FlaFoodie2008's Profile
Post-Benno Per Se
Who can tell me the secret of getting a table there?!! DO YOU HAVE TO KNOW SOMEONE?? Its the last NYC restaurant I have "on the list" and Ive had them on speed-dial for 2 years. I only get to NY for about a week out of every year and this year, exactly 30 days to the hour out, I started dialing. First 3 days of this I couldn't get thru until after 10am (too late) and finally on the last day possible I got thru at 905am but in only 5 mins, the only table available was 10pm. My husband wont eat after 10pm so I had to pass. I was so bummed!
5 nights trip through SF,Wine Country and then Vegas
yeah i know. i need to go to that board. im just slammed for time. theres a thai place outside of town that ive heard good things about, worth the taxi fare.
5 nights trip through SF,Wine Country and then Vegas
theres nothing on my radar about sacramento. but once again, thats why im askin locals.
5 nights trip through SF,Wine Country and then Vegas
I will be staying 1/2 way between napa and sacramento for work, (UC DAVIS)
I can and will go either way up to an hour in any direction.
In SF only monday night. Vegas only Tuesday night (thank god)
5 nights trip through SF,Wine Country and then Vegas
Ok I dont get out there often enough. Got a billion places 'on my list' and no time to really study it before I go. Looking to make the most of 4 nights just outside Wine Country / Sacramento, 1 night in SF and 1 night in Vegas.
Ad Hoc / Bouchon are 2 options im considering in Yountville. Any other suggestions welcome. Better restaurants preferred but awesome unheard of hole-in the walls also seriously considered. Emphasis on food, not on tourists or celebrity status.
Thanks
lauren
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Ad Hoc
6476 Washington St., Yountville, CA 94599
Bouchon
6534 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599
This is not a restaurant
Unfortunately yes, I have been to AL many times and have the smell of Birmingham burned into my brain to remind me. However much to my surprise, Hooters is a family destination in AL.......rather than the fat old balding guys with earrings and tatoos or silly college guys who populate the Hooters in FL.......youre more likely to see nursing moms with 8yr old boys and their dads commenting on how 'tight' those support stockings must be to hold all that loveliness in. Yum. Gotta love those nuclear wings tho.......
This is not a restaurant
Yep....you nailed it. Ouzo Blue is oh-so-bad. Ummmpah.
I will try this place you mentioned, thank you! Any other suggestions welcome, we find we have to travel great distances to find decent restaurant food in FL.
This is not a restaurant
We didnt have much choice....after following the quote-unquote 'reccoemndations' on Opentable, we had booked the table in advance of a 930 show and had no time to change plans......unless it had been to drop by Wendys, which honestly would have been better idea.
This is not a restaurant
Planned on a nice dinner at Cafe Boulud before a 930 Seinfeld show at Kravis. Something on Opentable convinces us to try something new........a new Greek place in PGA. OMG that has to have been the worst dining experience in my entire life. Thoroughly disgusting.
First, its not a restaurant and shouldn't even be on Opentable. Its clearly a BAR, and a very LOUD one at that. We should have gotten clued in by the 'belly dancing shows every evening', but I guess we were hoping for something tasteful in this Palm Beach location. This place is more like a Hooters in Alabama, except with much worse food and fatter waitresses.
I had the Avgolemono soup, a classic Greek dish, and it was luke warm and tasted raw or just opened from a can and nuked for 2 seconds. The Greek salad had all the classic Greek contents, lettuce, tomato, red onion, feta and kalamata olives..........yet the dressing was nothing Greek at all, maybe some cheap vegetable oil and white vinegar and no seasonings.........the worst Greek salad I ever tasted. The 'house specialty' grilled octopus tasted like AMMONIA........a sure sign it was about to go bad. The leg of lamb was overcooked and came with some kind of green bean / carrot slop that looked as though it was just been scraped of the previous diner's plate an onto ours........we sent everything away practically untouched. They asked if we wanted them to box it up for us and we almost laughed. The above food with 2 glasses on wine came to a whopping $103.00 before tip. Unbelievable.
