fooder's Profile
Lincoln Ristorante - Need soothing words to calm me down!!
It's been a while for me but this was my last review of Lincoln:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/809840
As far as ease of reservations go, it's a combination of factors already mentioned here:
The restaurant is huge. They can do over 300 covers in one night.
Most of their business is pre- and post- theater/show.
As far as "But the food is the opposite of what you might get in Italy" is concerned, that's not what it's aiming to do. My guess is Charles is not coming to NYC to try to eat "authentic" food from Italy.
The starters tend to be very good examples of the balance in dishes that exemplify Per Se. As nmprisons said, the filled pastas are excellent. I also remember we loved a lamb porterhouse.
Like I said, they can do almost 300 covers a night, so I would make sure to emphasize that you are there for a special occasion meal experience, perhaps by doing a tasting menu.
Hakkasan - new luxury Chinese restaurant in Midtown
I just don't get all the attempts to compare Hakkasan to good high class Chinese food elsewhere in the world. I believe the best comparison is to Tao. And honestly, that's not a bad restaurant to aspire to be, with Tao Las Vegas having dwarfed all other restaurant/nightclubs in revenue for many years.
I don't think any of these restaurants are actually meant to be "worth it". But, there is something to be said for judging whether I can actually enjoy a dish or two when I'm forced to take less culinarily savvy tourists or clients to these kinds of places because they want that "trendy NYC vibe".
By the way, Tao NYC recently launched a Sunday dim sum brunch. I think a comparison of the dim sum at Hakkasan and Tao would be more useful and at least somewhat interesting.
Hakkasan - new luxury Chinese restaurant in Midtown
I went to the bathroom at Cong Ly once.
That was scary.
I know most of the discussion about how expensive the restaurant is revolves around the $888 abalone or the $345 duck. The item that really gets me though is the $3.50 bowl (I assume?) of jasmine rice.
Early Chicken Inconsistencies at The NoMad
The skin on the chicken has always been darker than the skin on the duck if I recall, which makes sense since you have to cook chicken through.
Given the skin actually was bitter, I would have sent it back. Now that I think about it, it wouldn't surprise me that there may be inconsistencies in the chicken (not that it's acceptable), as the chicken used to be served for lunch at EMP and NoMad does way more covers than EMP.
I wouldn't let the chicken experience affect you getting the duck at EMP. Even when I go with friends who prefer their duck more cooked the skin has never been anything but terrific.
Hakkasan - new luxury Chinese restaurant in Midtown
My guess is the "hakka" used on the menu is a reference to the restaurant name, a la "House Special so-and-so"
Early Chicken Inconsistencies at The NoMad
The chicken you got seems to be exactly the way it's always been presented, right from its earlier days on Humm's EMP menu. Could be just a personal preference issue?
I like the blackened skin as it is crisp, and never once felt it tasted burnt or of carbon (was it just the visual that threw you off or did it actually taste bitter?)
Yes, there is no particular flavoring to the meat. Most of the flavor comes from a layer of crushed brioche, foie, and truffle mixture put in under the skin. It doesn't necessarily permeate into the chicken meat and I never took a bite of just white meat without skin/stuffing.
I've also never found the white meat to be dry, and actually consider it very moist given the thickness of the cut. But it's not exactly the most familiar chicken texture. There's something a little different about it.
I think the dark meat gets the most varied reviews, and I personally think it's ok. I do think the NoMad version has a heavier sauce than the old EMP version.
Hakkasan - new luxury Chinese restaurant in Midtown
Prices in Cantonese food tend to be very ingredient driven. Many of the more expensive items tend to be those that many Westerners (NYers, CHers even) are not familiar with at all. And even then, if you didn't grow up with the stuff, it's harder to differentiate the subtle differences in flavor that result in large differences in price. eg. I happily spent US$300 for a 2lb fish on my last visit to Hong Kong, and I just can't imagine NYers doing the same (that's almost two full meals at Le Bernardin!)
Hakkasan - new luxury Chinese restaurant in Midtown
I don't know about "Chinese food should be cheap".
Many people frequent places like Mr K, Mr Chow, etc. where the prices are far from cheap.
Humm and Guidara's Nomad
The tagliatelle was not on the menu when we went. I would know since it's one of my favorite dishes ever from the EMP people and I think it works perfectly in an a la carte setting.
