What's not on your list

[Miguel Gierbolini]

By the length of these lists, you guys are going to be eating home a lot.

That reminds me, where is Marcus? He would LOVE this thread.

Weird how the brain works. I was wondering also where he went.

[Wilfrid1]

I have his e-mail, I'll give him a wave.

[marcus]

OK, I'll bite.

 

This is a sincere personal statement, and I have no agenda. I am a lifelong NYC resident, born in Brooklyn, schooled at Columbia, and no youngster.

 

Our recent trip across Northern Spain from Pamplona to Santiago helped clarify what I find compelling in a restaurant. This region is not known as one of the world's great food areas, nor were any of these restaurants among the best in the world. However in some, not all, of the restaurants, such as Echaurren in Ezcaray, Estella del Bajo Carrion in Villoldo, and Casa Marcelo in Santiago, excellent raw materials were treated with respect and the dishes provided bright and clear flavors and simple pleasures. It made me recognize why I don't appreciate Hearth with its muddy flavors. Nowhere did I see the extreme overuse of garlic which destroyed a number of the dishes that we had at Landmarc this past Friday evening. Cooking was also accomplished without dousing with sugar, a very common NY restaurant practice; I might even call sugar NY's secret ingredient, e.g. the caponata at Otto.

 

I have reached the point where, except for some ethnic restaurants with tasty food and prices so low that one has limited expectations, there is no restaurant in NY that I consistently find exciting, or excellent, or even worth going to on a regular basis. I have had some very good meals at Bouley, once in a while, and at Le Bernardin, but not in recent years, but this is saying very little, considering NY's international restaurant reputation. Of the restaurants that I've been to that have been mentioned on this thread as "not on your list", I can agree with just about every one.

 

So my bottom line is that I've reached the point where I just don't find that there is anything worthwhile to discuss. It is a fairly pointless exercise for me to go to restaurants that others may recommend, and explain why I don't like them. I do understand what other people see, and why I see it differently. I make no claim to being objectively correct.

[banh cuon]

Thanks for your thoughts; I completely agree with you, Marcus. Especially about the sugar abuse in savory preparations. Oftentimes I think I'm eating dessert for all three courses.

 

Recently I've been finding myself cooking at home most nights and only going out for ethnic cuisines which I have not learned how to cook properly myself. I've turned my focus to trying to source the best restaurant-quality ingredients and preparing dishes myself since I've been disappointed so many times at higher end restaurants with preparations such as meat and seafood that has been carelessly cooked. Eaten on fine china with proper stemware, I find that homecooked meals can be infinitely pleasurable, vastly exceeding the restaurant experience. Plus, not paying the wine markups means I can drink much better wines in the comfort of home than I would shell out for at a restaurant!

[wingding]

And even as someone who's spent the past 8 years working in restaurants,I find myself agreeing,in part,with the last two posts.I'm happier cooking at home,spending money on good ingredients,treating them simply,and buying tasty wines that I wouldn't be able to afford in restaurants.The high end experience,in particular,is lost on me.I don't want 3 amuses,6 components on top of my fish,8 desserts,and a bag of baked goods to take home,...it's more than necessary,and it's just too damn expensive.An aside...I went to a talk with Ruth Reichl a month or so ago,and someone asked her what her 'mission' was at Gourment at this point.She immediately replied "To get more people to cook at home"...

[Rail Paul]

Marcus, do you think the change in scenery and, perhaps, activity, in Spain sharpened your senses compared to NY?

 

I've found that my taste buds and appreciation tend to be much sharper when I'm traveling or engaged in unusually strenuous activity.

[Wilfrid1]

Thanks for contributing, Marcus.

 

The seditious thought I have had a number of times this year has been that inexpensive dishes from an unpretentious restaurants frequently beat their pricier equivalents hands down. Now, this won't surprise many people, but it is drilled into some of us diners so relentlessly that special ingredients plus high skill equals great food that it still has the capacity to surprise me.

 

I mentioned recently the goulash at the humble Ukrainian restaurant, which was just better tasting and more texturally interesting than boring, predictable meat dishes at much more expensive restaurants. There is also little doubt that some of the things I ate at the Red Hook ballfields (and some of the things I expect to eat at BBQ NYC) will be more enjoyable than whatever the latest twist is on BLT Craft, or 'primewitch, or whatever.

