520 replies to this topic

[Nathan]

One would think that, since Acme can't stay this hot (its crowd is fickle), the only way it can survive, long-term, is to stay good (not that the foodie crowd isn't also fickle).

Of course, one of the owners' other restaurants, Indochine, tends to disprove that sentence.

Sadly, I foresee Acme being hot for a lot longer than a few months...

Nothing's that hot in the summer on the weekends though.....and by fall there will be something else. Waverly Inn lasted what, a year? (and they were always egalitarian about drinking at the bar...the reverse of ACME where dining reservations are not the issue)....and it was much much bigger than Acme. There weren't any paparazzi outside the way they were night after night at Waverly. and the Beatrice Inn wasn't much different. Apotheke wasn't a hot ticket for very long at all (and it had the same crowd as Acme)

[Sneakeater]

Minetta has stayed hot.

But it's a much different crowd from Acme and the places you mention.

[Sneakeater]

I don't see what's not great about the food here.

I thought the new duck's-egg raviolo, with ricotta and pickled fiddleheads (or some other harbinger of spring), was very nice. I mean, Odette Fada doesn't have to be watching her back or anything, but this shows how a dish that looks similar to another one on paper can taste completely different in practice. Meaning, it manages to share that same slightly odd flavor profile that all the food here has. (That's a compliment.)

The sea bass, with (I'm doing this from memory, so forgive me if I'm a little bit wrong) cardoman, vanilla, and dandelion greens, was just an exemplary Acme dish. Chef Refslund really knows how to cook fish, so this one came out with crisp skin and succulent flesh. The unlikely combination of flavors that accompanied it worked. The ingredients aren't particularly fancy or exotic, and the flavor profile isn't outlandish -- but it isn't quite like anything anyone else is serving, either. And it's good. Not challenging -- as I keep insisting, this is basically comfort food -- just good.

The first time I had the chocolate dessert here I thought it was too rich. But a few months of raves from joethefoodie impelled me to try it again. As usual, joethefoodie was right.

COMP DISCLOSURE: a farm egg appetizer.

[Daniel]

One would think that, since Acme can't stay this hot (its crowd is fickle), the only way it can survive, long-term, is to stay good (not that the foodie crowd isn't also fickle).

Of course, one of the owners' other restaurants, Indochine, tends to disprove that sentence.

Sadly, I foresee Acme being hot for a lot longer than a few months...

You never know, I put it on the Vendetta list. Shit don't last there two long. Just ask that guy in Philly.

[Stone]

The problem with all of you people is that things done well bore you. It's not like things are done well so frequently that we should be sick of that already! That's how we ended up with foam on every restaurant dish...

Boring or mundane things done well are still boring or mundane, although perhaps less so. That's why many people don't understand the giddy excitement over excellent pastrami sandwiches, ramen soup and pizza. I agree with you that there are many mundane items that have become very hard to find "done well," such as something as pedestrian as pizza. But that doesn't necessarily mean that people should get too excited about good or even great pizza. I can understand someone saying, "ok, you actually cooked the barley well and put some fresh, tasty clams in there. But that's only a big deal because most restaurants overcook the barley, forget to season it, and use canned clams."

[oakapple]

The problem with all of you people is that things done well bore you. It's not like things are done well so frequently that we should be sick of that already! That's how we ended up with foam on every restaurant dish...

Boring or mundane things done well are still boring or mundane, although perhaps less so. That's why many people don't understand the giddy excitement over excellent pastrami sandwiches, ramen soup and pizza.

There's nothing intrinsically boring or mundane about pizza. What's boring or mundane is pizza done badly, as it quite frequently is.

Getting back to Jesikka's point, people often judge restaurants by their menus, and on a menu there is no way of telling how well it will be done. Foie gras cotton candy might be terrible, but at least you'll know it's something you haven't had before. When you see another iteration of pizza, your going in assumption is that it will be just as boring as most other pizzas. Not that it has to be; but it often is.

[cstuart]

The problem with all of you people is that things done well bore you. It's not like things are done well so frequently that we should be sick of that already! That's how we ended up with foam on every restaurant dish...

Boring or mundane things done well are still boring or mundane, although perhaps less so. That's why many people don't understand the giddy excitement over excellent pastrami sandwiches, ramen soup and pizza.

There's nothing intrinsically boring or mundane about pizza. What's boring or mundane is pizza done badly, as it quite frequently is.

Getting back to Jesikka's point, people often judge restaurants by their menus, and on a menu there is no way of telling how well it will be done. Foie gras cotton candy might be terrible, but at least you'll know it's something you haven't had before. When you see another iteration of pizza, your going in assumption is that it will be just as boring as most other pizzas. Not that it has to be; but it often is.

The thing that's boring about pizza is that we've all had excellent pizza a lot of times. Part of the appeal of new places is new dishes, combinations, flavors, etc. Boring may be the wrong word, but there's nothing new about the best margherita pizza in the world. There's nothing wrong with it of course, but of course people will be more excited about new things.

[Wilfrid]

I generally agree, cstuart (just to freak you out), but with the caveat that we can be surprised when traditional dishes, which were being phoned in, are suddenly done really well.

A few of us are always looking for a new French bistro which can amaze us in that way.

[Stone]

That's why I added "mundane".
But, for example, I really liked the pizza at Robertas. I can't say I was remotely excited about it. It's pizza. I might have been slightly excited about Forcella, because I realized that if I wanted I had easy access to good pizza (as opposed to Sbarro). But I haven't been back to Forcella, and I've picked up a bunch of slices from Sbarro now and then.

It's pizza.

[Wilfrid]

But that's only a big deal because most restaurants overcook the barley, forget to season it, and use canned clams."

The barley at Acme could use some seasoning, and the clams could be less chewy. Also, the portion sizes could be more balanced. That's my point: it wasn't done especially well.

[joethefoodie]

But that's only a big deal because most restaurants overcook the barley, forget to season it, and use canned clams."

The barley at Acme could use some seasoning, and the clams could be less chewy. Also, the portion sizes could be more balanced. That's my point: it wasn't done especially well.

Well, yours wasn't done especially well...I've had that dish 3 or 4 times, and it has been good to excellent each of those times.

[Sneakeater]

I generally agree, cstuart (just to freak you out), but with the caveat that we can be surprised when traditional dishes, which were being phoned in, are suddenly done really well.

A few of us are always looking for a new French bistro which can amaze us in that way.

It's interesting to think of the cycle rustic Italian food went through in this City, from phoned-in to suddenly done really well back to mundane even when done well cuz there's just so much of it even of a high quality.

[oakapple]

Yeah, with Italian we're at the point that you just assume there's near-zero probability that a new Italian place could actually be any better than the mine run of places available in almost every neighborhood.

[Sneakeater]

Even when, like the new Perla, they're objectively excellent. SO MANY of them are excellent.

[Wilfrid]

Well, yours wasn't done especially well...I've had that dish 3 or 4 times, and it has been good to excellent each of those times.

I bet I paid as much as you for it.

I try to cut a place some slack - I got a piece of shoe leather as smoked meat at Mile End once, and I was prepared to accept that it was a weird aberration. But I had difficulty imagining this dish being much more exciting than it was - although yes, it could have been better.