Jesikka

I grabbed a quick lunch at BonBon after my closing this morning (actually, I walked from 180 Maiden Lane to BonBon in the wind and rain so that I could taste this stuff before going back to my office). I got four drumsticks (spicy) and the bun. The drumsticks were really yummy. Huge and very filling. Not too spicy. Really nicely fried. I could only eat three. The bun was extremely buttery and sweet- almost a donut consistency. I'm not sure what you're supposed to do with it. I assume that the rice is meant for the shrimp??

Which ones did you like best overall? I can't quite tell from your reviews. Did any stand out as being really fantastic?

Bite Club. I think it would help if you gave some information about your price range, taste, etc. "Elegant" isn't really a sufficient descriptor to be very helpful.

I'm going with the position that you're a little insane if you think that. The soave is a nice pairing, but there's no way that it can compete with that Chatenay or the Chateauneuf du Pape either on its own or as a pairing. It's a nice little wine, but it hardly can play with the big boys.

Actually, that salad is quite acidic and that had to be taken into account when planning the wines for that course. I agree that the salad could use another element- I think lightly candied orange rind would work well and blue cheese would also be nice. I did think that it was great to have a nice fresh light course in there, especially given the decadance that was to follow. I'm not sure how 4 leaves of endive can be one note...

I should be getting all the pictures soon and I will post then. The set I have now only shows the pear foie after it had been half devoured.

