Colors

[SobaAddict70]

Colors is where dozens of surviving workers from Windows on the World, the restaurant that was atop the World Trade Center, have regrouped. And they not only work there but also have a financial say and stake in it. It's a cooperative venture, owned and run by its waiters and waitresses, bus boys and cooks.

Spring rolls with shellfish and a tamarind and basil dipping sauce are named for another Asian country - they're called Philippine lobster lumpia. And just a few dishes lower on the menu falls a squash and mushroom risotto with figs and Parmesan: an Italian moment.

The pork is shredded, served with rice, beans and plantains and defined in terms of Colombia.

Just a few days old, the Colors I visited had many kinks to iron out, in the kitchen and in the dining room. Some food arrived colder than it should have been or under- or overcooked. It was sometimes difficult to get our server's attention.

Colors (Frank Bruni)

Click here for related discussion regarding Mr. Bruni's style of reviewing and the New York Times star system.

Soba

[Pan]

In one sense, this is a proper topic for a Diner's Journal, because the opening of this restaurant is a real event. In another sense, it's just too early to expect them to have ironed out the kinds of kinks Bruni mentions. But as for me, I so want this restaurant to succeed. I'm really rooting for the worker-owners, and I'll stop by soon to have a look at the menu and the place.

[rozrapp]

... t's just too early to expect them to have ironed out the kinds of kinks Bruni mentions.

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This is precisely what really me bugged when I saw today's Diner's Journal. I know these are not considered full-fledged reviews. But couldn't Bruni have waited just a little while longer than the very first week after the restaurant opened? Not that I really care what Bruni thinks about any restaurant because I consider his reviews totally useless. In any event, I can't imagine that there is anyone who is not rooting for this restaurant to succeed.

[rich]

... t's just too early to expect them to have ironed out the kinds of kinks Bruni mentions.

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This is precisely what really me bugged when I saw today's Diner's Journal. I know these are not considered full-fledged reviews. But couldn't Bruni have waited just a little while longer than the very first week after the restaurant opened? Not that I really care what Bruni thinks about any restaurant because I consider his reviews totally useless. In any event, I can't imagine that there is anyone who is not rooting for this restaurant to succeed.

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Again, an editorial philosophy gone awry. People of integrity would know enough that those things shouldn't even draw a mention in the few first days. Editors of integrity should have removed such references. Another example of how low the "Old Gray Lady" has sunk.

[Todd36]

I think the mention was kind actually, overall, it was positive press in my opinion.

"The old gray lady" used to mean the Times of London....

[cru]

I understand the sympathy everyone feels towards these folks and I'm with you. But have you been? The best thing anyone could do is to be brutally honest. I'm afraid Colors is beyond repair, even from this point, so early on. Conceptually its just terrible. Sometimes the truth is ugly and hard to say but we always need to voice our educated opinions and pray for a better New York. Hasn't Bruni been soft enough? To honestly suggest that the NY Times needs to be softer is absurd. They have single handedly promoted and advanced mediocrity in the NY restaurant world. Let's be honest and truthful. Some places stink and it hurts to admit it. Does that make me a bad person......?

[Pan]

Cru, you don't believe in waiting a decent interval before trashing a restaurant in print? I don't mean you; I mean a newspaper critic (if he had in fact trashed the place, which I don't believe he did).

But anyway, this is the Colors thread, not the Bruni thread. So for our benefit, please elaborate on what's wrong with the concept. Are you merely condemning the concept, or is it that the food is no good?

[cru]

Cru, you don't believe in waiting a decent interval before trashing a restaurant in print? I don't mean you; I mean a newspaper critic (if he had in fact trashed the place, which I don't believe he did).

But anyway, this is the Colors thread, not the Bruni thread. So for our benefit, please elaborate on what's wrong with the concept. Are you merely condemning the concept, or is it that the food is no good?

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I don't want to illicit any ill feelings or ire from anyone based on my views, I'm very supportive and hopeful for anyone's success. However, I see no reason why Colors will be successful. it's concept is too convoluted and sloppy. NY is a fiercely competitive market and diners do not choose their destination based on sympathy. I cheered for Noche but it just wasn't good at all. Do I think critics should wait? Of course. I've had this argument a hundred times. But I rarely see much of a difference from 2 weeks in vs. 6 weeks in. I think you can tell whether a restaurant is in good hands from day 1. Best of luck to Colors. Their turnaround would be unprecedented.

[BryanZ]

If one hasn't visited a restaurant it's kind of hard to pass such a judgement based purely on a concept. Personally, I don't care if the restaurant was founded by survivors, friends, family, whatever, but to prematurely condemn it without any leigitimate grounds is rather foolish.

