August 16, 2006
Wednesday Food News: Early Edition
Bruni hits Jean Georges' "fringe players," Mercer Kitchen and Vong. Between the two, Vong emerges victorious with one star: "you keep wondering if the food they deliver is really as it should be and all that it could be, if the restaurant is receiving Mr. Vongerichten’s most considered judgments . . ." while Mercer Kitchen rates a mere "satisfactory": Bruni calls their menu an "ethnically indistinct assortment of dishes with enough pro forma salads and sides to make you question the point of Mr. Vongerichten’s involvement, beyond the cachet it lends the restaurant and the money it presumably brings him." Sounds like J-G has some work to do. Eater was way off the mark this week on the betting.
The liquor licenses have finally arrived! Both E.U. and The Orchard have been granted liquor licenses, according to Florence Fabricant. The Orchard will be serving Labor Day and the E.U. will reopen in September with beer and wine only.
Zak Pelaccio shares his delectable recipe for pork and watermelon salad. We're drooling already.
Steve Cuozzo visits Planet Thailand 212 and adds it to the list of uninspired Thai restaurants in what is otherwise a thriving restaurant city: "There's better Thai food in the California desert. . ."
The New Yorker's Table for Two visits Julieta Ballesteros' Crema, and goes gaga over their chili-infused warm chocolate cake.
And it's the peak of tomato season: get recipes and tips for picking the best of the crop from the Daily News, and the Post profiles Tim Stark, from the Eckerton Hill Farms' stand at the Union Square Greenmarket, who supplies tomatoes to some of the best restaurants in town.
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I will write this review in "Bruni Style"= going off subject from time to time...
I have eaten hear at Vong many times. It is a Friday lunch hour staple. The Duck rolls, Lobsters with Thai sauce, Chicken soup with coconut milk and of course that Molten Chocolate Cake are all to die for. Tasty as hell. The service has been very good as well. Very attentive, cheerful, and accommodating. The decor has an exotic, orient kind of feel to it. The dining room has a few alcoves for parties of 3-5. Very cozy and warm.
I have also eaten at Mercer Kitchen more than once, Spice Market more than once and all of my experiences with the food and service were tasty and friendly. No snootiness-what so ever. (Maybe they aren't so friendly to Mr Bruni, because they already know what is becoming more predicable in the paper...) The spices, seasonings that this genius of a chef has come up with is impeccable. Please keep in mind that the Restaurants are all DIFFERENT-with the exception of Perry St, which is a "greatest hits" of the Jean-Georges Restaurant. He is NOT mass producing the same 20 or so dishes at Jean-Georges at all 8 restaurants.
Back in 2004 an Amander Hesser-food critic of the NYT back then-wrote a book. Mr Vongerichten - the owner and exec chef of these restaurants- wrote a blurb in that book. Ms Hesser responded in kind by writing an unwarranted 3 star review of Spice Market. 2 Stars is more like it. (Very noisy place-more of a place to hang with large groups.)
Ever since then, Mr Bruni-critic of current at the NYT has been trying to "correct" this by consistently knocking most of Jean-George's restaurants. (Perry St may have been salvaged) I find this to be a 180 degree turn from Ms Hessers remarks from 2004 and not anymore acceptable.
It is a shame that I no longer can trust Mr Bruni's judgement on Mr V's restaurants. He will be opening more of them over the next decade - to be sure. I hope there are other critics at this organization that can provide an objective criticism of the restaurants themselves.
Mr Bruni keeps beating this dead horse of the chef/owner spreading himself too thin. ENOUGH ALREADY. It is nice for people all over the world to get the chance to enjoy the explosion of flavors that this chef bring to fish, poultry, duck, Fois Gras, beef, lamb, quail, sushi and sashimi.
It is paramount that objectivity is not compromised when reputations and hard work are effected.
So the question begs to be asked:
What does Mr. Bruni have against Mr Vongerichten? And the fact that Mr V is gainfully employed - figure into the resentment