tommy

emphasis mine. i'm not sure i'm understanding the difference here. when i say "i don't like oak", i'm expressing a preference related to "oaky vs. no oak". if you think that i'm only saying that because i heard it somewhere then i'm afraid you're not going to be serving me very effectively. it sounds like you might have distain for your customers more than a real understanding of why they're saying what they're saying. at the french laundry, i'm almost positive that i said "i'm not a fan of oak". the discussion, and the wine selections, turned out wonderful.

i'm wondering, are you actually a sommelier? i mean, i don't like oak, and i tell the wine waiter as much. i've never gotten the impression that they think i'm not a wine drinker because of a comment like that. in fact, if they all do and i just haven't noticed, then they've all get their heads in their asses. i just don't think that's the case, though. in fact, i've almost always been able to have a great give-and-take with knowledgeable and keen wine waiters with comments like "i'm not a fan of oak" and "i like pinot grigio." the best thing you can do, as a consumer, is to communicate your likes and dislikes. it's also the most valuable information that the sommelier has to work from. i've never heard anyone suggest otherwise quite frankly. but, alas, there are no course/wine pairings at per se or the french laundry in my experience, and from what i've gleaned from the reports of others.

not to me. what it says to me is that most of the people involved in the discussion of the restaurant have not actually had a proper meal at the restaurant.

parking in manhattan in general is at least 20 dollars for anything over a few hours. it's almost always "valet" in the sense that someone takes your keys and parks your car. the parking lot around the corner from del posto charges $27. that might not include the 18% parking tax. as someone who has driven into NYC literally over a thousand times over the past 6 years, i can safely say that 29 dollars represents a good value in this context.

i have condiments in my fridge that must be 5 years old in some cases. perhaps i need some rules, a sign, and a cleaning lady to sort that problem out.

hey ant-nee, the bad news is that the new guy was the guy doing the salads for mark. you'd do well to stay up in NY if you know what's good for you.

now that we've eased rich's mind regarding the parking, has anyone noticed how people are dressing at del posto? i'm hoping/assuming that it's similar to babbo. edit: adamru sorted me out:

oops...I thought everyone already knew this...um, there is one very pertinent fact here that you're all missing. My understanding is that Del Posto isn't parking your car around the corner. They have an arrangement with a local garage or lot. Part (probably most) of your valet fee goes for that parking spot. Del Posto is not in the parking business per se...but they're giving you access to one. That's why the point that $29 is easily standard for 4 hours of parking in the city is relevant. Cause that's exactly what you're paying for...simply mediated through Del Posto. ← That's not the impression any written review has given. However if that's the case then I stand corrected. If your car is going into another company's lot or garage, then $29 is fair. And yes, that should be a cost to the driver and not a restaurant charge. ← for eff's sake, all of this time that you've been so offended and you thought they were parking my 80k ride on the corner of 11th ave and 15th street!!?!? well i'd sure hope the hell not!! then again, i'd never really know.

i wouldn't. i'd have them park my car for 29 dollars. perhaps you should be *thanking* them that they're not sharing the cost with you? i mean, it's either: 1) they provide the service, presumably at somewhere around cost (although that doesn't matter to me, as i see 29 bucks worth of value), and i pay for it 2) they provide the service for "free", but make you and everyone else pay for it by passing along the cost to all customers. 3) they don't provide the service at all, and i'm left on my own. 4) they eat 100% of the parking cost - i don't expect a restaurant to pay for my parking (not that i'd know if they're passing the cost along anyway, but), so 4 is right out. - i'd prefer 2, but i know that's unreasonable. i don't want you paying for my parking any more than i want you paying for my supplement of foie gras, kobe, or truffles. - so, i'll take 1. - you seem to like 3, but then again, 3 is already being offered. so there ya have it: we're both happy.