The suckling pig we had was pulled meat confited, formed into a brick and then crispy skin on top. No idea about pork belly.
Shimizu or Kanoyama - 50 to 80USD per person possible?
Note that at some (probably most) of the top end places, omakase (chef's choice, not necessarily a prix fixe set) is priced a la carte. Those that come to mind include Kurumazushi, Yasuda, Kanoyama.
I think if you do the Matsu set from Yasuda and add a couple of special pieces you could eat very happily (most people anyway, I'm too much of a glutton) for your price range.
Red Farm, The Soup in the Dumplings, 529 Hudson Street nyc
The way Pookipichu describes is exactly how I eat them, for exactly the same reason.
A couple of points:
If you want to slurp the soup instead, there exists a "tang bao" soup bun in Shanghai where they give you a straw and all you eat is the soup.
The way described by Pete Wells in the NYT review is the same way that was shown in Bourdain's No Reservations Shanghai trip. Which has become gospel.
The most egregious is pouring the soup out onto the spoon, which is the exact way shown on Joe's Shanghai's website/youtube video of how to eat a soup dumpling.
uhockey reviews Brushstroke - they'll serve you Fluke and Tuna for $200.....
Yes, their hostesses have always been bad. I've been frustrated on multiple occasions, and I make all my reservations in person.
I also honestly can't tell who the GM is and how much power he/she has.
But the service is excellent once you sit down for a meal.
Duckavore Dinner at Wong Review + Photos
The dinner is now $65 per person.
I liked the meal but didn't love it.
As usual, full review with photos at the blog: http://ramblingsandgamblings.blogspot.com/2012/03/duckavore-dinner-at-wong-food.html
Atmosphere: The space gives off that cozy neighborhood vibe, with the exposed brick walls and lack of tablecloths. There's an open kitchen towards the rear of the restaurant, but the only thing I could really get a look at was the plating of some desserts. The lighting is a bit dim for my taste, but that appears to be the norm in the West Village.
Service: It seems like they have a script and the servers stick to it. Can't really complain.
Food: Dinner starts off with two pieces of puffed naan-like bread, but with a dip reminiscent of the curry that I would eat with roti canai. A bread service that tries to provide more flavor than just bread with butter and salt is a winner in my book.
DUCK SUNG CHOY BAO
This was the first official duck course of the meal. The hoisin sauce, vegetables, and lettuce wrap allowed us to begin tasting duck but in a refreshing bite. A good starter.
DUCK BUNS
In addition to using duck meat, the buns distinguished themselves from other popular pork buns around the city by being fried. I liked the fried texture, which reminded me of fried mantou as dessert/dim sum, especially with the sweet mayo-like sauce.
DUCK MEATBALLS
There is nothing at all Asian about this dish except for the forced use of paneer as the cheese. The meatballs themselves were decent, and packed rather tightly. The tomato sauce had enough acidity, though it did still have sweetness in addition to that from the accompanying squash.
Someone from the kitchen came by to show us the whole duck prepared two ways. I didn't get all of the descriptions, but one had some kind of glaze and the other was wrapped in lotus leaf before both went into their brick oven.
EIGHT TREASURE STICKY RICE
The accompanying side dish for our main course exceeded my expectations. It wasn't too sticky or too sweet, and worked well for eating with the duck.
DUCK TWO WAYS
Our main course, served with seasonal greens, which were Chinese broccoli that night. The vegetables were good and provided a much needed crunch, as neither preparation had crispy skin. The meat on the legs fell off the bone and were a comforting mass of rendered fat and tender flesh. The breast however, was not as successful, in my opinion. As the skin wasn't crispy and the fat wasn't rendered enough, the piece of skin and fat attached to the meat was superfluous, and felt awkward texturally as a whole. Note: The original post only had one preparation of the whole duck, which I believe was the preparation they now use for the legs.
DUCK BROTH
Usually the course between the main entree and the dessert serves as a bridge from savory to sweet. In this case, they gave us what was probably the most savory course of the night, a rich, concentrated duck broth with a good amount of molten duck fat at the top.
DUCK A LA PLUM
The roast duck ice cream with star anise poached plum was the big winner of the night. It was the most interesting combination of flavors and textures of the night, and served as a very comforting end to a big meal. A plum cocktail shooter and five spice cookies came with the dessert and matched perfectly with the flavors of the ice cream.
