diropstim's Profile
Restaurant Tragedies
I have seen at least ten restaurants come and go in as many years at the northeast corner of Grand and West Broadway in Soho. I was the sous-chef at one of them, the first Indian-French fusion restaurant in New York (we opened two weeks before Tabla and Floyd Cardoz was actually one of our very first customers.) We had all kinds of press, from Time Out New York to Food Arts to a front page article in the freakin' USA Today, and we still managed to lose over $40,000 a month. There were problems, to be sure, including the fact that the entire venture was a vanity project for a rich Indian guy with zero industry experience and the fact that the admittedly talented Executive Chef spent ten hours a day getting sloshed and playing pool across the street at Toad Hall,(referred to as "The Office" when anyone called looking for him), and the fact that he apparently thought that 40% food costs were just fine. But even more damning I think were the location and physical limitations of the space. West Broadway is awash in mediocre restaurants that turn a profit (Felix, Barolo, I Tre Merli, Novecento, Cipriani etc.) but we alone had a dining room situated on the second floor (not so good for the people-watching that seems to be the raison d'etre for all the other places with french doors that open up onto sidewalk cafes). I'd say that perhaps our concept was too highfalutin' or too fine-diney for the neighborhood if not for the fact that I've never seen any restaurant survive that location for even a year since it housed Jour et Nuit many years ago. And yet still they keep on coming. And going.
Food in classic cartoon strips?
The Far Side: Bull #1 approaches Bull #2, who is grilling burgers on a Hibachi, and says "You're sick, Jesse! Sick, sick, sick!"
Chicken #1 feeding a bowl of soup to a bedridden Chicken #2, saying "it's full of vitamins and besides, it's no one we know."
Jury Duty Tomorrow---HELP?
Thanx Simon, but as I'm not familiar with the area, might you have an address and/or website for me?
Jury Duty Tomorrow---HELP?
Just found out I have jury duty way downtown tomorrow (I don't check my snailmail box as often as I should, apparently). Any viable Chow options in the vicinity of the courthouse? (Chinatown is fair game but alternate cuisines in striking distance are equally -- and warmly-- appreciated). Thanks!
Kobe Club's horrible review.
My favorite restaurant bash of all times belongs to Ruth Reichl in her review of Roy's financial district outpost: "If clowns had a cuisine, this would be it."
World's Worst Products - Canned whole chicken
The first listed ingredient in a Slim Jim is "mechanically separated chicken parts"...
Eating dogs, cats, horses, etc.
I'll eat anything that tastes good as long as my consumption of it does not contribute to the imminent demise of the species so far as I can ascertain (chilean sea bass etc.) As a chef, I'm not at all squeamish about how my meat gets to the table, having butchered chickens, ducks, quail, squab, turkeys, lamb, pigs, goats and steer. Yet for some reason I have to shield my eyes at parts of "CSI" or "House" because the (fake) blood skeeves me out something fierce. I suppose it all comes down to empathy, and where animals are concerned, I figure I'm at the top of the food chain for a reason. If a cow or horse would like to knock me from my perch, I'd suggest they get cracking on the opposable thumbs and cognitive reasoning.
new les deux gamins--anyone been?
They also serve a ridiculously, almost too-strong martini because they don't shake the vodka with ice to chill it, they just pull a bottle out of the freezer and add vermouth. It's like martini syrup.
Falai - atmosphere?
One of the ugliest restaurants I've been to in recent memory. Looks like they spent about $500 on the whitewash "decor", and the food was underwhelming as well. Chef Falai should stick with desserts, IMHO.
Alone, hungry, and prefer sitting at the bar.
The Bar Room at The Modern just got three stars in The NYT while their fancier, more formal dining room still has only two. That, to me, speaks volumes, but you certainly won't go wrong with any of the above recs either, especially Babbo, where I've eaten at the bar at least 20 times.
What made your best "dining experience ever" so special?
IMHO, company tends to trump all when talking of a complete "experience".
Need Help!!! What is the name of an amazing Soho Italian place that begins with an "F"
Yeah, but the Chef, Michael White, left months ago so I'm not sure where that left the quality of the place. Pretty, though.
Dinner at Babbo
How is "upstairs" ever supposed to be wheelchair accessible? Best bet is on the lower level, obviously. Yes it is always hectic from the instant they open and I'm not aware of how much mobility your friend has, but if he can slide himself onto a banquette I'm sure they could store his chair in the coatroom for the duration of the meal. Good luck and by all means inquire of the reservationist.
What Is Your Most Elegant Yet Inexpensive Homemade Dish?
Sam, have you actually eaten capybara? I lived in Brasil for two years and have spent much time in Argentina, yet I only got a swanky pair of boots from the critter---never saw it on a menu. Is it primarily a home-cooked thing that I missed out on, and what does it taste like?
New resolution- Help me to explore the wonderful, yet frightening, world of sauces
Yeah, the Peterson books are all good, if a bit encyclopedic. The great thing about his sauce book is that he gives alternate methods for almost everything. I just think it might be a little dry and academic for a beginner. And FYI, Michel and Albert Roux are both Michelin-starred chefs in France. Doesn't mean it's not funny, but then we might as well josh about Susan Spicer of Bayona in New Orleans.
