wd-50 2004 - 2007

[docsconz]

Great report, Phil. Wylie and Alex do a great job of maintaining their creativity at the highest level. The only dish of your meal that I have had before was the tongue. You did a particularly great job of putting the restaurant in perspective. The tongue does speak to its location. The funny thing is that while the food there is certainly not comfort food, I do find it very comforting. It is one of only a handful of restaurants in NYC that I make a point of getting back to every once in awhile, though I can't do it often enough.

[biskuit]

I am saddened and shocked that I'm posting this, but my recent meal at WD-50 was maybe the most disappointing meal of my life. I used to live in Manhattan and I don't get back to New York nearly enough. It's been two years since my last visit, and every meal has to be maximized. We hit tons of spots in three days on this trip, and WD-50 was the only one that was less than excellent, and it was so much less than excellent that I can't even believe the place has supporters. They're either in a rut right now with the current menu, or the emperor truly has no clothes. I can't say which is the case given this was my first visit, but my choice to go to WD-50 seemed easy given the many accolades it has received here and elsewhere (if BryanZ loved it, how could I not?) and my love of that type of creative cuisine as practiced in Atlanta (where I now live) by Richard Blais.

We had a 9:30 (post theater) reservation on Saturday night. Me, my wife, and two other couples from Atlanta. The small, pleasantly modern decorated restaurant was not quite full. We were quickly seated, and the waiter assured us that tasting menu was the way to go, offering the best dishes the chef had to offer (none of them on the a la carte menu). We also decided to go with the wine pairings to complement the meal to the max.

The evening started on a good note, with a nice pour of Spanish cava, and some very good, ultrathin sesame crisps to munch on for the table. (see http://flickr.com/photos/santheo/1219563138/ for a photo - all photos below are swiped from a random flickr user, my camera died on arrival in New York)

Then the food started arriving.

The first dish was "Squid noodles, sunflower seed, prune, fresh coriander seed" paired with the Cava Avinyo Reserva Brut, Penedes, Spain. This was a boring first course actually, subdued flavors, nothing exciting going on (I’d give it a 5 out of 10, with 10 being an incredible dish all around. There were no 10's at WD-50, nor 9's for that matter).

Next plate arrived, "Pizza pebbles, pepperoni, shiitaki," lots of wow factor, nice combination and interesting form (small spheres of “pizza”), though it tasted kinda like packaged cheese and crackers. An interesting and clever dish certainly, but not the kind of thing that delivers the type of satisfaction a great dish provides – that close your eyes and savor every aspect moment - 6/10. http://flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/824...57600845811043/

Next up, the so-called "Knot foie" - foie gras pate extruded into a long rectangle and tied like a pretzel, dusted with, something, crunchy, that didn't quite work, and dotted with a kimchee puree that did add an interesting kick. The wine pairing was Riesling Maximin Grunhauser 2004, Mosel, Germany, which did work nicely as a pairing, but the dish itself was merely passable as foie gras goes. The form made for a sub-par texture, and the crispies added another distraction. I know the standard balance of toast works great with smooth foie gras, but this was way too crunchy. It could have used a sweet component for further balance – 6/10.

http://flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/824...57600845811043/

Next dish really brought out the haters at the table - "sweetbreads, cabbage-kafir, water chestnuts." The sweetbreads themselves were decent, lightly fried, but the accompanying mousse of cabbage/kafir was almost nauseating – 4/10. The wine they initially brought out was a Pax Rose Syrah 2006, Sonoma. The entire table agreed the wine was "off" - it was highly unpleasant - but our waiter insisted that was how it was supposed to be. He did bring us another rose, which was not bad.

http://flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/824...57600845811043/

Then - the famous fried mayonnaise? Beef tongue, fried mayo, and tomato molasses - can’t complain, but nothing great. The tomato molasses was rich and flavorful, but didn’t complement the tongue particularly well at all. Another diner at our table brought up that it should have some mustard with it, and he was right. Some interesting components, but again, not working together very well, and nowhere near as good (or creative for that matter) as the tongue Richard Blais at Element in Atlanta was serving up last month - 6/10.

http://flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/823...57600845811043/