The only dish that really stood out for me was the duck ice cream, as something that I would go there just to have. While some of the dishes were fine on their own, the composition of the meal was just too one-note for my taste. Sweetness was featured in every course except the broth, making its strongest appearance in the main entree. If they kept the preparation of the legs the same but changed the breast preparation to something completely savory with crispy skin, I think the meal as a whole would benefit greatly. Overall, it's still a great value for $65+t/t per person given the neighborhood and especially if you like duck.
15 East - sushi bar or table?
I tried reserving 5 seats at the sushi bar once and they were very strict with the 3 ppl per reservation policy. Which would make it very hard to coordinate. That could have just been the hostesses though, and if I had spoken to Masa himself it might have been done. But then again, Masa can only serve so many people at once. If you reserve the whole sushi bar, someone is not going to get his full attention.
15 East - sushi bar or table?
You didn't seem to eat that much food the one day we sat next to each other at EMP lunch. Wow, that was so long ago now looking back.
15 East - sushi bar or table?
Yasuda sizing each piece to his customer's mouth may have been the case long ago at the start, but I certainly didn't feel that that was the case during my visits. His pieces were always uniformly small. I mean, I can understand making the pieces even smaller for some patrons, but I doubt he made them larger for big eaters like myself.
I also remember that he used to be the only one to do the rice mix, but I doubt that was the case later on in the restaurant's lifetime.
A Pleasant Surprise - Peking Duck House Midtown
As usual, full review with photos on the blog: http://ramblingsandgamblings.blogspot.com/2012/02/peking-duck-showdown-chinatown.html
Peking Duck House has two locations. One in Chinatown and one in Midtown in the 50s on the East side. As can be expected, the prices vary between the two outposts, and they're upfront about it on their website. For this meal, we went to the one in Midtown, and I was pleasantly surprised with the food.
We started with chopped chicken and pine nut lettuce wraps. This was okay and served its purpose. The predominant flavor was that of soy, which is fine in small enough doses.
Next came our whole duck, carved tableside. The skin was nice and crisp, but not the best I've had. What I did like though, was that the carver pulled the meat at the end of each slice, allowing only tender meat to come onto the plate. There was still a good amount of meat left on the carcass and I don't know what they did with it. The order of Peking duck does not come with any other preparations or duck soup.
The thing I really liked was the expertly-trained server who made perfect wraps for us in a quick and efficient manner. This is a skill that this "old hand" had clearly perfected, much like a server deboning a dover sole tableside at a French restaurant. There wasn't too much sauce and every wrap was satisfying. The plate of duck resulted in 9 wraps.
Moving on to the entrees, we had a pretty good version of chicken with cashews. The red and green peppers were perfect to give the dish a nice balance.
The Grand Marnier prawns were nice and big, although they seemed especially big due to the specific butterflied shape that they fried them in. The sauce was, very importantly, not too sweet.
One of my favorite things to eat at Chinese restaurants growing up in NYC was pan fried whole flounder. This was a very good version, with a light yet crisp fried exterior giving way to delicate soft flesh.
Overall it was a satisfying meal and a pleasant surprise for the neighborhood. The prices are high, but that is to be expected. Considering the abundance of extremely overpriced, ghastly Americanized Chinese restaurants such as Mr. Chow, Mr. K's, Philippe Chow, etc. it was nice to find a place with great food at a comparable level of comfort, decor, and service.
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Peking Duck House
236 E 53rd St, New York, NY 10022
15 East - sushi bar or table?
That is impressive. I can easily do 35 pieces at Yasuda but the pieces at 15E are considerably bigger in my opinion.
15 East - sushi bar or table?
When we went last year with a non-sushi eating friend they let him order from both the 15E and Tocqueville menus while sitting at the bar with us.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/775009
EMP: Bring The Funk
In my experience there were 3-4 bites of canapes for lunch vs 6-8 for dinner. Has that changed?
EMP - anything I should know for the best experience?
In general my view is that for the best experience at EMP you do tell them as much about your preferences and desires as possible. You should definitely call them and let them know, they will take notes. As uhockey mentioned, they are very much a "YES" restaurant, and will do their best to accommodate. They may not always be able to accommodate, but you should definitely ask.
