Yet another "where should I eat" topic

[Pan]

  tug said:

thank you raxelita and jaypm51!

I've just read the thread here about Union Squre Cafe.  Does anyone have an opinion about it?

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There are threads about all of the restaurants discussed in this thread, I do believe. Just do a search.

[tug]

I did. I said I did.

I was specifically asking the nice people in here if they had an opinion about it.

I don't know why this place seems so reluctant to engage in realtime, frank discussions about restaurants, and instead often diverts me to old and out of date reviews. As I am prepared to make an investment in an establishment, I want to talk to people who have been there more recently than a year ago.

Pan, this isnt directed at you. It is just frustrating that I keep getting shut down in what seems to be very friendly forums. I am just expected to shut up and search through archives?

[rich]

  tug said:

I did.  I said I did.

I was specifically asking the nice people in here if they had an opinion about it.

I don't know why this place seems so reluctant to engage in realtime, frank discussions about restaurants, and instead often diverts me to old and out of date reviews.  As I am prepared to make an investment in an establishment, I want to talk to people who have been there more recently than a year ago.

Pan, this isnt directed at you.  It is just frustrating that I keep getting shut down in what seems to be very friendly forums.  I am just expected to shut up and search through archives?

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Yoy're absolutely correct Tug. Sometimes people just direct an individual to a thread that's a year or more old. It serves no purpose. Just keep asking - someone will answer.

I ate at USC about 10 days ago. It was excellent as always - ask for the room behind the bar - it's more intimate and cozy. If you get lucky, you will even get to watch a show (a couple being quite amorous as I explained in the USC thread).

The food at USC is very American, very tasty and impeccably prepared. The service is friendly, helpful and accommodating. You can't go wrong there. The wine list is extensive, reasonably priced and well maintained. The entire experinence rates as a very good value.

Hope this helps.

[tug]

Wonderful, rich. This is exactly what I was hoping for!

I'm putting USC on my short list, and will watch it between now and my birthday )

[H. du Bois]

Tug, I haven't been there in recent years, but what I loved about USC was that it always felt genuinely warm and welcoming - a rare quality that most restaurants never quite manage, though they try. I had a great birthday dinner there once, not that I had told them it was that. They just managed to make the entire experience shine. As the management remains the same, I'd bet they could still pull that off.

ETA: You know, I think the reason that USC didn't initially come up as a suggestion for you is that it isn't a place that screams "wow" factor. When I first went, I was really surprised that the decor wasn't fancier, that the menu wasn't more innovative. I guess I'd mistakenly presumed that there was a haute cuisine element to it. BUT ... it was exactly as Rich described above, and somehow the alchemy of the food, wine and terrific service transcends all the individual elements, if that makes any sense.

Edited September 4, 2006 by H. du Bois (log)

[Pan]

  tug said:

I did.  I said I did.

I was specifically asking the nice people in here if they had an opinion about it.

I don't know why this place seems so reluctant to engage in realtime, frank discussions about restaurants, and instead often diverts me to old and out of date reviews.  As I am prepared to make an investment in an establishment, I want to talk to people who have been there more recently than a year ago.

Pan, this isnt directed at you.  It is just frustrating that I keep getting shut down in what seems to be very friendly forums.  I am just expected to shut up and search through archives?

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I didn't mean to seem unfriendly. But the fact is, the Union Square Cafe thread has been active very recently, and I know that because I read rich's meal report and Jason's meal report with photos within the past couple of months (rich's report was much more recent). I think you'd find that people are quite willing to engage in real-time discussions about restaurants in threads dedicated to those restaurants, with the added benefit that those discussions will be easy for people to find in searches in the future.

[tug]

Thanks for clarifying Pan. Please understand that I'm not asking anyone to provide a full review of any restaurants here. The last thing I want is to detract from the well-tuned process on these forums.

But as restaurants change so quickly, and so easily, it was nice to hear from rich that USC still holds up to his report in that specific thread.

I should perhaps link to the actual restaurant thread in the future, thereby indicating that I have seen the thread, and have further questions.

[Pan]

I probably haven't been to USC in at least a year and a half if not longer, but I think the general consensus on the place is that it is very consistent in both quality (some people no longer find it interesting, but it's always good) and service. I've eaten there several times over the years and always really enjoy the food and the experience. But rich's report, which was put up on August 24, if I remember correctly, is a much more "real-time" report than my comments are. I doubt there are many eGullet members who have been there more recently than that.

[Tara Zieminek]

  jaypm51 said:

I think Cru as well. The food is great and and the bill won't require a second mortgage to pay.

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I second that motion - Cru is my most favorite restaurant in the entire world (so far). I went last summer and it was amazing. Far better than WD50 and at least as good as Babbo (the other two high-end restaurants I visited on my trip).

I also hear that Gordon Ramsey is supposed to be opening a restaurant in New York in September. Or if you're just looking for cheap thrills, the ninja restaurant looks neat. (http://www.ninjanewyork.com/)

[tug]

take pity on me please. I did a search for cru, then cru* and I cannot find a thread. Has anyone seen it lately?

[H. du Bois]

Here you go! Cru:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...193&hl=goldfarb

[tug]

thanks H. du Bois

[H. du Bois]

You're welcome! Someone only just recently taught me the secret to eGullet searching (and there is a secret to it). On the top right of your screen, just below the banner, there's a field called google search. Use that, and put your request, especially anything three letters long or so, into quotation marks. (E.g., "cru"). It pulls things up that the regular eGullet search can't handle, like Al di La.

Edited September 4, 2006 by H. du Bois (log)