We had an amazing surprise birthday party dinner for Dave H at Bite Club last night. Here's our menu- Amuse: Butternut squash and apple soup/ Peanut butter cookie and foie gras sandwich What an amazing start to the meal! They've demonstrated at both Avenues and Tailor that foie and peanut butter are an awesome pairing, and D & A have managed to find a delicious bite sized way to do this pairing. This soup was really wintry but also very light. I wanted to steal the shot glass of everyone around me. 1) Endive Salad: pomegranate vinaigrette, lemon creme microchives Schloss Gobelsburg Renner Gruner Veltliner 2005 This salad is leaf endive with pomegranate seeds and a lemon creme. The endive is lightly dressed with a vinaigrette that has just enough sweetness and acid to really make the salad come together. The seeds added a really lovely crunch. The Gruner was a perfect pairing. It was a nice light way start a meal. 2) Beet Ravioli: red & gold beets, brown butter, parmegiano, microgreens Cantina del Castello Soave Classico 2006 This is the only course that I chose to repeat on the menu because Dave H and I were at another Bite Club dinner where we fell in love with it (we had recently been to L'Arpege and it reminded us of some of the courses there). The last version that we had at Bite Club was a traditional cazunziei; this version incorporated microgreens. The greens gave the dish a nice fresh lightness and really worked. The beets themselves were awesome and it really showed in the dish. I loved it just as much as the first time. 3) Black Cod: currant mushroom salad, jerusalem artichoke puree Chatenay Montlouis La Vallee 2005 The sunchoke puree was a last minute change because salsify wasn't available- and Dave H happens to have a sunchoke obsession. Ms. A promised me that these were some of the nicest sunchokes she'd ever seen and judging by the taste she was completely right. This puree was so sweet and lovely. The fish had a perfectly crisped skin that contrasted wonderfully with the soft flesh of the fish and the silky sunchoke puree. D & A invented this one for this dinner, but it should definitely be a keeper. The mushroom salad was earthy and added a necessary third element to the dish. Really really nice. 4) Bacon & Eggs: 5 spice carmelized pork belly, poached duck egg, anson mills grits Janasse Chateauneuf du Pape Vielle Vignes 2004 Ok, I mean, just re-reading the elements of this dish makes me drool. Ms. A searched the world for the last duck eggs of the season and they were so worthwhile. Something about the yolk of the duck egg with the fat of the pork belly and the grittiness (is gritty a fair description for grits?) of the mascarpone grits was just phenomenal. D & A really know how to cook pork. This dish had an underlying sweetness but enough salt to feel really decadent and balanced. I only wish that I had woken up to a second portion of this in the morning. Oh, and the chaeauneuf du pape- omg. Wow. 5) Tasting of Cheese: Ossau Vielle Cave, Affinage; Aged Goat Gouda; Chaput, Grand Foin, La Serena, Rogue River Blue Oddero Barolo Mondoca Di Bussia Soprana 2003 The Affinage was grassy and sweet, a nice starter cheese. It was followed by an aged goat that was carmelized and delicious, with lots of those wonderful crystals. The Chaput had a spruce rind, giving it an earthy foresty taste but with a really creamy interior (I'm not sure this one paired perfectly with the Barolo but I really liked it). The La Serena was a bold move for a cheese plate, but this is really an awesome and stinky cheese. We've enjoyed this one before and we enjoyed it again. Finally, the Rogue River Blue, which is really great. This cheese is wrapped in local grape leaves that have macerated for an entire year in pear eau-de-vie. Some of the blue is natural, while some is added in. It's a really complex and delicious blue and very nice with the Barolo. This Barolo is drinking really nicely now, and I'd love to taste it in another 3 or 4 years when it will really hit it's peak. 6) Foie Gras: cider spice poached pear, star anise caramel, gingerbread, cacao nibs Chat Filhot 2001 Since Dave H is a foie freak and both of us love savory desserts, Ms. A and I talked about doing a foie dessert. Dave H and I have had D & A's poached pear dessert and found it fantastic, but this really took it to the next level. The slice of foie was incredibly silky and soft, heated in a way that created some carmelization, which played off the star anise caramel so nicely. The gingerbread cookie added a tiny bit of gingery spice. Wow. This Sauternes was given a 90 by Robert Parker and I really was in love. It had this incredible crisp lightness that was just so welcome after the decadent courses that came before. This course was traditional and new at the same time. 7) Frozen Cayenne Chocolate Tart: candied pepper Marenco Brachetto D'Acqui Wow. Ms. A and I worked on the conception of this one together. I wanted a little taste of dark chocolate that would wrap up the meal but I thought a little spice would keep it from being too simple and boring. Ms. A and D did such an incredible job putting it together. The chocolate tarte was rich and luscious but the cayenne gave it just enough kick. The sweet brachetto was a perfect pairing and just the right ending to the meal. Oh, and the pepper. This was no joke of a pepper. The pepper had been dipped in a sugar coating, but it packed serious punch. Some of our guests made a show of eating two, but most people could only handle a bite or two. Dave H and I both loved ours. I cannot say enough about what amazing hosts D & A were. Ms. A and I spent months conceiving the dishes, making adjustments to the ingredients for seasonality and availability and creating a flow for the meal that would make sense. We had 20 guests at the dinner and everyone was floored by how good the food was. Many of our guests were not foodies, but everyone had a great time and really enjoyed all of the dishes. We had one pescatarian and one person allergic to fish, and both were treated to substitutions that inspired jealousy in the people on either side of them. The fish substitution was an elk tartare with french fries that a few people at our table (myself included) wanted to steal. Luckily she shared. I also managed to get a taste of the shrimp curry in pumpkin that was given to the pescatarian in lieu of pork belly. While I'm not about to trade in my share of that pork belly for shrimp and pumpkin, it was delicious. Our non-meat-eating friend devoured every bite. Everything was accessible to all of the guests, but really exciting for those of us who are foodies. The progression of the meal was wonderful and most of us managed to have room for everything. Each dish showed a real attention to detail and a ton of creativity. D & A took all of my ideas really seriously and translated them into a truly amazing meal. They're incredible hosts and extremely talented chefs. The wine pairings were done by Ian Dorin of Wine Library and he did a fantastic job. Their prices were great and Ian worked very closely with me to come up with wines that would be interesting but safe enough to pair well with dishes that neither he or I had ever tasted. I was very impressed with the prices and service from Wine Library. They're just over the bridge in New Jersey and I would highly recommend a visit, but if you can't make it there they have a huge mail order business. While they don't shy away from selling what the average customer wants (Beringer, Yellowtail), they also have tons of wine from small producers and really interesting wines from all over the world. The owner of the store, Gary Vaynerchuk, has a wine tasting show (wine library tv) and is extremely active in attending wine events, tasting wines, pairing wines and traveling to find new wines. This is a store with passionate people and it really shows. http://winelibrary.com/ I highly recommend using Bite Club for a private event or making a reservation for dinner. They will have a new space soon and will have even more capacity to make their delicious food. http://www.nybiteclub.com/

