LPShanet

Txacoli goes really well with much of their food. One of the great things about txacoli is that its acidity makes it pairable with a huge range of flavors. That's one of the reasons that it's far and away the most popular drink at the tapas/pintxos bars of Spain's Basque region, which incidentally are part of the inspiration for Degustation in the first place.

I concur with the above thoughts about getting a tasting menu. However, one specific dish I had on a recent visit was a cold almond soup with grapes that I thought was really special. And for me to go on about a vegetarian dish is highly unusual, as I typically insist of having some kind of animal involved with almost any dish where maximum deliciousness is required. So get that if they have it...they'll be happy to include any specific dish you're curious about in the tasting.

Frank Bruni and Adam Platt have been skeptical of these places for their entire tenures, and we haven't been in a recession the whole time. ← Also totally true.

Exactly. If the restaurant offered the identical food, with counter dining on bar stools and hard rock blasting out of the iPod, Allegretti would be praised as a genius. ← Completely agree with Sneak and oak's assessments, and would add that it certainly didn't help the cause that they opened with the current economic situation. Critics tend to be very hard on places they see as "fancy" or inappropriate to the times when the current ethos is otherwise. Not really fair, but that's reality. Add to all that the fact that Allegretti wasn't a high profile kind of chef, and they assume that he's charging too much relative to his prominence.

While it's not a steakhouse, the best properly prepared Kobe beef I've had in NY was at Sugiyama. He offers it as part of his kaiseki style meal.

Although you might be stretching the definition a little bit, I think it's worth considering L'artusi and Dell 'anima on your list. The food is probably better than any of the above, and though the focus isn't on wine first, the food format lends itself to using them like wine bars.

Has anyone been to Perbacco lately? As of the last time I went, this would probably fit the bill. It may be slightly on the loud side at times, but small, cute and very inventive. It was totally chef-driven and the food was special in its employment of creative ingredients and techniques, while still staying pretty true to its roots.

It is quite common, unfortunately. It is reasonably well known. (There is a previous eG thread, with which these posts should be merged.) It received a favorable two-star review last year in the Times, and it even made the critic's list of the 10 Best New Restaurants of 2008. ← Ironically, it seems like the biggest gripe about Allegretti in many reviews has been from those that questioned the value and found it overpriced. Which makes it quite clear how relative value is...

From my experience, pricewise the restaurants are similar. ← I'd say the prices are fairly similar, too. But it's pretty clear that I eat way more than Kathryn:) Gluttony gets expensive...

More evidence that we're still looking for a better term than "molecular gastronomy" WD-50 is best described as modern or experimental, and Wylie Dufresne, the chef there, is one of the most prominent proponents of it. I suppose the closest UK equivalent would be Fat Duck, but they are quite different beyond their modernity. WD-50 features deconstructed and modern American food that is often inspired by foods that the chef enjoyed as a kid, in some cases low brow American classics that have been interpreted and updated to the point of being tough to recognize except as inspiration. There's a tongue in cheek (and even some actual tongue) aspect to the menu, and the place is fun as well as delicious. So the use of "Martian-American" is actually very apt.

I totally agree with all of the recommendations made by Sneakeater. So please put in one more vote for all the places he has mentioned/endorsed, especially WD-50, Jean Georges, Kyo-Ya, Momofuku Ko (or Ssam Bar) and Corton. One area of disagreement, though, with him and a few other the other posters: While there are other parts of the US that are way ahead of NYC in terms of authentic down and dirty Mexican food, the top "haute/modern Mex" places here are now as good as anything in the country. The idea that there is nothing Mexican-inspired here that's any good is totally outdated. However, Rosa Mexicana is not among those top places (it's barely better than a high end chain, IMO), and Centrico is a distant third at best. If you do want to have that sort of modern Mexican experience, I'd recommend trying Crema or Pampano. I've had four or five of the classic moles at Crema (poblano, verde, pipian, blanco and more), and all were totally spot on. Either Crema or Pampano on a good day would be creditable even in DF. Also, to your original post, Soto is very good, but Megu is just expensive. Megu is a cool looking venue, and worth seeing just for how it looks, but the food isn't among very the top in the city, though it is decent (and pricey). On all matters of Japanese food, I'd trust Raji with my life. In terms of pizza, I'm a bit shocked that no one has mentioned Una Pizza Napoletana. A pain to deal with their hours and wait times, but it's certainly up there with the top Italian style pies in the city (Motorino, Keste, Co., etc.). Maybe above them. For NY style, DiFara is arguably still the best, but a hike to get to. One more caveat: I've taken a number of non-Americans to various barbecue places in NYC, and they tend to see them very differently than we do. Hill Country in particular has just confused most of my European friends, and they've all considered it a meal wasted, just because they didn't "get it". So be warned that it's not the kind of saucy barbecue you may have seen...it's essentially plain meat. Lovingly cooked and dry rubbed, but plain. While I don't agree that there are no worthwhile Mexican experiences in NYC, I could make a case for skipping the barbecue. If you don't skip it, make sure you ask a few questions that help you decide which style of BBQ you're likely to enjoy, as the different styles are quite different.