The table was restless at this point. No one was really enjoying the food, despite the creativity. The flavors were simply not coming together properly. Nothing was satisfying. And then, something that worked, simply. A French onion soup dotted with floating balls of liquified gruyere. Broth, cheese, crisps, and a smattering of onion puree. Simple, robust flavors, uniquely done. Maybe this is what WD-50 has served up consistently in prior times??? Best dish of the night - 7.5/10. The wine was a decent Valtellina Rosso Sandro Fay 2003, Lombardia, Italy. Not memorable.

http://flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/824...57600845811043/

Had the tide turned? Not so fast. Going out with the tide was "Surf clam, watermelon, garlic chive, fermented black bean." Eh. The black beans were not pleasant, put there mainly for the visual reference to watermelon seeds. Great in theory, not so great in practice. 4/10.

http://flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/823...57600845811043/

Something I had never had before - lamb belly "bacon" with black chickpea and "cherried cucumber." Not bad, but covered in "grass" (was it lemongrass tips?? very thin and grassy, not lemony) most likely for the clever idea of pairing lamb and grass. It didn't work. 6/10 (bacon can never be too bad). The wine was a Faugeres Jadis Leon Barral 2005, Languedoc, France. Like the dish, not bad.

http://flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/823...57600845811043/

Finally, on to the dessert courses. I had heard great things about the dessert chef, so again was hoping the tide could turn. First up was "Plum sorbet, feta, marjoram, red wine vinegar." Interesting, not quite refreshing, not quite enjoyable, the marjoram was a bit overpowering. We were thrilled though to finally be past the savory dishes. 5/10.

Then, the famous "Fried butterscotch pudding" with mango, taro ice cream, and smoked macadamia. The butterscotch itself was excellent – at least the part inside the “fry” which frankly took away from the butterscotch itself. Nothing else really worked together, too disjointed. The mango was thinly sliced and possibly pickled, very little sweetness/juice, disappointing. 5/10. The wine pairing was very nice though, and a bit of a surprise given its origin - Muscat Efreni Emery Wines NV, Rhodes, Greece. Very enjoyable.

http://flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/824...57600845811043/

Another dessert - "soft chocolate, avocado, licorice, lime" - was actually pretty good. The chocolate itself suffered from a similar texture issue as the “knot foie” in that it was not quite firm, not quite soft – I did finish this dish, which is saying something compared to other courses. 6/10.

http://flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotni...

Last up, "peanut butter and jelly" cookies. Not bad, but far inferior to the French Laundry riff on PB&J (which I've made at home as well). Another letdown in a long line of letdowns. 5/10.

The bill for all of this? $400 per couple sharing a single wine pairing. I wouldn't do it again for even $100 a couple. We did walk by the kitchen at the end to peek in and say hello to the chef. He asked how it was, and the best I could offer was "we had a lot of fun." After all, it was a meal among friends. We did have fun. But we'll never be back. And I'll actively discourage anyone from ever going there, there are too many much better places to eat. Thank goodness we were able to dine at Babbo the next evening and had a fantastic meal that was memorable for all the right reasons.

Edited August 28, 2007 by biskuit (log)

[Nathan]

WD-50 isn't for everyone.

I had the tasting menu recently and hated the "pizza pebbles".

but I liked the foie, lamb belly and butterscotch a great deal.

do I think that it is as good as Alinea? no.

do I think NY would be immensely poorer without it? absolutely.

Edited August 28, 2007 by Nathan (log)

[biskuit]

WD-50 isn't for everyone.

I had the tasting menu recently and hated the "pizza pebbles".

but I liked the foie, lamb belly and butterscotch a great deal.

do I think that it is as good as Alinea?  no.

do I think NY would be immensely poorer without it? absolutely.

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I think that was why I was so disappointed - I figured if WD-50 was for anyone, it would be for me. The only dish that really came together for me was the french onion soup, which was arguably the simplest in conception, though with some advanced technique going into those gruyere spheres.

I also think I've been spoiled by the genius of Richard Blais at Element in Atlanta. Hopefully some of you can get down here to Atlanta and let us know what you think.

