Bruni's first NYT review

[Lesley C]

Who better? Is ubiquitousness an obstacle to good works--or even a factor in wether or not a chef/operator or restaurant is good? I think not. Particularly in Batali's case.

Unlike most other media darling chefs, Batali's got the goods.

Fact is, Mario keeps opening one quality restaurant after another, never content to take the safe route and simply duplicate the success of the previous one. Babbo, Esca, Lupa, Otto (whatever you think of the pizza) , Casa Mono--Spotted Pig, the Wine store--all offer something new and unique to diners. He and Joe Bastianich are easily the most interesting, best-for-New York outift in an otherwise cynical business. Batali gets a lot of lavish, adoring attention from journos because of--but also IN SPITE of the TV stuff. Bottom line? Most who write about the man and his works enjoy eating at his restaurants. They're grateful such places exist. They're grateful he keeps opening them. They're grateful he's the passionate, genuine, larger than life Falstaffian character he is. And they're grateful he's not another soul-less money-driven multi-unit operator like Chodorow, Hansen et al, opening one cynical "theme" joint after another--that he dares always to try new--often untested things.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with praising and paying a lot of attention to Batali Inc. He's New York's best and most praiseworthy 600 pound gorilla. And when you've got a 600 pound gorilla in the room, whatever the gorilla thinks--the situation demands attention.

Bruni got it just right.

Look I like Batali -- I even have dirty dreams about Batali -- but we all know he's great. I would simply like to hear about someone else who happens to be fabulous. It's a newspaper, so give me some news.

[slkinsey]

First, only ONE 51-word paragraph (of this 31-paragraph article) was devoted to the work of pastry chef Gina DePalma, who for the past two years has been one of five finalists for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef nationally.  Six years between TIMES reviews seems to be a long time to wait for the mere acknowledgment that your desserts are "almost always wonderful." 

Second, only two paragraphs (a grand total of 54 words) were devoted to BABBO's extraordinary wine program overseen by Joe Bastianich and David Lynch -- 22 of those words being about the "unusually deep dimple" of the wine decanter.

I don't know that it's all that much out of proportion. He devoted a lot of column space to things that didn't have much to do with the food at Babbo. Using the handy word count feature on MSWord, I see that there are 1071 words in the article. Of those, 503 words were in paragraphs discussing non-food related issues. Only 568 were in paragraphs substantially discussing the food at Babbo (including 54 for wine and 51 for dessert). Does roughly 10% of the food-related review devoted to both wine and dessert (for a total of 20%) strike you as too little? What percentage do you think is appropriate? Personally, I'd be loathe to give up too many of the 463 remaining words devoted to food.

[Varmint]

This review was a perfect way to begin Bruni's tenure as the Times' restaurant critic. Much of the debate we've had with the recent critics (including the temps) is that there was no rhyme or reason to their reviews or awarding of stars. Here, Bruni reviewed a restaurant that is extremely well-known. By starting with a known entity, he has established a baseline of restaurant excellence. With his future reviews, both he and the Times' readers can look back at the Babbo review (and the award of 3 stars) for comparative purposes -- why this particular restaurant merits a rating higher, lower, or equal to 3 stars. I wouldn't be surprised to see his next few reviews to be of other well-known restaurants at each star level. That lets us know what his guidelines are, and by doing that, we can determine whether he's being honest with himself with future reviews.

[Fat Guy]

I wouldn't be surprised to see his next few reviews to be of other well-known restaurants at each star level.

I'd be very surprised to see that. If he is orienting himself towards the long term, he will get a few standard-issue reviews under his belt now -- hit some of the new places that are awaiting first looks -- and revisit these meta-issues here and there over time.

[bloviatrix]

First, only ONE 51-word paragraph (of this 31-paragraph article) was devoted to the work of pastry chef Gina DePalma, who for the past two years has been one of five finalists for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef nationally. Six years between TIMES reviews seems to be a long time to wait for the mere acknowledgment that your desserts are "almost always wonderful."

My reaction about the amount of ink given to the PC was quite the opposite. If anything, I was pleasantly suprised to see that he actually named the PC as all to frequently you never see their names in print. Furthermore, he wrote about the desserts fairly early in the review rather than sticking a sentence or two in the final paragraph.

I hope Bruni continues to include the name of the PC in his reviews.

[Jinmyo]

Just right. An auspicious beginning.

[Pan]

Hi.  I'm new to e-gullet and my dismay at Bruni's review of Babbo has propelled me to compose my very first post.  Bruni appreciates that the food is worthy of four stars.  But why does he only award three?

To the last question, there is a short, emblematic answer: the music.

Give me a break! What is so great about Babbo and the whole new trend in NYC dining is that there are no more rules. The old school may prefer muffled Mozart to Moby, but old-school formality has gone the way of La Cote Basque and La Caravelle. The Times needs to move with the times. If we can appreciate the beauty of a bare-wood Mission-style table at Craft, or eat $300 sushi in comfort wearing jeans at Masa, why shouldn't we rock out with Lou Reed while we enjoy our lamb's tongue? Batali's iconoclasm works. Babbo positively radiates with energy and quality -- yes, even in the music played at the bar. Bruni may not enjoy rock 'n' roll but -- guess what? -- it's here to stay and a lot of us do.

