Compass

[rozrapp]

In today's Dining section of the NY Times, Florence Fabricant reports that Neil Annis has left Compass.

Bux, Please note that this news was posted and discussed here:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...ST&f=4&t=23637&

[Bux]

Thanks, I missed that. I think it's worth repeating here anyway as someone planning on dining there based on your experience with Annis' cooking, might be disappointed to learn he's not there.

[rozrapp]

You're right, Bux. As you can see by my comment on the other thread, I was certainly surprised and very disappointed to hear about Annis leaving. I hope he ends up cooking somewhere else in the city.

[Bux]

Without some inside knowledge it's hard to know why a chef leaves. We may get a clue when we see how the restaurant changes under the new chef. Sometimes a restaurant can't draw a crowd inspite of good food. Should they decide to downscale the food, the chef may get fired, or he may just leave seeing no future for himself in such an operation. How was the traffic at Compass? Was it crowded? Of course we don't know if he's got something lined up just because it isn't public yet.

[rozrapp]

The evening we were there -- a Wed. -- the room was full, including two tables with very large parties of at least 12 (all women!). When we left at about 7:15, there were people congregated in the reception area waiting to be seated. I didn't look into the bar area, so I don't know what the situation was there.

The replacement chef is from Tru in Chicago, a restaurant which recently became a Relais Gourmand. That would indicate that Compass owners are not looking to downscale the cuisine. If anything, they appear to be looking to upgrade. And toward what seems to be their quest for better quality overall, they have taken seriously the major complaints about service. (The posts by Innocent and Neverfull are testimonies to the serious problems in that regard.) The entire time we were there, a gentleman I took to be a manager was stationed in the dining room, apparently to make sure that all was running smoothly. As I reported, our service was flawless.

As for Annis, I certainly hope he already has another position.

[Truffle]

Any word on when Chef Andelbradt takes the reigns? He has a stellar reputation.

[JosephB]

The menu in the window still has Neil Annis as Chef.

[Truffle]

Yes it does, but perhaps the Compass financial team is waiting until Chef Andelbradt takes over the helm 24/7.

Anyone on the east coast, in NYC with word on the curious cuisine migrating up the west side?

Cheers

[Truffle]

Rumor or fact? Word's been passed that Chef Mark Andelbradt is no longer at Compass? Anyone on the beat?

Admin: Merged with another thread on the chef at Compass -jogoode

[JosephB]

Are you sure he ever started? I reported on this a while back: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...3637&hl=compass. I live on the same block as Compass, and although I haven't been back since the change in the kitchen, I've looked at the menu in the window and have not seen any noticeable change. Also, there was no mention of the chef's name. I think that's odd.

[Truffle]

Last I checked Chef Andelbradt was on the website, but there's been little new information regarding Compass and its 'new direction'.

Heard a rumor, curious as to how it was playing out.

Thanks for your response-the only one!

Cheers-

[Truffle]

Somewhere this just in: NY Chef to assume responsibilities of CdCuisine at Tru.

Word?

[jogoode]

Katy Sparks now heads the Compass kitchen, replacing Andelbradt, according to the NY Times.

She's changing the menu...

[slkinsey]

Katy Sparks now heads the Compass kitchen, replacing Andelbradt, according to the NY Times.

For posterity:

KATY SPARKS is now in charge of the kitchen at COMPASS, 208 West 70th Street. Ms. Sparks who was the chef at Quilty's in SoHo, which closed, had been trying to open her own restaurant. . . . She described her new menu at Compass as global, with some Germanic touches like spaetzle, horseradish and pumpkinseed oil. She replaces Mark Andelbradt. The front room of the restaurant is to become a wine bar.

[Suzanne F]

Well, I guess that's easier for everyone than just linking to it, as I did yesterday on the Katy Sparks thread.

[Truffle]

It will be interesting to see what Katy Sparks brings to yet another change in hands at Compass.

That was a quick tenure at Compass for Chef Andelbradt. Anyone know where he went?

[rozrapp]

We managed to have one dinner at Compass during Mark Andelbradt's brief tenure, and we thought his food was superb. I remember that I had squash soup to start and a main course guinea hen with a grits accompaniment. But, I guess it's now on to Katy Sparks.

They've finally posted her new menus on their web site. They've done away with the low carb prix-fixe, and they've added a new lounge menu. Funny thing is with the previous chefs, Annis and Andelbradt, their names were on the web site. But no mention of Ms. Sparks on the site, though the pastry chef's name is there.

[Jinmyo]

*

Click.

[mikeyrad]

I'm sorry, I simply can't take any of Hesser's reviews seriously since reading the Spice Market thread and of course the brilliant Eurotrash blog.

Edited April 7, 2004 by mikeyrad (log)

[SobaAddict70]

I think it's hilarious that in every Hesser review thus far, she has to -- just has to name drop a restaurant or two, as if the restaurant in question somehow isn't worth it.

