Neocon maudit

Did I make a mistake booking dinner there this weekend [yes, for tourists, from overseas]? The establishment reviews were very positive, and they serve tablier de sapeur and saucisse au comté. [OK, the latter's no longer on the menu.] Everyone seems to love the bison au poivre? My best friend's mother used to serve bison burgers; claimed they were healthier.

Naff.

St John comes to Brooklyn. I don't suppose any of you have been? I wish there were more details. I don't know what's going on in Brooklyn these days, but this seems an odd location for an Ace Hotel. Is this downtown? Boerum Hill?

I think I got kicked out of H right before Batuman matriculated, though I doubt we would have been in the same circles, at least initially. I miss her on Twitter.

'Dust' . . . is that what my friends refer to as 'dirt' when drinking certain Italian wines, especially nebbiolos? Is this an Italian thing? I feel like I associate this with Italian wines but not with French [despite the cult of 'terroir']. Your preference for keeping elegance out of Chianti makes me wonder how you feel about Chianti Classico or loftier sangiovese wines, eg Brunello.

I don't suppose anyone's been to Daniel Rose's new Basque restaurant in downtown Los Angeles?

I foolishly let myself get excited about 'Is 4 AM the New 8 PM?' The answer is no. But you'll be glad to know you can get hot dogs after midnight in both the Village and Williamsburg. This made me wonder if the surviving 'Papayas' still serve late night, and the Eater late-night map informed me Papaya Dog in Sixth Ave is 24h. Very few of the establishments on the map are 'restaurants' as the Mouthfuls set would define the term.

When Vox acquired New York magazine [and Grub Street], one could assume there would be some consolidation. I suppose from that time, the clock was ticking for either Platt or Sutton [even if I don't feel they quite overlap]. But they're both gone? Wtf.

Thought you weren't keen on Manhatta . . . but I suppose that was 1.0. What's changed? So Manhatta is from Danny Meyer and in a different skyscraper altogether from Crown Shy?

I love Frenchette, but I should probably go somewhere else this week. Where ought I to dine on Thursday [Downtown of course]?

Given the post-pandemic economy, no one's going to start a proper NYT ★★★★ / Michelin ★★★ restaurant any time soon, so they might as pave the way for the ★★★★ pizza slice.

Starred reviews return to The New York Times: ★★★ for a Puerto Rican roast-pork trailer in 152nd St!

I don't expect anyone here attended the dinner, but do any of us anticipate it would be worse value than a similarly priced dinner at EMP? There's only one seating and a fixed menu, so I expect it's rather easier on the kitchen, more like a private/catered dinner.

The 'COLLECTIVE CELEBRITY CHEF DINNER SERIES' page states that 'a private water taxi will whisk guests to the island'. I presume it's included in the fee/booking. It's possible you're on your own for the return ferry. I sort of wish I'd known about this before today. It's not too warm, and for once the air is relatively dry. Tomorrow evening it may rain.

I'm fairly sure L'Arpège was officially vegetarian, not vegan, but vegan meals were possible. I looked up Gauthier Soho, who claim to cook without 'any animal produce', but apparently that still permits dairy ['buttered peas' are on the menu, for example]? Atelier Crenn still serve fish? They announced they would serve 'cultured' meat, but it doesn't seem that's happened yet?

I would pay money [even up to $5 US fiat] for Orik's list. May have to go out and purchase this week's issue [when Vox took over, they must have realised I'd ceased paying for New York long ago, and my deliveries finally ceased].

The squab was definitely available à la carte when they opened. And there do seem to be a few more dishes total. I wish I had screenshotted the website in March, as I'm now very curious if the squab cost $65 then. I guess this is just how much things are going to cost now. [What were restaurant prices in New York like before Volcker killed inflation with fire and hammer?]

Thought I might finally visit here, to satisfy the pater's craving for small birds, but the squab is already gone from the tasting menu, despite all that PR. It's been replaced by grilled beef ribye, yipee. 🙄 It remains available à la carte [for $65], though I feel like it wasn't there a couple of weeks ago.

I don't want to see Humm fail, and I don't believe vegan restaurants can't by definition achieve ⋆⋆⋆ qualité. But everything about EMP's post-pandemic pivot to veganism reeked of hubris and doom. [And it's not as if he were sailing into uncharted seas, despite the comparison to Apollo 11: Passard's experiences at L'Arpège should have given him an idea how difficult this could be.] If Humm is preoccupied with the celebrity chef circuit, I wonder if he's even aware that his kitchen is sourcing their ingredients from Whole Foods…then tossing half of them. And without Jobs in the picture, I d

I would tell the pater to come up, but there are no evening tables on Resy. 😐 By next week, I'm sure it will be gone.

This is very encouraging, especially since I'd worried 'red miso + bourbon + dark chocolate seems a bit much' on the squab. Which particular subset of the moneyed elect make up the crowd Sneak isn't used to dining with? [BTW I walked by One White Street a couple of weeks ago on my way to Frenchette, and it was very much what I imagine the young banker/lawyer set to look like now. But the young meritocrats were in Frenchette too, albeit slightly hipper ones, or so I fancied.]

This reminds me: we are most of us too old, but I wonder if any of you have been to 'Dimes Square' since the pandemic. Or watched the eponymous micro-play.

Yes, Wilf, compare and contrast!

Wilf, I thought everyone loved I Sodi? I will admit I probably enjoyed the concept and atmosphere at Buvette and Via Carota more than the cuisine.

Apparently this is a thing. Again.