small h Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 7 hours ago, Sneakeater said: Amor y Amargo emails, "One of the world's best bars is now super Covid friendly!" I only visit places that are regular Covid friendly. Let's not push it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Anthony Bonner Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 On 11/22/2020 at 12:27 AM, Sneakeater said: I went to Shaun Hergott's Vestry last night. The food was, well, Shaun Hergott. Totally out of step with the current NYC zeitgeist (where even the fucking New Yorker is declaring that fine dining is no longer cool). Well, except maybe a touch less militantly non-local than before. But I just like the way his stuff tastes. And he's got to be one of the best fish chefs around. The service didn't hang together. I think the problem was that there was no continuity; rather, it was like every FOH person was his or her own satellite. As an example, when I arrived, I checked in at the desk. The person at the desk had me shown to a table. And then, a few minutes later, an officious guy appeared at tableside and asked me if I'd talked to anyone yet (the clear implication being that I was someone who had just been walking up the block and decided to sit down). I told him I'd checked in and had been seated -- and would appreciate someone's taking my cocktail order, as my date had given me no particular reason to expect she'd be on time. It continued in like manner throughout the night. You'd tell one server something, and then another server would appear who'd never heard it. I really did like the food, though. But then I always like Chef Hergatt's food. Copious heat lamps. Which is an important consideration these days. Quote Some residents also railed against surging fees at the building’s private restaurant, overseen by the Michelin-star chef, Shaun Hergatt. When the building opened in late 2015, homeowners were required to spend $1,200 a year on the service; in 2021, that requirement jumps to $15,000, despite limited hours of operation because of the pandemic. And breakfast is no longer free. Seems to be going well.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sneakeater Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 https://mouthfulsfood.com/forums/index.php?/topic/20192-the-rest-of-us/&do=findComment&comment=1467388 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GerryOlds Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 Wells tackles takeout at Falansai: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/12/dining/falansai-review-vietnamese-food.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sneakeater Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 At least he has the integrity to put this stuff in "Critic's Notebooks" rather than reviews. But I still don't believe him. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GerryOlds Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 I'm totally with you on that editorial decision, though he's calling it a review on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CLN87KOBgus/ Either way, it looks promising. Will probably wait until the weather is conducive to outdoor dining again to check it out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sneakeater Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 Go Rachel Sugar! Quote Delivery is, at best, okay. It is fine. It can even be enjoyable (especially if it is pizza). But compared to food served inside a restaurant, it is a constant letdown. It is gummier, soggier, oilier, messier, uglier, the wrong texture, the wrong temperature. I think she's wrong, though, in her (or rather the editor who wrote the headline's) assertion that "ghost kitchens are not the future of restaurants." I think what she means is, "ghost kitchens shouldn't be the future of restaurants." Convenience almost always trumps quality in the mass market. Look at audio: high-quality audio has almost been wiped out as a consumer category. People demand Blu Tooth even though, in its most advanced current state, it sounds like shit. People use popular ear buds even though they also sound like shit. People accept lossy compressed sound relays even though they sound like shit. Because people don't care that they sound like shit. They care that they're convenient. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Anthony Bonner Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 The difference is that the economic proposal of most ghost kitchens is pretty crap. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Orik Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 The funniest one was down the block from us. It was a ghost sushi place and after they closed last year I spoke with the owner who told me they had some corporate clients but basically just one client that mattered... WeWork Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Anthony Bonner Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 lol. yeah. I suspect there are a lot of questionable business models out there who are living for now off of other questionable business models. Reminds me of a super cringe-y playground moment from 2019 with a bunch of dads. Thankfully I kept my mouth shut. Super nice earnest-y ex-management consultant "I left BCG/Bain/McK to go do corp dev at wework. Its just such an incredible opportunity. We're really doing something special" Jaded Finance Guy (not me - I swear) - "But isn't that like not a real business? Like arent you just buying long and selling short" (proceeds to explain to the guy why WeWork is preposterous as a business) The rest of us avert our eyes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wilfrid Posted March 14 Author Share Posted March 14 On 11/22/2020 at 12:27 AM, Sneakeater said: I went to Shaun Hergott's Vestry last night. The food was, well, Shaun Hergott. Totally out of step with the current NYC zeitgeist (where even the fucking New Yorker is declaring that fine dining is no longer cool). Well, except maybe a touch less militantly non-local than before. But I just like the way his stuff tastes. And he's got to be one of the best fish chefs around. The service didn't hang together. I think the problem was that there was no continuity; rather, it was like every FOH person was his or her own satellite. As an example, when I arrived, I checked in at the desk. The person at the desk had me shown to a table. And then, a few minutes later, an officious guy appeared at tableside and asked me if I'd talked to anyone yet (the clear implication being that I was someone who had just been walking up the block and decided to sit down). I told him I'd checked in and had been seated -- and would appreciate someone's taking my cocktail order, as my date had given me no particular reason to expect she'd be on time. It continued in like manner throughout the night. You'd tell one server something, and then another server would appear who'd never heard it. I really did like the food, though. But then I always like Chef Hergatt's food. Copious heat lamps. Which is an important consideration these days. They haven't fixed the service yet. We were outside, having determined that the weather finally permitted outdoor dining again (but yes, we needed the heat lamps). They had a few tables dining indoors, and the outdoor terrace was full, but service was slow. One hour fifteen minutes from being seated to getting what used to be called an appetizer, but is now a small plate. Yes, we did eat some nori chips off the "bites" menu in that time, but it's still a long time. Servers were absent for long periods too: I had to flag down a manager to order a glass of wine. The food when it came was good; less tweezered and complicated than Juni or SHO, but a lot of pretty colors. About $100 per person all included (but one person wasn't drinking). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve R. Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 Think of the positive side -- your photography has gotten much better. 😇 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sneakeater Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 It's annoying how few places will take outdoor reservations for one person. I get the business reasons for this, and I sympathize and even support them. But then stop trying to make me feel guilty for not "supporting" the industry by eating out enough. The industry won't let me! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
small h Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 We need outdoor bar seating. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sneakeater Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 And just to expand on this: where has it been announced that it's a good idea to eat out with people outside your "pod"? I mean, I still go on dates with my GFs, cuz like I gotta. But the idea that I have to do something that all health authorities tell me is risky in order to book a table in most places just seems wrong. Well, no. As I said, what seems wrong is that the industry seems to be trying to guilt me for not doing it. Where do they think we are? Florida? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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