tommy

mags, i agree that this is a spot on analogy assuming the boob at the next table is blasting a Chipmunks album into his/her cellphone. just to be clear, i was referring to fifi's post referring to one-sided conversations being annoying. i don't know if people get annoyed if there's a deaf person reading someone's lips as well, but i would hope not.

you have a "right" to not be annoyed? if the person on the phone isn't in your group i suggest you exercise that right and get on with your meal.

Exactly! I came back to the thread to express those precise words. *sigh* in that case i'll start tipping!

i'll make sure i throw the wine guy a fin the next time i'm in Cleveburg. don't wine guys in cleveburg make more than servers and bartenders? like, real actual salaries and stuff?

sorry for the delay. i wanted to get a feel or an understanding for your sensibilities as far as decor goes because a big part of this discussion revolves around decor. as i expected, your taste seems to lean towards practical. mine too.

excellent show. i think this says more about the power of suggestion than people's preferences in water or their ability to detect off-flavors in tap water.

babyluck, in the event that you can't hook up with anyone, don't let that stop you from visiting. cecil is almost always there, he'll guide you through some choices. i'm at the point where i just ask him what i should eat. i'm sure he'd be more than happy to make some excellent suggestions. and he knows what we all eat, so if the dishes that you've read about sound good, he'll steer you in the right direction.

friday 16th works for me.

Fresco sounds like the logical choice, especially given the good press it's been getting 'round here.

some of those wine guys are doing alright. benefits, salary, perks, and all, from what i saw from a cursory search. i should be so lucky! cool!

bouley is very busy not living up to the expections of diners. please cut them some slack.

no they don't. this man is an idiot. people want water that contains not much more than hydrogen and oxygen. sometimes bubbles.

i think thursday works for us. weekends, and, by extension, fridays, are all kindza effed up. since ant-nee handed me the torch, i'll admit that i've done no thinking whatsoever, since he didn't really ask me or anything. i do think matisse isn't such a bad idea, but that's only because i don't have a better one.

at most restaurants, they get tipped out, just like the runners/bus boys. however, i can't speak to the process at high-end restaurants.

i'll guess that i'm one of the "others" if not the only "other". here in the big city, we got wine-guys at all levels of restaurants.

Are you serious? There are that many places in NYC that are that behind the times? Gee whiz, I live in a little town and everywhere takes credit cards, places that don't take them tend to go out of business within a year or so... it depends on where you're eating, i suppose. i've eaten thousands of meals in NYC over the last 18 years, at all levels, and i don't recall many places that didn't accept credit cards.

you're right. i forgot to factor in the 1000's of pizza places and whatnot when i thought about "new york restaurants". although a random sampling of restaurants listed in zagats as <25 didn't turn up many "no credit card" symbols.

rich, i'm curious. how would you characterize the decor in your home?

most (very nearly most) NY restaurants are cash-only?

i'm on the "light lager". i had no idea they had two products with "light" in the name, although i don't recall seeing "premium light" around my neck of the woods in NJ.

my god, Y.L. is my house beer at this particular point in time. although Anchor Steam is making a strong comeback after 10 years of absence.

i asked for 2 glasses of sparkling wine at Sparks and was told they didn't have sparkling wine. the server then brought 2 small bottles of sparkling water (which i was going to order anyway). embarrassed? for the server, yes, as he seemed to have no idea what i meant by "sparkling wine". but that's another story.

excellent suggestions. thanks!

don't waste your time on bad food. in fact, i can't think of many italian restaurants that aren't a waste of time in northern NJ. there just aren't any Lupas or Babbos or Felidias in northern jersey (and very few anywhere from what i can tell). however, i'm keen on returning to La Cambusa, although it gets mixed reviews.

there's no right and wrong. but yeah, the article is wrong if applied to the average restaurant visit. i never had much faith in ol' emily anyway. i didn't realize we were talking about "fine dining" here, although i'd be curious as to what percentage of the time sommeliers are tipped at most upscale restaurants, including the one that mark sommelier works at. "generally accepted". no, i think not. appropriate sometimes? sure, why not.