Jubilee 51

[SobaAddict70]

Contrast this

Duck confit made shepherd's pie definitely worth ordering, the duck seasoning the mashed potatoes, a black chanterelle sauce pulling it all together. The crisp duck skin on top of the pie made it irresistible.

with this

Roasted chicken breast grandmère tasted as if it had been prepared by a forgetful grandmother who left it in the oven too long, or perhaps reheated it. It was bone dry and barely saved by a brown sauce.

and this

...what happened to the vermicelli served with the nicely seared and sweet, tender scallops. Did the chef forget to cook it? Did he cook it twice? It tasted like dry sticks.

Jubilee 51 (Marian Burros) (from today's DIGEST update. You may have to scroll down for the relevant link.)

Reading this review made me wonder if I was in Oz, if only because when the experience went astray, the mishaps were all the more glaring.

Has anyone yet been?

Soba

[slkinsey]

And, how about this question? How did Jubilee 51 get a star, if that's what it's like? I mean, one star isn't exactly a booby prize.

[kurl]

I'm sorry if I missed this announcement somewhere, but is Marian Burros the new restaurant critic? Last I heard, Asmiov was moving from <$25 to >$25...

[Pan]

Where did you hear that, Kurl?

I agree with Sam: Based on those excerpts, a review of "fair" with no star sounds justified. I mean, what's the median point between one star and "poor"?

[SobaAddict70]

I'm sorry if I missed this announcement somewhere, but is Marian Burros the new restaurant critic? Last I heard, Asmiov was moving from <$25 to >$25...

Marian is the interim restaurant critic until the Times names Mr. Grimes' successor later this winter or in the early spring.

There was a sidebar in last Wednesday's review of 'Cesca.

Soba

[laurenmilan]

Wow, you weren't kidding... here's my favorite nugget of joy...

Putting snails with a classic garlic parsley butter in profiteroles makes them far more interesting than when they arrive in their shells; it even makes you forget they came from a can.

I haven't seen carnage like this since Amanda Hesser leafed through "Semi-Homemade Cooking".

[dr_memory]

See also:

http://www.gothamist.com/archives/2004/01/...ama_insults.php

[JosephB]

Clearly, writing restaurant reviews is a far cry from writing about the health benefits of cranberry juice, or something of that genre. The people who write good restaurant reviews deserve a lot of respect from their readers.

[tommy]

The people who write good restaurant reviews deserve a lot of respect from their readers.

as long as they're good reviewers.

[kurl]

Where did you hear that, Kurl?

I agree with Sam: Based on those excerpts, a review of "fair" with no star sounds justified. I mean, what's the median point between one star and "poor"?

Certainly no one with any insider knowledge -- it may even have been on the eGullet food media/press board.

[Pan]

Someone was engaging in idle speculation, I'd figure.

For now, Burros is the critic. Who will replace her is something I figure no-one knows.

[rozrapp]

Burros lost any credibility she might have had for me as a restaurant critic during a temporary stint several years ago when she reviewed the newly-opened Beppo. She found little about the food that was worthy of praise and commented that the chef/owner, instead of spending all his time in the front of the house, should get back in the kitchen where he belonged. She then proceeded to award Beppo 2 stars!

[SobaAddict70]

It's not that the review itself is bad; it's that I'm wondering how a restaurant that has that many things going against it could get more than half a star.

Soba

[R Washburn]

It's not that the review itself is bad; it's that I'm wondering how a restaurant that has that many things going against it could get more than half a star.

Soba

I think the fact that the author concluded that:

Maybe its luck will change when the secret gets out — you can have a nice meal at Jubilee 51, if you order carefully.

Is what justified the single star.

[slkinsey]

I don't know... in my mind, even one star is a reward. It's saying that you can regularly and reliably have a good meal at a certain level. There are plenty of good places in the city that offer consistently excellent food in an attractive setting and do not have any stars.

[mikeycook]

See also:

http://www.gothamist.com/archives/2004/01/...ama_insults.php

Wow... does anyone have a picture of Grimes' wife?