The feeling I got from the review was that Bruni indeed did enjoy his visits to Babbo very much and does admire the establishment. 3 stars is not a failing grade!

Also, when I was reading the review, his remark that the music was emblematic of what makes it a 3-star rather than a 4-star did raise my eyebrows, but that wasn't all he said about the ambiance, and the crowding also played a role. Had he given the music as the only reason to award 3 stars rather than 4, I would ridicule his review - but that wasn't what he said.

Edited June 9, 2004 by Pan (log)

[clifford]

I found the review concise, unambiguous, and easily read. Too many people are trying to read between the lines of what he wrote, and, IMHO, the review reads so simply, you don't have to!

His first attempt is unlike a majority of restaurant reviews across the country, it's crystal clear.

Just my 2 cents.

[VeryApe77]

I found the review concise, unambiguous, and easily read. Too many people are trying to read between the lines of what he wrote, and, IMHO, the review reads so simply, you don't have to!

His first attempt is unlike a majority of restaurant reviews across the country, it's crystal clear.

Just my 2 cents.

I agree...

[kpurvis]

"It's a daunting gantlet that diners must penetrate"

from the review. is this a common american spelling of "gauntlet"? or is bruni being fey? or is he talking about train tracks?

From my 1977 edition of the Associated Press Stylebook (sorry, I'm at home at the moment; my more current copy is on my desk at work, where it belongs. This is the dog-earred original copy that I got as a newbie on my first job). Anyway:

"Gamut, gantlet, gauntlet: A gamut is a scale of notes or any complete range or extent.

A gantlet is a flogging ordeal, literally or figuratively.

A gauntlet is a glove. To throw down the gauntlet means to issue a challenge. To take up the gauntlet means to accept a challenge."

I've never figured out how to quote from multiple posts, so let me see if this works: To the fellow who questioned how Bruni would know the details of Mario's shoe collection: It's pretty common knowledge, mentioned in many interviews with him. Even down here in North Carolina, in the "sticks" far from Manhattan Island, I know about Mario's orange high-top collection. (And his habit of wearing them with Scottish kilts on formal occasions.)

On the amount of space devoted to the desserts and the wine service: Newspaper space, unlike books or Web sites, is very tight. When I was reading the review, I thought the amount of space devoted, the way he worked both points in and the point at which they were raised were all appropriate. Nothing struck me as the slightest amiss. Just solid, concise craft of writing.

I also enjoyed this first review and thought he did a fine job of taking a bow to the real 800-pound gorilla in the room, the question of three vs. four stars. In fact, I was happily surprised when I read the review. Before I had a chance to see it, I had seen this morning's MUG On the Radar, which slashed the review as almost unreadable. I didn't find it so; I found it excellent writing.

[slkinsey]

Before I had a chance to see it, I had seen this morning's MUG On the Radar, which slashed the review as almost unreadable. I didn't find it so; I found it excellent writing.

For those who may be curious, the Manhattan User's Guide said:

Heavens to Murgatroid! Please don't let Mr. Bruni be this tone deaf to the way we eat now. Maybe it's first-time jitters, but the writing made our stomach do a special jig, and that's not a good thing.

I agree with you, buy the way, in disagreeing with the MUG. I thought it was very well written.

[kpurvis]

Thanks, Sam. I should have posted a link. I get tangled up by all this techie stuff! I miss my typewriter . . .

[Tess]

"It's a daunting gantlet that diners must penetrate"

from the review. is this a common american spelling of "gauntlet"? or is bruni being fey? or is he talking about train tracks?

"Gantlet" is correct here, is it not?

[Pan]

"It's a daunting gantlet that diners must penetrate"

from the review. is this a common american spelling of "gauntlet"? or is bruni being fey? or is he talking about train tracks?

"Gantlet" is correct here, is it not?

Not necessarily, according to www.m-w.com (Merriam-Webster Online, which is an American dictionary):

Main Entry: 2gauntlet

Function: noun

Etymology: by folk etymology from gantelope

1 : a severe trial : ORDEAL <ran the gauntlet of criticism and censure>

2 a : a double file of men facing each other and armed with clubs or other weapons with which to strike at an individual who is made to run between them -- used with run b : a long line (as of guards or well-wishers)

One entry found for gantlet.

Main Entry: gant·let

Pronunciation: 'gont-l&t, 'gänt-

variant of GAUNTLET

[fresco]

Has anyone consulted the NY Times style book? I'm sure there is one, and it has a prescribed spelling.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...950301?v=glance

[mongo_jones]

oh gantlet is a correct spelling alright--it just isn't very common usage. since it showed in an otherwise archaic spelling-free article in the times i wondered whether it was a common usage among fancy-pants americans. you know you people can't spell most words correctly. does this add something to bruni's personality? that he'll occasionally throw down a gantlet, so to speak? i'll try to not let it burthen my reading of his reviews.

