larrylee

We went Saturday night as a walk-in. Setting: Wood beams, exposed "sloppy" brick, romantic, generally well-lit without being too bright. There are a couple of dark spots. We sat in one of them... strangely enough, in the middle of the dining room, but whatever. The negroni and bassano cocktails were very enjoyable and helped pass the ninety-minute wait for a table. There were many loafers. Regarding my earlier comments about reservations being taken only at 5:30, 6:00, and 6:30, the hostess informed us that others had complained about the same thing. There was apparently some sort of communications gaffe and reservations should have been taken for all times. McNally was there right near the entrance keeping an eye on everything, looking fairly calm as runners carried enormous trays piled with food past the fur-clad crowd waiting for their tables. In terms of food, our overall impression was that the small plates were better than the mains. The two clear winners were the grilled octopus and the blood orange salad. The octopus was very tender. Both dishes had a very pronounced but pleasing acidity and fragrant olive oil. I strongly recommend trying these. The fried artichokes were ... good, but based on this one tasting we like them better at Celeste (which is the only other place we've had them). The salumi platter was accompanied by a small dish of pickled vegetables and was fine. The mains: Spaghetti alle vongole: The noodles are buttery and pleasant but the clam flavor was practically non-existent. Polpettine alla siciliana: the meatballs were indeed nicely seared, almost burned as rich wrote. As I continue thinking about these meatballs, I'm thinking that they're pretty darned good. Stinco di maiale: The Saturday special, pork shank. Tender, and big enough to feed a family of eight, but I'm just not a shank fan. There's just not enough flavor going on in that cut for me. The bread: The crumb, where present, was pleasant and good for soaking up all that wonderful olive oil and vinegar. The parts where there were huge air bubbles and rock-hard, dried out crust... not so much. Desserts: Lemon mint granita: Way too sour for me, overpowering the mint. The dish could have used some more sugar. Maybe the espresso granita is better? Roasted pear: Served skin-on. In retrospect I prefer my roasted pears without the skin. The sauce would have been nice with a vanilla gelato. Cannolini: Pistachio ... fine. Service: Hostesses and bar staff were very friendly and professional. Our server was also friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. The order for one glass of wine we ordered seemed to gotten lost in the shuffle but he noticed, came over and asked us if it had arrived, and then took care of it promptly. No harm, no foul. I asked one of the runners about the salt they served with the bread and he actually went so far as to bring out a package to show me. I think it's this package on this page. Now, keeping in mind this place is still in soft-opening, I think it's off to a fine start and I'm sure there's ample opportunity for the kinks to get worked out. A coat check is now available. Photos of some of the dishes we had are available on flickr.

Whoops, I missed this reply some time back. Just for completeness, the original criteria for "restaurants you think are very worthwhile but for some reason don't seem to get much play, either here or in the world?" I haven't seen Prune mentioned much on eG, and certainly not in its eG thread. Anyway.

Strange about that 7 PM reservation. I called Friday afternoon about reservations and was told they're only taking seatings a 5:30, 6:00, and 6:30. Sigh.

Well, the thread was just sitting here ... I figured now was a good a time as any to dust it off. I'm particularly glad that folks (particularly the usual suspects) have chimed in with faves. Now I've got another list of places to hit...

My guess is that if it's on the menu as a special it's not going to taste like cardboard, which alone might be reason enough to try it. As for a dish never meant to be a delicacy, I think one could say that's the story for many foods we enjoy. Take, for example, any offal dish, or dried/cured meats and fishes. Fermented bean pastes, pickled vegetables, even sushi.

Awesome, I'm glad you got them to serve it! As I recall, the portion they served for the grill was probably enough for four. We were a party of two so we just ate it with banchan and rice and drank soju.

Agreed, Yakitori Totto is not a place to go if you've got some sort of time committment. Maybe if you line up to get in right when they open... but not otherwise.

