Comments on: Eleven Madison Park: Overdue for an Extra Star

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:28:43 +0000

Well, now it’s on to Michelin! Time to start gunning for a triple macaron.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:28:20 +0000

I see you and Bruni agree on the restaurant as the embodiment of Meyer’s finer dining ambition and on noting Humm’s virtue of focusing on a single restaurant, versus some of the more senior chefs in the City. You’re both on the same page about the improvement arc as well. I guess you could call the suckling pig Humm’s signature dish, but as Bruni indicates, but I’m not sure we can credit him as a trendsetter in the same way as Boulud, JG and the other big boys.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:08:02 +0000

The one thing Bruni doesn’t talk about is the struggle to fill seats, which seems to have been an issue in the last few years. I remember brunch service being set up then cut, presumably for lack of business. I also remember some really empty rooms at lunch time and on M-Th dinners. Maybe private dining covered the costs, but I can’t imagine there’s been much of that since the market meltdown. In any case, I hope the fourth star will add enough out of towners to fill the spots during the lulls.

By: tigerdog

tigerdog — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:25:00 +0000

BB: I don’t count myself as a regular, in part for money reasons–as you suggest–but also because of time constraints. Unless you’re entertaining clients for work, independently wealthy AND childless or old enough to leave kids at home, it’s hard come up with three or four hours on a weeknight to spend in a restaurant of this quality and price with any regularity. Given the choice, I would happily do so every couple of weeks, but that’s just not an option at this stage of life. Fortunately, I can and do make a visit once per season, which is more than enough for now.

By: Bloviating Blogger

Bloviating Blogger — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:06:16 +0000

I have to think the restaurants that the blog world knows least well are those at the top of the price scale. How many Masa/Daniel/Jean Georges/EMP regulars are there out there writing up their meals or taking digital pictures? The average income of a four-star restaurant regular is well beyond that of most of us who spend time on the Chow/Serious Eats/Eater circuit. Yes, everyone seems to post their special occasion dinners out from the big names, but those places need folks for whom our special occasion meal is a regular meal and our fancy wine is vin ordinaire. And yes, the name bloggers have gotten some extraordinary access to the big restaurants in the past few years, which may yield some insight, but with no press ethics to worry about when it comes to freebies, they are the easiest press in the world to seduce with comped meals. In short, I think EMP merits the bump. I just think most of us are bloviating a bit in going on about a restaurant we have all likely visited far fewer times than the neighboring Shake Shack or Sripraphai or a dozen other places at which the foodie/food blogging world really does constitute a substantial part of the customer base.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:33:41 +0000

Hey FaHFS, to riff on your new tagline “The unread blog is not worth writing.” It took me way to long to find you through the usual search engines. Get your name out there on the major food sites so you can stop hiding so far back on the Google searches. Best wishes from a longtime fan.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:59:35 +0000

No Bruni on EMP? Good. We’re better off without a lameduck 4 for EMP. It needs that review from a critic in his prime not a book flacker at the exits. In the meantime, we can enjoy the food without the reservation problems.

By: Yorkville Slurper

Yorkville Slurper — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:54:06 +0000

So I hear Bruni’s reviewing Union Square Cafe. Whatever he has to say about USC, it just doesn’t register for me any more as one of the central restaurants in the City, despite the high Zagat’s rating. Compared to its peak years with Michael Romano, now it just doesn’t enter the food dialogue anywhere near as much as Meyer’s other places.

Then again, I haven’t been there much since Quagliata took the reins. I know he’s redone the menu, and I wonder about the decor and uniforms, which also needed a change. Something about those candystriper shirts just looked pre-Millenial.

By: Mary M.

Mary M. — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:23:02 +0000

It’s always looked like a 4-star space, and an American one at that, so now it’s nice to see the food finally matching the ambitions of the decor. I was a fan of Heffernan’s food, but I never thought the room was a good match for him. It fits Humm much better.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 23:38:46 +0000

I agree, but I’d also say drop one star off Daniel. Haven’t had a dish there that wowed me in my last three visits. Of course, it does look great.