Redhead

[Wilfrid]

The inflated rabbit:

 

 

Absurdly lavish praise at The Pink Pig.

 

No, they do a lot of things very nicely, but there's nothing pioneering here as there was at Ssam Bar. I think this is a different type and level of excitement. I didn't mind the salt, but it took a village to get a drink at the bar.

[macrosan]

It was a lovely evening

 

That butter-braised onion dip was astonishingly more-ish. Cathy is right that they either need to loosen the mixture a little or else provide entirely sturdier dipping devices than the crumbly (but very delicious) game chips that were given to us. The positively pragmatic proprietor of the Pink Pig (allit.) cheated by using his fork to load the chips with dip, but surely that was quite outside the bounds of decent behavior at table. No, sturdier chips or looser dip must be provided in future.

 

I couldn't look past the fried chicken, which I had been anticipating for weeks, but I have to say that if this had been my first then I probably wouldn't have become obsessed with the dish. It was too salty and slightly on the dry side in parts. The flavor was good, but not as outstanding as on my two previous tastings. This was pleasant fried chicken, but far from great.

 

I like the menu at Redhead, and I like the service and the atmosphere. But next time I'll be a little more adventurous and try something other than the chicken

[Lex]

The positively pragmatic proprietor of the Pink Pig (allit.) cheated by using his fork to load the chips with dip, but surely that was quite outside the bounds of decent behavior at table.

You're lucky he was on his best behavior. Usually he uses his thumb.

[Wilfrid]

I had my thumb in the beer cheese.

[Stone]

I had a surprisingly good meal at Redhead last night. The octopus with white beans was excellent. Nice, well-textured octopus and a good pile of peppery arugala. The one-eyed caeser much better than the last time I had it. Crisp lettuce and perfectly cooked egg in the toast. I liked the schnitzel a lot. Very crisp and flavorful, and the dumpling was quite good. Artic char was very well-cooked. Oh, and the broccoli with cheddar and shallots was terrific. I don't order broccoli often, since it appears so poorly in so many bad banquet meals, etc. Generally, restaurants seem to have thrown it aside for brussels sprouts and more exotic greens. This was terrific, but, of course, healthful green vegetables sitting in a pool of cream are usually good. All in all, the best meal I've had there.

[StephanieL]

Crawfish boil time today! N and I went early to beat the crowds. One platter was plenty of food for both of us--2 pounds goes a long way, especially with the potatoes, corn, etc. in the mix. We also got a side of special onion rings, which were greasy in a very good way. Beerwise, I had the Abita Light (best light beer I've had) and N had the Abita Strawberry (she liked it; I couldn't see the appeal). After we left, about halfway down 13th Street we ran into Lippy and Ranitidine, who were on their way there.

[Sneakeater]

It's as easy to underappreciate The Redhead as to overappreciate it. How many pages has this thread gained in the last year or so?

 

Knowing it was late Spring, I emerged from the CSC's wonderful production of The School for Lies last Thursday with visions of Green Goddess salad dancing in my head, so I knew where I had to go. If all she ever did was revive and exalt this wonderful dish, Meg Grace would deserve a place in our hearts forever.

 

As at many places, I have always found the main dishes to be a bit of a let-down after the appetizers here (I've never managed to be there at the same time as Wilfrid's rabbit dish). But Thursday's lamb t-bone was one of the better ones I've had. No magic: just a nice piece of meat well-cooked and served with . . . oh, I can't remember -- but I enjoyed it a lot.

 

And of course, there's The Redhead-as-local (even though it's not in my neighborhood). It's great to just go in and hang at the bar with Rob and whoever else is sitting there. I've never had a bad time there.

 

So, at its modest level of ambition, The Redhead remains the winner it always was. Go and enjoy.

[Rail Paul]

Enjoyable dinner at Redhead last night. We ate at the bar.

 

Abita and Victory brews still on tap. Pretzels and the beer dip still good. New item: deep fried artichoke hearts with a creamy, spicy sauce. Good. Closely resembled the deep fried cauliflower and everyone's deep fried mushrooms.

 

Chicken still fine. Moist inside crunchy outside, a little less salty than I recall it in the past.

 

New: a banana strawberry upside down cake, served with a scoop of ice cream. Liked it.

 

Overall a good meal. Casey the bartender took good care of us. Saw the grits and shrimp ordered by several people, also the chicken. You can tell when the restaurant has been on Diners, Driveins, etc (it was this past weekend). People taking pictures inside etc.

 

The restaurant is exceptionally convenient to the Classic Stage Company (about a block west). We saw the revival of Passion last night.

[Miguel Gierbolini]

I have never been and I am coming up soon.. Then it is still worth it?

[Sneakeater]

We saw the revival of Passion last night.

Were you lucky enough to see Melissa Errico, or was she still out?

[mitchells]

Not sure if this is new or not but The Redhead is selling their Bacon Peanut Brittle at Murray's.

[Rail Paul]

We saw the revival of Passion last night.

Were you lucky enough to see Melissa Errico, or was she still out?

Errico has left the cast. Amy Justman, the understudy, has taken the role for the last few performances, I understand. Perfectly fine, although lacking the fire power that Errico brings to (any) role..

 

The talkback after the performance was interesting. It's unusual to hear one of these so late in a run.

 

There was some discussion about how Mr Sondheim was very very specific about pronunciation. Especially about consonants. The orchestra, on the other hand, has the flexibility to "interpret" the music a bit, and will do it. Apparently that shows up in the run time, which varies by a few minutes each night.

 

Judy Kuhn observed that she understands Fosca a great deal better, and that has changed some of her physical motions as well as the way she directs her energy. The backstory has evolved as the players regularly critique each other's delivery, cues, etc.

 

John Doyle's style of directing has also affected the players. In rehersal, Mr Doyle allowed each performer to select from a wide array of props. Gradually the props were withdrawn allowing the player to mimic with hands the absent props (playing cards, soup bowls, etc). The few props included letters, a soup ladle, a writing table, chairs and two suitcases.

[Sneakeater]

I saw it with Amy Justman, too.

[Wilfrid]

Poor Melissa. Bronchitis.

[Jesikka]

It sounds like Meg and Rob are mov(ed/ing) to Seattle. There's a new exec chef at Redhead, but I'd imagine things may change rather quickly.

 

On Rob's new place: http://seattle.eater.com/archives/2013/12/04/introducing-loulay-kitchen-bar-opening-tonight.php

 

I think Meg wouldn't mind if I share her announcement:

 

Friends - We have a very exciting announcement to share.

Celebrate with us as we congratulate Ben Chiu-Maes on his promotion to Executive Chef. Ben has been a prominent fixture in The Redhead's kitchen for the past year and half, but we’ve known him much longer. Nearly a decade ago, Chef Meg hired Ben as a line cook for the Cafes at MoMA. He continued working with USHG at the Bar Room at The Modern until he moved back to his home state, California. In San Francisco, Ben spent 3 years on the team at Nancy Oakes’ Boulevard. Then, he helped a friend open Cedar Hill, a barbeque restaurant in the Marina District. When he and his wife Tina returned to NYC in 2012, Ben joined The Redhead as Sous Chef.

Chef Meg's presence will still be felt, but she is shifting her focus to develop new projects. Stay tuned for all those exciting and tasty updates.

If you see Chef Ben around the dining room or run into him at the farmers market, please be sure to congratulate him. He's the handsome guy in this picture.

See you soon, and thanks for your patronage!
Meg, Rob, and Gregg