Felonius

Once El Presidente was no longer there to enforce the rules, we ordered burgers (topped with ham, bacon, cheese, russian dressing and caviar), did Jell-O shots, took off our clothes, and danced on the bar....

I finally got to try an order of "Memphis" ribs at Blue Smoke last night. They were OK, but certainly nothing to write home about. A bit overcooked and not particularly flavorful. They did appear to have been smoked in the proper manner, which I haven't found elsewhere in NYC. Daisy May's ribs are apparently prepared in a proper pit, but their results lead me to believe their trying to smoke them too quickly. The beans at Blue Smoke were OK, and the pork used in this dish actually had a bit more flavor than the ribs. (Maybe I should have tried the pulled pork sandwich?) The prices seem fair by NYC standards - I paid $14.00 for a half-slab. Overall, I'd say it's a great effort by NYC standards, but a maybe a "C+" in the larger world of BBQ ribs.

There were some regulars there who quite happy to see us leave. I think were taking up some seats. Kudos goes to the bartender, who took good care of us. After hearing so much about Elyse's wonderful cookies, I finally got to try them today. They rock! Count me in as another fan. All State has terrific bartenders. I go there as much for the friendly service as I do for the excellent burgers. Thanks to Elyse for the cookie sampling. Fantastic stuff, especially the gingersnaps! Thanks to all for the invitation to Beer Club, Drinking Club, Cookie Club, Terrorizing the Locals Club, or whatever that was today. Lots of fun, and no forms to fill out. I look forward to the next BC meeting, and hopefully a few more Sunday Drinking Club outings as well. Piper's Kilt anyone?

I dined out as well tonight, and was thankful for the inclement weather. I'm very glad to see tourism picking up in NYC, but I've resigned myself to the fact that this also means I will probably not a get a decent meal in this city until January. The restaurants are so packed right now that even weeknights have become almost unbearable in high end dining establishments across the city. I've even had a hard time securing a table for lunch at many of my regular spots. I haven't seen this sort of demand since before 9/11.

You have a point. It's a bit easier to linger there in the summer when the garden seating is open. Then no one wants to sit in the front, so hanging out there usually isn't a problem. I like the food at Les Halles very much, but I hesitate to recommend it for the same reason. The one on Park Avenue is always crowded and under pressure to turn tables.

Le Jardin Bistro gets my vote, though I'm not sure if they have mussels on the menu. They have very reasonable prices for NYC as well. Balthazar and Pastis have solid renditions of all the food items you are looking for, but are so jam packed all the time they may not be keen on letting you linger (unless you're Robert Deniro or Giselle). I've eaten at Markt a few times and thought the food mediocre at best.

If y'all are headed to All-State on Sunday at 1pm, count me in.

Yes. Why, are you Kid Charlemagne?

I'm with you Bond Girl! I'd encourage anyone who receives an invitation to check it out for a few hours. I'm glad I did. It's better comedy than Saturday Night Live. Just be careful what you drink, as those $20 and up cocktails can lighten your wallet in no time. Also, don't fork out the $7,000 for a membership card unless you also have the money for frequent tanorama visits, a hair transplant, and arm-candy rental fees from the local talent agency. Oh yeah, and a collection of Ascots from Paul Stuart is de riguer. I think this brings membership costs up to around $20K.

I've been, but only for drinks not dinner. A rather nice space, but the scene is so bad it's amusing. Picture a room full of short, pudgy, balding 50-something Wall Street nerds trying to dress like Hugh Hefner, a sprinkling of elderly Eurotrash with fake tans that would impress George Hamilton, surrounded by 20-something anorexic supermodel types bored out of their minds. My guess is that over half the women in the place were rented out on an hourly basis. Add to the mix a band that was probably featured on a "Love Boat" episode before being relegated to the Barmitzvah circuit, and things get even more fun. Top it off with $20+ for well drinks, and voila, you have the makings of a truly great evening. This place is a caricature of itself.......

Cafe Boulud is open for lunch on Saturdays. Jean-Georges is a great place for lunch, but unfortunately only their "Nougatine" bar menu is served on Saturdays. A good value, but not in the same league as the main dining room cuisine.

