Bruni and Beyond: Reviewing (2008)

[BryanZ]

The trifecta on Dovetail today was interesting. I was definitely taking the Eater and NY Journal bets on two. This place just doesn't sound impressive, and the review reads more like an enthusiastic two star.

UWS curve? Probably, but you generally see the geographic curve in effect for one-star restaurants that are bumped up to two. One could very easily argue that Bruni has a cuisine-specific curve, namely Italian, where two star restaurants are bumped to three (A Voce, Del Posto, I'm sure there are others).

Finally, another usage of the word "fussy" in not exactly the best light. We'll add that to the record.

[oakapple]

The trifecta on Dovetail today was interesting.  I was definitely taking the Eater and NY Journal bets on two.  This place just doesn't sound impressive, and the review reads more like an enthusiastic two star.

I thought that Bruni's enthusiasm was more-or-less consistent with his past three-star reviews.

UWS curve? Probably, but you generally see the geographic curve in effect for one-star restaurants that are bumped up to two.  One could very easily argue that Bruni has a cuisine-specific curve, namely Italian, where two star restaurants are bumped to three (A Voce, Del Posto, I'm sure there are others).

Until I know otherwise, I'm going to assume the enthusiasm is justified. I think Bruni knows that three-star restaurants are destinations by definition, which means that neighborhood becomes a lot less important.

I do think he has a clear Italian bias. There's ample evidence to justify that conclusion. But I don't see the evidence for an UWS bias.

Finally, another usage of the word "fussy" in not exactly the best light. We'll add that to the record.

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I stopped keeping track!! Edited February 20, 2008 by oakapple (log)

[Nathan]

I agree that the neighborhood curve is more about bringing one-stars to two.

this review was for real. he really likes the place. so does everyone else who's been.

I've been highly skeptical of the idea of a really good restaurant on the UWS...but we might actually have one.

[Sneakeater]

FWIW, having eaten there last night and having read the review, I don't think any curve was applied. (Easy to say now, but I would have bet on three stars coming in, from what I'd read in the press and knew of the chef. That's why I made it a point to eat there last night -- I figured that after the three-star review came out, I'd no longer be able to get in for a while.)

[sethd]

IMO Bruni is also biaseds in favor of Italian restaurants. It will be interesting when he reviews Adour in the near future: It is french and formal!!!

[oakapple]

IMO Bruni is also biaseds in favor of Italian restaurants. It will be interesting when he reviews Adour in the near future: It is french and formal!!!

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Well, my tastes in that department are about as far opposite of Bruni's as can be imagined, and I thought Adour was boring. My sense is that if a sentimental softie like me didn't really like it, I can't imagine Bruni liking it.

[ulterior epicure]

IMO Bruni is also biaseds in favor of Italian restaurants. It will be interesting when he reviews Adour in the near future: It is french and formal!!!

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Just for that, Bruni's going to give Adour 3 stars!

[BryanZ]

In the deuce for Bar Blanc today:

They’re most certainly not doing bar food, not with a menu on which the half dozen appetizers are easily outnumbered by the pasta dishes and main courses, not when the lasagna, made with braised lamb shoulder, is sculptured into a perfectly round and tidily layered cake that’s like a prim haircut you itch to muss. Lasagna should unfurl and unravel and ooze: that’s the whole point of being lasagna.

Its self-possession here is emblematic of the chef César Ramirez’s contemplative and intermittently fussy approach to cooking, evident as well in an entree of “milk-fed porcelet” that divides the young porker into discrete portions of belly, loin and head meat and, for good measure, throws in puréed chanterelles and diced Brussels sprouts. It’s a tremendously busy plate. It’s also a tremendously flavorful one.

Once again Bruni's predilections are made excruciatingly clear. I seriously feel like I could write these reviews for him, donning on his hat, and come to the very same conclusions with the very same language. I'm not sure if this is a strength or weakness, but he is very predictable.

