tommy

I've picked out a few more than seven and probably more than I need to prove you're wrong. Whoops, sorry, I think we're actually in agreement here if I understand the point behind the sarcasm. There's a certain advantage to putting yourself in the chef's hands at the right restaurant and I believe this is that sort of restaurant. yeah, i guess we agree. it took you all of those words to say as much? put down you weapon young man. as for sarcasm, i do apologize. where was my head, satirizing the absurdity of it all. but i'm *still* waiting for a chef to post that his menu is geared towards the lowest common denominator, and that any guest who asks, can have a "chef's choice" meal prepared for him/her. can't wait. sitting here.

maybe i'm nuts, but this discussion, for me, subjectively, goes well beyond BH. but BH bears the brunt of the bad press.

i'm sure i did. but i must press on, working, so i'm able to afford a few 300 dollar dinners a month and confront those who tell me i'm eating incorrectly. lou, i'll see you soon for a steak and magic hat, and let 'em all tell me that i'm not having the best lunch in the world. in 10,000 words, of course. edited for clarity...

ah. longer posts. no surprise. who's right? perhaps we'll never know.

yippee!!!! [one for the books]

now, i know it's all about perception, but how is she obnoxious? is it her youthful exurberance? it seems she looks people in the eye when she speaks to them and she smiles a lot. i can think of a few people not fitting that bill who i'd considered to be "obnoxious."

So? My experience has been the opposite, with great staff seeming thrilled that we chose to trust the chef and the staff. And if they're just acting, fine with me as long as the service is up to snuff. oh look! different experiences. jeez, now how do we argue about *that*?!?!

and the "not-so-wonderful." don't be so exclusionary. i haven't noticed you practicing what you preach re: moving comments to a different thread when appropriate. that said, i'm shocked that you'd think people would take your advice, unless, of course, you're just kidding. :big laugh thingy: i have a feeling this thread will go down in history as one of those oft discussed but never revisited egullet threads. that's a shame for blue hill really. nice guys. decent food. great room. exceptionally accommodating to egullet and its membership. but the stuff that surrounds it, vis-a-vis certain posters' attitudes/fondness for the place, seems to have great impact on the perception that people have of the restaurant before, and after, eating there. right or wrong, that's reality. i have no choice but to return now. double edged sword all around i'd say, as i wasn't going to return. and i still want the chefs of blue hill to say to us here that people who ask for "chef's choice" receive markedly better meals than those who don't. i'd even settle for a "have an 80% chance of receiving a better meal." that admission wouldn't be good for business, and if that's the fact at every restaurant at that level, then it should just go unsaid, and ruth reichl and tommy and whomever should be able to say "i wasn't blown away" without people suggesting that they did something inherently wrong by ordering from the menu. silliness. oy, i've typed too many words, and someone will no doubt pick out 7 and attempt to prove my opinion "wrong." hey, time for coffee. who wants to join me?

gee i'm in. gee +1

so i can finally stop holding my breath.

i think plotz is saying that if they choose something from the menu, rather than something necessarily "special," that would be fine as well. it's just that the chef will know what is the best that night, and of course, serve it to plotz if he asks. (the last sentence is a study in fact vs. perception)

my first turkey brining was a success. what can i say. the fresh turkey, brined for 12 hours, turned out very moist and delicious. i'm going to brine everything from now on. regards, pretentious twit.

i love gordon elliot!! c'mon, Door Knock Dinners is one of my favorite shows. he's quite quick on his feet. and he's very tall. very. i love how 99% of the families are working dad, stay-at-home mom, in a 5000 square foot home in some well-heeled part of connecticut or NJ.

i was quite hurt when you called me a "wiseass," if i may chime in here you chubby old bastard.

