isn't that the point of a tasting menu? that it goes beyond the a la carte menu? it is in my mind so no fault there.
1
"But the central vision tying it all together is fuzzy. The restaurant is somehow less than the sum of its parts."
Okay, it took me a while, but the structure of the review is mimicking the lack of central vision. Brilliant! and you had us fooled for an entire week!
Okay, it took me a while, but the structure of the review is mimicking the lack of central vision. Brilliant! and you had us fooled for an entire week!
3
I usually love Mr. Wells' reviews, but this one could be rewritten with the same content to make it much more positive. The questioning of the coherence of the restaurant vision is found sprinkled throughout the review - I feel like a ping pong ball. For the sake of these great folks, please gather up the "fuzzy" non-positive observations and wrap them into a little paragraph near the end and you will have a very attractive restaurant, both food and atmosphere.
6
``... but the central vision tying it all together is fuzzy.'' Ah, the marvelous tradition of pretension from a critic. In this case it seems the critic thinks the food, drinks, location, etc. a marvel, but, alas, a ``fuzzy'' ``central vision.'' Imaginative, well-prepared food in a beautiful setting is no longer enough. Perhaps the critic in this case would be more at home taking on weightier intellectual matters of literature, art, or even theology; subjects with the sort of depth for which he searches in a restaurant.
10
I wish food critics would stick to what they liked about a restaurant and leave the other stuff to the customers. Restaurants cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions of dollars to open, and its just not fair for one person to give out stars so inconsistently with this kind of broad platform.
8
I'm confused. Should I go?
4
Another restaurant review laden with the preciosity that the 1% who are benefiting handsomely from the latest president must eat up like the goodies being described...one should realise that few people not from the NY area will be enticed there by such sendups touting the splendour of the Gilded Age. We're far too busy protesting the new fascist order to celebrate those who are wallowing in its culinary excess!
6
The food was good. So what is the problem that this inchoate review is trying to reveal?
10
Don't care about desserts. Nor cavernous spaces. So. Guess I won't go.
As several others have suggested, there is something lacking in Pete's review, and it took me a couple of days to put my finger on it. And it is evidently what Pete finds wrong with F&W.
There's an absence of joie de vivre.
Reminds me a bit of dining in a good Swiss hotel dining room, in Zurich or Geneva, or even in the mountains. Everything is perfect. But not quite. The food is good, served from polished copper, but where's the life, the laughter, the fun?
Go into Balthazar at 6:00 o'clock of an evening and you are practically bowled over by the energy and sense of people having fun. The food's pretty good too.
But if Pete is not feeling it, and this review certainly doesn't try to hide his lack if joy, then it just ain't there in the place.
Two stars alright.
There's an absence of joie de vivre.
Reminds me a bit of dining in a good Swiss hotel dining room, in Zurich or Geneva, or even in the mountains. Everything is perfect. But not quite. The food is good, served from polished copper, but where's the life, the laughter, the fun?
Go into Balthazar at 6:00 o'clock of an evening and you are practically bowled over by the energy and sense of people having fun. The food's pretty good too.
But if Pete is not feeling it, and this review certainly doesn't try to hide his lack if joy, then it just ain't there in the place.
Two stars alright.
2
The article was insipid and spiced with the in articulations of a tribesman roasting a goat over dung coals. However, the architectural observations were cooked sous vide and left there.
18
Brand gap.
2
First time in my lengthy life that I couldn't finish reading a
review because of its inanity.
review because of its inanity.
25
Is anybody else starting to feel bored by contemporary restaurant reviews - and menus? They leave me hungry for a nice plate of meat loaf, real mashed potatoes and fresh spring peas.
33
It really would be good to hear more about the food, as that is generally the reason one goes to restaurants. "My service was sometimes jittery, but fast and attentive." Great, that tells me nothing. Pete Wells is becoming one of those NYT reviewers who replies upon his reputation rather than his writing--and telling--skills.
Where is the description of the recommended "Chestnut agnolotti; fluke with radishes; scarlet prawns with mushrooms à la Greque; hot smoked monkfish with beets?"
Time for new blood.
Where is the description of the recommended "Chestnut agnolotti; fluke with radishes; scarlet prawns with mushrooms à la Greque; hot smoked monkfish with beets?"
Time for new blood.
32
Pete, Pete, Peter - when did we start to drift apart? Was it when you gave Eurohip, unaminaginative Cosme 3 stars? When you raved about utterly mediocre Pondicheri? Pumped up that cold, snotty Le Coucou? When you damned Gabriel Kreuther with the same faint praise as F&W (although in fairness you did give GK 3 stars)? I find myself disagreeing with your reviews regularly now, you're getting into the Costanza zone, where the opposite of your every instinct is the correct one.
