PeteM's Profile
Proud Torontoians! Where to bring serious foodies from NYC?
I believe they're looking for great food, first and foremost. So I'll have to say no to this suggestion.
Proud Torontoians! Where to bring serious foodies from NYC?
Hi,
As I mentioned in my OP:
"Also, they have already been to Scaramouche, Splendido, Kaji, Hashimoto, Chiado, Lai Wah Heen, and Thuet, so they're not looking to go back."
(Also I added Perigee to the list because i forgot to include it)
Proud Torontoians! Where to bring serious foodies from NYC?
Since they have been to Scaramouche, I'm not sure if Scaramouche pasta bar is really worth a visit. I thought the food there is decent at best, much less so special to make that their only dinner in Toronto...
Proud Torontoians! Where to bring serious foodies from NYC?
Oh I know Perigee has a new chef. He is not exactly new: Chris Brown, son of owner Victor Brown, has been at Perigee as a line cook / sous chef since 2003.
For that reason, I simply can't believe the new Perigee, without the complete open kitchen (without the shield), without the 26 course "Taste of Perigee" menu, without Chef Riley... etc, would be such an upgrade over the old one that it warrants a second visit (especially since they don't come to Toronto often, so they would really like something special and as i mentioned, something they haven't been before)
Proud Torontoians! Where to bring serious foodies from NYC?
Ahhh! So sorry! I completely forgot to mention: the couple had the "Taste of Perigee" menu (~24 courses, > 5 hours) with wine pairing with Pat Riley about two years ago. They were very impressed.
But after such an iconic experience, I don't think they're looking for another visit to Perigee. So I'm still stuck!
Thanks though!!
Proud Torontoians! Where to bring serious foodies from NYC?
I need to take a couple out to one dinner in Toronto. Need recommendations!
No preferences as to cuisine / atmosphere. Money is no object.
To complicate matters, they are serious, serious foodies from New York (one of them work in the industry, and they have seriously been everywhere in NYC), so they're not looking for just regular fine-dining venues. They're hoping for something that they can't quite get in New York.
Also, they have already been to Scaramouche, Splendido, Kaji, Hashimoto, Chiado, Lai Wah Heen, and Thuet, so they're not looking to go back.
A final wrinkle: due to our schedule, we would like the restuarant to be within:
East: Bayview
West: Allen Road / Spadina
North: Sheppard
South: Gardiner
Sorry for the trouble!
Any suggestions? I'm sure the collective wisdom of Chowhound can come up with something!!!
Thanks!!!!!!!
Does anyone know when UWS Shake Shack and Fatty Crab open?
Does anyone know when the UWS Shake Shack and Fatty Crab are actually opening?
Thanks!
Eleven Madison Park revisit - still mediocre
I like Fleur de Sel better than EMP, actually.
Is Jean Georges currently worth it?
I think Jean Georges is fantastic. I was definitely not disappointed, even accounting for the price.
(count down to at least 10 post about how EMP is better and how it's the best thing that happened to New York since Katz's)
What to get at Les Halles?
Bourdain hasn't been involved with Les Halles for years.
I suggest that you get the bill, and get the door.
Seriously.
Restaurants MOST people HATE (except you)
Ollies is good if one is stuck in a culinary wasteland (Morningside Heights) or on an abandoned island.
Other than that, I do find it a rip off.
But I don't find it hard to believe that people like this place. I don't find it appallingly bad like some nominations that I am expecting for this thread. =)
Restaurants everyone loves--except you
EMP - did not enjoy my meal there at all. Was very disappointed with the food
Restaurants Report: Le Bernardin, Blue Hill, Bouley, Gramercy Tavern, Yasuda, Balthazar, Clinton Baking, Daniel, Aquavit, Eleven Madison Park...
One vote for disappointment with EMP. And I am normally a big fan of RGR's recommendations. Maybe I was just expecting too much from the food.
What restaurants are you planning to go to next?
Anyone read this?
http://nymag.com/daily/food/2007/12/what_chef_rides_the_truffle_train_for_free.html
Thoughts?
$100 to burn!
Prune is a pretty good suggestion, but a bit over the OP's budget.
Appes $12-14 + Entrees $21-24 + $28 (cheapest bottle) = around $120 including tax and tips. As long as OP doesn't mind the extra $20, I wholeheartedly endorse Prune.
Help me make sense of my Blue Hill experience?
Hi! Thanks for the post.
No, I know the background of the restaurant, Dan Barber and the subsequent partnership with the Rockefeller family very well. What I don't get is what people mean by "animal meat is usually more flavorful... meat is fresh". I just didn't know how to taste it, I guess? I honestly, sincerely couldn't taste any difference (in terms of the meat itself) between the lamb in Blue Hill and the one I had in, say, Anthos. That is the essence of my question. What does it MEAN that meat tastes fresher?