I am in agreement with Bux on many of his impressions of Mix. I still have yet to try a dessert (and I've tried them all) that comes close to matching the caliber of the savory courses. I don't understand why this is the case, as I'm sure that Ducasse has the resources to bring the desserts up to par. I've had lunch at Jean-Georges several times in the last month, and I would say that Iuzinni's (spelling?) dessert creations there are in a whole different universe in terms of creativity and interest than those at Mix. I had the pork BBQ entree the other day, and thought it quite good, if not as refined as other items on the menu. My date was a fellow Southerner, and she loved it. The fact that a guy from Long Island can create a Southern BBQ dish that pleased us both is pretty amazing. The stains on the banquettes at the back of the room need to be removed. My dad commented on these when we dined there a month ago. I don't know if the material can't be cleaned properly or what, but when one is spending the dollars required at Mix, it is rather disconcerting to sit on a banquette splotched with large red wine stains. Why don't they fix this? Odd, really. The dishware and cutlery are unique. Some may hate this and/or dismiss it as unecessary showmanship, but I like the fact that they've put so much thought into every aspect of the dining experience. For example, the steak knives are all handmade by some guy in Arkansas (or was it Tennessee?), and are completely unlike any steak knife I've seen in restaurant before. To me it's part of the whole experience, just as the unique service items used at Jewel Bako bring an additional artistic element to the meal. I think Doug Psaltis and the crew at Mix are working hard to continually improve the menu and the service. As I said before, every time I've dined there I think the experience has been better than the last visit. A few dishes I've had have been a bit too ambitious for my taste, trying to blend too many flavors or do too many things at one time. In my opinion, Jean Georges falls prey to this as well at times. Then again, I tend to be more conservative in my food tastes than some, which is probably why I'd rather eat at Cafe Boulud on a regular basis than Jean-Georges (caveat here that I'm a lucky bastard to get to eat at either). I agree that the madeleines at Mix aren't nearly as good as those at Cafe Boulud. They're much heavier in texture and don't seem to be served hot right out of the oven as they are at CB. Always interesting to hear other people's impressions of a restaurant. Thanks Bux for your thoughtful post. Bux, I'm curious to know how you'd rate Mix versus other NYC restaurants you've dined at lately.

Reading this thread yesterday lured me back to dine at SQC last night. I ordered only a main course, venison, as I was in a bit of a hurry. I believe it was a loin of venison, served in its own jus with an assortment of mushrooms, pureed butternut squash, and a pear that had been poached in red wine. Every time I've ordered Venison in NYC (and I've ordered it many times at many places), the tenderloin always comes from the kitchen sliced, and is usually a miniscule portion. This time there were two large pieces of tenderloin arranged in a vertical fashion on the plate (the flat end where it had been cut was placed face down on the plate, and the round ends of the tenderloin were pointing towards the ceiling). Anyway, I thought it was kind of interesting to see it presented this way. The meat was also a bit gamier than most venison served in NYC restaurants. It actually tasted like venison, which I liked. The poached pear was served whole on a bed of pureed butternut squash. A fine winter dish overall. The portion size of this dish was fairly substantial, and it was certainly the largest serving of venison I've seen in NYC. A chicken entree that passed by my table also looked fairly generous in size. Hmmm, maybe these guys are reading eGullet after all.

Do you have any favorite dishes you'd recommend? I've been to SQC primarily for lunch, and would love to hear what I should try for dinner.

At least I now know I'm not the only one. I'll continue to be a regular, because there aren't many other palatable options nearby. I also don't have a problem with holding a few tables for regular customers. That's just good business. But watching FOUR tables being given away on a busy Sunday, while I stood around with my date in the cramped doorway like an idiot for 30 minutes was a bit much. Add the fact that I AM a regular (I have been eating at this place 1-2 times per week), and that I specifically told the hostess I needed to get a table in time to make a matinee performance, and the whole thing was just ridiculous. She kept assuring me that I could have "the next table", and then continued to give the tables away right in front of us to people she knew better than me as they walked in. It was one of the more blatant "fuck you's" I've experienced in a NYC restaurant. If she had been a man I might have grabbed her by the collar and slammed her up against the wall! The funny part is, I saw the same woman during lunch a few days later, and she walked up to me and tried to make friendly small talk by saying, "Gee you look familiar, havent I seen you here before?". I somehow managed to keep my mouth shut and gave a polite smile. Ah, the things we go through on the UWS to get a decent meal.....