I was at F&W a few weeks after it opened, and it was lovely. It was early days for the restaurant, and they were still working out a few glitches in service (our wine glasses weren't filled promptly, hostess didn't coordinate the closing of our bar tab properly) but those are teething pains. The food was far better than at Le Coucou, and it was a joy not to deal with the bad attitude of that restaurant (they seem to think that the superciliousness of 1980s French restaurants is a goal to strive for).
I will say that the baked Alaska was not a favorite of mine. To me, it tasted like a Betty Crocker cake with meringue on top. Not memorable. But I did like the wine list and the sommelier was knowledgeable and helpful.
Finally, as others have pointed out, did you like it or not? You talk up the food (deservedly) and then 2 stars. Utterly mediocre restaurants have gotten 2 stars from you recently.
I was at F&W a few weeks after it opened, and it was lovely. It was early days for the restaurant, and they were still working out a few glitches in service (our wine glasses weren't filled promptly, hostess didn't coordinate the closing of our bar tab properly) but those are teething pains. The food was far better than at Le Coucou, and it was a joy not to deal with the bad attitude of that restaurant (they seem to think that the superciliousness of 1980s French restaurants is a goal to strive for).
I will say that the baked Alaska was not a favorite of mine. To me, it tasted like a Betty Crocker cake with meringue on top. Not memorable. But I did like the wine list and the sommelier was knowledgeable and helpful.
Finally, as others have pointed out, did you like it or not? You talk up the food (deservedly) and then 2 stars. Utterly mediocre restaurants have gotten 2 stars from you recently.
39
Well done. The NYT should consider you for Pete's job.
23
Nevermind the racial diversity of the staff. What about that of the clientele? If one is important, why not the other?
22
I don't know how diverse the clientele is in terms of ethnic background, but I'll go out on a limb and suggest that it's totally homogenous in terms of spending power.
26
In Top Chef/Top Chef Master episodes, Colicchio looks real and clever and handles people/situations very appropriately. The dishes at F&W look luxurious, exquisite and expensive. From business perspective, I think it'll do fine.
But somehow I started to think about another restaurant after reading Mr. Pete' review - and that is Candlenut in Singapore- the world's first Michelin-starred Peranakan(AKA Nonya) cuisine. The young chef said lots of people say his food is too old-fashioned, but he decided to cook the way how he grewup eating. The dishes are so elegant but not fancy, most flavorful yet refreshing & fresh. One can easily feel the level of seriousness and attentions the chef puts into the food. Absolutely my most memorable meal of 2016.
If there was such thing called "visceral" between a chef and his food, I felt it in Candlenut. But I'm doubtful about it in F&W.
But somehow I started to think about another restaurant after reading Mr. Pete' review - and that is Candlenut in Singapore- the world's first Michelin-starred Peranakan(AKA Nonya) cuisine. The young chef said lots of people say his food is too old-fashioned, but he decided to cook the way how he grewup eating. The dishes are so elegant but not fancy, most flavorful yet refreshing & fresh. One can easily feel the level of seriousness and attentions the chef puts into the food. Absolutely my most memorable meal of 2016.
If there was such thing called "visceral" between a chef and his food, I felt it in Candlenut. But I'm doubtful about it in F&W.
5
Call me cray, but a "stunning" room, "superb" food, a "welcoming" wine list, desserts that end meals "on a high note" and "attentive" service from a "noticeably diverse" staff...and this place didn't get 3 stars because...
Wells says it's hard to figure out what the Fowler & wells experience is supposed to be. Isn't it supposed to be about all of the above?
Wells says it's hard to figure out what the Fowler & wells experience is supposed to be. Isn't it supposed to be about all of the above?
62
Two stars is very good. That's good enough for me! But I agree with you, Monica, there were quite a few superlatives in the review that don't match the downer mood of the review.
2
We loved the restaurant, phrenology and Soprano's fixtures aside.....much better meal than at Le Coucou.
Space is beautiful, as are cocktails and food.
The hotel and its restaurants are quite impressive, and a welcome addition the Financial District. Definitely go.
Tom Colicchio knows what he is doing.......does Mr. Wells?
Space is beautiful, as are cocktails and food.
The hotel and its restaurants are quite impressive, and a welcome addition the Financial District. Definitely go.
Tom Colicchio knows what he is doing.......does Mr. Wells?
