le gratin

[Jesikka]

2 hours ago, Sneakeater said:

Not to be argumentative, but just to have what to me is an interesting discussion, I don't think that's right.

Sure, the ingredient costs of offal dishes are lower.  But in conservative New York, you can't make money serving that stuff, no matter how low the ingredient cost (unless the margin is so high you only have to serve one or two a day to make your nut).  Not only don't most people want offal, but it actively drives them away when they see it on the menu (or God forbid somebody else's table).

(I will repeat that all my fuddy-duddy friends on the fuddy-duddy UWS refused to go to White Gold Butcher because so much of what it served was what they derisively called "Mystery Meat".  You can see why it couldn't stay open in that neighborhood.)

So I think that post-Pandemic, menus have gotten much more boring so as to attract (or at least not repel) as many customers as possible.  With cheaper versions of boring raw materials -- say cheaper chickens or less fine standard beef cuts --to get the margins up.  (And of course plenty of vegetable dishes.)  But not with low-cost variety meats.

I don’t think Frenchette is holding back on offal dishes to pull in more customers. And why wouldn’t the cost be covered if you sell 1 or 2? Offal is super cheap, even now. It’s like a bean dish. I don’t remember what Frenchette was charging for the tripe but if it has a 3 in front of it, how could it not pay for a restaurant’s worth? I agree with you in most restaurants in NY right now they’re playing it safe for stability, but I don’t really think Frenchette’s dynamic was / is the same.

 

 

[Jesikka]

On 8/10/2022 at 11:31 AM, rozrapp said:

As we know, Maialino couldn’t reopen because the Gramercy Park Hotel remains closed. db Bistro Moderne is in the City Club Hotel. The hotel is open, so it is strange that Boulud has chosen to keep the restaurant closed

Note: USHG recently announced that Maialino will reopen in the fall in the Redbury Hotel where Marta is located.

The Redbury literally has a crack den in front of it. I do not understand this choice whatsoever.

[Sneakeater]

It's easy:  USG already had space there.  This is replacing two of their restaurants that closed.  It's next to another, Marta, that's still open.

[rozrapp]

While both are in the Redbury, Marta’s address is 29 E. 29th St., which is where its entrance is located while the address for Maialino (vicino) is 30 E. 30th St. So, I presume its entrance is on 30th. 
 

Edited to add: In August, we walked over to Marta to check out their outdoor seating. It’s quite expansive, i.e., takes up much of the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. So, where would the crack den @Jesikka mentions be located?

[Sneakeater]

Yeah, at least one of the other two restaurants (the Roman fried snacks bar) was in the back end of the hotel.

[Sneakeater]

24 minutes ago, rozrapp said:

So, where would the crack den @Jesikka mentions be located?

Under and around the tables.  With the cavorting rats.

[Jesikka]

1 hour ago, rozrapp said:

While both are in the Redbury, Marta’s address is 29 E. 29th St., which is where its entrance is located while the address for Maialino (vicino) is 30 E. 30th St. So, I presume its entrance is on 30th. 
 

Edited to add: In August, we walked over to Marta to check out their outdoor seating. It’s quite expansive, i.e., takes up much of the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. So, where would the crack den @Jesikka mentions be located?

Crack den is somewhere on 29th. Not being a crackhead myself, I’m honestly not sure where, but having used that hotel for out of town team members at a past company (not my idea and something I eventually forced an end to despite the team being wonderful) I can promise freshly high crackheads in front of the lobby entrance at all times day and night. Staff regularly had to get involved in escorting guests around situations. 10 out of 10 do not recommend. 

[rozrapp]

9 hours ago, Sneakeater said:

Yeah, at least one of the other two restaurants (the Roman fried snacks bar) was in the back end of the hotel.

Via the websites, Maialino (vicino) is in the Vini e Fritti space, and the restaurant’s wine bar is in the Caffe Marchio’s space. 

@Jesikka We’ve been to Marta countless times both for lunch and dinner (it’s walking distance from our apartment), have never noticed any strange activities in front of the entrance, or have needed to be escorted by staff “around situations.”