As a supplement to all the advice given, I also think it's appropriate to point out (as implied by weinoo's "YAMMV") that pizza is a form that's very susceptible to variation. This is certainly true at Joe's and Arturo's, where on a given day you might get very good pizza or fairly mediocre stuff. It's hard to determine all the factors that go into this, but human error seems to be a big part of it (both in the preparing and cooking stages). And this is also independent of the obviously variable tastes different people have in different pizza. Bottom line is that you may have to try a given place more than once to get a sample of how it performs at its best.

Ate here a few weeks ago and have to throw in my agreement. Everything was great. Especially good among the petiscos was the ramp dish with pig's ear, apple, etc., though the razor clams and the urchin toast were both excellent. Among the apps, the standouts included the cuttlefish in coconut curry and the consomme with "ravioli" and various mushrooms. Also really enjoyed the monkfish and scallop mains, and will be back for duck rice and other animal dishes. Really one of the best new openings in NY this year. The food is serious, but the atmosphere relaxed and the service friendly and professional. When I went, it already seemed like they were running smoothly, despite their newness. Impressive visit overall.

Seriously: Chef Boyardee on a big platter. Carmine's in their early days did this sort of thing way better.Sfoglia is incomprehensibly and lamentably absent from this discussion. ← Not so imcomprehensible, as Sfoglia is also about 97 blocks from being in Little Italy.

They're not. It's like a legal disclaimer, which they have to put if they ever take any portion of it for any house-related thing. It's also an accounting thing, as it affects how the restaurant pays tax. ← Yet, somehow, every other restaurant in the country seems to be able to handle this issue in a more transparent way. ← Very good point. Let's hope this isn't the start of a trend. I think the backlash may prevent that.

Almost. My understanding is it's a tip, and they're expecting people will know it's a tip, even though they can't just say it's a tip for legal reasons. They put the language in there because they had to, but I'm guessing they thought people would just gloss over it. They didn't. That's what happens at this price level.

They're not. It's like a legal disclaimer, which they have to put if they ever take any portion of it for any house-related thing. It's also an accounting thing, as it affects how the restaurant pays tax.

FWIW, I think Grand Central is more likely to have them on any given day, but Pearl is likely to be better than Grand Central if they have them.

Bar Bouloud is good, especially for charcuterie, but beware they do close at "in between" times sometimes. Not sure if this has changed, but I went at just before 3 once and they wouldn't serve me (even though they were supposedly open until 3).

I honestly haven't seen it get that response. Everybody I know considers Pastis a tourist/B&T shitshow that they'd never go near. And I think that for tourist/B&T shitshow, it's food is remarkably good. ← What you say about Pastis is totally accurate. The people giving it that response aren't "foodies". But aside from small places that can fill up on foodies alone (Ko, etc.), the ravages of extreme popularity are almost always fueled by non-foodies. And for what it's worth, the hip set lines up like crazy to go there for brunch and certain other mealtimes. These aren't foodies, but they aren't B&T either. They've just been told that it's the best French place around by other scenesters.

To Daisy's point, I think this is really a matter of feeling appreciated for your repeat business and loyalty. And that appreciation can be shown in many ways. So in my mind, it's not a matter of "getting something for free", especially since many of the perks discussed aren't freebies, but an appreciation and recognition that in a city with so many dining options, you've chosen to return to theirs over and over. That being said, I've been to Ssam close to 20 times, and while I'm always treated well, I don't think they've once realized that I was a repeat customer. Nonetheless, I'll be back another 20.

Pearl offers them as a special, not a menu item, which is why I suggested calling. I've had good ones there within the last year. They reminded me favorably of summers as a kid on Cape Cod.

FWIW, I agree with this. In fact, Pastis would be at the head of my list of "Restaurants That Don't Need To Be Good But Nevertheless Are." I think it speaks volumes for Keith McNally's integrity that he maintains the quality he does at a restaurant that would be a cash cow even if it served nothing but steaming plates of pigeon shit. ← I think a lot of people would have put Balthazar even higher on that "better than they need to be" list, and I've always liked the food (and experience) there much better than at Pastis. There are those who say he tried the latter (pigeon shit) approach at Morandi without success Still, I think people go totally nuts for Pastis, and while it's not bad at all, is it really deserving of the level of adulation it gets? (e.g. people salivating and saying that it's the best French restaurant in all of NYC, lines forming for hours, etc.) The thread is about the places being overvalued, so even if it's pretty good it can still be overvalued. I suppose I'm getting into pretty subjective territory, though.

To clarify something that appeared in the companion post (Undervalued restaurants), I'm pretty sure the thread was introduced to list restaurants that are overrated, not overpriced. The term "overvalued" is a bit confusing in that regard, but I'm pretty sure the original intention was to state that these places are overvalued in the sense of having huge popularity, and being liked/appreciated too much for their level of quality (not whether they're overpriced or not). To that end, those of us who mentioned Cookshop are referring to the food being nothing special despite all the early hype it got. I'd be interested to hear how those who have dealt with La Esquina felt about the food. I actually thought the food was its one redeeming quality. Not great, but decent...but the overall effect of the place can be insufferable. N.B. I wrote this before noticing that Sneak had already cleared this up. But laziness took over and I'm leaving it intact under the guise of further clarification:)

Del Posto is a great example. Forgot that one on my list...maybe since people don't talk about it as much any more. Shake Shack has a USQ location??