Sutton: The 2009 Restaurant Scene Totally Sucked

While Bloomberg's restaurant critic Ryan Sutton does name the top ten newcomers of the year in his end of '09 summation, most of his piece focuses on what a dire time it was for the industry, how disappointed he was in new restaurants, in the untimely shutterings. "This was the year of the mediocre opening and the high-profile closing. That’s somewhat appropriate as we end a decade marked by the loss of old-school behemoths like La Cote Basque, Lutece and La Caravelle," he writes.

After mourning the loss of Fiamma, Tailor, Payard, and Cafe des Artistes, Sutton mentions his best meals this year were at old timers like Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Craft, and Noodle Bar, adding that "Half of New York’s best new restaurants need to be better." Still, there were some bright spots; Aldea, Motorino, Minetta Tavern, Fatty Crab UWS, Marea, DBGB, The Brooklyn Star, The Standard Grill, A Voce Time Warner, and Locanda Verde are called out as worthy additions in a dismal year.
· Hello Hot Dogs, Adieu Des Artistes; Winners, Losers of 2009 [Bloomberg]