise and speak in terms of "commercially prepared meals per week." That would include delivery, corporate cafeterias, just about anything other than a home-prepared meal. The problem is that I don't have access to state-by-state and city-by-city data from the National Restaurant Association. I assume they have it but that it's something one has to pay for. If anybody has access, I think the right report to check is "Meal Consumption Behavior — 2000." The summary states "The typical American age 8 and older consumes an average of 4.2 commercially prepared meals per week, according to Meal Consumption Behavior — 2000, a recent report by the National Restaurant Association." That report may have local breakdowns as well. I'm not sure. ← Well, quite a few NYers eat a good portion of their weekday meals via delivery, so if all of those meals were excluded it wouldn't surprise me if their overall restaurant consumption looked lower than many other cities. That being said, the individuals in this city who participate in the Zagat surveys are of a very particular type, and not necessarily representative of NYers generally. After all, there has to be an explanation for Union Square Cafe's annual triumph.

Far from a scientific study of the evidence, clearly. There's obviously a bias of which people answer the Zagat surveys in which cities. The potential flaws with the statistics seem pretty clear. Are they including delivery?

A restaurant as high end as Per Se is not going to ask you whether it is a special occasion or not. If you let them know, however, they often send out extra dishes or seat you in a particularly great seat. I don't think they're looking to send out a dessert with candles or a plate that says happy birthday. I disagree that you want to be seen as a potential regular at those sorts of places. The only potential regulars at JG and Per Se are the regulars- and the restaurant already knows them. I find that truly high end restaurants around the world put in some extra effort when you let them know that you're celebrating something.

So you're the trouble maker! We had 3 more orders for them at the bar once people saw us making them for your table... ← I'm not, I swear! My cousin was in from LA (where they suffer from extreme cocktail deprivation). I blame the other people at my table. Those things are damn good, though.

See the last item in this Eater post: http://eater.com/archives/2008/01/eaterwire_am_ed_20.php PS -- Thanks for everything last night, John. ← The guys at PDT made our table 3 Ramos Gin Fizzes the other day, for which I give them insane props. Those drinks aren't easy to make. We also tried a good portion of the rest of the menu. I'm in love with the No. 8 (really complex and layered). Edited to pretend I can spell.

Do you mean Frank Bruni's favorite was Robert's? I'm not aware of Steingarten writing anything about Roberts. Can you post a link if he has? I'd recommend Craftsteak, Striphouse or Quality Meats, depending on what steakhouse characteristics are most important to you. If you give more information I can be more specific. Although I've had wonderful food at Le Bernadin, you should expect it to be quite stuffy. I'd very much recommend lunch at Jean Georges if possible.

We ordered almost the entire menu, so the salad excuse isn't going to work. It's some of the worst foie I've had in NY. ← the foie was great. guess you had an offnight. edit: who exactly in the EV is doing anything like those gingered scallops? its not a dish they would do at Ssam Bar but it's at that level of creativity. who else? they're sure not serving that at Casimir or Veselka. I don't recall Veselka having better foie either. ← What about at Degustation, Le Miu, Knife + Fork, EU (none of which I like but all of which are equally or more proficient and are just as much EV restaurants), Ssam Bar, NoodleBar and about 30 other restaurants I haven't named. Unless I am in some sort of world where I can't spend more than $35 for dinner, I have no reason to eat at Graffiti. ← 1. some of us can't spend a $100-300 on dinner 7 nights a week. (probably most of us). so getting back to the real world.... 2. I said Ssam Bar. EU is most definitely not doing anything like that. Hearth is at that level of proficiency but not creativity. there are hundreds of restaurants in the EV. a restaurant doing things that only a couple of those hundreds can do is not, in any imaginable way, a "neighborhood restaurant". 3. but then Ssam Bar is not a neighborhood restaurant. neither is Hearth (not in the EV. in some neighborhoods it would be). neither is Degustation. nor le Miu. nor is Graffiti. just because you eat in restaurants like that nightly doesn't make them neighborhood restaurants. cause most EV'ers most certainly do not. ← None of those places cost $100-300.

