Come tomorrow, Tribeca's Devin Tavern will have been on the Deathwatch for an unlucky 13 weeks. An accomplishment in that it's beaten our initial project of shuttering by Labor Day, sure. But the venue remains a sorry sight in other regards. In an what can only be described as a PR misplay, the restaurant drops two bits of gimmickry today, both of which are so thoroughly drenched with the stink of death you'd think the place was already a rotting corpse. Let's have a look.
1) First up, Jennifer Leuzzi for the Sun pens a sympathy story for the restaurant, the focus of which is its new, incredible "Cordial Box of Liquid Truffles," meant to be a post-dinner treat at $20 for a box of six. Liquid truffles, in case you don't know, are "fruit-infused liqueurs and chocolates are blended together, placed in the freezer and then strained." Strained is probably a good word here. The owner's thought process: if I can't get more diners into my restaurant, perhaps I can better up-charge the ones that I do have. [NYS]
2) Hey! Devin's got a new fall menu! Featuring "Tavern Selections"! Once again, the word strained is useful. An excerpt from the release we got today:DEVIN TAVERN LAUNCHES SIGNATURE "TAVERN SELECTIONS"...Devin Tavern, New York's upscale tavern serving hand-crafted American cuisine, launches its new fall menu showcasing "Tavern Selections." These selections include six signature items that are new interpretations of tavern classics." Things that don't cause us to question our deathwatch sentence: "SUCKLING PIG REUBEN with garlic soup, and fried cauliflower."
Devin Tavern
Status: DEATHWATCH
Time on the 'Watch: 13 weeks
Prognosis/Analysis: Against all odds, Devin survived the summer, but man is the clock ticking on this one. Cocktail and menu stunts don't work, and so we should see a temporary closure followed by name change just about any day now.