Celeste, on the UWS, serves Fegatini di Pollo - Sauteed Chicken Livers Deglazed with Balsamic Vinegar on Toasted Bread. It's hearty and delicious. The crostini looks burnt on first glance, but then you see it's soaking up the reduced vinegar. Kang Suh, on 32nd St, occasionally serves gop chang (small intestine). It's traditionally served in a casserole of sorts, but you can ask for it to be grilled instead. It's one of those things usually hand-written on a sign and taped up to the wall. New Yeah Shanghai: ox tongue and tripe - excellent texture on the tripe. Beef tongue is delicious, too. Boudin noir at Les Halles: Seconded. I could eat this all day. (editing for the umpteenth time)

First and foremost, Shake Shack is closed for the season. Le Bernardin is down on 51st St.

Go to Burger Joint at a non-peak time. The same goes for Men Kui Tei - both places are mobbed for lunch.

Men Kui Tei or Burger Joint.

Along the lines of what Hiroyuki wrote, I think the shelf stability of fermented bean products depends greatly on its method of manufacture. Traditional home preparations are probably very stable at room temp, but I'd be wary of a mass produced product.

There's no school like old school. We have some silicone spoons but I always revert to a wooden spatula that I got from Bridge many years ago. Compatible with all cookware and it gets used and beat up without guilt or worry.

I think that's just a fact of life in the business. If he wrote one thing in his cookbook it's quite possible it was valid at the time. He's under no obligation to put up a sign at his restaurants notifying everyone of the change, to publish a recant of his fry technique, etc. Heck, there's a good chance that people eating at his restaurants even knew that he (once?) spent so much effort making french fries. Restaurants overcharge for lots of things. Bottled water. Alcohol. For ambiance, celebrity, whatever. I think this point is overblown.

Another possibility is that he started off making fries at Bouchon using the technique outlined in his cookbook, but after a growth in popularity it was no longer feasible to do so. There was an article in the WSJ a few months ago about "'dirty' little shortcuts" that top name chefs use that seem to go against what seems "proper" in haute cuisine. I'll have to see if I can find it again.

New York Mag: The Everything Guide to Chinatown. "Where to eat, shop, see art, have a drink. And eat some more." Nathan, I believe this is the Chinatown supplement you were referring to?

Seconded on Pegu Club. Interesting cocktail selection and friendly staff at the bar.

Well that's good enough for me.

You're right, of course. The only things to lose are money and time. I was just curious to see if I could elicit any reactions. As for "it's only brasserie food," I could say "a burger is just ground beef." And yet burger discussions can become heated.

Bump! The last message about Balthazar is from 2005. How's the food doing here these days? Still reliable? Is brunch still the best meal? Do they serve any dishes tableside (specifically steak tartare and the cote de boeuf) or is everything brought out from the kitchen? I'm hoping any regular diners can provide updated perspectives on favorite dishes. It's a brasserie, so I'm not seeking nor expecting any culinary ground to be broken. I just some well prepared, hearty fare for a winter day. Here are some dishes off the dinner menu I'm curious about in particular (according to the menus on their web site). A simple thumbs up/down and perhaps a comparison to a similar dish at another establishment would be great. - steak tartare (in comparison to Les Halles) - choucroute garnie (in comparison to Les Halles) - moules frites (we usually like getting them at Cafe des Bruxelles) - Roasted pumpkin ravioli - Chicken liver and foie gras mousse - paupiettes de sardines - cider braised pork hock - The fish dishes in general. Any particular standouts? How's the salt crusted whole fish?

Yeah well. I go occasionally for brunch but I made up lame reasons not to go for dinner. I have this residual memory about the difficulty securing a reservation. I was also really disappointed by the croissants and pain au chocolat from the adjoining bakery. But I did like the brandade and I see they have steak tartare on the menu. Bah, time to put it back on the list. *edit: (goes over to look at the Balthazar topic)