We ordered almost the entire menu, so the salad excuse isn't going to work. It's some of the worst foie I've had in NY. ← the foie was great. guess you had an offnight. edit: who exactly in the EV is doing anything like those gingered scallops? its not a dish they would do at Ssam Bar but it's at that level of creativity. who else? they're sure not serving that at Casimir or Veselka. I don't recall Veselka having better foie either. ← What about at Degustation, Le Miu, Knife + Fork, EU (none of which I like but all of which are equally or more proficient and are just as much EV restaurants), Ssam Bar, NoodleBar and about 30 other restaurants I haven't named. Unless I am in some sort of world where I can't spend more than $35 for dinner, I have no reason to eat at Graffiti.

We ordered almost the entire menu, so the salad excuse isn't going to work. It's some of the worst foie I've had in NY.

I was also in (we saw you at the bar but didn't want to interrupt and also don't know you) last night and had a great meal. We split a 15 piece chef's tasting and then added another 8 or so pieces of sushi/sashimi. The uni was particularly delicious last night. I think the place looks great, but I'm a little sad that they don't have the private room anymore. That was a great space for a sushi dinner party. However, it is definitely bigger and more upscale feeling. I hope the prices don't follow.

I think that is one of the most ridiculous statements I've ever heard. Granted, I have only been to Graffiti once (due to finding it entirely unimpressive), but a watermelon and feta salad and heirloom tomato salad (both served completely out of season and tasting of it) are hardly unlike anything anyone is serving in the EV. The only dish I had that was remotely unique were the spicy dumplings, which I thought were the best thing we tried. The ingredient quality is simply not that high and there wasn't anything about the way the dishes were put together that made me want to return. I think the only way you can find Graffiti impressive is if you're completely blown away by how cheap it is.

← If Ssam Bar feels like a 2007 place to you, it's simply because you weren't eating there early on. They've been serving the late night menu since the summer of 2006 and many of us have been eating there and at noodlebar for years. Calling it the best restaurant of 2007 is as silly as giving David Chang the best new chef James Beard Award. I thought Graffiti was mediocre at best, and I sampled much of the menu. It's just an east village neighborhood place. What did you eat there that you found impressive?

Yes, 6PM, last order 1130, closed at 12. I personally can't wait to get back, see the new room and certainly help dispel the foulness of the DoH.... especially as I was just at Yasuda Monday night... I can be a bit of a better judge when not coming off a layoff... ← Was it crazy crowded? I want to walk in tonight with a friend, but I'm worried about needing a reservation for the first few weeks. Is the phone number the same?

And Chinatown Brasserie for dim sum - I guess we'd want to know your reasons and feel you've chosen poorly. Are you using citysearch for research? ← I agree mostly with Raji, BryanZ and Nathan, and I'll add: Katz's won't necessarily get you away from the tourists, but it's demonstrably better than Carnegie, for that NY deli experience. Pizza has obviously been discussed in great depth, with many topics on the subject right here in the NY forum. That said, Otto and Una Pizza are not exactly NY style pizzas and Arturo's on Houston St. and Patsy's in East Harlem will both be better than Lombardi's. Just had a pie last night at Arturo's and it was great. Have a drink at Les Halles and then get out. Feel Bourdain's ghost, if you must. Brunch and anything else you might want to eat, as well as for the great American brasserie - Balthazaar, please. Chinatown Brasserie is simply the best dim sum you're gonna find in Manhattan. And Buddakhan - why??? Go to Spice Market instead, and then you can say you were at the original before they're cloned worldwide by JG. ← I don't think you're going to find anyone on this board who will support those restaurant choices given a limited number of nights in NY, but I DEFINITELY wouldn't recommend Spice Market over Buddakan. The food at Spice Market started out bad and has become terrible. Buddakkan, while not my first choice by any means, does have a really striking atmosphere and the food is fine. It seems obvious that you aren't picking your restaurants based on food quality, so if you're primarily concerned with atmosphere then you'll find it at Buddakkan. Buddakkan is also a better restaurant than Morimoto, unless you're getting served by the man himself. On the other hand, you might as well consider the Les Halles that you're imagining to be closed. If you're interested in something in that vein- and some people might disagree with me here- I'd do a night at Quality Meats. The decor is striking, they have a charcuterie bar and when they're on, the steak is excellent. Look through the QM thread for info on what to order. Unless you're going to Flushing, I'd second the recommendation of Chinatown Brasserie for dimsum. Katz's is obviously a million times better than Carnegie (I wouldn't eat there if you paid me). For pizza I'd have to argue for DiFara- it's worth the shlep.