New resolution- Help me to explore the wonderful, yet frightening, world of sauces
"Sauces", by Michel Roux, is a good one for beginners. Very straightforward without too much technical jargon and lots of step-by-step color photos.
Anyone else fed up with "molecular gastronomy"?
Wrong on both counts, applehome. Read the Bourdain thingy twice and have spent the last fifteen years in the kitchens of three continents, working my way from garde manger through Executive Chef and beyond. Most of this work was done in places far superior to anything described by Bourdain (let's not forget that he didn't become a "celebrity chef" on the strengths of his cooking.) In serious kitchens the cooks tend to see themselves as craftsmen, not swashbucklers or buccaneers. And by the way, an analogy is not the same thing as a metaphor.
Anyone else fed up with "molecular gastronomy"?
I had no idea that El Bulli and The Fat Duck were privately owned yet government-commissioned armed ships tasked with attacking and harassing enemy shipping. Boy, the things you learn on these boards...
Big Game Bash at Blue Smoke
$125 per person for chafing dishes and a conga line? Not in a million years, personally.
An open letter to fellow 'hounds who recommended Canton Kitchen as providing egg rolls comparable to those found in the New York metro area
This is the. funniest. thread. Ever!
If you had to choose between the following restaurants...
Falai disappointed on many levels and The Mercer is just a joke. Frank Bruni compared it to a SoHo outpost of Applebee's in his last (zero-star) review of the place. Check out The Bruni Digest for a hilarious Re-review.
NYC bound and need a restaurant plan...help?
Employees Only on Hudson Street (West Village) is a great spot for classic cocktails and a really nice tableside steak tartare. But Pegu's cocktails really can't be beat.
Has Anyone Eaten Tony Bourdain's Cooking?
Anything I've had there, I've had better at Balthazar.
Steak for one at the bar?
The Knickerbocker does a very nice "T for one". Better-than-average Caesar salad, too. Eat it at the bar all the time.
Amazing 66 -- new in Chinatown
Brian S, do you think that the inconsistencies might have something to do with the fact that you speak some Chinese and are regarded as an authority in this field? Maybe the rest of us are getting the usual "let's tone it down for the gwai-lo" treatment, even though on my second visit I was greeted with "Hey, Chef". Aside: NYC to Tulsa on a bus? I'd rather walk to Mecca (oceans and all) while smacking my head with a two-by-four, and I'm not Muslim. Good luck, and keep posting.
what's your send back policy?
jfood, in response to your skate question: there are two ways to go, either on the bone or off the bone. On the bone offers increasead taste, as does any foodstuff prepared in a manner designed to allow the bones to transmit their flavor to the flesh. T-Bones and Porterhouses are no different and nor are shrimp cooked in their shells. On-the-bone cooking also ensures a pleasant
eye-pleasing fan shape in the finished dish, since the bones beneath (or more correctly in between ) the layers of flesh will not allow it to shrink. Off-the-bone cooking often yields a shriveled, misshapen and flavorless mass with an inferior, mushy texture. No doubt about it, though ,it is "easier to eat".
Amazing 66 -- new in Chinatown
Second visit yesterday and i have to say that I, too, was underwhelmed by the food and the service was oversolicitous to the point of being annoying. At least four people asked me if I needed a fork (I didn't x 4). As it was last time, the food was very bland, but this time no condiments were provided to rectify the situation. Portion sizes were insanely large --- I got the braised duck with eight precious and frankly, after 22 years in the bidness, I have no earthly idea how they can offer this dish for $12.95. We're talking half a duck, 6 scallops, shredded chicken, decoratively sculptured calamari, some shrimp, mushrooms, snow peas, carrots and chinese broccoli. Unfortunately, none of it seemed to have been touched by even so much as salt and pepper. Completely devoid of flavor, and every protein except the duck was woefully overcooked.
I also got the frog steamed over twin rice which was similarly gigantic, bland and overcooked. The rice went beyond sticky into the land of gummy, the frog was dry and tough, and there wasn't anything else in the dish to distract me from their shortcomings.
The hot and sour soup was okay on the hot but short on the sour. Acceptable, but nothing I haven't seen done better from a neighborhood takeout joint. Still, at two bucks who cares. Overall a huge disappointment, as i made a special (long and expensive) trip just to go there. I don't think that will ever happen again.
What makes a restaurant worth a large price tag??Food, service atmosphere - is there another ingredient?
For me it has to do with my level of expectation going in. I can be perfectly happy with a burger if it's a good one and if that's what I was in the mood for, and my enjoyment has nothing to do with said burger's price tag. But last year I shelled out fifty bucks for an asparagus, duck egg and white truffle app at Babbo and quite frankly the truffles were sub-par and I felt ripped off. So when i was there again two weeks ago and saw a homemade papparedelle with white truffles for a hundred bucks, I balked. (Fool me once, shame on you etc.)
But my server assured me that this was an especially good year for both Alba and Piemontese truffles, so I took the plunge and was very glad that I did. So in this case I felt I had been overcharged at a price point of fifty dollars but had received a bargain at twice the price. In both cases I was expecting excellent quality ( no matter what the price ) but only in one case, the latter, did the food live up to those expectations.
