In Harlem, a Tiny Restaurant That Hums

@N. Smith I actually thought his review was pretty enthusiastic. In any case, I went and really enjoyed it, and it's great that you plan to try it out as well.

@John You will have missed a wonderful evening of great food in a very fun setting.

@ Tammi Maine "If the policy bothers you, just choose a different restaurant". -- Exactly. The restaurant is there to serve you for your money, you are not there to fit the restaurant whimsical schedule of sitting, etc.

So excited! I feel the same way- got a reservation for tomorrow night!

@joe I can’t speak for every place here, but in some nicer restaurants I’ve worked in, they wait so that they can make sure everyone is dressed nicely and they have a picture of what the complete party looks like before choosing the table. Another reason I’ve encountered is (especially with parties eventually going to be much larger, like 10-20) they don’t want to give away a table of that size until they know that size shows up. Just two thoughts!

Because you lounging at a table throws off the entire rhythm, flow and timing of the restaurant.

@joe During the first turn of the evening, when the vast majority of guest tardiness occurs, your party is only as on time as your latest arrival. Sure, you may order some drinks and appetizers while you wait for the last guest to show up, but you won’t really begin your dinner until everyone is there. Likewise, the service team and kitchen can’t mobilize and get you into the mix until every guest is there and they know for sure what’s coming. Generally speaking, if 3 out of 4 guests arrive on time for a 6:00pm reservation and you wait a half hour for the 4th, your 6:00pm reservation just became a 6:30pm reservation, and now the 8:30pm table that was booked behind you won’t sit for their dinner until 9:00pm. That next party will, as you can imagine, be justifiably upset about the delay. This will also cost the restaurant directly in terms of comped drinks/food for that second reservation and indirectly in terms of reputation. It is a larger issue, and much more common, than many diners realize. Best advice is whenever your later table is late, be kind to whoever has to break the news to you. Yes, it is deeply frustrating, but there’s an extremely high probability that the delay is caused by this exact situation. If you're partially arrived for your later reservation and you're not sat, your table probably isn't ready yet. Or perhaps there are 3 parties of 4 at 8:30 and only 2 tables available on time, so it's a game of "Who's all here first?"

@Rls But it says in the review that the restaurant eliminated tipping a year ago, so issues about tipping the waitress/owner is a nonissue here. Am I missing something about the point of your comment?

I found the reason for the price rising ludicrous since there isn't a wait staff. I would prefer an honest reason like our margin was too small at lower prices.

Maybe I misunderstood but I read it to mean they increased the price to eliminate the need to tip, as some restaurants have been doing. Meaning the tip is built into the new price.

@Ruth One needs to have either x-ray vision (in order to find the ads' closing "x" button) or have completed a super-sonic speed reading course; it drives me nuts! The captions might merely be excerpts from the review, but they'd still be helpful — if only they could be read.

@Ruth Tap the pic Text comes on Tap again Text goes off

Install an ad blocker. I pay for a subscription and I'll be danged if I'll suffer ads as well.

Small restaurants survive by keeping their seats full and diners have an obligation to “be on time” for their reservation. If a party is late it creates a backlog that affects the remaining reservations for the rest of the evening. This is the reason so many small, popular restaurants don’t take reservations. They simply can’t afford to have the seats empty for late arrivals or incomplete parties.

That's all well and good except sometimes things happen and you or someone in your party is late. If the others are there they should sit and get started so they can finish and get out as close to on time as possible.

Planes, trains, ships & Uber will all leave you behind.

@Melissa Burnette Wishing you the VERY best of luck for your future! Your food sounds divine and I can't wait to try it (if I can ever get a reservation)

@ Melissa Burnette Harlem My dear Ms. Burnette, I wish sincerely to you, Mr. Burnette, and your restaurant "To live long and prosper!", but could you both cover the heavy tattoos on the forearms from the eyes of the guests?

@Tuvw Xyz As soon as I looked at the slideshow and saw tattoos on the restaurant staff I knew that Tuvw Xyz would have something disparaging to say about it - and I was not disappointed. Can Tuvw Xyz please keep his peculiar personal prejudices about tattoos - which are common everywhere now, but maybe especially among kitchen staff - to themselves from now on?

@A Not to change the subject to another restaurant, but our party of six had a very different experience at Sofreh a few weeks ago, as we dribbled in -- three on time, two late, one very late. We were not rushed to order, not rushed out, and the owner-host was very pleasant. Perhaps it helped that we were able to discuss the food with her knowledgeably. Perhaps it helped that one couple had already eaten there several times. Perhaps it helped that it was raining, which keeps people home instead of going out to eat. Which, to generalize for other restaurants including the one reviewed here, is to say that not everyone has the same experience at the same restaurant. Much depends on diners' attitudes and demeanors as well as those of the restaurant. If I am warned about "no incomplete parties will be seated" and a time limit, I may not like it but I also do not see the enforcement of those rules as poor hospitality, rather as business necessities. In any case, I'm there for the food, and if the food is great, I can put up with a lot. (Except too-loud noise.)

@Lori Porges They are in a tough spot, with wafer thin margins, as Pete mentioned. They are probably barely getting by; a large party showing up late throws their economics out the window. But they need the help of a writer, or a PR person, to soften this Open Table caveat. And Madame probably needs to step aside as the front-of-house greeter. Still, we're going midweek, and we can't wait.

@ Carmela Sanford Niagara Falls, New York Thank you for this reminder of the pitfalls and dangers of gastro-tourism. Rather than journeying far for food, recall Palm 37:3, "thou shalt dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed".

@Carmela Sanford. It is only a 12 seat restaurant and their business model depends on full occupancy The owners are operating without any staff and doing everything themselves. It must be incredibly hard work. If diners turn up late in spite of being warned in advance, who is being rude? Why should customers feel entitled to make them operate at a loss?

@Carmela Sanford I'm guessing if one still frequents Felidia and Le Bernardin, then a fly-by-night restaurant in Harlem is probably not going to be your bag. More for us foodies.

@East Roast Seems like the square footage is an important factor in judging whether or not the type of dining experience it engenders is one a potential customer might enjoy. I appreciated its inclusion and found ample information about the food and the owners in the rest of the review.

@Eli Would you prefer that the prices be 25% higher?

@Richard His prices - even with an additional 25% - are very modest. I would never go to any restaurant barely larger than a food truck regardless of the price or the food. Nothing cited from the menu seemed extraordinary, so in that case, hospitality and friendly service matter. Actually McDonald's was the originator of creating uncomfortable seating in order to turn tables quickly which is understandable with cheap fast food.

@Eli As a proprietor, one is able to run one's restaurant however one sees fit. And if customers don't like it, they can eat elsewhere. It's quite common for restaurants to have timed seatings and for diners to get the boot ahead of the next seating. Your comment about what they can afford is embarrassingly arrogant.

@Kent Patel I live nearby. I know neighbors who ate there and were disappointed with the service

@MM I found the service to be warm, efficient, and genuine. I am astonished at the comments being left here by people who haven't even tried the restaurant.

@DCBinNYC that’s a glitch on our site. The announcement was from last year. Thanks for bringing to our attention.