What is the best restaurant in Manhattan...with one caveat...
If you're doing this, then it's just a numbers game right?
How many different types of fish, crustaceans, shellfish, etc. are there?
How many different types of cows, lambs, pigs, etc. are there?
There's more "seafood" than "meat" so it's perfectly reasonable that there are more seafood than meat dishes. It's math.
What is the best restaurant in Manhattan...with one caveat...
I don't think it's a matter of seafood domination as much as it is a matter of balance and combinations.
When you're discussing the best and highest level restaurants, balance is always a key part. Whether it is perfect balance in every plate or balance across a tasting menu. In those cases, the meat course is considered heavy, and seafood is used to balance out the meal. This is why there are less meat dishes than seafood dishes in many of these menus, but it doesn't mean the restaurant's meat dishes aren't their A game.
What it really comes down to, if you ask me, is that you want the best restaurant that either A) has an extensive a la carte menu or many choices from their prix fixe B) allows you to customize your tasting menu.
Assuming we're not talking about steakhouses, here are some thoughts:
Eleven Madison Park. Tell them you don't like seafood. There will be plenty of choices between vegetables, foie, and meat entrees. Signature dish is duck.
Minetta Tavern. It's not hard to have a super rich and meat-heavy meal:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/832273
Daniel. Order the prix fixe, plenty of options.
Picholine. They have a game tasting menu on occasion, but I don't think right now is the season.
As far as "missing out" because many restaurant's signature dishes appear to be seafood-oriented goes, one of my favorite sayings is, "Anyone can make pork belly taste good." Seafood is so varied that there's more opportunity for chefs to combine flavors and show their creativity. But it doesn't mean these restaurants don't focus on concentrating and enhancing the flavors of their meat dishes.
Jungsik - Run don't walk
Was there last night. Full report to come.
Food was wonderful. Service was green for this level of ambition.
But yes, run, don't walk, because I can't see it lasting long in its current state. On a Thursday night in Tribeca the restaurant was not even half full from 6:30 through 9:30 when we left.
Kin Shop in West Village - just opened
From what I heard the LoS guys in LV were no longer affiliated with the place about 2 months in.
15 East @ the bar; advice?
This thread has been about eating at the bar and specifically eating sushi. I don't think eating at a table at 15 East is equivalent to "the cheap seats" because I think 15 East excels at many non-sushi items too.
From this review http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/775009
My non sushi eating friend had a wonderful meal.
If you're really a sushi connoisseur looking for the best sushi, then yes it's important to sit at the bar, at any sushi place. But if you're just looking to have a good time with good food, I think a tasting menu at 15 East without focusing only on the sushi progression of a sushi bar omakase is still top notch.
Advice for April visit
Funny thing about SHO and restrooms.
I went with a friend very shortly after they opened. When I asked for the restroom, the person literally led me right to the door. I thought it was a nice touch but my friend thought it was creepy. Guess others felt that way too and they've stopped doing that.
And regarding the accents of those describing the dishes, I've been complaining about that since the very beginning.
15 East @ the bar; advice?
At all top end sushi places there is a big difference between the sushi bar and a table. Masa is probably the only restaurant that delivers the most similar experience at the tables as at the bar.
Sushi at the sushi bar tends to be a very personal experience. The whole point of "omakase = chef's choice" is that the chef makes decisions and does not go by the numbers. eg. when we were having the anago at 15 East, the chef emphasized that it was to be eaten in one bite, and made a smaller piece for my friend versus mine to accommodate that. I'm personally against Opentable because it makes the reservation process so impersonal, and that is even more evident in this situation.
As for "Wow, you'd never think making a reservation could be this complicated." Have a look at this list: http://eater.com/archives/2012/01/25/the-toughest-reservations-in-the-world.php
This is the food world we live in now, especially on the high end.
Sing Kee Seafood Restaurant copied Amazing 66 menu
I think a large number of Chinese restaurants in the US do not actually care what's on their menu. It becomes more a matter of the menu-printing company that determines what's on the menu. In most cases it's assumed their cooks will be able to make some version of a listed dish. (Or they can always say they ran out if they couldn't)
I believe this phenomenon is especially true of Chinese takeout-oriented places.