I just noticed that the boudin noir is available on the regular menu. When I'm here I usually get the steak tartare or the cote de boeuf as a main, and the foie gras poele aux pommes, the rillettes, or the vol-au-vent to start. Or perhaps the petatou de chevre (Menus available in PDF). I can see the reviews here are uneven, but I like Les Halles a lot. Part of the appeal is because of the AB association, his opinions on food and how they've helped expand my own culinary horizons. I like Les Halles' loud, dark, egalitarian-ish vibe, and I particularly like that a number of items are served tableside (the steak tartare, cote de boeuf, several desserts). In contrast to the Danny Meyer service manual (EMP Valentine's Day discussion aside) I find that the servers' individual personalities come out here. Unfortunately, that means there are one or two servers whose sections I don't like to sit in. I take it with a grain of salt, and I generally don't have any problems with the service. But most importantly, I really enjoy the dishes I go there for. They're reliable, hit the spot, and are not too expensive. On the other hand, if there are brasseries that other folks like, I wouldn't mind hearing about them.

Pan, I wondered that myself but copied the menu as-is. It should also read "steamed potato," as there was only one.

'ino for lunch. Portions are small (e.g. you could have a selection of bruschetta, or the larger tramezzini or panini), the space is small but cozy, the prices are reasonable. The staff is friendly and there's a fairly large wine selection. The location puts you between the Village, Soho, and the West Village. I don't think they take reservations, but they should be less busy during lunch.

February is Choucroute month: Choucroute Royale $24.50 Boudin noir (blood sausage), Saucisse de Strasbourg (frankfurter), Bacon fume (smoked bacon), Poitrine demi-sel (pork belly-salty), Jarret de porc demi-sel (Pork shank-salty), Longe de porc fumee (smoked pork loin), Cervelat (cervelat salami), Pommes vapeur (boiled potatoes), Crement d'Alsace (sparkling white wine from Alsace), Choucroute cuite au Champagne (sauerkraut slow cooked in champagne). Choucroute de Canard $22.50 Saucisse de canard et foie gras (foie gras and duck sausage), Confit de canard (duck leg confit), Gesiers de canard (duck gizzards), Pommes vapeur (boiled potatoes), Choucroute cuite au Gewurztraminer (sauerkraut slow cooked in Gewurztraminer). Chocroute Garnie $19.50 Longe fumee (smoked pork loin), Boudin blanc (white veal sausage), Saucisse de Strasbourg (frankfurter), Poitrine fumee (smoked duck breast), Pommes vapeur (boiled potatoes), Choucroute cuite au Pinot d'Alsace (sauerkraut slow cooked in Pinot d'Alsace). Choucroute de Poisson $23.50 Saucisse aux fruits de mer (seafood sausage), Saucisse de saumon fume (smoked salmon sausage), Noisettes de lotte (monkfish medallions), Saint-Jacques (sea scallops), Hareng fumee (smoked herring), Caviar de saumon (salmon vaiar), Pommes vapeur (boiled potatoes), Choucroute cuite au Riesling (sauerkraut slow cooked in Riesling). Last night we had the Choucroute Royale and the Choucroute de Canard. The choucroute de canard was quite enjoyable but its presentation looked very spare compared to the Royale. The foie gras sausage came out a little on the ... if you will, undercooked side. Our server told us that this is normal, so as to keep the foie gras intact. However, she offered to have it reheated. I liked the sausage as it came initially from the kitchen, but it smelled fantastic and and the casing was pleasantly crispy the second time around. The duck confit was also crispy and rich. I'd love to have that with the sauerkraut and a bowl of white short grain rice. Now that I'm reading the menu more closely, I notice didn't get any gizzard. Did she hoard it? (makes note to ask) The Royale is my favorite, hands down. Enormous, decadent, and filled with all kinds of pork. The boudin noir had a great texture and flavor. The dishes were accompanied by a small ramekin of (presumably homemade) mustard, a pleasant addition to the pork and cabbage. Dessert was bananes flambees, prepared tableside (one of the things I really like about Les Halles). Lots of sugar, lots of butter and served with ice cream whose flavor we couldn't quite identify. Maybe a sort of vanilla-coconut? With two glasses of wine and a bottle of sparkling water, the total came out to just under $100 before tip. The service was great, no complaints with this meal.