[robert brown]

I have a 1976 NYT Manual of Stile and Usage. It states:

gantlet is a flogging ordeal; gauntlet is a glove.

Further down the page it states:

gauntlet is a glove; gantlet is a flogging ordeal. ( I'm sorry, but I have never learned how to use the formatting buttons).

I haven't read Bruni's review yet, but how long will it take before foodies refer to him as "the Sultan of Bruni"?

I didn't read, therefore, what he said about the music, but an informal study indicates that the most popular recording heard in better level restaurants in New York today is the Miles Davis-Gil Evans album "Miles Ahead".

I am not the Louella Parsons of eGullet. Fat Guy is. But I did hear that several people turned down the NYT restaurant reviewer job.

We need more-sophisticated content analysis on the site.

[mongo_jones]

i'm sorry to have set off such a wave of belle-lettrism with my offhand comment. but since we're in these waters here's a little more cloudiness:

gantlet1

noun

1 a section of a railway where two tracks overlap

2 (U.S.)

a variant spelling of: gauntlet2

[ETYMOLOGY: C17 gantlope (modern spelling influenced by gauntlet1), from Swedish gatlopp, literally: passageway, from gata way (related to gate3) + lop course]

gauntlet1 , gantlet

noun

1 a medieval armoured leather glove

2 a heavy glove with a long cuff

3 take up (or throw down) the gauntlet to accept (or offer) a challenge

[ETYMOLOGY: 15th Century: from Old French gantelet, diminutive of gant glove, of Germanic origin]

all this from http://www.wordreference.com/definition/gantlet.htm

this bruni is a subtle fellow--takes our minds off his pickiness with music by throwing in a little unusual word usage.

[mongo_jones]

I am not the Louella Parsons of eGullet. Fat Guy is. But I did hear that several people turned down the NYT restaurant reviewer job.

every louella parsons needs a hedda hopper or else the universe gets thrown off balance.

[Pan]

I have a 1976 NYT Manual of Stile and Usage.

Do they use that archaic spelling of "style"?!

Mongo, who are those cats you're talking about?

[robert brown]

Pan, the misspelling was intentional, given the name of the work in question. Mongo, I'm glad there are people around who still remember. It was a toss-up over which name to use. Just so as not to be totally off-topic, I'll be back with a few words about the review itself.

[mongo_jones]

louella parsons and hedda hopper were a pair of feared, vicious, highly influential hollywood gossip columnists back in the golden age of the studio system in the 20s and 30s. they wrote for rival publications and had a rivalry of their own--promoting favorites, dragging down the other's favorites and so on. surprised no one's made a movie about them yet. or have they?

[Suzanne F]

Pan: Rival gossip columnists, just as we here tend to be (albeit to a smaller, more select audience).

I am firmly on the "good start" side. The literal content of the piece -- with so many pinpoint focuses hitting on many, many topics in a limited wordcount -- is not so much a concern to me. Yes, this was less a review than an introduction to an oeuvre. He told us some of his dislikes (more important than his likes); he engaged in a little wordplay, some of it clever, some not-so; he wrote about the restaurant, not himself (as RR was wont to do). Yes, he wrote about a terrific, well-known restaurant, and pointed out both its glories and its faults AS HE SEES THEM. Isn't that his job? And, again, I doubt the choice of restaurant was entirely his, so let's complain to his editor if we didn't like it, not blame him.

This was a test piece in terms of the readership. Clearly, he has our attention. Whether we (eG) have his -- does that really matter?

But I also hope he explains the distinction he makes to divide the 2s from the 3s, and especially the 1s from the 2s. Four-star (and even 3-star) restaurants are not everyday choices, after all. The "lesser" places are the restaurants most of us are more likely to frequent regularly. If he gives us that information, I may even forgive him that stomach jig.

[oakapple]

I doubt the choice of restaurant was entirely his, so let's complain to his editor if we didn't like it, not blame him.

I have always thought that the chief restaurant critic had pretty broad discretion to choose his or her subjects. This seemed so personal for Bruni; I find it difficult to believe he was just following orders.

I also hope he explains the distinction he makes to divide the 2s from the 3s, and especially the 1s from the 2s. Four-star (and even 3-star) restaurants are not everyday choices, after all. The "lesser" places are the restaurants most of us are more likely to frequent regularly. If he gives us that information, I may even forgive him that stomach jig.

I'd also like to see that, but it's a tougher concept to describe. A four-star restaurant has to be like Mary Poppins - "practically perfect in every way." The 1-2 and 2-3 borderlines are a lot harder to describe.

[Fat Guy]

As far as I know, the critic has absolute control over the restaurants he chooses to review. Critics at the Times operate, I believe, in a highly independent manner and only really report to editors in terms of the extremes of overall career direction and line-editing. They can get input if they want, but they are empowered to be independent.