[Bux]

Actually, her review starts off on very positive notes and continues that way for some time. While I don't have that much faith in her reviews, which is not to say they are a step down for the Times either, considering all of her comments and the relative value of stars, one star is not so far off the mark, and not out of line with her comments. There are too many restaurants in NY that don't reach the heights she describes in this review. No stars is really taken as a warning to avoid unless you're starving. Price has to be some consideration as well as the lower range of stars. Pre-theater prix fixe is $24.95. Restaurant week is coming up. That's when restaurants advertise a $30.04 dinner menu. My guess is that some of those restaurants are no better than Jubiliee 51. I was only sorry to hear about the fries, because I've been to the original Jubilee and loved the fries. In fact, I rarely order anything but mussels and fries there, but I'd give the original a star for those alone.

[Fat Guy]

I'm always suspicious of attempts to match the text of a review to the number of stars awarded, even when I make such attempts. My general sense is that a star rating is not the inevitable result of all the text of the review taken together but, rather, that the text of the review needs to be interpreted in light of the star rating. The star provides context. It's possible to have a bad dish in a four-star restaurant. When Ruth Reichl said that Christian Delouvrier isn't great at cooking fish, for example, many people screamed "how can she give four stars to a chef who can't cook fish?" Aside from being an overstatement, the flaw in that reasoning is that what Ruth Reichl is really saying is that it's a four-star restaurant despite the flaws noted in the review. It's also important to remember that, while the Times persists in saying the star ratings are mostly about food, the truth is somewhat more complex. Much of a restaurant's star rating has to do with its style.

Marian Burros is, in my opinion, a very good writer, a very smart lady, and a very experienced diner. Her take on a restaurant is more compelling to me than that of William Grimes or Ruth Reichl. I've always enjoyed her interim reviews (she and Frank Prial have done this in the last three inter-regnum periods as I recall) and hope the Times finds a permanent critic who is as knowledgeable as Marian Burros.

All that being said, I can't quite see how she could give this place a star.

[jgould]

i must have eaten at another restaurant! having been to jubilee on the east side, i assumed jubilee 51 would be pretty much the same. read the review, & decided to go anyway, since ALL my meals at the e. side bistro have been very good, & loved the ambience. therefore, i was surprised at the review, so i wanted to see for myself. of the criticisms, the mussels were not small, the escargots did not appear to be from a can, the fries were not limpid, & the roast chicken was excellent. it's a shame that this could have a negative spin on the economics of this location going forward. i, for one, will enjoy an excellent bistro in solitude until the public figures out this little gem on the west side.

Edited February 5, 2004 by jgould (log)

[Felonius]

I've always enjoyed her interim reviews (she and Frank Prial have done this in the last three inter-regnum periods as I recall) and hope the Times finds a permanent critic who is as knowledgeable as Marian Burros.

Why for heaven's sake can't the Times see the light and hire Fat Guy to replace Grimes?

I think we should start a petition....

[jgould]

has anybody else been to jubilee 51 & care to comment? apparently, marion burros, who reviewed the restaurant 7 jan, does not in her Q & A, so i'm curious as to what others have experienced.

i believe it is a nice addition to that area, & quite an improvement over their immediate competition.

[jgould]

has anybody else been to jubilee 51 & care to comment?

i believe it is a nice addition to that area, & quite an improvement over their immediate competition.

no one from egullet has been?

[jgould]

has anybody else been to jubilee 51 & care to comment?

i believe it is a nice addition to that area, & quite an improvement over their immediate competition.

no one from egullet has been?

went on valentine's - prefixe $45/

seemed overwhelmed with the crowd, & had too few waiters, & an annoyed tendency to overpour into our wine's glasses which is 1 of my pet peeves.

escargot profiteroles: marian burros is clearly incorrect - the escargot are NOT from a can!!! however, the profiterole was not very good, would have been better served in shell or in cups of garlic butter.

baked cabecou goat cheese salad also ok, but the baked cabecou could have had more goat cheese, less pastry

lamb wellington (additional $10) for 2 was fine & perfectly cooked

pear gratin interesting, but a touch runny

nougat glace - good

mignardises were NOT good, & should either be left off or brought in from the outside (?)

wine prices reasonable, tables nicely spaced, still working out kinks. have a feeling; however, the owner(s)/chef will NOT take suggestions to heart. interestingly, the owner/chef was in France during this busy holiday!! & curious who was manning the kitchen on this very busy nite which could have helped spread word-of-mouth. may evolve into a "neighborhood & pre-theatre bistro. too early to tell.

i must say i was a touch disappointed, but will go back!

[jgould]

i have not experienced such a sanguine group of non-commenters on a new restaurant in midtown west, which has been a "dead man's" area for a long time??