[tan319]

Dissing it the first week it's open for cold plates and under/over/cooked food is kind of wrong, as it would be for ANY place just getting started, IMO.

On the same hand, it's NYC, the pressure & need to perform is tremendous and that's the cold harsh truth.

FWIW, I don't dig these 'not a review' reviews much anyways/.

[Pan]

If one hasn't visited a restaurant it's kind of hard to pass such a judgement based purely on a concept.[...]

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I agree. How's the food? cru, have you actually tried their food?

[cru]

If one hasn't visited a restaurant it's kind of hard to pass such a judgement based purely on a concept.[...]

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I agree. How's the food? cru, have you actually tried their food?

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unfortunately it's bad. Such drastic changes would have to take place to just go from bad to not bad. I don't see much hope. I want to comment on the person that called what we do "dissing". People who open restaurants are looking to get into our wallets and have us spend our money. Any form of commerce or business that's asking us to spend that much time and money is open to criticism. Where we spend our paycheck and time with loved ones is important. It's not like calling someone fat or ugly, that's pointless "dissing". No one has an axe to grind with these people. We respectfully disagree. I hope they make it. But they won't.

[BryanZ]

unfortunately it's bad.

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This doesn't really tell anyone a whole lot.

[Pumpkin Lover]

After reading the review, I don't see how the "concept" of Colors is any different from a restaurant like Stanton Social, or a generic American-style restaurant that borrows ideas from ethnic cuisines (using curry powder or chile peppers in chocolate desserts or risotto, for instance). I put concept in quotes because I'm not even sure, from the review, that there is a singular, solid theme behind the Colors menu--it's a collection of favorite recipes, and it seems like the restaurant's just going to roll with that and see how it goes. That doesn't sound like an automatic failure to me, and maybe I'm not experienced enough with finer dining trends, but the discussion surrounding the supposed failure of this restaurant seems very pre-emptive.

What have you got to report on the concept and the food, those of you who have already eaten at Colors? Gimme evidence, I'm curious.

[srhcb]

Excuse me for asking a question that may have an obvious answer, but I'm stuck out here in the Upper Midwest with no prospect of ever visiting the restaurant.

Is the name, "Colors", supposed to have any special significance?

SB

[Pan]

I think it's at least partly a tribute to the diverse origins of the worker-owners.

[David Lerner]

Went Saturday night at 7:30. The service was a bit sloppy. I wasn't much impressed with the mixed salad - not enough dressing and it had no zing (if you call it champagne citrus vinaigrette I expect a bit of flavor). We were saying no return.

But...my wife had three appetizers, and would reorder two of the three (philipine spring rolls and a risotto that looked too complicated but tased very good, having both texture and flavor).

After being annoyoned that there were only two veggie entrees and they both contained meat substitutes - tofu and seitan - I got the vegetarian bento box (tofu) and was delighted. Flavor, texture, contrasts, more flavors. Most satisifying avowedly veggie entree I've had in years. We'll definitely return to Colors.

[oakapple]

I dined at Colors last night with two colleagues. It is an attractive space, even if the international theme hits you over the head (you can't look anywhere without seeing a map). There are white tablecloths. The staff, in general, are highly professional and smartly dressed. The bread service was as good as, or better than, many three-star restaurants I've been to.

The menu is a mongrel creation, with dishes composed from many cuisines and styles, and no recognizable theme uniting them. To start, I ordered the COLORS House Cured Duck Breast ($13). The menu says it's "Citrus flavored, hardwood smoked, served on raisin bread with porcini jelly." The porcini jelly tasted more like a horseradish spread. The duck, an ample portion for an appetizer, came stacked on three small slices of bread. It was a little unwieldy to pick up and eat, but the rewards were ample.

One of my colleagues had an oyster appetizer that looked wonderful, while the other had a tuna appetizer that he described as "okay." He didn't finish it, so I would guess his response fell well short of rapture.

None of the entrees really caught our fancy, so all three of us wimped out, and ordered the NY Strip (around $33). It came with chimichurri sauce, potato confit, watercress and blue cheese salad—or so the menu said; I couldn't really detect any blue cheese. The online menu shows a "Grass-Fed Ribeye," and I don't know why it's been replaced. It's hard to go seriously wrong with a steak, but at such a restaurant the strip is predictably going to fall short of what the better steakhouses have to offer.

The restaurant was nowhere near full. I suspect they are just hanging on for dear life. As far as I know, there have been no professional reviews yet, only Frank Bruni's Diner's Journal preview. I suspect the critics are giving Colors a bit more time to get its act together—a kindness extended to a restaurant one wants to root for. Based on last night's experience, I'd say Colors offers a pleasant experience in comfortable surroundings, but I wouldn't rush back.