Lincoln Center Area Lunch? - $ no object!
Haha.
From my experience on this board, even when people say "price is absolutely no object", they still don't mean Masa prices.
Unless the OP is working for the Sultan of Brunei, I just can't imagine he meant to say that his company is willing to pay $600+ per person on a lunch + drinks. =)
Chowhound Blasphemy: EMP - No Good!
I actually believe that the duck is promising. It's the suckling pig that puzzles me the most, since it tastes like the suckling pig I've eaten in Chinatown, except drier.
Chowhound Blasphemy: EMP - No Good!
I respectfully disagree about the price point issue, except Per Se. Here are the numbers:
Eleven Madison Park: 82 / 145
Le Bernardin: 107 / 135
Bouley: 74 (I took the average cost of each course) / 90
Daniel: 98 / 165
Jean Georges: 98 / 148
So at most, the difference is $15-20, I don't consider that enough to separate them into different classes altogether.
But even if we stay close to the price, I would take Bouley's three course dinner (74) over Eleven Madison Park's three course (82), and Jean Georges' tasting menu (148) over EMP's tasting (145).
Chowhound Blasphemy: EMP - No Good!
Oh okay.
Sorry I interjected. =)
I do fully intend to go back to Eleven Madison Park. I would never dismiss a restaurant summarily without going at least 3-4 times.
L'Atelier vs. Jean Georges
Sorry, how is the tasting menu $50 cheaper?
Jean Georges' tasting menu is $148 for the autumn or classic option. Isn't Robuchon $160?
For a proper comparison, you should make sure you really are comparing the tasting menu prices.
Chowhound Blasphemy: EMP - No Good!
As i mentioned above, the duck was very dry and bland, and the pork was completely dry and tasteless. Compared to the standard that I expected given the high regard by chowhounds, this was very disappointing.
The service was also lacking. I had a different server every 15 minutes, which was okay, I guess, but not ideal. But they also keep dropping cutleries. One time he dropped a fork on my bread plate, making the loudest noise ever. I didn't find it embarassing or anything, but it was not very professional either.
The sommelier was nice, but the wine he recommended was not very good. I also thought that he tried too hard to sound like he knew what he was doing, and that took up a lot of time. that would have been okay if the wine was actually suitable, but his pairings were quite off, in my amateur opinion (but one that really matters to me, right?)
I found the food at Per Se, Le Bernardin, Daniel, Jean Georges, and even Bouley much tastier than that of Eleven Madison Park. That's my experience.
I do not deny the legitimacy of your good experience at EMP. In the same way, I hope you will not dismiss my bad experience. If this board is to be a place of free and open sharing, then please allow people to share the good and the bad.
Chowhound Blasphemy: EMP - No Good!
=)
I will definitely keep this in mind. Sounds delicious.
Anyway, from my experience, the lobster "lasagna" was creative but not excellent, the duck was very dry and bland, and the pork was completely dry and tasteless. Compared to the standard that I expected given the high regard by chowhounds, this was very disappointing.
The service was also lacking. I had a different server every 15 minutes, which was okay, I guess, but not ideal. But they also keep dropping cutleries. One time he dropped a fork on my bread plate, making the loudest noise ever. I didn't find it embarassing or anything, but it was not very professional either.
The sommelier was nice, but the wine he recommended was not very good. I also thought that he tried too hard to sound like he knew what he was doing, and that took up a lot of time. that would have been okay if the wine was actually suitable, but his pairings were quite off, in my amateur opinion (but one that really matters to me, right?)
Anyway, I want to go back again to give it another chance, though.
Help me make sense of my Blue Hill experience?
I had a disappointing experience at Blue Hill recently. But instead of writing a bad review I want your input so I can make sense of my experience.
The thing is my disappointment can simply come from unreasonable / inappropriate expectations, so it can be my fault instead of Blue Hill's.
So I want your thoughts on this: What should I have been expecting from Blue Hill? Why is it so highly regarded? What do you guys like about it?
I have read every single review on Blue Hill I can find on google (some before, some after my visit), but I would really appreciate it if you guys can be as concrete as possible. Until now I have only read things like "the lamb tasted so fresh" or "the porkchop was the best ever", which I find pretty vague and not useful to ground my own experience. What does it mean for the lamb to be fresh? What made the porkchop so good?
The more particular, concrete and specific you guys are, the better I can orient my expectations and experience.
Thoughts? Let's get the discussion started!
Chowhound challenge: Impress a foodie on a budget
Sorry, I forgot to mention
5. No tapas bar / wine bar / small plates please. He doesn't like sharing food (I know, I know).
