While researching a handful of New York City restaurants last month–as recommended by our restaurant consultants—a Stones-in-the-works story for another day—we loved the design at Fairfax in the West Village.
Small, adorable, bar-groove with food, and a mid-century modern design, a term I had never heard before. (And now can’t stop saying. I know things.)
Begin to say good-bye to the currently ubiquitous “Industrial Chic.”
You heard it here first.
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In Nashua, at the venerable and excellent “You-You” pan-Asian restaurant just off of Exit 6, their short rib dish is described parenthetically as:
“(NOT the traditional braised tender short ribs.)”— emphasized completely with capital letters. For those perhaps unaware, the short-rib beef comes from the rib area–the chuck or plate–and, when cut raw as a steak or otherwise, and grilled, tends to be tougher and chewier, opposed to when the “braised” version which “stews” the meat more tender. It’s obviously Chef’s choice how to serve it.
I wondered; Did the owner get tired of visiting tables that complained that the short ribs “are tough”, or, did he get slammed, most likely on nasty-people-love Yelp?
(Some in our business are fond of saying: “Not all Yelpers are a**holes, but all a**holes are on Yelp.”) . Just sayin’
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On special occasions in the past–birthdays, anniversaries, craving the best steak and service anywhere–we’ve preferred The Capital Grille. In the past I have noted the ultra-luxurious, thick, puffy-soft (and branded!) 3 ply paper-napkins piled neatly on the sinks in the men’s room. And each time, as a most-often financially-prudent restaurant owner I have thought to myself—I love it, but daaamn, sooo expensive! And, well, that’s what you get when dinner is like $100.00+ per person! Well now, fast forward to last night…In celebrating father-in-law Big Jim’s 82nd birthday (daaamn again!), there in the bathroom, in place of all that former WOW factor, was instead, the worst kind of rough and gritty paper. (OK, maybe it wasn’t the worst. It was the gritty-white rather than the gritty-brown variety.) So, what does it mean?? Perhaps someone just forgot to order the good stuff and they subbed in the staff-bathroom paper. Or, perhaps….
Hint: I have told you before. Shit’s happening in the biz…
Note: The check average wasn’t any lower.
Winds of change…
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