You can do a flickr search to find some photos of his dishes, or check out their website - http://elementmidtown.com/ for a photo gallery too. There's even a local guy who just loves the place so much he's done a few photo-films of the kitchen in action - http://web.mac.com/rowdyfood/Site/Film_II_%28Blais%29.html

I've eaten at Element four times, two of which were 20 course meals and the other two around 10 courses, and probably 2/3 of the dishes I've had at Element were better than anything I had at WD-50. At a MUCH MUCH lower price. One man's opinion of course, but that's why my hopes were so high for WD-50.

[SobaAddict70]

It might be worthwhile to revist wd-50 if only to see how the desserts have evolved since the last time I was there [which was about a year ago around this time].

[oakapple]

I've had long tasting menus twice at WD-50, and I loved it both times. The visits were far enough apart that the menu had changed considerably, so I've tasted a pretty broad sample of what Wylie is doing.

The only caveat is that I haven't sampled much of the avant-garde movement anywhere else, so I don't have a lot to compare it to. The closest was Paul Liebrandt at Gilt, and of course he didn't last. In NYC, no one but Wylie has enjoyed long-term success in this genre.

[Joseph Fenush]

It is only natural and human to compare... however, I cant help but notice that most negative "reviews" of WD tend to seem to compare to other restaurants... when in fact is it not the point of WD to stand on its own, as its own unique experience.

[oakapple]

It is only natural and human to compare...  however, I cant help but notice that most negative "reviews" of WD tend to seem to compare to other restaurants... when in fact is it not the point of WD to stand on its own, as its own unique experience.

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I don't know that Wylie has ever said that. Even if he had, comparisons are unavoidable.

[iheartoffal]

I think the most significant difference between what Wylie is doing and his avant-garde brethren are doing is that Wylie is really pushing the boundaries of flavor, not just toying with form or contriving new ways to present dishes.

I can only speak from my own experiences, but I've found that to taste Wylie's food is to really experience something new and unexpected, whereas at other places--Alinea, for instance--the flavor profiles, though for the most part obscenely tasty, tend to be on the more traditional side, only presented differently. At the end of the day, a dish is going to taste the same whether it is served on the end of some funky looking spike or dangling on a trapeze as it will on a plain old piece of china.

Some people might find his flavors jarring, as evidenced by some of the posts above, but to those of us with slightly jaded palettes, they're a respite. That's why wd~50's adherents are as rabid as its detractors.

[BryanZ]

A well-stated post, I think.

[Nathan]

true. and I agree that Alinea, despite its presentations...ultimately goes for the familiar in a way that WD-50 does not.

edit: my problem with the "pizza pebbles" isn't the taste...it's the texture. they're chalky.

Edited August 29, 2007 by Nathan (log)

[ulterior epicure]

true.  and I agree that Alinea, despite its presentations...ultimately goes for the familiar in a way that WD-50 does not.

edit: my problem with the "pizza pebbles" isn't the taste...it's the texture.  they're chalky.

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And I, as particular enthusiast of neither WD~50 and Alinea, would agree with this and the foregoing assessments. In my experience, Dufresne's food does seem to push flavor structure/composition more than Achatz.

[biskuit]

I think the most significant difference between what Wylie is doing and his avant-garde brethren are doing is that Wylie is really pushing the boundaries of flavor, not just toying with form or contriving new ways to present dishes. 

I can only speak from my own experiences, but I've found that to taste Wylie's food is to really experience something new and unexpected, whereas at other places--Alinea, for instance--the flavor profiles, though for the most part obscenely tasty, tend to be on the more traditional side, only presented differently.

Hmmm, yes, I think you may be right. The downside is that I don't think many of the flavor combinations "worked" (subjective I know) at my meal at WD-50. Just because something's been done before (onion broth, gruyere cheese, toast) doesn't mean you can't be creative about it, and just because something is new doesn't mean it will taste good or should be done (watermelon and fermented black beans).

