Fat Al

Also worth looking for is the excellent local Rocambole heads of garlic that can be found at the Farmers Markets.

Any idea what their delivery zone is? I'm on 52 between 8th and 9th, may be a bit west for them.

Anyone have any views on the various carts on 50th and 6th (where the Daisy May's cart is)? Many thanks for the recommendations above, but I'm also curious if I'm walking past anything particularly worthwhile on my way to the 40's.

Anyone been lately for lunch? I can't be bothered to go through the calling for 2 month in advance dinner reservations, but I would like to try the place if the lunch experience is comparable.

GS Midtown was my local Chinese place. Anyone have recommendations for something remotely close to the quality in the neighborhood? This is brutal.

Thanks. That's helpful.

Anyone have any Hamptons updates? We are heading there for New Year's weekend and may want to eat out one night (and/or lunches). Anywhere in Sag Harbor, Bridgehampton, East Hampton or environs would be helpful. I assume a place like Duryea's in Montauk closes for the winter.

I'm at Yankee Stadium about 25-30 times per year and I almost always bring food from outside. The hot dogs aren't great in the stadium and nothing else is either. I would really recommend bringing your own. Often I pick up sandwiches. the deli/diner in the neighborhood is fine, but nothing to write home about. IMHO, the finest choice is US Fried Chicken on Gerard Ave. just south of 161st (by the bank on the corner). Excellent, well-spiced fried chicken, friendly proprietors and bargain prices. You'll make the security people at the stadium jealous when they look in your bag and get a whiff of that fine chicken.

Agreed. And another thing people ignore when thinking about Zagat's is that not only is it a survey, it's a bad survey. When voting in a Zagat's survey, your choices are to rate a restaurant 0-3 in the various categories. Human nature being what it is, most people are likely to give a restaurant they like a rating of 2 on that scale, so all the Zagat rating seems to really tell you is the balance of 3's versus 1's and 0's. Balancing how many (not really) random people love a place against how many absolutely hate it does not seem to me to be a very helpful way to rate a restaurant.

Robyn, my impression of the space was that it seemed like I was at an upscale Las Vegas hotel. The Venetian, in particular. I think that description tells you all you need to know about the impression the space and decor made on me. Al

I have had the full treatment at Del Posto (my reaction is posted earlier in this thread) and I think the idea that the non-pasta courses were not necessarily "3 star" is both incorrect and sort of misses the point. At least for me, I don't grade a restaurant dish-by-dish and, in my experience, most all of the dishes were executed very well. The thing is that the only exciting dishes (to me) were the pastas, and the overall experience was flat. To give an example, we ordered the leg of lamb for the table. It was cooked impeccably and was delicious. It wasn't thrilling, but it didn't need to be. Standing alone, that lamb would have fit in perfectly well at a 4 star restaurant (if it had been served at Ducasse, for example -- my stars, not Bruni's). But because it was part of an overall 2-star experience (my stars again), the lamb could only do so much. Again, it's hard to put my finger on what's wrong with Del Posto. To me, the whole experience was "off" and in a place of that stature (in price and aspiration), a 2-star experience is disappointing and would not draw me back. There are lots of other places I would rather dine.

Wow, that was one harsh review. I enjoyed my meal at Morimoto in Philly, but if Ms. Strong's experience is at all typical, I'm not sure I'll be going to Morimoto here at home any time soon. Pity. And with Del Posto across the street, we may have a new jinxed block in town. Al

Actually this (along with the bolito misto cart) is the first thing I've heard that makes this place sound interesting to me. Do they still have the bolito misto cart? Nobody mentions it anymore. ← I didn't see it, but I wasn't looking for it (and we were on a previously-limited menu). Al

BTW, if anyone is interested in the "group" policy at Del Posto, Bruni discusses it here.

Thanks for the welcome, it's nice to be here. As u.e. notes, it is kind of sad, because Batali's places are usually so good at hitting a precise note (whether you like it or not may be a different story, of course). Del Posto doesn't hit any note in particular. It's not even particularly good at being "fancy" since it really comes off as an affectation more than anything else. And food-wise, the fact that the pastas are great tells you nothing, since you can have those great pastas elsewhere in the empire, so why go to Del Posto? Unfortunately I can't really think of a reason. Interesting random note is that they make their own tonic (!), which is sort of crazy. Quite good, but not the sweet colorless liquid you're used to. The menupages menu is basically current as of the time I dined there. Al

I went last night. Loved it. I don't have time to give a full description at the moment, but I'll try to get to it later. Al

pan, you're certainly right on that. i'm just afraid that the fact that no egulleter has dined (or dined and felt the experience unworthy of posting about it) at del posto may be due to the initial reports of doom and gloom... i certainly understand the hesitation myself... if true, sad... u.e. [edited for word choice error] ← Well, I ate there a few weeks back. Table for 8, which made us a "group" and we had to select more limited selections for the table from the regular menu. The place is airy and enormous. We had a huge round table on the balcony that could easily have seated 12. It was nearly impossible to talk to someone across the table. The place is nice looking, I guess, but in a very non-NY way. What it reminded me most of is the Venetian Hotel & Casino in Vegas. Probably not the impression they had in mind. Service was quite formal, but friendly. Sommelier was very accessible, friendly and helpful. I can't quite put my finger on it, but the whole place had a strange and uncomfortable vibe. The food? Excellent, but, unfortunately, not all that memorable. I had roasted peppers with sardine to start. Yes, sardine singular (a fillet at that). Tasty simple dish, but not special. Those who ordered the sweetbreads were far more effusive. We had three courses of primi, which were uniformly delicious (bucatini alla gricia, tagliette bolognese, porcini risotto), though the risotto was a little liquidy for my taste. Then we had a whole roast leg of lamb for the table, which was simple and perfectly cooked. I had a grilled pork chop, which was not only completely unnecessary given what we'd had before, but was very standard. Nicely cooked, but nothing more. This was followed by a tasting of 2, 4 and 6 year old parmigiano, which was fun, though they gave us far too much cheese. dessert was unmemorable, though we did finish with a chocolate and rum tasting that was quite fun and left us all fairly loaded. Sorry I don't have more detail on preparations, it was a while ago (I blame the rum). Anyway, the food was good, but no better than Babbo. The service was better, but still kind of stiff. The setting does nothing for me. In the end, Babbo at half the price or Lupa at a quarter are far more interesting to me. I wouldn't go back, and I don't really expect the place to last. In terms of new restaurants, I had a fabulous time at Country last night, but that's for another thread... Al