[sethd]

IMO Bruni is also biaseds in favor of Italian restaurants. It will be interesting when he reviews Adour in the near future: It is french and formal!!!

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Just for that, Bruni's going to give Adour 3 stars!

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And a well deserved three stars it will be!!!

[sethd]

IMO Bruni is also biaseds in favor of Italian restaurants. It will be interesting when he reviews Adour in the near future: It is french and formal!!!

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Well, my tastes in that department are about as far opposite of Bruni's as can be imagined, and I thought Adour was boring. My sense is that if a sentimental softie like me didn't really like it, I can't imagine Bruni liking it.

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Once again I must take exception to your description of Adour as "boring" . Ducasse, in my opinion, has never been considered an innovative chef known for exotic combinations. What he is known for is taking wonderful raw materials, creating wonderfully prepared dishes, in an exquisite setting with wonderful, correct service. He accomplished those goals at ADNY and ADPA and i assume at Louis XV (plan on eating there in April). I also think he is accomplishing that at ADOUR. Did you like the lamb dish at ADNY which is very similar to the one you panned at ADour? I have eaten at other restaurants that you would consider "more interesting and exciting" than Adour including EMP. My meal at EMP was disappointing on many fronts, including service and the pacing of the meal. I expect that the captains should know the food that is being served and not let a single dinner languish for over 3 hours during a monday evening dinner. I have never been disappointed eating at an Alain Ducasse restaurant and actually always look forward to an amazing experience whenever I eat there.

[oakapple]

Once again I must take exception to your description  of Adour as "boring" . Ducasse, in my opinion, has never been considered an innovative chef known for exotic combinations. What he is known for is taking wonderful raw materials, creating wonderfully prepared dishes, in an exquisite setting with wonderful, correct service. He accomplished those goals at ADNY and ADPA and i assume at Louis XV (plan on eating there in April). I also think he is accomplishing  that at ADOUR.

Obviously this is unresolvable, but I thought he did that at ADNY, but is failing at Adour; both conclusions, however, were reached after only one visit. Unlike Frank Bruni, I am willing to give out high marks for classics done well, but when you don't innovate, then what you offer needs (at those prices) to be impeccable. I loved Le Périgord, for instance, which is, if anything, even more ossified than Adour.

Did you like the lamb dish at ADNY which is very similar to the one you panned at ADour?

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No, I had something different: the Bluefoot Chicken with black truffles and the baba rum stood out.

[raji]

Hey guys - just by accident I caught this on one of WNBC's digital multicast channels, then navigated to this after they provided a URL

http://www.1stlookny.com/people/2008/03/01...th-frank-bruni/

Have we _heard_ Bruni before? I guess the thing about an anonymous reviewer, especially someone who self-admittedly doesn't care what fellow diners think, is that their reviews lack context.

Edited March 5, 2008 by raji (log)

[oakapple]

Have we _heard_ Bruni before?

I believe he still does regular podcasts, radio pieces, and even TV appearances with his face blurred out...so no, this wasn't the first opportunity to hear his voice.

I guess the thing about an anonymous reviewer, especially someone who self-admittedly doesn't care what fellow diners think, is that their reviews lack context.

I'm afraid I don't see how his reviews would have any more context if he wasn't anonymous.

[ulterior epicure]

Hey guys - just by accident I caught this on one of WNBC's digital multicast channels, then navigated to this after they provided a URL

http://www.1stlookny.com/people/2008/03/01...th-frank-bruni/

Have we _heard_ Bruni before? I guess the thing about an anonymous reviewer, especially someone who self-admittedly doesn't care what fellow diners think, is that their reviews lack context. I guess the shocker, or, additional context, for me was, and I don't want ANYone to take this the wrong way, how does one put this politically correctly on a public forum....

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raji, Frank Bruni's voice is podcasted weekly, and if you'll go to the NY Times Dining & Wine section right now, you can hear him speak about each of the top 10 new places he's eaten around the country.

Even I, out in Kansas City, knows what Bruni sounds like.

[raji]

What did you think of the interview?

