On the House is Eater's semi-regular column that goes behind the scenes of the restaurant business, written by the owners, operators, chefs and others who make our favorite establishments tick. Today, we welcome longtime OTH masters Dave Chang, of Momofuku, and William Tigertt, of Freemans, back to the table.
Two of the best-loved posts in Eater history involve On The House, and Mr. Frank Bruni. In 2006, William Tigertt penned an epic three-part On The House post [1, 2, 3] documenting, in gory detail, his experience being reviewed by Frank Bruni—a review process that took Tigertt and his Freemans team from panic to excitement until it ultimately ended in the dreaded goose egg. A year later, Dave Chang chronicled the brutal process of BruniWaiting on the eve of the first formal review of Momofuku Ssam Bar.
Here's what they had to say to us today, on the advent of Bruni's announced departure:
William Tigertt: "It's no secret that Bruni and I never saw eye to eye. I'm ready for a less writerly reviewer that isn't always focused on an witty angle for every review and pays more attention to the wine & beverage programs. At the same time, you have to give him his due. Bruni held court over a very interesting boom period of the NYC restaurant scene for better or for worse. The climate has definitely changed now and this may be a good way to mark that transition. I wish him the best of luck with the book and the literary critics. Publishing is almost as hard of a gig as restaurants."
Dave Chang: "Everything is different, but the same...things are more moderner than before...bigger, and yet smaller...it's computers...San Dimas High School football rules!"
Thank you, sirs. We've got many more responses rolling in; please remain tuned to this station for the duration of the afternoon.
· On the House: Tigertt's Bruni Journal, Part 1 [~E~]
· On the House: Tigertt's Bruni Journal, Part 2 [~E~]
· On the House: Tigertt's Bruni Journal, Coda [~E~]
· On the House: Chang's BruniWaiting [~E~]
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