No! Let's just drop our pants and get the measuring tape already... Ushiwaka Maru was slapped due to a vendetta - there are 100 sushiya in NYC with worse conditions than theirs. Plus it's the village, the space is smaller and funkier compared to midtown. Anyway, the place was always clean and to my eye I wouldn't say there were any issues that were "health" issues. ← Are they open again yet???

The problem with the salt shaker approach is that food (except soups or something) shouldn't properly be salted at that point in the cooking for the proper development of flavors. Salt doesn't act as a flavor enhancer when it's added on as a sprinkling that sits on top of the food. It has to be absorbed. If you want to waste a piece of meat doing this experiment, try one piece pre-salted and one salted after the fact. Huge difference. There are significant chemical reactions that you can read about in Thiss or someone.

A french restaurant lets you bring American wines in??? I think the deal with Quality Meats is that it can't be a bottle from their list.

I'm confused. Prune is not BYO. in fact, it has a wine list: http://www.prunerestaurant.com/ Ivo & LuLu is BYO...but it isn't very good. (your first visit it seems remarkable for what it is. on your second visit (and everyone after that) you realize that everything tastes the same....it is charming and cheap though (the real reason people like it). the most popular BYO in Manhattan is Tartine. the food is nothing special (though competent) but it has a fun dinner party atmosphere. otherwise, most BYO's in Manhattan (and I assume Brooklyn) are temporary...waiting for their license. ← Quality Meats doesn't charge corkage, though I suspect thats not what you're looking for. Most Koreatown places will let you BYO, but you'd have to check on specific ones. Lots of great places in Queens and Brooklyn are byo- Cafe Kashkar, for example.

Via Emilia went WAY downhill after the location change.

I thought several of the items I had at Hearth last night were aggressively (possibly over) salted. I used to have a bigger problem with salt at the Momofukus, but I actually think they've gotten much less heavy handed.

Even more sadly, the desserts at Tailor (and I'll qualify by saying I haven't been super recently) seem to lack the soul of the old WD desserts.

No need to be snide. I was a server for years and if we decanted it was generally in view of the table. ← I don't think it's unusual for restaurants with limited space (ie- NYC) to decant away from the table. It would be typical to open the bottle in front of you and then take it to the kitchen and decant it, though. However, I think it's extremely unlikely that WD-50 would switch out your bottle of wine for something less good, as most of their customers would recognize that sort of move immediately (and I have no reason to believe they have acted without complete integrity on any occasion). I have found the service there to be extremely uneven. Can you say more about the rancid fish? It seems extremely surprising to me that a restaurant, much less a restaurant at the price point/ ambition of WD-50 would serve a rancid protein. I also don't understand your comment about the coffee. Your waiter brought you coffee without you ordering it? Or didn't ask you about espresso drinks? What kind of options would you have expected?

Well, I just ate at Perilla tonight, and have to say that it exceeded expectations. The food was all wonderful (I was there with 5 people and tasted everyone's and there wasn't a dud in the bunch). The vibe is that of a neighborhood bistro, but the food is of a higher level than that category would imply. I haven't heard much about Morandi's food other than mixed reviews, so I'd say go to Perilla if you care more about the food, and to Morandi if you care more about the "scene". ← Perilla. No question. Edited to add: See my review of Morandi.

Are you suggesting that Cipriani could serve better food than they served to Bruni? Aren't you the one that always argues that there's not much a restaurant can do to change what they do for a critic?

I wasn't necessarily recommending the bun, but I'm not much of a sweet roll person. It does seem like the better option of the two, though neither is the least bit necessary.