My wife and I ate at The Milling Room last night. We had the grilled octopus, white bean soup, bay scallops (special) and cod. We enjoyed all the dishes very much. A 2009 Rhys Alpine PN paired nicely. We would definitely go back.
Anyone eaten at Racineâs yet? http://www.racinesny.com/ Been getting some good press and several of us know Arnaud Tronche and his lovely wife Laure.
Yes, I had a lovely dinner at Racines a few weeks ago. Great wine list, and Arnaud is very warm and welcoming. The list is more Wine Disorder than Berserker, but I like that.
Yep. Great people, food and wine. But, Michel, when folks in Orange County are going gaga over Vouvray and Poulsard, than Berserkers will have no trouble fitting in there. ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Ditto, but Iâll add that it is possible to hear your dinner companions speak! A rarity in nyc these days.
Brad now & then is right. My wife who taught food service management at the college level wouldnât think of checking out a new restaurant till it was open at least a month. Glitches & bugs take time to work out.
I donât agree with Brad, based on my experience in the last few years in NY. With the number of reviews getting written based on meals in the first month after opening and chefs jumping ship merely weeks after opening, I think restaurants generally (but with several big exceptions!) peak in their first month. Didnât always used to be this way.
I think the tactics of these new restaurants, which are greatly in need of attention early on to get word of mouth going, are a large part of the problem. They hire publicists to get the word out fast and early to get the critics in. Then, when the critics do come in response, the critics are blamed for arriving âtoo early.â
John Mariani on his blog recently reviewed the Milling Room. You donât think he just stumbled in there on his own, do you? (By the way, he really liked it!) People like Mariani and other well known critics are hounded by the publicists restaurants hire. If restaurants donât want to be reviewed so early, donât hire the publicists to get the critics in asap. In this day and age, with blogs, etc., thereâs a great value in âscoopingâ the other reviewers. He or she who gets there first, wins.
After the restaurant has achieved 2 or 3 reviews from well known critics, the other reviews almost âdonât matterâ and every critic wants to be the first to get their review in.
anybody have experience with carbone? pretty pricey, even for nyc and not sure i want to deal with celebrities and a doorman. but iâve heard really good things about the food.
so, is it worth it?
Foodâs good, definitely expensive, fun atmosphere, I donât think the celebs want to deal with you any more than you want to deal with them. Thereâs not really a doorman or anything, just a tough reservation (I assume itâs still that way). Glad I went once but have no interest in going back on my own dime - Iâd rather go to Parm.
For the local ramen-heads: Ivan Ramen is near the top in this latest âbest in the cityâ list from NY Times.
I have to say Ivan Ramen in the Lower East Side was pretty damn tasty. My half-Japanese wife, who is pretty critical of all things ramen/sushi, was very impressed, as was I. Having a corkage policy makes this even more interesting.
Anyone care to babysit while we go slurp ramen and wine?
agreed michel. my 1st visit to the lower east side ivanâs was really impressive. triple pork triple garlic mazeman and the daikon are awesome and i canât wait return and eat through more of the menu.
Finally made it to The Milling Room on Thursday night. Overall a very good evening & impression. Notes as follow:
Room/ambiance - weird room for sure. Feels like being in some sort of Epcot Center like restaurant with the huge vaulted skylight. Noise was not bad. Tavern/bar area up front is cozier/noisier.
Service - very good bordering on excellent.
Prices - quite reasonable for the quality. Corkage is $30.
Food - some highs, some not so highs. The octopus and sweetbreads as appetizers were excellent. Skirt steak was serviceable at best. Duck breast was huge (almost looking more like a loin) and flavorful but a bit tough even though it was cooked medium rare.
Like I started off with, overall a good impression and a positive addition to the UWS. Tuesday is $0 corkage night.
Another thumbs up for Marta. We had lunch there yesterday and I had the cuttlefish appetizer and the carbonara pizza with white truffles. I brought a 1998 Giacosa Falletto which was fantastic with the pizza. I noticed several orders of ribs being served and they looked great - next time. I offered a glass of the Giacosa to the lovely somm, and she accepted and appreciated it.
FinallyâŚ
Made it to Blanca and wow! Amazing meal, space and experience.
I have not been yet because I was told they would not do meat substitutions.
I ran into Chef Mirarchi in Paris recently and asked politely if he could do a Pescetarian friendly menu for us and he said of course.
This particular night was a collaboration with Zev Rovine. One of the few times I have not regretted going with the wine pairings.
Anyone have a sense of how hard it is to get a table at Marta as a walk-in?
Have a last minute trip into NYC next Monday and might have time for Marta. They have no reservations open until late Jan.
Could I get lucky off-peak with a late lunch or very early dinner. Table of 6.
Thanks.
Dennis -I think it would be tough. The place is packed, and we went for a 2 PM lunch on Saturday. It was jumping but we were seated right away with our reservation.
Thanks, Diane.
I thought it might be tough.
We may try either around 2 or right after 5 and see if we can get lucky.
If you are willing to eat at The Pizza Bar that is all walk in. Try to be as âoff peak hourâ as you can. It is worth the trouble.