We were seated at 7pm, inside where it would be 'quieter' or so we were promised. It took a couple of moves to find a seat that wasnt covered in sticky dried-on food. The inside was more of a sports-bar like place without the TVs and was practically empty, but the music was so loud that we could barely have a conversation. We asked that they turn it down some and for about 5 minutes they actually did turn it down to a reasonable level for a BAR. However when the 'belly dancers' showed up to do their nightly show, the music got cranked up so high that our table was vibrating. Thankfully we werent worried about any of our food ending up on the floor........much of it appeared to have been there before finding its way to our plate anyway. We got out of there as fast as we could and will never go back.
Live and Learn.......sad to say but its hard to find a decent place to eat in Florida.
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Ouzo Blue - Palm Beach Gardens
5090 PGA Boulevard, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418
Advice for special dinner in Manhattan
You were not kidding about SD26..............wow. I hope they do ok, but they wont see me again. Food was average but I liked the concept of them offering 'small plates' which made the menu more affordable, especially for the younger hipper crowd they seem to want now. I didnt like the bar area at all, it was too loud, too sterile and too unfriendly in its attempt to be 'stylish'. Whats with the brown uniforms? I felt like my UPS man was serving me dinner. On the trip back to retrieve my glasses the next day, I noticed that the place actually looked pretty dirty in the daylight........floor was dirty and scuffed and not looking only 3 weeks old at all...........also got to witness an uncomfortable nasty exchange between what appeared to be a 'manager' and a host which never should have been done in front of patrons. Very bad form.
Advice for special dinner in Manhattan
All three things you mentioned were on the must order list if we go to Prune, along with the veal heart.....never seen that on any menu before. Like I said before tho..........ive spent ALOT of money in places like French Laundry, Le Bernadine and Ive been happy.........but I want stuff I cant / dont find at home or usual. Its not about caliber, flash or fame. I just want to be inspired and experiment with new stuff that I might try at home someday, who knows!. Arent these trends funny tho? Last year it was all about 'foam" and 'trotters' and 'salsify" and 'vadouvan" and now those hardly appear. I obviously behind the times but i just bought some pigs feet and im going to try to make something edible from my 'trotters' LOL Im also making 'lardo'......have 1.5 months to go before i can report........thank you for your input, i really appreciate it :-)
Advice for special dinner in Manhattan
ok cool. I was wondering if it was just some surley new yorkers venting their stress. but then again.........hell im in florida and i TRUST new yorkers to tell me where the good stuff is cux lord know WE dont have any culinary wizards down here.
Advice for special dinner in Manhattan
Prune is getting slammed BIGTIME on menupages. Im surprised not to find anything on it here. Mostly bad service. Im having second thoughts on that one. I already eliminated Esca after what Ive read here and elsewhere about food being scant and way overpriced. Im looking at Gilt now instead.........any comments?
Advice for special dinner in Manhattan
Yes Ive been hearing (reading) that alot of people arent too hip on the new sleek look at SD26. Im sure I will hate that having been a fan of the old SD. But the menu........omg........i cant wait. They have lardo on the menu. Does anyone else in NY serve that?
I bought 1/2 a mangalitsa hog from Mosefund Farms in NJ and am in the process of making my own. This way Ill get to see if mine turns out any good!
Advice for special dinner in Manhattan
Holy cow, that Degustation place looks phenomenal!! Awesome tip, thanks rrems, youre a star!
Advice for special dinner in Manhattan
Im going to give it one last shot, who knows, maybe they had a cancelation
Gourmet magazine to close
Im renewed for both Gourmet and BA through like 2011. So what are they gonna do, extend my stupid BA subscription for 2 more years? Yay?
