famdoc's Profile
Googa Mooga Food Festival in Prospect Park
Glendale: Pulitzer Prize is yours next year. Think about what one could do with $267 in NYC...without ruining one of our city's most beautiful parks, fighting with a zillion hipsters and leaving hungry. Yes, choose the real deal. Well written.
Googa Mooga Food Festival in Prospect Park
Hey, all of you...was the fact that there were too many people and too little food a surprise? Scroll up to the initial posts on this thread, from the day tickets first became available?
Googa Mooga Food Festival in Prospect Park
I told a twitter friend who was fed up with the lines to leave the park and head to Fifth Ave., but Zito's is a much better idea. You really found the silver lining in an otherwise black cloud.
Brooklyn Fare
Heidi hasn't handled reservations in nearly a year. It's now Joel. You can reach him at the number on BF's web site.
Brooklyn Fare
@gourmandish: A meal at BF is certainly one of the most unique and pleasant meals you're ever likely to have. I hope you have an opportunity to eat there in the future.
Brooklyn Fare
I agree that the rules BF has about the size of parties belies reason. I have tried to book for three or five and been refused.
You have a few options. I would NEVER suggest, as foodwhisperer has, to simply show up. One option is to call Joel, the reservationist, on a non-reservation day (ie, NOT a Monday) and explain your situation. He may be able to help you. The other option is to book for two and then come back here and offer the second seat to a fellow chowhound. Several people have successfully visited BF this way, most recently a young man who used Yelp to find a dining partner.
Early dinner near west 28th before show....any suggestions on Italian
ZON takes reservations.
We had Bway tickets for an 8PM curtain, arrived at 6:15, were seated promptly, informed our server of our time consideration and ordered by 6:30. The meal was enjoyed by all and we were in a taxi at 7:35. Solid option for pizza/Italian pre-theaer.
Googa Mooga Food Festival in Prospect Park
Got my tickets by a simple twist of fate on day one.
Then discovered the event conflicted with a family gathering in Boston.
Listed my tickets on Craigslist. Thought $15 apiece was fair, considering I spent more than an hour on the web site waiting for it to load.
Then, today, I learn that they're going for $100+ on Stubhub.
Go figure. Glad I'm headed to Boston for all the reasons elucidated above by fellow chowhounders. Not least of which is the crowds and the waits for small portions of expensive food.
Dans Le Noir NYC: dining in the dark
This is not my idea of a fun evening, but here's a summary of comments and reviews:
http://ny.eater.com/archives/2012/04/the_early_word_on_dans_le_noir.php
Seeking: Best $50 or less--Park Slope and vicinity
Seeking a restaurant in Park Slope or vicinity for a special occasion.
Requirements: open Mondays, liquor license (preferably with good cocktail list), $50 or less per person, fish and vegetarian-diner friendly.
Al di La tops our list, but may be ready for something completely different or new.
I know many of you are enthusiastic about Talde, but we're unwilling to wait 1-1/2 hours to get a table and he's pretty meat-centric.
Applewood is closed on Mondays.
Bring it on, hounds...
Richman (GQ) moves Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare to #1 in NYC...over Le Bernardin
http://www.gq.com/food-travel/alan-richman/201204/best-restaurants-nyc-2012#slide=11
Enough has changed since my last visit that I now believe that, despite the cost of a meal and wine, a return visit is not only necessary but essential.
Ramps in Manhattan
Gothamist reports ramps at the Union Square Greenmarket.
$15.99 is a bit ridiculous. Were $6.99/lb at suburban Wegmans.
Ramps in Manhattan
Just wait a week or so and you're craving will be satisfied at most Greenmarkets and specialty markets. In the meanwhile, if you are traveling to NJ or upstate NY, you can find them (cheaper than anywhere in NYC) at Wegman's supermarkets.
Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare
You and your wife may collapse by plate 20...but then there's a few main courses, a cheese platter and dessert. I hope you eventually have the opportunity to eat there.
(Perhaps we can arrange babysitting for your crew while you go to BF).
Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare
BF is unique in that you are seated at a counter and are served 30 or more small plates. The pace is rapid. I don't think it is suitable for a 12 year old, and my kids went everywhere with us when they were that age. Just want you to consider this before booking and spending more than $1000 on a meal for four people.
Have a safe voyage and a great stay here in NYC. Let us know where you end up dining.
Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare
How old are your two children? This is not a setting that is appropriate for very young children.
More and more American adolescents are sophisticated about food and I would say that a young person 16 years of age or older might appreciate the experience that is Brooklyn Fare. My children are "grown" (that is, in their 20s) and have each been to BF once with my wife and I. They both appreciated the experience and having them there made the experience all the more special for my wife and I.
I think that if you phone the reservationist on a day other than Monday (that is, don't call on the day that hundreds of others call seeking reservations) and explain your situation, including the distance from which you are traveling, they might be able to accommodate you in some way. I have no inside track, but when I have called on days other than Mondays in the past, I found the reservationist very helpful in devising a strategy to get seated.
As others have pointed out, there have been reports that their Manhattan location will be open by then. There will apparently be two types of service: a table service with fewer courses than at the Brooklyn location, but featuring dishes offered in Brooklyn and a wine vault at which Chef Ramirez will prepare a meal similar to those he prepares in Brooklyn, but, perhaps, with fewer courses.
Le Bernardin, Daniel, Jean Georges and Corton are all excellent Manhattan restaurants at which you can dine well and bring your children, depending upon their ages. EMP, of course, is everyone's favorite. I have yet to go.
Amazing Peruvian in Lambertville
El Tule is a hidden gem. Who would have thought that you'd find authentic, creative Peruvian cuisine in Lambertville, NJ? It's just a matter of time before word gets out and El Tule reservations become nearly impossible.
In the meanwhile, don't miss El Tule's ceviches, which are best enjoyed by ordering the platter of assorted ceviches ($28), which is easily shared by two or four. On a recent evening, the assortment included a traditional lime-based ceviche, a "Chinese" ceviche with Asian spices and wonton noodles and a ceviche with shrimp. We also enjoyed a seafood-stuffed avocado, the causa de pulpo (octopus) and the mixed seafood soup, a sort of Peruvian bouillabaisse.
Service is friendly and attentive. On a recent Saturday night, the dining area was packed and a bit loud when we arrived for our 7:30 reservation. We were informed that our table was not yet vacated and were invited to sit in the yard, where braziers kept the temperature comfortable and we were given a basket of chips, along with a dish containing three different salsas.
Now that Del Posto's is $39 for lunch...
Le Bernardin's City Harvest Lunch--$45, with $5 donated to City Harvest
Jean Georges--$38 for two courses.
SHO Shaun Hergatt--$27 (2 courses), $33 (3 courses)
I propose it's a bit hard to compare based solely upon the number of courses, because each restaurant has a different number of amuses/giveaways/petits fours. I've got to say I walked away from lunch the most full at Jean Georges, but that may only be because we shared a third plate at Del Posto (in the $29 lunch era). It seemed as if there was a steady flow of freebies from the kitchen at JG. Also, SHO is very generous with amuses/giveaways.
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Jean Georges
1 Central Park W, New York, NY 10023
Le Bernardin
155 W. 51st St., New York, NY 10019
SHO Shaun Hergatt
40 Broad St, New York, NY 10004
Fei Long Food Court, Sunset Park
Lunch at the Fei Long Food Court today. Shangai Dumplings, Hot Pot, Hand Pulled Noodles and Lobster. Unlike previous reviewers, I found the lobster, prepared with a salt and pepper sauce, to be generous and tasty. As always, watching your noodles pulled and prepared a blast. Food court packed with families, including a family sharing our table who were traveling to Bklyn from PA. It is easy to ask virtually anyone to assist with translation at stalls staffed by non-English speakers.
Googa Mooga Food Festival in Prospect Park
"Tickets" went on "sale" at noon today. Most people who signed on the web site to obtain tickets were put in a queue for an hour or more, only to have the site crash, their order be rejected and, ultimately, get a "sold out" message.