I eat lunch at SQC several times a week (ate there yesterday). I especially like the cold shrimp salad, with bacon bits, haricots vert, and tomatoes. The service has been inconsistent. Some days I've waited forever for a glass of water, a menu, or the check despite the fact that I was one of two or three customers in the entire place. The staff tends to stand around and gossip during off hours and ignore the tables. Also, there is a middle-aged lady (the owner's wife perhaps) that acts as hostess, who alternates between sugary-sweet and downright snotty. One time at brunch, I watched her skip my name on the waiting list 3 times in order to seat people she appeared to know. I pointed this out to her and she did it again, so my date and I left. I haven't been back for brunch since, preferring to make the detour to Vince and Eddie's during UWS brunch rush-hour madness. At other times the service has been efficient. Everyone has always been friendly except that lady at the door. I agree with Steven that the food is definitely a cut above most, if not all of the nearby alternatives. I'm still waiting for the crowds to subside so I can try 'Cesca......

How so? By the way, the waiter mentioned that they are in the process of making a bunch of changes to the menu. I think this was the first night Doug's offered a venison dish. Nothing I had last night was a repeat from any of my previous 5 (or is it 6?) visits. Damn, just thinking about that food makes me want to run over there for lunch!

It's because we let them know we had to finished by 7:30 pm to make an 8pm curtain. We arrived just before 6 and signed the check at 7:30. The timing was perfect for our schedule, though we probably would have lingered a bit longer had we not had opera tickets. The food and beverage service couldn't have been better. There any moment you needed them, but not obtrusive.

This place started off strong, and keeps getting better every time I visit. Last night was my 6th visit, and the first time I've ordered a tasting menu for dinner. The meal was superb - I'd say the overall quality and execution rivalled the best of NYC. My date and I arrived just before six, and asked for a tasting menu with no restrictions or special requests. During the next hour and half, we enjoyed one of the best expressions of fall/winter ingredients that I've ever experienced. Here are the dishes Doug Psaltis prepared (with names/descriptions I'm making up as I go along, since there wasn't a menu), in the order served: 1st - Parfait of thinly sliced duck breast, lentils, and foie gras. This was served in a clear conical parfait glass, so all the layers could be seen. On top were two very thin slices of duck breast, which may have been cured in some way, as it had a texture and appearance somewhat like bacon or prosciutto. Next to the duck was a small slice of foie gras pate and a toast. These were on a bed of savory lentils, which were layered on top of some sort of gelee (aspic from a meat stock maybe?) accented with mustard. A very earthy and rich dish, full of contrasting flavors and textures. The gelee and the lentils helped to balance the extreme richness of the duck and foie gras. A very interesting and satisfying dish. 2nd - Pumpkin soup, with chesnut ravioli, foie gras, ham. The ravioli, ham and foie gras arrived in a white porcelain bowl, and the hot pumpkin soup was poured over this beautiful presentation tableside. Rich pumpkin soup, that seemed to be more of a super fine puree of pumpkin as opposed to anything heavily cream-based. Small cubes of what I'm pretty sure were cured ham, along with the foie gras and tender chestnut-filled ravioli, were perfect accents to the soup. Again, the dish blended a variety of textures and flavors - chewy and salty ham, sinfully rich and creamy foie gras, tender but firm ravioli, along with the ultra smooth soup. A truly fantastic winter soup, as good as any I've had. 3rd - Seafood with leeks and mustard, seafood, cream (I think) sauce. Seafood included a small rectangle of monkfish, a shrimp, a scallop, a clam and a mussel artfully arranged on a plate with a yellowish mustard based sauce that had a tangy lemon component as well. Each piece of seafood was cooked to perfection and tasted as if it had come off the boat that day (trust me on this, I grew up a few hundred yards from a fish pier/market on Cape Cod and am very particular about seafood). The sauce was reserved enough to allow the flavor of each piece of seafood to hold its own, yet so delicious I found myself looking around for a piece of bread to scoop of what little was left at the end. This dish to me exemplified what Psaltis/Ducasse do better than anyone else - find the highest quality fresh ingredients possible, cook them to a perfect temperature, add something subtle to bring them together or accent their flavors, and then get out of the way. One word sums of this dish on my tasting notes - WOW! 4th - Venison tenderloin, with stuffed cabbage, chestnuts and pear. Sliced tenderloin pieces arranged on a bed of what I think was cooked squash, next to cooked cabbage leaves stuffed with more squash (?), chestnuts, and a halved baby pear lightly poached. This was accented with rich reduction sauce (venison and maybe some foie gras?), with a slight tinge of sweetness. The venison was of superb quality, cooked perfectly (just past rare) and unusually tender. Much like Mix's bison tenderloin, it sets the standard for how tender and even delicate ultra-lean game meat can be if properly cooked. Ducasse and Psaltis have this equation down to a science. A great dish, and a fitting end to the savory courses. Desserts brought included the Mix chocolate "cake", chocolate pizza, and rum savarin. All were delicious, but not as exciting as the savory courses. They've been described previously on this thread, so I'll leave it at that. I asked the sommelier to pair some wines by the glass, and we were served a Bourgogne Blanc, a Meursault from Olivier Leflaive, and a Rhone Red. All the wines were fine and well-matched to the courses, if not particularly memorable. Overall, I'd say this was one of the best meals I've had this year. I especially liked the interplay of textures and the way certain seasonal ingredients and accents linked the courses (foie gras, chestnuts, cured meat, mustard,etc.) without becoming too familiar. All too often, "tasting" menus are just a hodgepodge of unrelated courses and/or paired down versions of standard menu offerings, without any real thought to the whole. Doug Psaltis' menu at Mix gave the impression of being a carefully orchestrated whole, designed to take you on a colorful voyage through seasonal flavors and ingredients. A thing of beauty, really. The price for this menu was $100 per person, which seems appropriate given the quality and number of courses served. This meal easily held its own against more expensive ones had recently at Daniel, Jean-Georges and Cafe Boulud. The service was exemplary throughout the meal. Five courses were delivered in perfectly-timed succession in about 90 minutes, and my date and I made it to our 8pm curtain on time. The full-on tasting menu is not probably what Mix is aiming at, as the place has more of an upscale casual/fun atmosphere for a la carte diners. Still, I'd highly recommend the experience to anyone who is seeking food nirvana. Doug Psaltis and Alain Ducasse are doing some of the best food in NYC at Mix, and it just keeps getting better......

