Bruni and Beyond: NYC Reviewing (2007)

[Sneakeater]

So do we agree that he's admitting that he grades on an "outer-borough curve"?

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It's a peculiar statement. Instead of admitting that he employs such a curve, he says that the restaurant isn't "asking" to be graded on one. While there may be some restaurants that are grateful for his earlier largesse, which restaurants is he saying ever asked for that?

Maybe he was just talking back to Eater.

(This review was filed unusually late. I grabbed dinner at the bar at Porchetta last night, figuring it might be at least interesting to be there when the review came out, and when I left at about 10 they were still waiting for it.)

Edited January 17, 2007 by Sneakeater (log)

[rich]

(This review was filed unusually late.  I  grabbed dinner at the bar at Porchetta last night, figuring it might be at least interesting to be there when the review came out, and when I left at about 10 they were still waiting for it.)

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Since you've been there a few times SE, do you think they are happy with it? Is it worth the ride to try?

Get a hold of H. and we'll meet you there sometime if you think its worth the effort.

PS - the reason the review was filed late was I was trying to get a bet down at 4000-1 and he was holding the review pending my sucess. No one would take the bet and Porchetta lost three stars.

Edited January 17, 2007 by rich (log)

[oakapple]

Maybe he was just talking back to Eater.

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The whole Eater relationship is peculiar. Bruni is surely aware that Eater knows in advance which restaurant is getting reviewed. I don't think Bruni himself is the source of this information, because when Bruni was on holiday in Italy, Eater knew which restaurants Julia Moskin was reviewing.

[Nathan]

restaurants are notified a day or so in advance that they are going to be reviewed....for the requisite photoshoot.

although Eater's source is most likely at the Times -- it could just be restaurant staff.

[Sneakeater]

Since you've been there a few times SE, do you think they are happy with it? Is it worth the ride to try?

I don't think they're happy with it. Their ambitions are obviously higher than one star. Neroni drips ambition. And the whole point of hiring him was to make this a "serious" "accomplished" restaurant.

FWIW, I personally think one star is what they deserve. And I think they should be happy with it. I just don't think they are.

Get a hold of H. and we'll meet you there sometime if you think its worth the effort.

It's very funny that you'd say that, since one thought that popped into my head as I was eating last night -- I swear this is true -- was, "rich would hate this."

Edited January 17, 2007 by Sneakeater (log)

[oakapple]

although Eater's source is most likely at the Times -- it could just be restaurant staff.

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I realize the restaurants always know in advance. But there is no way that Eater could reliably know, every single week, without fail, and at exactly the same time of day, if he were dependent on the restaurants to tell him. Nobody is that well plugged in.

[rich]

Since you've been there a few times SE, do you think they are happy with it? Is it worth the ride to try?

I don't think they're happy with it. Their ambitions are obviously higher than one star. Neroni drips ambition. And the whole point of hiring him was to make this a "serious" "accomplished" restaurant.

FWIW, I think one star is what they deserve. And I think they should be happy with it. I just don't think they are.

Get a hold of H. and we'll meet you there sometime if you think its worth the effort.

It's very funny that you'd say that, since one thought that popped into my head as I was eating last night -- I swear this is true -- was, "rich would hate this."

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I'm sorry for them. The concept sounds interesting. Sometimes ambition gets in the way of reality.

I guess we'll wait for the next Brooklyn review.

[oakapple]

Since you've been there a few times SE, do you think they are happy with it? Is it worth the ride to try?

I don't think they're happy with it. Their ambitions are obviously higher than one star. Neroni drips ambition. And the whole point of hiring him was to make this a "serious" "accomplished" restaurant.

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Given Bruni's past generosity to outer-borough restaurants, as well as Neroni's history at 71CFF, I'm sure they considered themselves a two-star candidate. I mean, given the BruniCurve, I'm sure almost every restaurant likes to think they're a two-star candidate (unless they're gunning for something even higher).

However, I don't think one star harmed them. To the contrary, I suspect business will go up as a result of this review. Yesterday, I called for a Friday night reservation, figuring that it would be easier to get before the review than after it.

[Sneakeater]

However, I don't think one star harmed them. To the contrary, I suspect business will go up as a result of this review. Yesterday, I called for a Friday night reservation, figuring that it would be easier to get before the review than after it.

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I made that point to the owner last night (before the review came out). He did not seem particularly convinced.

The main reason I stopped in last night (it was completely last-minute spur-of-the-moment) was that I figured that it would become hard to get in for a while after the review.

Edited January 17, 2007 by Sneakeater (log)

[Sneakeater]

You know, appropos of nothing, restaurant people are really remarkable in their ability to remember people. There have been two separate occassions recently where I made second visits to restaurants after fairly long gaps (in one case, two months; in the other, six months) and the owner or manager not only recognized me, but was able to point out where I'd sat and what I'd ordered.

[rich]

Changing subjects here. I wonder why GR hasn't been reviewed yet? It's been open since the first week of November (11 weeks). I believe this is longer than Gilt, Del Posto, RTR and Robuchon (possibly even today's Porchetta - though I'm not sure when they opened).

Any thoughts why he appears to be giving GR extra time?

[Nathan]

I'd wager that both GR and Waverly Inne will be reviewed within the next month.

[oakapple]

Changing subjects here. I wonder why GR hasn't been reviewed yet? It's been open since the first week of November (11 weeks). I believe this is longer than Gilt, Del Posto, RTR and Robuchon (possibly even today's Porchetta - though I'm not sure when they opened).

Any thoughts why he appears to be giving GR extra time?

