[Pigging by Wilfrid: May 8, 2017]
Simplicity is the eye of the beholder. Great frying is the mouth...of the eater, I suppose.
I was on Clinton Street, I was hungry, I'd never noticed Simply Hooked before, and there was no-one at the dining counter (there are tables in the back). And the real draw was the simply priced combo on the blackboard.
[Pigging by Wilfrid: April 2, 2017]
Oh Otway, Otway, how you raised my spirits. I feel I've been on something of a roller-coaster with restaurants recently. Disappointment when traveling, disappointment at home (some exceptions, of course, like Monsieur Benjamin, reviewed today).
But Otway made me focus again on what upper-mid-priced restaurant dining in New York could and should be. Casual, essentially, but with sparkling service in relaxed surroundings, and really--what's more important?--focused, sure-footed food. Made nice--if not quite "new romantically."
[Pigging by Wilfrid: May 2, 2018]
Rather like the Spanish Inquisition, I never expected Monsieur Benjamin when I arrived in San Francisco. I really didn't.
In fact, I honestly hadn't heard of Monsieur Benjamin, even though it's the brainchild of the highly regarded Keller-alum Corey Lee, better known surely for Benu.
[Pigging by Wilfrid: April 5, 2017]
I've eaten mediocre French bistro food in cities all over the United States. If I want over-salted duck and bread dumped on the table without a smile, I can get that on the Lower East Side.
And the problem with Bouchon is that it really announces itself. And really jacks up the prices.
[Pigging by Wilfrid: April 5, 2017]
Yardbird Southern Table furnished the best meal of my recent trip, not because it was leagues better in execution than Bouchon, but because the prices were--in comparison--sane.
It's tucked away in a subterranean "Restaurant Row" under the Palazzo, alongside some bars and another Batali-Bastianich joint.
[Pigging by Wilfrid: April 5, 2017]
If you haven't been, let me assure you that the Las Vegas Strip is not as glamorous as you might think. Even if you thought it wasn't very glamorous, it's just a bit less glamorous than that.
This is especially true at the top end, around a gentle bend, where you lose sight of the Bellagio's fountains and Caesar's Palace. That's where I was, staying at the Palazzo, which is nice enough, and even has better smoke extraction than most of the other casino's I've visited.
[Pigging by Wilfrid: March 20, 2017]
I do understand that not everyone is looking for a replacement for the sadly closed Fritzl's Lunch Box. Not everyone finds themselves on a regular basis between bars or galleries or events, and near Maria Hernandez Park, and hungry.
Of course, you have high end and low end covered, what with Michelin-starred Faro, and everything from dogs caliente at Guacoco to the excellent pork shoulder at the Sazon Nunez buffet. But what about a mid-range sit-down restaurant?
[Pigging by Wilfrid: March 13, 2017]
Ice cold blew the wind up (or down, who cares?) Amsterdam Avenue. We ducked into this corner butcher store (okay, Bloomfield-Friedman restaurant), and found it pleasantly busy on a late Saturday lunchtime.
I was ready for insanely busy, given its newness and provenance, but there were seats open, including a two-top. You order at the counter on arrival, and they hand you a flag. I dispatched my daughter to stake our seating claim before I even finished ordering food.
Continue reading "Quick Bites: White Gold Butchers (Yes, Chopped Cheese)" »
[Pigging by Wilfrid: March 6, 2017]
A return bout with Le Coq Rico recently, the really very good, professional, friendly, useful restaurant opened early last year by Antoine Westermann--someone to whom the sobriquet "top tocque" might actually be well applied.
Michelin-starred in France, Westermann gave New York a bustling, versatile, essentially casual restaurant (he calls it a bistro), with fine cooking and--for the most part--cracking correct service.
