Pete Wells breaks his goose egg streak by awarding a onespot to Dan Silverman and his sprawling Standard Grill at the Standard Hotel. It's big, it's beyond noisy, it's crowded as can be, but the food isn't overshadowed by the scene:
It is not the place I would send friends who want to study the latest contortions of the yoga masters of haute cuisine. But it is exactly where I would direct anybody who needs to recharge by plugging straight into the abundant, renewable energy source that is downtown Manhattan......With 100 seats in this room, another 100 in an even noisier antechamber, and 85 more on the sidewalk, it is a marvel that the kitchen reliably bangs out solid, flavorful food. Mr. Silverman...may be overqualified for cooking at a mess hall. But, as in archery, high-volume restaurants must aim above the bull’s-eye to allow for the effect of gravity.
So why the one? Namely, some erratic portion sizes, a list of service flubs, and some varoious unexplainable oddities: "Does any of this make sense? No. Does it, against the odds, add up to a worthwhile restaurant? Absolutely." [NYT]
Ryan Sutton isn't so impressed by the new iteration of Aureole: "Christopher Lee, who led Midtown’s Gilt to two- Michelin stars, is to blame for this expensive experiment; Adam Tihany, the designer, is to blame for the interiors...Tables are cramped...Raucous businessmen can raise the sound to unbearable levels.." [Bloomberg]
Adam Platt feels like he's entered the Twilight Zone or in the very least traveled back in time when visiting the opulent FiDi restaurant Sho Shaun Hergatt. He gives it two stars: "...everything about SHO Shaun Hergatt feels stuffy and slightly passé, as if it happened decades ago, in a strange, gastronomic galaxy far, far away. But as the food begins issuing from the kitchen, it quickly becomes apparent that this is not such a bad thing." [NYM]
Gael Greene files on the new restaurant to open in the old Florent space, Gansevoort 69. While the menu aims to "pay homage to the working class roots of the neighborhood," the prices tell a different story: "$16 for the banana confection, $18 for three small pieces of chicken although just $26 for prime steak...I’d urge a little thought go into the erratic pricing. The relentlessly gentrifying neighborhood still needs a haven for comfort." [Insatiable Critic]
THE ELSEWHERE: Both Kim Severson and Alan Richman file on the deliciousness and the preciousness of Bark Hot Dogs in Brooklyn, Pete Wells finds the decor at Joseph Leonard more impressive than the food, Gourmet's John Willoughby thinks Yerba Buena Perry is better than the original, Jay Cheshes declares Ryan Skeen Allen and Delancey's savior (well, potential savior), Tables for Two talks about the bacon mafia's influence on Joaquin Baca's Brooklyn Star, Robert Sietsema is surprised to find Taiwanese food in Bay Ridge at Island of Taiwan, and Sarah DiGregorio thinks some of the ideas behind Michael Huynh's LES beer garden Bia Garden are half baked.
THE BLOGS: Ed Levine doles out a C+ to Dallas BBQ (?), eateryROW can't fork out too much praise for Gansevoort 69, PinkPigNYC finds the food at Permanent Brunch "well enough made," BoozyNYC deems Dutch Kills worth a visit if you're in the area (but are you ever in the area?), The Hungry Roach finds a lot to love at the East Village's Poco, and The Girl Who Ate Everything is in awe of Shopsin's.