I am simply destroyed over the loss of Gourmet Magazine. I cant begin to describe how this feels to me............this is honest to god the first and only time I have been touched by this shitty economy in such a personal way. Ive been reading that magazine cover to cover for over 15 years. The photography is stunning, the travel section is inspiring, the recipes are challenging and Ruth Reichl is rich with talent. I get them all...........Saveur, Bon Appetit, Cuisine, Food & Wine, Cucina Italiana, Cooking Light, Cooks, Healthy Cooking, I lose count how many I get.......the ONLY one I anticipate is Gourmet. That magazine is so far superior to all the others...........and Bon Appetit is such a bullshit amateurs rag, I hate it. I wouldnt even get that stupid crap if they didnt give it to me for free with my subscription to Gourmet. Now Im stuck with that? Im thinking about canceling and demanding a refund for BOTH.
Advice for special dinner in Manhattan
My husband suprised me with broadway tickets for my bday this month. Oh and.....a reservation at SD26, previously San Domenico, exactly 1 month after their re-opening down by Madison Sq Pk. It was our regular go-to place when it was on Central Park South and nobody makes better agnolotti. So we are there 4days, thursday 15 till early morning departure on the 19th. SD26 the first night...........after that Im torn. Ive already marked off some of my must try places..........Le Bernadine, Daniel, Cafe Boulud, some of the marios (Babbo, Casa Mono, Bar Jamon, Felidia, Del Posto all very good) Alto (not impressed), WD50 (I loved), Eleven Madison (awesome), One if By Land, Molyvos, Mesa Grill, Estiatorio Milos. My husband tried his best to get a table at PerSe, but of course we know thats not likely in this lifetime.
I have about 50 restaurants on my NYC list, and with such limited time, Ive narrowed my choices down to Prune, Veritas, Bar Boulud, and Esca. We already have a table at Babbo late Saturday night after the play. That leaves me Friday night, and Sunday night to fill. Sunday is my bday and my husband wants to go someplace really special. I dont care so much about the ambiance.......moreso about the food. My rule is........i will never order something I could make or have access to make at home, and I will always order the 'wierd' stuff on the menu........sweatbreads are a favorite as are any kind of offal, octopus anyway its served, and I must admit, the crispy pigs ear sounds pretty good at Spotted Pig. (I might make it there for lunch). So........for a nice ambiance and an eclectic menu, does anyone have any suggestions? I love asian food but Im never in the mood for that when Im in NYC. I lean towards Italian/Meditterraneon/Greek or some other cuisine that I have not tried before.
Birthday Dinner Manhattan
Ive been to all 3. Hard to compare Le Bernadine and Babbo, by far the best of the 3. Go to Le Bernadine if you want high-end style and class ambiance with great food. Go to Babbo if you want a homier ambiance with great food. Good luck getting a table at Babbo tho.
Gourmet magazine to close
I am in shock and dismay that Conde Nast would choose to drop Gourmet and keep BA.........without doubt an inferior publication on all fronts. I get them all...........Saveur, Food & Wine, Cuisine, Cooking Light, Bon Appetit, Cooks, but the only one I anticipated was Gourmet. The photography was stunning and Ruth's editorial was the first thing Id go for. Yes, the recipes were challenging, not for the average. But isnt challenge what makes us better, more accomplished? I wish they'd set a precident and go 100% online...........make it a green issue.............make it a pay site, Id pay. What a shame.
Steakhouse for BF's Birthday - Primehouse, Quality Meats, Old Homestead?
We went to Quality Meats last xmas...........the bone marrow was awesome. Steaks were perfectly cooked. Another to consider is Gallaghers. It seemed kinda dirty and dingy last time I was there, but the steaks were killer and the service was entertaining as well as attentive. Its a fun place with great meat.
Best Daniel Boulud Restaurant in NYC?
Yeah I know....I was very tempted with the apetizers because one of them was my second choice (the abalone) but I was still kinda full from the last night dinner at Felidia (feast of the 7 fishes where we could have easily stopped at 3) so I behaved myself reluctantly. I will most definitely try CB next time, I am very encouraged to see everyone praising it even while posting not-so-glowing reviews of Daniel. I think I will try the CB in Manhattan though, as the menu at the one in PB does not excite me. Look at this and compare it to NY menu http://www.danielnyc.com/cafeboulud_palmbeach/_pdf/menu_dinner.pdf
Florida is depressing when it comes to food. The produce especially. A "7-11" on any corner in California has better produce than even a Whole Foods in Florida. My very first stop in Manhattan is Fairway Market. I have to restrain myself there, and remind myself that we have reservations every night so there will be no cooking for me........ I cant decide if that makes me happy or sad!
