I eat at Lacroix a couple times a year, and have always felt that the tasting menu is one of the better bargains in the city. I ate there a few weeks ago before the apparent price change. As usual, a couple courses were excellent, a few were so-so, and I enjoyed the single best scallop of my life as a substitute for foie gras. (Contrary to Laban, I feel that the food there has noticeably improved over the past 8-12 months The menu seemed more focused thematically and their execution was more consistent.) Service with Jean-Paul was superb as always. Sylvan, the old GM at LBF, is a manager at Lacroix now, may have tinted my vision a bit since he sent over a round of superb port at the end of dinner. He was certainly not the problem with LBF, and so I'm glad he's found a good landing spot.

Naturally the new menu changes things, though it isn't that surprising. Meals at Lacroix have never been showstoppers, but even a hotel restaurant can't survive charging $75 for the quantity and quality of food they offered, regardless of the restaurant's attempt to make up the difference with their utterly absurd wine mark-ups. All that said, $120 is steep for Lacroix, especially when Fountain Restaurant and DeStefano are putting out world-class cuisine for the same price. If this holds, it will be hard to justify eating at Lacroix as much. I don't want to digress to much on the Fountain, but DeStefano is getting almost no press despite some mild praise from the ever-uninspired Laban. The Fountain's food has added creativity and dynamism to it's legendary execution over the past year. It is head and shoulders above even Vetri now, even ignoring it's substantially lower price. If DeStefano continues improving and experimenting, the Fountain will become one of the country's premier non avaunt-guarde restaurants. I'm not exaggerating.

Greetings Chowhounders (is that right?).

For my first thread, I wanted to ask around about any experiences at the new LBF. I am in the middle of putting together an overall review of my meals there thus far (for now I'll say that my review will be rather favorable), but in the meantime I'm interested in hearing any thoughts from people who've eaten there.

My review should be up within a few days. (I'm a perfectionist about writing which is greatly exacerbated by how slow I am at it. Hope you can handle the suspense...)

"Statements such as "a city that never sleeps," "food capital of the world," or even "good service" (I have to admit that's a first for me) are completely laughable if you ever travel to parts of Asia and western Europe."

While I could go on at lengths about the myopic snobbishness of New Yorkers, your comment about Asia and Western Europe is right on the money (particularly when it comes to service).

Thanks I emailed them and will post their reply.

I am a lefty interesting in buying an 8-inch chef's knife from the Shun Kramer line at Sur La Table. The SLT employees told me that the bevel is asymmetrically ground, even though to me it looked even (admittedly without my glasses). Since the only asymmetrical Shuns I know of are in the Pro lines, I'd appreciate if someone could clarify how the Kramer knives are ground. Thanks.