Apparently, the system issued 40,000 tickets. Can't help but think this is going to be a mess.
We will see more reviews of Brooklyn Fair on MANHATTAN Board any time soon!:)
Some more details in this morning's Times: Cesar will do two seatings of 10 each week in the wine cellar. Next question: how many courses? Price?
We will see more reviews of Brooklyn Fair on MANHATTAN Board any time soon!:)
Today's Times Diner's Journal seemed to have the clearest explanation of Issa and Ramirez' vision for the Manhattan space:
Moe Issa, who opened Brooklyn Fare in 2009, has signed a lease for nearly 11,000 square feet of space in a new residential building at 431-39 West 37th Street. In it he plans a supermarket and an à la carte restaurant, open for lunch and dinner, that will serve small plates, tapas-style, with “no more than 60″ seats, indoors and out,” he said.
On the lower level will be a wine cellar where Mr. Ramirez will prepare tasting dinners for up to 10 people. “We had gotten so many offers to expand,” Mr. Issa said. “This space just blew me away. The neighborhood needs the market and the restaurant, and there are great views.”
So, it seems clear that the wine cellar dining room will offer an experience like that of The Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare. Cesar has trained a very competent group and I imagine he will be very hands-on in both locations. It seems likely that he realizes that guests identify BF with Cesar Ramirez and will need to find a way to maximize his visibility. I really like the intimacy of a table for 10 in a wine cellar. It reminds me of the pre-expansion of BF, when there was a smaller group at the table. One can only imagine what the wine cellar table will cost per person....
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Brooklyn Fare
431 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018
Hotel Griffou--any recent visitors?
A search of this board reveals an absence of opinions on the post-David Santos Hotel Griffou.
Web site features this little teaser:
"Griffou is pleased to announce the arrival of our new chef, Mark Strausman (Executive Chef of Fred's at Barneys, Campagna and Coco Pazzo). Chef Mark's rustic Italian menu includes such signature dishes as Mark's Country Meatballs, Chicken under a Brick and Ribeye Florentine, as well as seasonal house-made pastas"
and a menu of typical (not used in any negative sense) Italian comfort dishes: pizzas, pastas, meat and fish.
Any recent visitors? Impressions? Comments on service, sound level and quality of food welcome.
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Hotel Griffou
21 W 9th St, New York, NY 10011
Googa Mooga Food Festival in Prospect Park
Prediction: This event will be quite crowded, with significant wait times for food and drink.
Decent breakfast near W. 57th and 9th?
Is it sacrilege to suggest that the best breakfast in that vicinity is at worldwide chain/clone Le Pain Quotidien, at Seventh Ave./58th St.? Bread and breakfast pastries, hot cereal, yogurt with fruit and granola, and a variety of other choices make a good start to a day of walking around NYC. Prices are fair and, unlike other NYC LPQs, I have found the service pretty decent at this location (forget about the service at LPQs Lincoln Center location).
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Le Pain Quotidien
922 7th Ave, New York, NY 10019
Telepan: Is a pre-theater bite possible at the bar?
Thanks, H Manning. The bar at Boulud Sud is often too crowded pre-theater that I've been turned away more than once. We've been to Picholine a few times and like it. We've heard such great things about Telepan that we thought this would be an opportunity to try it. Glad to hear we should be able to get in. If, for any unanticipated reason, we cannot get in, we'll head over to Lincoln and be steps from our seats.
Telepan: Is a pre-theater bite possible at the bar?
Before you answer, be aware that bar seating is first-come, first-served. What are the chances that two of us can walk in at 6 PM, share an app, each have a main and a glass of wine and be out by 7:20 to make a 7:30 curtain? Is the bar crowded on a weeknight when there are performances at Lincoln Center? While you're at it, suggest an alternative if we don't get seated. Thanks.
Hamilton's Grill Room, Lambertville
Hmmm...our recent visit was our first encounter with Reed. Yes, he was well-dressed. Yes, he was on the phone. And, he seemed rather unconcerned about the growing line of guests waiting to be seated. Must be a friend of Jim's or have a longstanding relationship with HGR, or else is just very laid back.
