Eater.com wonders if Eleven Madison might be the one before Bruni retires: http://eater.com/archives/2009/07/cowntdown_bruni_will_emp_be_the_next_four_star.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
They deserve it…wine, service, and food are all worthy.
So, what does Bruni have left, something like 4 reviews? It will be interesting to see!
A lot of restaurant people are on pins and needles right about now.
In my humble opinion, Bouley deserves it more than EMP, but I think they both probably belong at 3 stars.
Agreed. That said, I haven’t been in a while, but I doubt service & food quality have dropped much.
Not only have they not “dropped much” they are even better…they are working very very hard for four stars. They are better than ever IMHO.
I’ll let you know on Saturday. This thread has made me call for a RSVP for a Friday night dinner. It’s been WAY too long and I need to spoil myself.
Had the 11 course tasting last night and it was RFD (re f’ing diculous) good.
the halibut was simply the best halibut (maybe even best fish course) I have ever had
the tomotoes were nuts and I typically dont eat tomatoes.
Caviar and lobster to start.
the Nova Lobster was awesome, the foie gras was like butter.
Drank a recomended Chard, Demol (i think) and byob’d a bottle of Atlantis Syrah!!! which rocked.
one of my top 3-5 dinning experiences ever including Taillevent, Gerard Boyer’s resturant when he was cooking and many many others.
I simply could not recommend it more highly but the bill was a killer.
if ssam bar is 3 stars, then EMP is 11. and i friggin LIVE for ssam bar.
as much as i adore EMP, i think that the 4-star nytimes review is rarefied enough that it should only be given to the finest of the finest and i don’t think EMP clearly makes the cut. however, in the context of other Bruni 3-stars, EMP surely over-performs – so much so that it looks ridiculous in that context.
No way. Too inconsistent. But when on, no one can tread in that rarified air.
Agreed, EMP is much better than Bouley. Just my two cents.
I’m up for a Ssam trip…we could call it a WB’s night out!
bruni is reviewing USC tomorrow. got 3 stars last time and it would be a crime to give it 3 again. so maybe a double-review (like last time with EMP and Modern) where USC gets 2 and EMP 4???
should be up on nytimes.com any minute now…
2 for USC. No double-double though…
Mmm, EMP, Sssam Bar, the two places I ate (EMP with Wilf and Ssam with Yaacov) last time in NYC, really doesn’t get a lot more enjoyable than either of those meals.
I’m quite down on top NYC restaurants. Blue Hill, Craft, and to a lesser extent EMP and perhaps a surprise, Gramarcey Tavern, excepted.
But I ate at Daniel last winter and it was perhaps the worst experience I’ve ever had at a top-rated restaurant. Not on one, but on both, wines they tried to upsell me by quoting a wine different from that which I ordered (and for one of the wines that I ordered, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, the sommelier seemed not to have a clue as to what it was) – quite amazing since we were ordering 1.5 bottles for 2, whereas clearly almost everyone else was either not ordering wine or was just taking a glass. Food was ok, but not special.
Really, if you folks in NYC think that the likes of Daniel and Per Se are the height of dining, you need to travel more. I discussed this with a two-star Michelin chef and he laid the problem in part, but not fully, to the fact that you just can’t get top ingredients in NYC.
It’s **. I have plenty of fond memories of USC - back in 1986, the first time I went there, when it was cutting edge, and about 5-6 years ago when I was trapped in NYC due to a snowstorm and we walked down from W. 86th St. along Broadway which had been closed off to vehicular traffic – great fun. Based on my experiences, ** is a little low, *** perhaps, but I have no very recent experience. But it’s always fun, service is good, and the wine list is great.
i left NYC in '87 and never looked back but is USC Union Square Cafe? ate there in 1986/87 a few times, loved the place. had a sexy model give me a lil under-the-table garage there once so i have only fond memories.
Who stated that daniel and per se were the height of dining???
Regardless, Daniel has decent food, but I find that their style is old and tired. Never been to Per Se, and currently have no interest in going. I adore Blue Hill, but it is not 4 star material, at least not yet
Agreed. My two dinners at Daniel were disappointments, and they tried to upsell me on the wine both times (something I find VERY annoying). I’ve only dined at Per Se once (can’t afford more!), and while it was technically brilliant, it lacked soul and warmth. This is something I also experienced at Keller’s French Laundry back in 1998, when I thought the food was well-designed and nice-tasting, but lacked something, that certain je ne sais quoi. In any case, I don’t know anyone who considers either to be the height of fine dining in NYC.
If anything, 11 Mad has taken that spot for most foodies. And my last dinner there last week was just outstanding, in terms of food, wine service, and service in general. As I said in my TN post of the wines we had that night, they are really shooting for that 4th NY Times star.
Went to USC about a month ago and was disappointed. I really don’t see any reason to go back.