actually, i could see them beating Booby Flay over the head with a meat tenderizer. or maybe that's just wishful thinking. i have to admit, i was just thinking yesterday that Booby doesn't annoy me half as much as he used to. i think it was primarily his interaction with his phoney-friends in that mock NYC apartment, and his impudent treament of jaqui that really got on my nerves. a dispicable man then, and only slightly obnoxious now. but hey, i'm slightly obnoxious too, so i can't fault him for that.

steve p is treading dangerously deep into a pool of personal insults. this, of course, dilutes his point. and this is a shame, since he's obviously trying to enlighten us. from his heart of course of course. aside from that, i've read that most people who agree with the concept of somehow informing the chef that you're a super-taster and expect only the best somehow have a relationship with that chef going in (not you plotz, so put your two index fingers down captain). again, i'll restate that although it's obvious that the chef knows what is best on any given day, and is capable of preparing the best for people who "ask," this doesn't apply to everyone walking in off of the street, as it couldn't because all of the "best" ingredients would be gone after the first seating, leaving the super-tasters and super-foward with the mediocre crap from the menu. :shudder: thanks ajay for asking a question so simple that i thought it need not be asked. apparently, it does, and i'm glad you have. and honestly, more people like mediocre fed shmucks than they do well fed arrogants. now if you want to debate how going through life an un-liked arrogant is somehow better than going through life a well-liked shmuck, i'll have to sign off, 'cause i already know the answer.

I didn't read anythng about asking a restaurant to prepare a special meal. My first meal at Blue Hill (which started this thread many moons ago) was very enjoyable. The waiter came over and said "Michael would like to cook for you tonight" and we said yes. oh. yes, the difference is obvious. my bad. carry on. oh, wait, yes, i already realized this a few posts back: from now on, every time i walk into a restaurant, i'll say "no need for a menu, i am putting myself in the chef's hands." i'm sure to get the best, no doubt.

i'm pretty sure that i'm not the only one who thinks that asking a restaurant to prepare a special meal is presumptuous and borders obnoxious. however, if we're talking strictly about a tasting menu that is offered to everyone on a given night, then i agree that it's no doubt the way to go if you want to sample what the chef thinks is spot on that day (but what if one only wants 2 courses and no dessert?). unfortunately, on my one visit to blue hill, for example, the tasting menu didn't do much for me. while "ordering wrong" can happen at just about any restaurant in the world, i'd hate to think that whenever one orders from the menu that they're ordering wrong. i just don't buy it, and i bet the chefs at blue hill don't either.

what attitude is that? the only thing i've done here is satirize what i see as an extreme generalization of that restaurant, and an unrealistic view of the way customers should have to order to ensure a good meal. i won't bother asking what would happen if every customer ordered a chef's menu every night. so i guess this means you won't introduce me to tony fletcher?

if what you say is true (and, of course, i think you're talking out of your ass for the most part), then i'm sorry that blue hill can't produce a decent meal off of their menu (which i don't think is the case). i wonder what the good looking chefs at blue hill would have to say about your theory? and i find i curious that you think i'm placing "blame" on anyone. curious indeed. i will take your advice, being the elder that you are, and upon my next visit to blue hill, i'll ask that they make something really good, instead of that slop that's listed on their regular menu. regular menus are for tourists. i'll tell 'em steve p said so.

yeah, it was the run-on sentence thing wasn't it.

the PM function is the preferred way of carrying on discussions like this. or so i'm told. seriously though, do the people who go to blue hill, who might be discerning diners but aren't known to the restaurant, getting sub par meals due the the inherent design and approach of the restaurant and cooking? if so, do you think that the restaurant realizes this, and if so, might they be inclined to alter their style, as the dishes generally speaking would not be as good as they could be to, what one has to assume is, the vast majority of diners on a regular basis??

you'd do that for little ol' me? do ya think he wants to deal with yet another obsessed Moon fan? doubtful. more importantly, does tony get the good cepes?

their most vocal and discerning, obviously, as you suggest. otherwise they don't know when they have a discerning customer in the room. the meek apparently shall not inherit the great cepe.

a great restaurant has great cepes every day.