Yeah I'm just chomping at the bit to have one of them Thalia burgers. Just let me know ahead of time so I'll have proper attire (black tie, or perhaps my all black "Dieter Schprockett" getup) clean, pressed and ready to go . Sorry I was out of town last night. Sounds like I didn't miss an epic burger, but I would have enjoyed debating burger philosophy in such fine company again.

So what's the authentic Mojito recipe? As I understand it, it's just fresh squeezed lime juice, muddled with plenty of crushed mint leaves, sugar cubes, and rum. Cuban rum would be the most authentic of course, but hard to come by in the US. I'm assuming the proper rum substitute would be a light (white) Carribbean rum of some sort. Also, maybe some sort of cane sugar water could replace the sugar, if one had access to such a thing. Any words of wisdom from eGullet mojito experts?

The best Mojitos I've had in NYC were at Rialto (Elizabeth St. just South of Houston). It's the only place where they took the time to crush serious quantities of fresh mint and muddle all the lime juice from scratch. I haven't been in over year though, so no idea if it's still up to par. Another good one was had recently at Rhone (Gansevoort St. between 10th/11th), fresh mint and not too sweet. My problem with most NYC Mojitos is the use of sour mix. To my taste this makes the drink too sweet, and the sour mix flavor interferes with the taste of mint and lime. Also, the lime juice should be fresh squeezed for a real Mojito. Most bars won't do this as the process is time-consuming and can really bog down a bartender if the bar is busy.

Andrew has been away from NYC for a while, and I think the food at Cafe Boulud has suffered as a result. And despite the fact that the average diner wears a tie or at least a jacket at CB, I have dined there in jeans on many occasions. Daniel said he wanted it to be more casual, so I figured I might as well do my part.

Unfortunately, I'm leaving town next Tuesday morning. Wasn't able to change my ticket due to the heavy travel volume around Thanskgiving. Have fun at Landmark. I'll join next time around, and will even try a Landmark burger on my own Monday and fill out eval form if that's allowed.

Thalia may indeed have a tasty burger, but it sure doesn't look like a place I'd wanna be seen eating one. Might be grounds for supsension of my guy license. "Sir, would you like a glass of Pouilly-fouissee with your burger, or perhaps a side of cornichons?"