I think the press here is a bit misleading - St. Urban was caught in an uncanny valley of the New York wine scene. It catered to a New York wine drinker that doesn’t really exist - one who really wants wine pairings along with a 7 course meal. That’s a bit of a gimmick, and people who want a 7 course meal want to pair that with wine that they want, whether off the list or from their own cellars.
The review doesn’t understand this - it compares wine prices at St. Urban to wine prices at Daniel, which isn’t a comparison any New York “oenophile” would make. The reviewer’s perspective on the “high end” wine scene in New York often reminds me of the wine scenes from Frasier, which is a shame, as he’s quite good on the general vibes of NYC restaurants (he comes to his current job by way of Paris, natural wine bars and fashion).
The restaurant is coming back in a new form and I hope it’s in a version that’s more approachable - I’ve been and I hope it does well.
I’ll be in NYC for just a few hours tomorrow. I have to run an errand in Chelsea when I get off the train around 11. Then I have coffee with a client at 3pm in the Empire State Building. Obviously, I should have lunch somewhere in between, and it should not take me too far out of my way, though a short subway ride is no problem. It must be light, fish and vegetables preferred, with no heavy sauces, and not about wine, though a glass could be forgiven. I have many favorite lunch spots in NYC and boroughs, but am having trouble with this particular slots constraints. Bar Room at the Modern, maybe. One of the decent sushi places in Chelsea for sashimi. Naro is a bit much. Open to ideas. Just good enough to please, but not good enough to linger and over indulge. Thoughts welcome, or I’ll end up brown bagging it from home.
just came back from a rather delightful dinner with a friend in town at dean’s. we’re fans of the lei/king group and assumed this would be another strong project. we ordered the scallops, lettuce salad (coronation salad), the fish and chips and a special roast chicken with some curry concoction. for dessert, a blackberry and syrup pudding. everything was delicious…no surprises but perfectly enjoyable.
service was perfect across the board from foh to the sommelier to our server and runners. bustling and small and loud but we had a nice table and id recommend it.
It’s very true, lunch is hard. Here in Philadelphia, too.
Her Name is Han looks great, but that would never be a light meal for me - partly the food, partly the lack of self-control of the diner! It’s in my file for the future, though. Thanks!
Out of curiosity, I just put your ‘prompt’ into Gemini and it suggested Momoya Chelsea, Il Pesce, KazuNori, Zaytinya and Sugarfish. I’ve not eaten at any of those. But I do find it interesting to periodically ask AI questions where I know the answers/have a good lay of the land, to gauge how well it does and benchmark expectations for times when I’m less familiar with the landscape.
I walk by the ones on Bleecker and Union Square all the time, they seem to do a bustling business with people ringed around the counters standing in line while others eat. Doesn’t seem all that cozy. But hey, what do I know…
Ended up going to the bar at The Modern for a very nice light restaurant week lunch. Unfortunately/fortunately ran into some old wine buddies and had more wine than intended! But that really fun time wouldn’t have happened if I’d brown bagged it.