(btw, I highly doubt the 75% figure when applied to say Bruni...he dines way too much at more casual places....I'd be surprised if a place like Franny's was ever looking for him...I buy when the 75% figure when it comes to three and four-stars...sure...but they're the places where critical anyonymity probably means the least). A place like Franny's is DEFINITELY looking out for Bruni- at least as much as a place like Momofuku is.

Has anyone who has been rejected so far sent their reply as late as the 15th? I sent mine on the 15th and have not yet heard. My fingers are crossed, big time.

Thanks a lot for that tip, Jesikka! What did you have there? BBQ? ← A mix of bbq and dishes. Unfortunately Michael was ordering in Korean and we were drinking a lot of sake/beer, so the specifics of our order are a touch vague. I know that the seafood pancake was quite good and all of the bbq. We also had soup, something approaching bibimbap, a noodle dish and various other sundries. Everything was good. I can get more specifics if you PM me.

I was just introduced to "Don BoGan" by a Korean friend of mine. Menupages seems to think it's called Don's BoGam BBQ & Wine Bar, which sounds completely weird to me, but it's at the same location, which is 17 E. 32nd (between Madison and 5th). It's a lot swankier than most of the Koreatown joints, but the food is really awesome.

There's wonderful Greek in Astoria at S'Agapo.

I don't think Queen of Sheba is particularly good. Ethiopian is much stronger in DC and LA. Salut is good uzbeki food. Don BoGan is a newish Korean place that I think is great. Raji is right about Sietsema being a great expert on this sort of thing.

Did Sietsema write about that? I was on that taco tour (we ate a LOT of tacos). I wouldn't say that the Mexican is GREAT in Queens, but it is completely dependent on frame of reference. The tacos we liked the best were not traditional at all.

As I mentioned above, the Whole Foods on Houston has an Il Laboratorio counter that has many more flavors than the store and is open much later. It's a great store that's worth wandering through.

Is the Jean Georges $28 prix fixe lunch not offered on weekends? ← It is not offered on weekends.

Artisanal also sells its cheeses, so if you don't want to dine there, you can buy cheese from their excellent selection (which is one of the best in terms of proper storage, ageing, etc.) on a retail basis. Also good is Saxelby, which specializes in American cheeses. ← I would definitely recommend AGAINST dining at Artisanal, which turns out pretty poor fare. Their cheese selection is excellent though, and worth visiting for that reason.

I hate to say it, but the Whole Foods on Houston is also a great market to wander. Between the beer room with local beers on tap, the fromagerie inside (which, granted, isn't an amazing selection but is certainly not bad), the il laboratorio del gelato counter with more flavors than the store and a lot of great local products, it's really a pretty special store- especially for a chain.

Andy, There are tons of threads on here addressing each of those topics, but I'll give you a few of my favorites nonetheless: Bakery: Sullivan St, Balthazar, City Bakery Pastry Shops: Lady M, Bouchon Bakery Bagels: My favorites are from Bagel Bob on 10th and University, H&H are also good Cheese: Saxelby in Essex Market, Murrays Subs: no idea, not a big NY food Ethnic: Sripraphai for Thai (Woodside), Spicy & Tasty or Little Pepper for Sichuan (Flushing), many many others if you're more specific. Also, I sincerely doubt you can get Indian, Chinese and Japanese of similar quality in Missouri, but maybe I'm not familiar. Value: All three above, Grand Sichuan (St. Marks is my preferred location), Tides, Little Owl, Perry St lunch on weekend, Jean Georges lunch during the week Butcher: Ottomanelli, Lobels Other: DiFara (pizza), Katz's (pastrami) You'll get about 90% off these answers from everyone, the rest are my quirky favorites.

