I can understand why some people would not like State Bird. Especially if you do not get what they are doing. They did not create the restaurant to have all of the hype it has now. It was just a talented couple who wanted to do their own thing in a unique way in a very unpretentious setting.
As someone who lives in NYC and travels to Europe ~10 times a year and regulary eats out it is for me the most exciting restaurant in the U.S. It is probably hard to see that now with all of the hype - A James Beard Best New Restaurant Award and Bon Appetite Best Restaurant of the year…
And I keep going back over and over which is rare for me.
Nothing in LA remotely comes close. For reference I have been to Melisse, Animal, Red Medicine, Superbra and Providence in the recent past and a few more that I am forgetting.
The closest comparisons I have are Paris and Brooklyn.
Also you can do a smaller tasting menu at the Bar at Saison. You will be hungry afterwards but it is an ok way to check out what they are doing and not have to pay $300+ for the normal menu.
hi robert
i know a lot about your vast restaurant experience and therefore will do my best to get in there. if they have seating at a bar, i will do my best to be the first person on line before they open. i’ve done it at various momofukus and others that require similar strategies and almost always been successful.
thanks
(long time no see at dbgb’s. been to uncle boon’s yet? was wondering what you think.)
Glenn - its really tough. There is usually a line of 20 or so people waiting in line when they open, some with reservations. They do keep some seats for walk-ins and you can put your name on a list and then have a drink somewhere. They are super friendly and try to do their best.
Alan,
Agree on how mixed State Bird is. We just didn’t get the hype & thought it was overpriced for what we ate. Went to Korean after b/c we were all still hungry!
Went to Commonwealth last night. I think it’s worth going to, but I would go back to Nopa and Zuni far sooner than going back here. The kitchen wasn’t completely consistent with a few dishes that didn’t quite come together and a few key execution errors that kept it from being a great experience. One of the dishes was “out of the park” good though. Service was good, not great, staff seemed a bit green.
Went to AQ last night. really interesting food and a clearly passionate chef. Went through a Gordon ramsay style tirade at one point when he was unhappy with how a chocolate pudding (I think) set up. Did stop short of calling people donkeys however.
Had a bay shrimp appetizer with garlic puree and Uni Ice Cream- Really interesting.
Main complaint (there is always one) is that like every dish had a pickled element- I get that this is really popular right now, but it was overpowering in a few spots- Particularly the egg dish- had to pull all the pickled elements to the side- killed the delicate balance between the matsutaki mushrooms and the perfectly poached egg.
thanks for the continued notes scott. the trip draws near and i’m going to hit most of these spots even if just for an app and a quick glass of wine to get a sense of the places.
Four of us had utterly exquisite food at Rich Table and it was a risk as it was our first time and my good friends birthday. Bauer may well be useless but for me he was right on the money here (IMO). My buddy actually wanted to go to State Bird because we had enjoyed it so much on his birthday the year before.We tried everything in the book starting two months out and it was plain ridiculous: we are finished with the joint and this was before it was named best new restaurant in the nation, or whatever that was. And as much as I enjoyed State Bird that one time it is not what I would call a comfortable restaurant.The only other restaurant is this price range that I love is Cotogna.
Update 7 18 13: Well, I returned to Rich Table last night and found the food to be undistinguished in every way. Oh well…
Has anyone been to Baker and Banker? I have wanted to go there for a while. I was in the city last week and happened to walk by it and looked at the menu. It looks so interesting.
Been once, won’t go back. The food was actually very good but we had the waiter from hell. He was aggressively pushing the set menu but insisted that the whole table had to take part. I explained that it wouldn’t work for us because my wife is a vegetarian. He literally sneered at her and stalked off. He came back about 10 minutes later and with a great deal of attitude said that he’d convinced the chef to make an exception as long as the other three of us had the set menu. My friend thanked him for his efforts and in a very nice tone explained that while he was gone we had actually decided on four different entrees. He didn’t say a word, just glared at us while taking our orders. We’d brought a bottle of wine - gladly paying the $25 corkage fee - and at the end of the meal my friend, who is also in the wine business, pulled out a small test tube of something he wanted me to taste and poured it into my empty wine glass. Our surly waiter - who had ignored us throughout the meal - noticed that and added a second $25 corkage fee to our bill. We considered trying to find the manager but in the end we just wanted to get the hell out of there so we subtracted the $25 from the tip and left.
Let me put in my pitch for Zuni Cafe. I just love the place. Part of it may be that there are no similar restaurants in Texas. But everything is simply prepared with impeccably fresh ingredients and very well done. The knock on the place is that “That’s not cooking, that’s shopping.” But I’ll take it any day of the week. Their roast chicken with bread stuffing and salad greens is a simple dish, but I could eat it once a week and never tire of it. I’ve literally never had a bad dish there.
They have a small, but nicely selected list of modestly priced wines. A few prize bottles, but there are probably not more than a dozen or so bottles over $100 on the list (though there may be a few WELL over $100, as I recall a Coche-Dury or two on it the last time I was there.) But just lovely bistro wines made for quaffing with a meal dominate the list.
Needless to say, I love the place.
As to the others on your list, I don’t have a lot of experience, but Slanted Door is a good choice. I generally prefer to go at lunch. Nice view and, while it’s been a while since I had dinner there, I don’t recall radical differences in the menu lunch to dinner. Take advantage of the Rieslings on the list. They match very well with the food.
Bar Tartine is very nice. Enjoyed it a lot. Only one meal at Atelier Crenn, but I really like it a lot. I’d place it very high on any list. Same with RN74, although it’s been a while. I think that exhausts my experience with the restaurants lists unless I’ve missed something.
just went. tasty. pizza aint too shabby. Food isn’t anything special but well put together. 2010 Coche Dury Meursault off the list. $240? Nice price, lower than current retail so we grabbed one.
Mike Miller wrote:Let me put in my pitch for Zuni Cafe. I just love the place. Part of it may be that there are no similar restaurants in Texas. But everything is simply prepared with impeccably fresh ingredients and very well done. The knock on the place is that “That’s not cooking, that’s shopping.” But I’ll take it any day of the week. Their roast chicken with bread stuffing and salad greens is a simple dish, but I could eat it once a week and never tire of it. I’ve literally never had a bad dish there.
They have a small, but nicely selected list of modestly priced wines. A few prize bottles, but there are probably not more than a dozen or so bottles over $100 on the list (though there may be a few WELL over $100, as I recall a Coche-Dury or two on it the last time I was there.) But just lovely bistro wines made for quaffing with a meal dominate the list.
Needless to say, I love the place.
just went. tasty. pizza aint too shabby. Food isn’t anything special but well put together. 2010 Coche Dury Meursault off the list. $240? Nice price, lower than current retail so we grabbed one.
Actually the “shopping not cooking” criticism has also been aimed at Chez Panisse as well.I’m long over both Zuni & Chez Panisse, but not because of that. Zuni used to have some very uncomfortable seating, I’m not sure if that’s still the case but when I am spending that kind of money it will now always be a factor. Chez Panisse just wasn’t all that good the last two times. There is a good deal of competition now, and I think more interesting places to check out. Slanted Door has no longer been a destination for this San Franciscan; I’ll leave it to the tourists, too loud, and a too precious wine list. Like i need to drink Gruner Veltliner. I am definitely interested in trying Bar Tartine again; when it was a Bistro it was ok but now, under a new chef it is Cal-Hungarian, and much liked as a result.
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