Did we have to know that previous chefs have been from Lespinasse or from Aix? Really, Amanda? I thought a restaurant review was a brief summation of a critic's assessment of the food, the decor and the ambiance. I didn't know that mention of previous chefs who hailed from famous restaurants was a necessary element.

So, Amanda, talk to us. Tell us what you really think about Compass. It's clearly apparent that it's so not a Vongerichten fantasy. Is it a Lespinasse fantasy? An Aix fantasy? A Quilty's fantasy?

Which is it? Inquiring minds want to know.

Soba

[mikeyrad]

Oysters, grapes and chanterelles (a slight variation) mingle in a fruity cream sauce; a stack of deep-fried leeks gives the dish a little crunch.  It is the kind of dish that would earn an A-plus at the Culinary Institute of America, but might have been sloughed off most of the city's restaurant menus as too dated. It's worth revisiting.

This is the kind of writing that infuriates me! Pardon me for never having attended CIA. I guess I also don't understand what makes this dish so dated. Bottom line, I want to know how the dish tasted, whether the ingredients worked well together. I don't give a rat's ass how it would have fared as a CIA final exam.

Edited April 7, 2004 by mikeyrad (log)

[Jinmyo]

I don't give a rat's ass how it would have fared as a CIA final exam.

Rat's ass with oysters and grapes is so March 1978. Or 1979. I forget.

edit:

Sorry. Tastes pretty much as one would suspect. Shaving the hair off improves it greatly but still, it is what it is.

Edited April 7, 2004 by Jinmyo (log)

[slkinsey]

Just a reminder, guys. This is a thread about Compass, not about Amanda Hesser. Please discuss the review here insofar as it concerns Compass. Go over to Food Media & News for broader discussion of Amanda Hesser's writing and reviewing skills, etc. There you will find any number of threads in which you can discuss such things.

Since we already had a problem with the Spice Market thread veering widely off topic and turning into an Amanda Hesser thread, I will be acting aggressively to keep this one on topic. I communicate this to you that, having due notice thereof, you may govern yourselves accordingly.

[Daniel]

Went to compass this friday night and had a terrific meal. The setting was perfect, the scenery beautiful, large cosy quiet booth for two also a big plus, (with the exception of the cusions that kept spreading apart), the only problem, one incompetant waiter. Everyone from the bartenders to the really funny maitre di were pro's. If i wasnt on a first date i would have asked for a new server, but i was on good behavior.

The place was surprisingly empty for a friday night, which IMO is a good thing, but i think they might have been using bus boys as waiters. My waiter didnt even fully understand english, let alone the dishes he was serving. We wanted to order three appetisers and one entree. He refused to let us oder the appetisers first and then order the main course after we thought about it for a bit. Which after he left, i found out was not the restaurants policy at all. But regardless of him not being able to explain what was in the dishes, or how they were prepared, or even the type of bread that came in the beautiful bread basket, the meal and the company were excellent.

We started with the Fruits of the Sea, which consisted of shrimp, oysters and clams. Their was a mignionent sp?, a cocktail sauce, and a mayo dressing. Not a big fan of the mayo dressing, but the more choices the better. Everything was fresh, the oysters were west coast, the clams from the east. The shrimp spent half the year in la and the other in ny.

We then got the thyme roasted shrimp. The came heavily spiced which i loved. Head on and really meaty. They were awesome, I had no problem reaching over and sucking the discarded head of shrimp from the persons plate i was with. I dont know where that falls under on first date etiquette. But who cares.

The third appetiser we had was the rabbit arrabiata with manilla clams. This was really good stuff.. The rabbit was excellent. It was juicy, moist, and just all around amazing. It was better then the rabbit i had the next night at wd-50. This dish really made the most out of the flavors and now i know how rabbit tastes.. I have had rabbit at grand sichuan and other places, but this was the first time it was served in a sauce that brought out the flavor, and didnt hide it. It was so good I decided to tell me date she was eating rabbit. And she liked it so much that after a moment of shock, and a little mention of thumper, she continued to eat the dish.

Next came the entree. We ordered something with monkfish medallions. At this point i had a bottle of wine in me Coupled with my get to the restaurant a half hour early to drink beer and jamesons on a first date game plan, i dont really remember too much about the monk fish. Other then it was really good. I wanted to get the venison, but i am glad i didnt.. I dont know if she could have handle eating bambi and thumper in the same sitting.

For dessert we had the caramel parfait, which was excellent. And this chocolate soufle.. Both were very good. And by this point, our busboy/waiter had left for the evening and our closer was this real nice guy.

At the end of the night we met katy and i think there was a guy walking around who was an ex-cop.. Both were really nice. Definately looking foward to going back there.. It has all the class and style of a place with twice the Pretentiousness and half the quality of food.

[Pan]

Thanks for that report. My first reaction is that I may have learned more from your report than from Hesser's review, but that may have more to do with my reaction to the tone of the writing than anything else. Regardless, it sounds like you had a wonderful time, all told.