Unlike some of the world’s other great chefs, Eric Ripert has not franchised his name. Yeah, he’s got the requisite cookbooks and the website; he seems to do some Cuisinart toaster-oven promoting; he collects his honors and awards. But considering his culinary achievements and his rock-star potential, it seems as if the man actually avoids attention.
When Ripert puts his name on a new restaurant—and, beyond his New York flagship, Le Bernardin, he’s only done it for three Ritz-Carlton restaurants, including this one—you can bet that it’s not going to be a glorified casual-dining concept, and it’s not going to be a margin factory trying to do 500 covers per evening.
Westend Bistro is the restaurant that you would have him open in a fantasy world. It’s casual, it’s accessible, and it’s about as close as you can get in the United States to Le Bernardin’s level of execution at… [More]
9.6 CityZen
9.6 2 Amys Pizza
9.5 Minibar
9.4 Makoto
9.4 Westend Bistro
9.3 Obelisk
9.2 Vermilion
9.2 Poste Moderne Brasserie
9.1 Adour
Top French: [More]
Believe the hype: like a secret little package that arrives by air mail from Tokyo, this tiny chef-driven hideaway is making some of the best Japanese food on the East Coast.
“Quirkily austere” would be one way to describe the bright, simple environment that lurks behind a humble entrance and anteroom, in which you are admonished if you don’t take off your shoes and don slippers. Another way, for some people—especially those who are princess-and-the-peaish—would be “uncomfortable.” Just a small handful of four-tops, plus a row of (preferable) counter seats with a view of the action in the kitchen and at the sushi bar, make up the entirety of this restaurant.
As such, even in an economic downturn, you’ve got to reserve weeks ahead and battle it out with all the Japanese embassy people, the visiting dignitaries, and of course the food tourists—suffice it to say that the place has… [More]
Britain’s Sun recently reported that supermarket giant Tesco sold two bottles of counterfeit Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuissé, distributed by Hatch Mansfield, to a customer named Danny McGowan of Clacton, Essex, who described the fake bottle as having a label that “looked photocopied.” Apparently, the bottle was on sale for £5, down from a usual £14.49. (As of this writing, the Pouilly-Fuissé was on the price list at the Tesco website for £12.99.)
The Sun article, which was sent my way by the illustrious wine-counterfeiting scholar/economist Günter Schamel (whose work I’ve previously discussed here), has the amusing title “You Plonkers” and an equally amusing photo of a nonplussed McGowan.
The most unusual thing about this story is that while has been much discussion of counterfeit wine in the high-end rare and fine wine market—Jefferson bottles… [More]