[ulterior epicure]

What did you think of the interview?

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Largely tongue and cheek. Why?

[BryanZ]

There's also an interview Bruni did with Mo Rocca that Eater linked to, like, yesterday that's mildly entertaining. As Eater points out, Bruni's looking fit.

[Sneakeater]

It's the same interview.

[Nathan]

this is fascinating:

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/04/levy_spencer.html

[oakapple]

this is fascinating:

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/04/levy_spencer.html

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It is indeed. I find myself agreeing almost 100% with Mimi Sheraton's views. Paul Levy has this idea of going into a restaurant, announcing himself to the chef, and saying, "Show me the best you can do." This isn't just a Europe/USA divide, as Steve Plotnicki has the same idea.

Now, what these folks don't realize—or what they willfully ignore—is that we can't all do that. If Frank Bruni dines under his own name and asks for Jean-Georges Vongerichten's best, he is going to get something different than if I ask for it. It might be entertaining to read about what is theoretically possible, but in a review I'm more interested in knowing what I'll actually get if I dine there.

[Nathan]

if you read the comments, Levy gets at that...and agrees that the NY Times reviewer is representing the "common diner"...

[ulterior epicure]

this is fascinating:

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/04/levy_spencer.html

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It is indeed. I find myself agreeing almost 100% with Mimi Sheraton's views. Paul Levy has this idea of going into a restaurant, announcing himself to the chef, and saying, "Show me the best you can do." This isn't just a Europe/USA divide, as Steve Plotnicki has the same idea.

Now, what these folks don't realize—or what they willfully ignore—is that we can't all do that. If Frank Bruni dines under his own name and asks for Jean-Georges Vongerichten's best, he is going to get something different than if I ask for it. It might be entertaining to read about what is theoretically possible, but in a review I'm more interested in knowing what I'll actually get if I dine there.

Yes, I think in American restaurant criticism, there's more of an expectation (whether implied or stated) of consumer advocacy.

[oakapple]

if you read the comments, Levy gets at that...and agrees that the NY Times reviewer is representing the "common diner"...

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Yes, I do see that. He eventually came around to the view that her position made sense in her situation.

[TAPrice]

this is fascinating:

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/04/levy_spencer.html

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It is indeed. I find myself agreeing almost 100% with Mimi Sheraton's views. Paul Levy has this idea of going into a restaurant, announcing himself to the chef, and saying, "Show me the best you can do." This isn't just a Europe/USA divide, as Steve Plotnicki has the same idea.

Now, what these folks don't realize—or what they willfully ignore—is that we can't all do that. If Frank Bruni dines under his own name and asks for Jean-Georges Vongerichten's best, he is going to get something different than if I ask for it. It might be entertaining to read about what is theoretically possible, but in a review I'm more interested in knowing what I'll actually get if I dine there.

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Sheraton says that she sometimes visited restaurants up to 10 times. I seem to remember Reichl saying that she occasionally would visit even more.

I just don't understand why so many visits would ever be necessary. Sure, in the ideal world more visits would always be better. But surely the returns diminish severely after three visits. After three visits, what information does the critic lack to write a honest evaluation of the restaurant in 1,000 words? And why would it sometimes take 7 more visits to get that information?

I know Sheraton sometimes drops by, so perhaps will hear from her. Anyone else have an idea?

[ulterior epicure]

Sometimes, a critic is unable to try as many dishes as they would like - even on three visits. Also, a critic may want to see how the restaurant "handles" at various points in the week. Of course, one visit on a Saturday night may not be representative, so the critic returns for another weekend night. If the restaurant serves lunches, I would think that would require at least two lunch visits.

I find it rather easy to justify at more than five, if not more than ten visits, depending on the restaurant.

As consumers, we expect product testers to scrutinize the product; the more test-runs, the more accurate the information is supposed to be (does anyone watch America's Test Kitchen - those folks are awesome). I don't see how expectations of a consumer advocate, like certain restaurant critics, is fundamentally different.