Hautiness, Hype and Hospitality
Happy to see that the cover story in today's Personal Journal section has the WSJ's Raymond Sokolov taking to task restaurants which are overhyped, coasting on their PR buzz as opposed to great food and ambience:
Caveat Foodie: We live in a world in which overrating restaurants is as rife as grade inflation in the Ivy League, thanks to what seems like a conspiracy of food writers and gourmets who hype by reflex. Like turf writers who are in the business of picking winning horses, food guides call what they think are the good bets -- and don't waste time on the also-rans. Think about it: When was the last time you read a negative restaurant review in a magazine or a book? And it's no small matter. For those of you not on the brink of marriage or buying a house, picking a restaurant is probably the most expensive decision you'll make this week -- and the gastronomic equivalent of an inflated "A" can lead you astray by hundreds of dollars.
New York spots that he puts in the overrated category:
Restaurant 66, New York
The Rep: Chinese cuisine rethought by a French genius
Our Take: Pale classics presented chicly by overextended cook-entrepreneur
Much about this new Tribeca dim sum palace seems calculated to mislead. We imagined the name meant this was the 66th restaurant to spring, fully formed, from the head of the gifted Jean-Georges Vongerichten. No: It actually refers to the side entrance on 66 Leonard St. We also hoped the giant fish tanks that separate the dining area from the kitchen signaled that their gorgeous salt-water inhabitants were there, as they would in a real Chinese restaurant, to be eaten. Dashed again.
Instead, the kitchen turns out pallid if artfully plated versions of such Chinese classics as Peking duck, scallion pancakes and egg roll. It's the glam presentation -- lotus-seed crust on fried crab -- that separates these pricey nibbles ($4.50 to $14.50 per dish) from the classics you'd find in Chinatown just a stroll away.
Peter Luger Steak House, New York
The Rep: America's best steak
Our Take: Brooklyn's best steak
Peter Luger Steak House is in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, meaning many diners arrive there after a long cab ride from Manhattan -- unless you happen to live in this Hasidic neighborhood and don't mind splurging on non-kosher meat. Securing dinner here also requires the patience to make advance reservations, a tolerance for unreconstructed German saloons with charmless waiters, and the fortitude to overcome your fears of youthful neighborhood predators who must know that well-heeled carnivores are afoot in their turf. (You will be carrying cash; Luger's doesn't accept major credit cards.)
Why do reasonable people go through this exercise in masochism? Red meat must be earned -- and, yes, Peter Luger serves an impeccably broiled porterhouse (