I agree Tommy. It should be just another entry under the cost of doing business. oh it wouldn't cost the restaurant anything. trust me.

because they're unoriginal and not all that informed at times? it is acceptable. if you're saying it's not acceptable only because other people have, well, i can't argue with that. given the small percentage of people that likely actually use this service, Rich is probably right in that they shouldn't charge for it. they should just prorate the cost over all diners. probably wouldn't add much to you non-drivers' bills. i'm all for that! free parking for tommy! woo-hoo!

Some of NJ is closer to Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore than NYC. ← that's very true.

as someone who drives into the city for dinner, i'd be more than happy to have someone take my car, park it, and then return it 4 hours later for 29 dollars. i won't get to test that theory later this week, however, as i'll be going to del posto via mass transit. can't wait. yum-o.

it's related to the restaurant Marra's in ridgewood, which is unexceptional by any reasonable standard.

those notes were the generic NZ SB notes. i suppose i should have mentioned "grapefruit." there are lots of good choices. to me, creamier oysters don't benefit from bracing acidity as much as the brinier versions. all oysters are not created equal. it's fun mixing and matching wine and oysters, though, especially given the fact that oysters can be so all-over-the-board from flavor and mouthfeel perspectives.

You forgot to mention the merest soupçon of gooseberry and insouciant traces of grapefruit in the nose... ← funny--I have a sneaking suspicion that very very few (if any) Americans know what a gooseberry is let alone experienced the smell or taste of one. ← everything i know about fruit i learned from wine. there's very little exaggeration in that comment.

that's not important proximity wise. definitely worth a trip, though! ← not important proximity wise? Thought there was some discussion regarding the distance to the Weehawken/Edgewater/West New York location from Bergen County and whether or not it was far for those living in Bergen County. My mistake. ← it's just a meaningless turn of phrase, really. more geared towards the "distant future" aspect, rather than the fact that west new york is way the eff out of the way for lots of people who live in bergen county...

"light, crisp, and acidic. grassy and pissy. great quaffer. perfect for oysters. drink now."

that's not important proximity wise. definitely worth a trip, though!

DOUBLE TRUE!!!

well, this is all very pleasant, as usual. let's just all acknowledge that menton is correct in that there's no PF Chang's in bergen county. anyone else actually been to Legal Sea Food, by the way?

i have eaten at Oceanos, Varka, and LS several times, and find the price point very very similar. the shrimp dish you reference at Varka, was that an app? i know that the grilled octopus, at about 16 dollars, is sizable enough to split for an app. they have a couple of greek whites at about 32 dollars a bottle. and the fish will run you anywhere btwn 16 and 28 for an entree. add it all up and it's not cheap, but it's not far off of LS. additionally, it's tough to compare the 2, as they are totally different restaurants, albeit both are serving things from the sea. on an unrelated note, west new york is hudson county, and it's certainly not convenient for many people from bergen to get to. either is edgewater for that matter.

mmmmmm. bronze fenndill.

This? I used to have tons of them in my yard...don't know if they're edible, but I think they're generally considered weeds. ← ah yes. we call it "onion grass." my neighbors' yard is filled with it. much to my chagrin.

i'm with you, menton1, and i don't often say that. describing a place as "upscale chain chinese food" isn't exactly a negative, given the percentage of shit chinese restaurants to actual decent chinese restaurants. hell, Ruby Foo's can put out some decent food in a lively atmosphere with a decent wine list. moreso than whatever is in your town i'm guessing. "your" being general. regardless, it's easy to say that PF Changs is producing cookie-cutter slightly too-sweet slighty too-salty food for the masses. and it's easy to say that Ruth's Chris is serving less-than-stellar beef with butter to make it tasty for the masses. it's a lot harder to convince me that Legal Sea Food is doing to something their oysters and fried seafood that makes the masses like them better. if anything, the masses don't even appreciate Legal Sea Foods. but Legal is trying to change that, with great product and a great wine list, one naysayer at a time. if they don't get 'em all, well, who cares.