37
Many seem confused by his rating - I am not. The flaw in this restaurant is basic but almost always the fatal flaw when it comes to separating the good from the great in fine dining - it is the vision, the idea of the restaurant. Mr. Wells highlights early on in the article "But the central vision tying it all together is fuzzy. The restaurant is somehow less than the sum of its parts."
He's saying the dishes are cooked perfectly, the service is excellent, the ambiance is great. But as a restaurant, it is not worthy of higher praise, it is what is appears to be. The dishes are homages to dishes of the past without meaningful development, the vision of the restaurant beholden to a vision of the past, and not the present. "It was very good, but was the sort of dish that chefs of Mr. Colicchio’s generation have been cooking for a couple of decades."
A good restaurant executes what it means to execute, and well. It does not fray at the edges or fall flat for want of service or ambiance. A great restaurant develops and cultivates food, and contributes something meaningful to a critic or the industry - an analogy might be the different between attaining a Master's vs. a PhD, where one masters the craft while another masters, then contributes a piece of the framework.
This place must be excellent, but not special. Seems appropriate for 2 stars.
He's saying the dishes are cooked perfectly, the service is excellent, the ambiance is great. But as a restaurant, it is not worthy of higher praise, it is what is appears to be. The dishes are homages to dishes of the past without meaningful development, the vision of the restaurant beholden to a vision of the past, and not the present. "It was very good, but was the sort of dish that chefs of Mr. Colicchio’s generation have been cooking for a couple of decades."
A good restaurant executes what it means to execute, and well. It does not fray at the edges or fall flat for want of service or ambiance. A great restaurant develops and cultivates food, and contributes something meaningful to a critic or the industry - an analogy might be the different between attaining a Master's vs. a PhD, where one masters the craft while another masters, then contributes a piece of the framework.
This place must be excellent, but not special. Seems appropriate for 2 stars.
10
Some critics feel they need to earn their salary and give excellent food, fine service, and a nineteenth-gem restored gem of a space two stars because -- that's what they do.
8
This comment is worthy of Shouts & Murmurs in the New Yorker. Marvelous satire.
1
A critic is paid to make fine distinctions. 2 stars is a good score! Just as not every good student is going to get an A+, not every good restaurant is going to get 3 stars.
1
I notice a trend. The dollar signs always seem to outnumber the stars. Want a one star meal? Prepare to pay like the restaurant has two or three dollar signs re affordability. Want two stars? Fork out three or four dollar signs.
I've can't recall a review where the opposite was true. Nice to know that so many rich folks in NYC are able to support so many starred restaurants while ultimately failing to match quality with price.
I've can't recall a review where the opposite was true. Nice to know that so many rich folks in NYC are able to support so many starred restaurants while ultimately failing to match quality with price.
12
Thank goodness the staff is diverse. That's the reason I go to restaurants.
44
Jeff - I saw what you did there, hopefully others do as well.
5
Jeff, this is really funny! Thanks for the laugh!
4
I've heard of damning with faint praise. But in this review Mr. Wells has somehow managed to damn with great praise. The review is no less confusing than Mr. Wells apparently felt about the menu. He clearly got a lot, but wanted more. And so two stars for what appears to be a three star restaurant. Go figure.
42
Go elsewhere. 400+ bucks for 2 meals is too steep. We don't
want to dine among people who willingly pay such
an amount to be fed. It's my Scots background I guess. ;-)
want to dine among people who willingly pay such
an amount to be fed. It's my Scots background I guess. ;-)
1
Nice that Pete gives us a little lesson on racism in phrenology that we can consider when enjoying what will likely be our $200 p/person meal.
18
the cocktails, created and executed by Christopher James are brilliant and carefully produced...
I'm sure if you sat at the bar for your review (a good way to get a read on a restaurant)- you would have found a most inviting and welcoming experience, such is the way of Mr. James.
I'm sure if you sat at the bar for your review (a good way to get a read on a restaurant)- you would have found a most inviting and welcoming experience, such is the way of Mr. James.
6
I wish I understood this review. He states several times the food is good, then complains about phrenology. If the food is good, what's the problem? His disappointment isn't articulated very well, so I don't get it. Still love Pete-bong water, jeggings etc from previous reviews-but this review needed an editor. Don't get it.
22
I'm a big fan of Chef Colicchio generally, but find a gilded age / robber baron-themed restaurant to be pretty distasteful at this particular historical moment. Even if all the pieces came together perfectly, I'd be disappointed. But I'd happily go to Craftbar to bitch about F&G.
26
Yep, era is ugly, and the food of that time was rich guys loading their plates with expensive proteins in unremarkable combinations. The restaurant has taken on an unwelcome task: be inspired by an uninspiring era. Perhaps they are well-suited to the Trump years.
