GerryOlds2TheReturnofGerry

Is it possible that the tarragon lemonade and soda are the same thing, or related? In this 2019 Google photo from Toné Café, the lemonade appears to be another carbonated beverage (also seemingly tinted green with food coloring).

My comment was mostly based on the new owner's support of fascism. Most of the recent Yelp and Google reviews seem positive, though, save for a few like this one.

Keeping Keen's on the list after the Tillman Fertitta takeover, and making it the only steakhouse, is utterly bizarre to me.

Augustine. Good burger and French onion soup.

How was the trip, and do you have any recommendations?

Ignacio Mattos left in 2024, but it looks like an April Bloomfield-associated company took over the hotel last year. https://ny.eater.com/news/400744/april-bloomfield-corner-bar-nyc-restaurant-hotel-nine-orchard-mcguire-moorman-lambert

As someone who experienced anosmia and parosmia with my infection, I wouldn't be surprised if Covid was also a factor. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44187-025-00471-x https://www.sfchronicle.com/health/article/covid-chef-smell-taste-18152469.php

I would say maybe we ordered wrong, but when your menu only has four choices, and half of them aren't cutting it (just kind of boring bulgogi and Scoville spicy yet slightly bland squid), I'm not inclined to jump through hoops for a reservation or line up outside hoping to get a walk-in table with a one-hour time limit. The soup and banchan sides are mostly good, with a couple of letdowns (I get that it's a $36 set meal, but why is there mayo-heavy fruit salad?). The Carnitas Ramirez taco I had earlier in the day was far more memorable.

Even though the site has contracted in scope and feels like a shadow of its former self, I really enjoyed this longform piece from a freelancer. https://ny.eater.com/dining-out-in-ny/406875/johnsons-south-bronx-barbecue-what-to-order

Tejal Rao is based in California, I believe (hence the Spago review).

I would say $125 for a four-course meal in that setting, from a big-name visiting chef, is a pretty solid deal. Prices look comparable to Paris (the beef is €48 a la carte).

GC Oyster Bar feels obligatory, but Crave Fishbar also offers a pretty extensive selection (and there are a few locations).

Steven was encouraging us to get the ham and seemed disappointed when we chose the radish omelet instead. We were expecting a soft, folded French omelet but were happily surprised that it was a Spanish-style tortilla. I agree that the jin hua preparation is intriguing. The seasonal fruit the night I went was figs.

Might as well mention that Lei is a great time. Steven the somm is as affable as he is knowledgeable, and Patty Lee's cooking is a lot of fun. The sticky toffee rice pudding with condensed milk ice cream really is a stunner. I'll be thinking about it the way I've been thinking about Bridges' vin jaune gelato for the past year. Both the scallop crudo with lily buds and the celtuce with kombu gelatin, red wine lees vinegar, and crispy shallots are super refreshing. There's also a version of cumin lamb noodles that goes heavy on the dill in the best way. And the Doyers setting is charming, of course.

Priya Krishna called it New York's Most Exciting New Restaurant, but I found it kind of hit-or-miss. The good: snails in tamarind butter (though the snails were tiny); a thick, pounded-out slab of tuna crudo with golden raisin agrodolce; and the desserts (their pastry chef doubles as a server), including a high-walled pavlova filled with concord grape granita and a sticky toffee pudding that wasn't too sweet (though not as good as the one at Lei, which is made with eight-treasure rice pudding). The bad: a $40 stewed pork trotter dish that was all (tasty) gelatinous skin and no meat, and a tiny wedge of chanterelle toast where the mushrooms were drowned out by strong blue cheese. Waited 45 minutes before opening to get a walk-in seat. Probably won't go back unless getting a reservation becomes a little easier.