[MyKong]

Relunctant to go to any Mario Batali restaurant, even though I have not dined at Babbo. Too much hype.

[g.johnson]

Relunctant to go to any Mario Batali restaurant, even though I have not dined at Babbo. Too much hype.

A mistake, IMO. Babbo is by far the best of his places and probably the only one that does live up to the hype (particularly the pasta).

[Elissa]

Babbo's black tagliatelli especially worth the trip & the pork chops fairly incredible should you be in the mood. I like their approach to pork and offal in general and simply love that tongue salad, and the octopus...Babbo merits the hype, ask me.

 

Great pastas at Lupa too (and nice light first courses - yes I know I must have mentioned the divine escarole salad here 1400 times) & I usually find that the little veg and fish dishes at Otto are damn good.

 

Spotted Pig otoh has failed to impress me. Mono and Jamon I haven't been back to in months though I hear they've improved. Bistro du Vent perfectly avoidable. Crudi at Esca can be divine and a nice wine list, but I wouldn't race over. Unless you're with a VIP there, these 4 all seem to me like a dodgy bet.

[Wilfrid1]

The reports about that one staff member alone keep me away from Babbo. Not worth the risk. I have a bad temper.

[MyKong]

Relunctant to go to any Mario Batali restaurant, even though I have not dined at Babbo.  Too much hype.

A mistake, IMO. Babbo is by far the best of his places and probably the only one that does live up to the hype (particularly the pasta).

Okay... you are probably right. But, I am still not willing to endure the reservation process, or dine at 5:30 pm... I guess I am just bored with MB, though I do enjoy cooking from the Babbo cookbook. (G and I cook from it all the time (when weren't living scattered across 3 states and 2 apt.)

[Daisy]

Relunctant to go to any Mario Batali restaurant, even though I have not dined at Babbo.  Too much hype.

A mistake, IMO. Babbo is by far the best of his places and probably the only one that does live up to the hype (particularly the pasta).

Okay... you are probably right. But, I am still not willing to endure the reservation process, or dine at 5:30 pm... I guess I am just bored with MB, though I do enjoy cooking from the Babbo cookbook. (G and I cook from it all the time (when weren't living scattered across 3 states and 2 apt.)

Otto worth a trip for the salumi, cheese and gelati. But off hours are best.

[Steve R.]

Thanks for contributing, Marcus.

 

The seditious thought I have had a number of times this year has been that inexpensive dishes from an unpretentious restaurants frequently beat their pricier equivalents hands down. Now, this won't surprise many people, but it is drilled into some of us diners so relentlessly that special ingredients plus high skill equals great food that it still has the capacity to surprise me.

 

I mentioned recently the goulash at the humble Ukrainian restaurant, which was just better tasting and more texturally interesting than boring, predictable meat dishes at much more expensive restaurants. There is also little doubt that some of the things I ate at the Red Hook ballfields (and some of the things I expect to eat at BBQ NYC) will be more enjoyable than whatever the latest twist is on BLT Craft, or 'primewitch, or whatever.

Not that I dont appreciate a "high class" meal at times, but I've had so many poor expensive ones that I find it hard to keep trying. Twenty years ago I had a similar reaction to Broadway shows and began going almost exclusively to off-Broadway. I've since compromised and go to both, although I still find myself disappointed too often with the "big shows". My last foray to reasonably well regarded Danube left me feeling that something was missing from it (or from me) and, although I enjoyed Felidia a couple of years ago, I didnt leave with the awe I feel after a slice at DiFara or some of the Red Hook items. Maybe I'm just out of my league at these places or the pressure takes too much away from what I love most about eating. And maybe it's not me but them.

 

I like the really inexpensive finds the most, but I also seem to really appreciate the $80/couple places that, although usually with major flaws, can really excell at something or other. That seems to be enough for most nights.

 

As for cooking/eating at home, I wonder if the stove is plugged in and where I'd store all the things in it.

[Orik]

Can someone come up with a week of dining in nyc (at any price level) that's nearly guaranteed to contain no major problems in cuisine or service?