14
"Let them eat cake???" I'm sorry NYT but I must opt out of the opulence thing that you seem to think is still normal after the election of the D-word. We have guillotines being built while you continue to distract the conversation from what is important.
Dangle the photos of a by-gone dessert and promote restaurants that can only be visited by the hyper-wealthy, while the D-word president signs executive that will gut the federal government and inflate private sector outsourcing, an insurance program that will leave many of us without, and next up social security.
Consider sending all of your reporters out to find the backstory, the implications, and how to reverse the damage of a world gone awry. At the least, please review restaurants that that cater to we, the people. Do your part, please.
Dangle the photos of a by-gone dessert and promote restaurants that can only be visited by the hyper-wealthy, while the D-word president signs executive that will gut the federal government and inflate private sector outsourcing, an insurance program that will leave many of us without, and next up social security.
Consider sending all of your reporters out to find the backstory, the implications, and how to reverse the damage of a world gone awry. At the least, please review restaurants that that cater to we, the people. Do your part, please.
6
No one is forcing you to read this or to eat at this restaurant.
3
Baked Alaska is not bygone. People eat it all the time. (I had it recently.) That is like saying Mozart or Beethoven is bygone music.
2
you lost me. did u like it or not?
16
It is ever so odd that despite a prominent dessert photo and the statement that the desserts were among the best food on offer so little is written about them and their chef, basically an afterthought. I am routinely disappointed that what is often the highlight of an expensive meal is given such short shrift by the critic, as if he were too good for them. Frankly, the comments about architecture are superfluous and in general the review is as garbled as the venue is accused of being.
42
Reading this review reminded me of how I felt after I saw "Arrival." I couldn't find fault with any of the film's individual elements - it's beautifully crafted, great acting, obviously made by talented, compassionate, deep-thinking artists - and yet, the more I thought about it afterward, it felt like a bunch of smart people trying to inject profundity into a story that's less plausible than that time Ashley Judd saved Picard and the crew from being addicted to a video game. It made me glad that I wasn't a film critic.
It seems that Pete Wells had a similar problem with this restaurant. I'm a fan of his writing and have defended him from detractors in the past, but here I think he failed to articulate why he only gave it two stars when his worst criticism was that they needlessly used caviar in a sauce - it seems to me that at these prices they should put caviar in everything!
Because of these prices, it's doubtful that I will ever eat here; I doubt they'd even let me in the bar, since they can probably smell a bad credit rating from fifty paces, so I'm certainly not defending the place, and I admire Mr. Wells for demanding perfect satisfaction for his money even when it's not his money. But this review left me wondering what a critic gets to demand of what he's reviewing, and whether his expectations and preferences get to outweigh his actual experience.
Having said that, I don't envy his job.
It seems that Pete Wells had a similar problem with this restaurant. I'm a fan of his writing and have defended him from detractors in the past, but here I think he failed to articulate why he only gave it two stars when his worst criticism was that they needlessly used caviar in a sauce - it seems to me that at these prices they should put caviar in everything!
Because of these prices, it's doubtful that I will ever eat here; I doubt they'd even let me in the bar, since they can probably smell a bad credit rating from fifty paces, so I'm certainly not defending the place, and I admire Mr. Wells for demanding perfect satisfaction for his money even when it's not his money. But this review left me wondering what a critic gets to demand of what he's reviewing, and whether his expectations and preferences get to outweigh his actual experience.
Having said that, I don't envy his job.
54
I to was confused with the review. The pictures of the food were beautiful and the food comments were very positive. Mr. Wells seemed to find fault with the direction of the sample menu in regard to the ala-carte menu seemed a stretch. Two stars seemed low compared to the praise of the food, decor and service. I hope there is nothing personal between the celebrity owner and Wells to shade his review.
15
Very well put... I felt the same when reading the review. It's hard to tell if Mr. Wells really found something he disliked with this restaurant, or if he was perhaps just in a personal funk. Most of this review seemed to be convincing the reader to try this place out if you like good food, maybe I'll splurge soon and try it out.
9
I enjoyed the review. That said, I understand what you are saying. It seems like this review could use a little more enthusiasm--the food sounds delicious, and a lot of restaurants would love to get two stars from the Times! That said, Pete Wells has said in interviews that there is a tremendous amount of pressure for restaurants to make it to three stars, not two, and that is showing here. I think Pete is struggling trying to justify why this place does not deserve three stars, and that is coming through in this review. I still think he's the best restaurant critic in the USA, so much so that people like myself spend time trying to interpret his reviews...
13