Specialty Flatware
Yes yes I know but it was too embarrassing to ask a server what the purpose of such a utensil was!!!!! I was trying so hard to be a sofisticated grown up, I couldnt possibly reveal my retardedness in such things.
Im not sure whether to be thrilled that someone else (presumably you) doesnt know either.........or maybe im just not offering a good enough description of the devise.
Best Daniel Boulud Restaurant in NYC?
I had dinner at Daniel last friday. The food was wonderful and the service was sincerely helpful but incredibly inept which was surprising for a restaurant of this caliber and reputation
Examples? We were asked if we prefered sparkling or still water, we asked for sparkling...............no more than 3-4 sips later, the same man appeared and attentively proceeded to refil our 1/2 full glasses with regular ice water. When we pointed this out to him, he apologized, removed our glasses and came back with new ones which he filled with Pelegrino. Less than 1/2 hour later, the same man appeared again, and once again without being asked or summonded, proceeded to refil our 1/2 full glasses of Pelegrino with regular ice water. At this point we just shook our heads and let it go. We were too full to drink anymore water but still.......this is just unnacceptable in a restaurant like this.
Another example? Our waiter, who was very nice and wonderfully knowledgible, gave us his suggestions and took our entire order along with the sommilier's reccomendation for wines and then dissappeared. 20 minutes later, he and another wait staff presented us with 2 lovely appetizers with full professional explanations as to what they were and how they were cooked etc etc. Problem was..............these were not the appetizers we had ordered. When we explained that they must have the wrong table, our waiter admitted that he had put our order in wrong and asked if we would like to eat these while we waited for the correct order. We were tempted but declined (self deprevation is rewarded at some point isnt it? please say yes) And so we had to wait another 20 minutes for our first course to appear.
I would say that this was an anomoly.........a bad night.............our poor fortune to be there at this moment in time...........but it was so hard to over look when we had eaten all week in michelin star rated places that were less expensive, easier to get a table at, and offered flawless service. We were bummed. Id looked forward to it all week and the food was great but not spectacular and of course like I said, the service was less than perfect. We forgive them, the staff was so likable that I hate to even complain...they were really trying but just had a bad night.............and because of that bad first impression, I doubt I will be back. Just too many other places to explore so I probably wont live long enough to go back to anything less than memorable (in a good way). We have a cafe boulud in palm beach.......has anyone tried that location? im game for one more try in a new locale.......
Specialty Flatware
I hate to sound retarded but Ive just returned from my annual culinary mecca xmas journey to Manhattan and had the pleasure of dining in several michelin star rated restaurants. I have a question that Im hoping someone can answer without the ridicule I so richly desearve. :-)
This year, for the first time, Ive noted that some specialty flatware has been offered in several of the tasting menus I enjoyed. The piece I am unfamiliar with is brought and placed as a 'spoon' but it is actually a flat piece, almost like a small spatula, and it had a somewhat crudely etched notched edge on the right side near the stem. In every occasion, from Daniel to 11 Madison to Del Posto, the flat surface of the piece looked very well worn or scratched almost, and the notched edge on the lower right side looked to have been almost hand-ground........these pieces did not look factory made. The notched edge seems to be key to the use of this flatware. They were about the size of a large tablesppon, only flat and without a 'bowl' which made them useless as a spoon.
I was at a total loss as to what to use this utensil for........and now Ive forgotten the exact course they appeared with at each place, so Im not sure which dish they were intended for. They came out mid-meal so I know they were not intended for apetizers or dessert. I ate so much and so many varied things last week that I cant tell you if they came with fish courses or meat or pasta........(im on a water diet for the next 3 weeks, but man was it ever worth it!)
I hope Ive described it adequately for someone to recognize and enlighten me as to the proper use. Once again, please forgive my ignorance.
Thanks!
Lauren