I looked back at some of my favorite dishes at Element in Atlanta, and for the most part, they do follow tried and true combinations of flavors in a unique way. Like a BBQ duck sandwich with cole slaw sorbet that was magnificent (BBQ with slaw), or "ravioli" made from thinly sliced summer squash stuffed with goat cheese atop intensely dried tomatoes and a touch of truffle oil, or sous vide then seared pork belly with "lettuce and tomato" and smoke mayonaisse (BLT with mayo), or a yuzu tart with sweet tea ice cream (citrus and tea, classic combination), or taro chips with salsa gelee cubes that explode with intense salsa flavor in your mouth, or vanilla panna cotta with freeze dried coca cola syrup rocks and homemade cracker jacks. The flavors simply work together. They make your mouth swoon. And they are prepared in ways that are entirely unique and that typically enhance rather than detract from the experience.

I want food that makes my mouth swoon and my mind whirl. Jarring/strange flavor combinations may be unique, but a happy adventurous diner they do not make.

Edited August 29, 2007 by biskuit (log)

[ulterior epicure]

I think the most significant difference between what Wylie is doing and his avant-garde brethren are doing is that Wylie is really pushing the boundaries of flavor, not just toying with form or contriving new ways to present dishes. 

I can only speak from my own experiences, but I've found that to taste Wylie's food is to really experience something new and unexpected, whereas at other places--Alinea, for instance--the flavor profiles, though for the most part obscenely tasty, tend to be on the more traditional side, only presented differently.

Hmmm, yes, I think you may be right. The downside is that I don't think many of the flavor combinations "worked" (subjective I know) at my meal at WD-50.

Based on my one experience, I would agree with biskuit.

[rschwartz]

I agree - WD-50 needs some lube!

We should have gracefully exited ( you know...oops - gotta run - fire alarm at home sort of thing) when the wait-person removed our $135 bottle of wine to decant it in secret without as much as a whif from the bottle. Red flags were hoisted - where was my bottle??? Box wine with hint ' o Pinot extract?!

First course contrived to no benefit. Who cares if you can make a dusting of chicken skin? Did anyone in the kitchen taste it to see if it was right tonight?

Fois gras so carefully thought out. Too bad for the stringy fois and the huge stringy vein.

I read the menu to order my meal. Please don't retell me as the plates are placed - my dish is now perfectly clear - and cold

Rancid fish. No comment.

Replacement entree quite yummy but clearly straight from the fridge. So close!

Duck main was excellent. Kudos

Did I mention the waiter with dirty nails? The loud skipping cd?

When we said that we'd pass on dessert I thought we'd at least have a coffee. Sullen-by-this-point waitperson brought just that... Coffee - Joe in a cup. No option. Plopped down while our suspect secret wine was still in our glasses.

My nutter-butters from the store next door were the best part of dinner

Too bad! Great toys and techniques. Too bad no one cares about the food

[johnder]

Wow, thats quite surprising to hear, sorry you had a bad time. Did they ask you if you wanted the wine decanted? I personally wouldn't have any concerns if they decanted the wine at the service table or sideboard.

Really surprising to hear about the fish though, what kind of fish was it?

[rschwartz]

The wait-person suggested decanting; I was taken aback that I could not see the decanting - it just spooked me.

The fish was ocean trout.

[646522]

The wait-person suggested decanting; I was taken aback that I could not see the decanting - it just spooked me.

The fish was ocean trout.

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the first time dining out is always a little "spooky", but you will most likely get used to it and all the other rituals that go along with decanting wine in a service station..

[syoung68]

the first time dining out is always a little "spooky", but you will most likely get used to it and all the other rituals that go along with decanting wine in a service station..

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No need to be snide. I was a server for years and if we decanted it was generally in view of the table.

[Jesikka]

the first time dining out is always a little "spooky", but you will most likely get used to it and all the other rituals that go along with decanting wine in a service station..

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No need to be snide. I was a server for years and if we decanted it was generally in view of the table.

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I don't think it's unusual for restaurants with limited space (ie- NYC) to decant away from the table. It would be typical to open the bottle in front of you and then take it to the kitchen and decant it, though. However, I think it's extremely unlikely that WD-50 would switch out your bottle of wine for something less good, as most of their customers would recognize that sort of move immediately (and I have no reason to believe they have acted without complete integrity on any occasion). I have found the service there to be extremely uneven.

Can you say more about the rancid fish? It seems extremely surprising to me that a restaurant, much less a restaurant at the price point/ ambition of WD-50 would serve a rancid protein.