I love Sripraphai, but I find this statement completely absurd. You're completely ignoring ingredient quality and cooking skills and you're also implying that every dish at Sripraphai is as good as the 5-10 dishes that they do (incredibly) well. If you'd ever been there with people who aren't familiar with the menu or who aren't big fans of spice, you know that it can be completely mediocre. I've had every dish at Jean Georges, and I haven't had a single mediocre dish, though I've certainly had some I've liked less than others. The food is subtle, the cooking skills are impeccable and the flavors are really complex and sophisticated. There's no way that you can argue that Sripraphai achieves that in more than a few of their dishes, much less the vast majority. It's not an issue of Asian versus French, it's simply about the complexity, cooking and ingredients of four star restaurants. Decor, wine and service are not going to turn Sripraphai into a four star by any means. Which is not to say that Mrs. Sripraphai isn't capable of cooking at that level- it's just that she's not doing it now. I do think that you can walk into a restaurant and accurately judge the likely star category, even before tasting the food. Value definitely counts for something, but no restaurant as cheap as Sripraphai is making it into the four star category. A restaurant simply cannot provide food of that quality (and the appropriate complimentary service and wine to go with it) for those prices. At the end of the day, though, it really comes down to the quality of food and how that meshes with the quality of experience.

Yeah, that's my sense as well. Michelin obviously doesn't look outside their service model, but their rankings reflect a wider variety of food tastes. Bruni is only one man with one perspective- and it's not one of culinary adventurousness.

We really don't know how GR changed after Josh Emett replaced Neil Ferguson. I haven't found a single review from a respected source that post-dates Ferguson's departure. Emett says the changes were considerable.Even supposing that GR under Emett is still "safe, conservative, competent" (i.e., boring), I don't see a lot of evidence for that kind of bias in the Michelin ratings. Note, for instance, the complete absence of places like Chanterelle and La Grenouille in the ratings. And aside from GR, all of the Michelin 2 and 3-star restaurants correlate in a fairly predictable way with the NYT rankings. ← I was actually speaking to Michelin's international reputation (with possibly the exception of the Spain guide) for certain dining preferences....a much broader scale than merely NY. It's true that I know nothing about GR under Emett. ← I've never gotten that impression at all. I think Bruni prefers FAR more conservative restaurants (steakhouses, Italian) than Michelin. There are a lot of avant garde restaurants in France and elsewhere that have Michelin stars. Have you forgotten that Bruni killed Gilt?

There are many who disagree, but I am certainly in a substantial minority (or perhaps majority) who have always felt that organized crime was/is a good thing for Providence, Rhode Island. Buddy Cianci is a cult figure in Providence (he even managed to get re-elected from jail once and may be elected again after his recent stint). Under Buddy, the city has absolutely thrived, the rivers were uncovered, the potholes in the street are filled in, etc. Of course, your car does get towed a lot and I'm sure there's all sorts of grime and violence behind the scenes. Of course, this is all unrelated to pizza, which is not particularly a Rhode Island specialty (except for Al Forno- which is a different type of pizza).

I wish I'd been a little more aggressive about steering you away from BLT, but I hadn't actually eaten the wagyu there and didn't feel qualified to speak about it. I generally have found it to be pretty mediocre. Are you basing your thoughts on the volume of Striphouse on a visit there? As I said in at least one other post, the front bar area is loud, but the restaurant itself is not particularly so. I've never found music there to be a problem at all. I still highly recommend it. Despite it's constant crowdedness, Striphouse seems to cater to a wider age range than Craftsteak, BLT, etc. I've also had excellent experiences at Quality Meats as well, but I'm friendly with the manager, so I can't speak for the general experience. I've always been seated at a four top, even with two people. Their wine list is expensive, but good. Some of their sides are awesome and their bread is delicious (It appears that they cram two or three sticks of butter into each roll sized portion).

I find both food and drinks to be subpar at best. This place is skating on an old reputation as a NY classic.