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Bruni's review only rarely comes earlier than Adam Platt's review, and Platt only got to GR this week. (There have been exceptions: Bruni reviewed RTR before Platt did.)

One possible explanation is that it's harder to get a reservation at GR. It took Bruni a very long time to review Per Se, and I suspect this was the reason.

[Nathan]

good point. ditto for Waverly Inne -- especially since he lives on the UWS

[rich]

Changing subjects here. I wonder why GR hasn't been reviewed yet? It's been open since the first week of November (11 weeks). I believe this is longer than Gilt, Del Posto, RTR and Robuchon (possibly even today's Porchetta - though I'm not sure when they opened).

Any thoughts why he appears to be giving GR extra time?

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Bruni's review only rarely comes earlier than Adam Platt's review, and Platt only got to GR this week. (There have been exceptions: Bruni reviewed RTR before Platt did.)

One possible explanation is that it's harder to get a reservation at GR. It took Bruni a very long time to review Per Se, and I suspect this was the reason.

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Is it harder to get a reservation at GR than Robuchon? If so, that's interesting. The reviews here appear to favor the latter over the former.

[Nathan]

for a while most seatings at Atelier were reserved for walk-ins.

edit: perhaps more importantly, GR is on TV and Robuchon is not. in other words, GR is more well-known to Americans.

Edited January 17, 2007 by Nathan (log)

[oakapple]

Is it harder to get a reservation at GR than Robuchon? If so, that's interesting. The reviews here appear to favor the latter over the former.

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Availability of tables is a peculiar thing. No one would suggest that availability of tables is precisely related to the merits of what you'll eat there. For a while after it opened, Spice Market was one of the toughest tables in town.

[Sneakeater]

Joel Robuchon doesn't have a TV show.

[rich]

for a while most seatings at Atelier were reserved for walk-ins.

edit: perhaps more importantly, GR is on TV and Robuchon is not.  in other words, GR is more well-known to Americans.

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I've never seen his show. Is that "Hell's Kitchen?"

I forgot about it, but you're right. That would be the reason.

[Fat Guy]

although Eater's source is most likely at the Times -- it could just be restaurant staff.

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I realize the restaurants always know in advance. But there is no way that Eater could reliably know, every single week, without fail, and at exactly the same time of day, if he were dependent on the restaurants to tell him. Nobody is that well plugged in.

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It used to be you could just listen to WQXR the day before. Is that no longer the case?

[oakapple]

although Eater's source is most likely at the Times -- it could just be restaurant staff.

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I realize the restaurants always know in advance. But there is no way that Eater could reliably know, every single week, without fail, and at exactly the same time of day, if he were dependent on the restaurants to tell him. Nobody is that well plugged in.

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It used to be you could just listen to WQXR the day before. Is that no longer the case?

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As I recall, the restaurant preview was on WQXR in the early evening, but I haven't listened to it in years, and I have no idea if they're still doing it. Eater always posts in the early afternoon. On at least one occasion (Jean Georges), Eater knew several days in advance. Edited January 17, 2007 by oakapple (log)

[Fat Guy]

My guess is that there's a simple explanation for the regular day-in-advance heads ups -- someplace we're just missing where the information is previewed. For the days-in-advance alerts, that probably comes in irregularly from various sources in the business who've been alerted to photo shoots etc.

[Fat Guy]

An online acquaintance just emailed me to alert us to the "Tomorrow in the Times" preview, which touts the restaurant review.

[Nathan]

oh duh....that's right.

I'd forgotten about that cause I never read the print edition.

it was fun speculating though....

[BryanZ]

In regards to the Eater thing, it appears that Occam's Razor prevails again.

Anyway, I've been wanting to make this post for a while, specifically regarding the Diner's Journal that, I believe, Nathan mentioned on the previous page. I've always surprised that there's not much discussion of what Bruni discusses there here on eG. I also find that Bruni can be quite insightful on his blog, much more so than in his formal reviews.

Anyway, today's post about photography in restauants is yet another instance where Bruni offers a relatively articulate and rational reflection on the prevalence of flash photography in mid- to upper-level dining rooms.

Personally I hate flash photography in all dining rooms and find it offensive, but that's just me and not the point.

What I find most interesting about BruniBlog, however, is the slew popular commentary that always follows, especially after posts that speak toward reservation/seating policies, portion sizing, pricing etc. In each instance there nearly always exists an underswell of completely irrational rhetoric that classifies restaurants of merit as elitist or pretentious or gives diners carte blanche to do whatever they so desire because they are paying for a meal (and I don't mean order alcohol).

There are always a few gems:

There is a generational difference here. My 19-year old sister and her friends bring their cameras with them everywhere (whether to Le Cirque or TGIF) and memorialize every minute of their lives for their facebook/myspace pages. The cameras are here to stay.

I'm ashamed of my generation.

If I’m paying in the neighborhood of $200 for a meal, I feel no guilt if I want my picture taken. WE are the consumer- WE have choices. If we are made to feel unwelcome- as if our one or two pictures is “ruining” the dining experience for everyone else, then when it’s time to make a choice for the next special occasion meal, it will not be at that restaurant.

A prime example of how obnoxiousness taints the free market.

But then there is the occasional voice of reason:

As I already noted, folks, you have a high ISO, no flash mode in your camera. Find it and learn how to turn it on.

I’m paying just as much money as you and your self-entitled fat rear-end doesn’t give you the right to interfere with my meal.

As for newspaper and publicity photographs — if they’re of a dining room filled with patrons they are shot without flash. If flash is used, they are shot before or after-hours, never when customers are actually there.

There's a reason I post on eG.