I also don't understand your comment about the coffee. Your waiter brought you coffee without you ordering it? Or didn't ask you about espresso drinks? What kind of options would you have expected?

[LPShanet]

It is only natural and human to compare...  however, I cant help but notice that most negative "reviews" of WD tend to seem to compare to other restaurants... when in fact is it not the point of WD to stand on its own, as its own unique experience.

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I must say I've had both negative and positive experiences at WD-50. Mostly positive (3 times) and one negative (the most recent visit). The frustrating thing is that it's hard to put my finger on what was wrong on my last visit. The first three times I went, I had three of the most memorable meals of my life. In addition to the creativity that everyone seems to agree upon, the dishes had unexpected flavor profiles that still totally worked. Even though this isn't often said about this type of cuisine, I had several dishes that I totally craved afterwards. In fact, more than once I reordered another round of the same dish right after finishing it. (This is an incredibly positive statement about the dish's taste, as well as a slightly negative one about overall portion size. Still being hungry after a 10 course meal is quite a feat.) After my first three visits, I sent everyone I could to eat there.

On my most recent visit, however, I came away feeling a little flat. The dishes showed their usual cleverness in concept (both those that were new additions, and those that were old familiar friends on the menu). Yet none of them wowed me. The flavors seemed more meek and less well balanced, although I couldn't identify what exactly what was wrong. I didn't find any of the dishes "delicious". My dining companion agreed. While it was fun and funky, it wasn't cravable at all (which it had been each of the other times).

I'm not sure if anyone else has had this experience, but I'm still trying to figure it out. There was nothing overtly wrong with any of the elements, it just wasn't a great meal. I want really badly for it to have been an anomaly, but worry that it wasn't. I know that it wasn't just my having seen some of the dishes before, as I'd tried several repeats on my 2nd and 3rd visits, and loved them just as much as the first time. I certainly didn't experience any rancid fish, nor did I have any memorable service lapses...it was just that the food wasn't very exciting to eat. I want very much to love WD-50 again, as it's really the only place in town offering this type of cooking right now. Theories?

[vivin]

LPShanet

My comments over the years about WD have always been experimental concepts but delicious.

Your less than stellar experience almost mirrors my most recent visit. Conceptually good but fell flat on the palate. Nothing was really delicious. The latest batch of dishes seemed to loose the yumminess. I still remember lamb medallions with banana consomme among a dozen other amazing dishes. My wife agrees.

The other big difference was a complete lack of satisfaction from the desserts. Just miss Sam Mason. The new desserts at WD just lack soul.

[Jesikka]

LPShanet

My comments over the years about WD have always been experimental concepts but delicious.

Your less than stellar experience almost mirrors my most recent visit. Conceptually good but fell flat on the palate. Nothing was really delicious. The latest batch of dishes seemed to loose the yumminess. I still remember lamb medallions with banana consomme among a dozen other amazing dishes. My wife agrees.

The other big difference was a complete lack of satisfaction from the desserts. Just miss Sam Mason. The new desserts at WD just lack soul.

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Even more sadly, the desserts at Tailor (and I'll qualify by saying I haven't been super recently) seem to lack the soul of the old WD desserts.

[Nathan]

I've eaten at WD-50 four times. my first three visits were great. my last one (late summer tasting menu) was underwhelming. and the "pizza pebbles" are the worst restaurant dish I've had anywhere.

[tb86]

LPShanet

My comments over the years about WD have always been experimental concepts but delicious.

Your less than stellar experience almost mirrors my most recent visit. Conceptually good but fell flat on the palate. Nothing was really delicious. The latest batch of dishes seemed to loose the yumminess. I still remember lamb medallions with banana consomme among a dozen other amazing dishes. My wife agrees.

The other big difference was a complete lack of satisfaction from the desserts. Just miss Sam Mason. The new desserts at WD just lack soul.

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Thats too bad Alex is one of the most talented pastry chefs in the us from a technical and conceptual standpoint no question about it,,,,, i have a hard time defining "soul" in plated deserts i doubt very much alex just bangs stuff out, but hey what do i know, maybe his plates are a little to forward in concept for everyone to grasp