Being near a horse stable in the middle of NYC only adds to the restaurant's charm, I should think.
The food looks amazing and Mr. Wells' review has my mouth watering. But as other commenters point out, Mr. Well's focus on corporate (and the pictures of the interior look very corporate) restaurants is disappointing. While I think the whole craze about "appropriation" is overblown (do we get upset when people around the world dress up as a American cowboys?), given the look of the place, the use of AfAm composers does seem disingenuous.
1
Sounds like a "theme" restaurant, like at Disney World. They should also have walk around characters!
5
I eat out by myself a lot. I like a good meal, a good glass of wine, and good company when I go out. I am an African American woman and a frequent diner at Charlie Bird, Pasquale Jones and Legacy Records. Why? Because from the moment I stepped through the door on my very first visit, everyone and everything signaled that I was welcomed. I love the hospitality. I worship the food. I recognize the music. I appreciate the art and I know they appreciate it too. It's good to have something in common. Mr. Wells' suggestion that they're appropriating AfAm culture versus celebrating and including it in their space offends me. Is he suggesting that one has to be black to appreciate black music and black art? Legacy has great art from many cultures and all of it is fab. These guys are cool. They like cool things. And some of them were created by black people. Holla! I wonder what Mr. Wells would think of my love of James Taylor, Nan Goldin, and Tyler Hays. Am I appropriating white culture? Legacy Records, like the group's other restaurants, brings cultures and people together beautifully. The experience is like jazz to me and I love it. Robert, Grant, Ryan and Charlie have created atmospheres that keep me company, make me comfortable, make me happy, make me want more. The meals are expensive, but the care that goes into the food, the people, the hospitality and the vibe are worth it. But that's just one black girl's opinion.
30
I have lived just a few blocks from Legacy Records for over 25 years. So, when I first read about it, I was really excited and super curious. Much to my surprise, the night I walked over to check it out, I was informed at the door of a two hour wait at the bar! My neighborhood finally has a lovely restaurant and I can’t even get in, lol.
2
@ A In NY NYC
Do they take reservations? If not, I would avoid them like any other restaurant with a long wait.
1
A little too preachy at the end there, Pete. Very unlike you. A bad hair day?
3
Good to know Pete Wells saw fit to dedicate a third of his column to go off on a tangent and testify how woke he is! My eyes just rolled past Hudson Yards and well into New Jersey...
13
My favorite line: "they seem to have sent the acoustics to obedience school, because all the sound waves do what they’re told." But when did people start getting so damned noisy when eating out, and will it ever come to an unresounding crash? Whatever happened to diner courtesy?
6
I definitely think it’s the Bro Culture. I have observed so many groups of millennials at a table in otherwise quiet bars or restaurants literally yelling at each other. It is so uncouth.
1
I wonder if the "leggy broccoli sprouts," a.k.a. "Sicilian broccoli" on the menu, is in fact what's called sprouting broccoli in the U.K.? It's one of my favorite vegetables on Earth—more character than common broccoli, sweeter than broccoli raab, I've never seen it in the U.S. I'm ready to get up and dance.
1
In your text, you write that you were "taken aback, often, by the quality of the raw ingredients." But you follow with what seems praise for the scallops, crab, etc. Strange use of "taken aback," no? Dictionary.com confirms the idiom generally means "surprised and disconcerted." I was expecting you to say something negative.
7
@Peg, in the hope it may help, a look-up the OED, in 'real book' form, makes an interesting distinction in meaning for the idiom that isn't apparent in your source? The crucial little phraselet in the OED entry is this: "to be disconcerted" [*]by a sudden check[*]", that is to say, the focus of the idiom is on the sudden check, not the actual cause that prefaced and provoked that unsettling check.
By that OED-like understanding of the idiom, Mr Wells' usage here really would seem to be 'right on target' as 't were: finding himself jolted by receiving a sudden adjustment to his thus far held ingredient expectations and then reporting that to us, followed and amplified by further subsequent explanations and some very approving illustrations of the actual cause(s) that led him there..?
Reviews like this infuriate me. Wells heaps endless praise on the restaurant, yet only gives it two stars. He's proved yet again with this article that he's enjoys confusing the reader, or is perhaps confused himself. Bottom line, Wells' has become unreliable as an accurate barometer of local eateries. I look forward to his four-star review of the McDonald's franchise in Penn Station.
5
Two stars means "very good." That means you can expect a very good meal. We might say that is excellent, but the NYT is a little more "critical."
4
The Times gives out very, very few 3-stars, and 4-star restaurants can be counted on two hands. Hence, two-stars is a very high rating.
3
This review hits the nail on the head. In a group of 5 all main courses were good to excellent. It's definitely pricey though and in some cases overpriced. Wells is absolutely right about offering wines under $70. It's ridiculous.
The owners need to learn the art of fleecing the customer rather than skinning them alive.
5
Hi Laurence,
Thank you for the comments, and praise on the food!
Please trust that we're not in the business of either fleecing or skinning our guests, and take real pride in finding great tasting wines that present real value to our guests, no matter the price point.
There are currently 43 bottles at or under $70 on the wine list at Legacy Records. Is that a majority of the list? No. Are they what I consider to be delicious wines made in real vineyards by real people with values that align with ours when it comes to ethical and sustainable practices? I think so, and I think there is enough diversity to find something for just about every palate in that group of bottles. I'm sorry if you don't find that to be enough variety to choose from. We take your feedback to heart.
On this topic however, I do think it is worth taking into consideration that Legacy Records is a non-tipping restaurant. $70 at Legacy really means $70. There's no math to be done to figure out the actual cost of a bottle. In the range from $70 to $85 (roughly where you'd end up if you tip 20% on a $70 bottle elsewhere) there are another 30 bottles to choose from.
Again, thank you for your comments. Next time you're in, me or someone from the wine team would love to talk you through some great options!
- Arvid Rosengren (Wine Director, Legacy Records)
18
Ah, but faux hipsters appropriate everything:
" Stevie Wonder will always be cool, but a restaurant dreamed up by real estate developers doesn’t automatically become cool by putting him on the wall."
After all, mummy and daddy; or mummy and mummy; or daddy and daddy said every time they did anything "Goooood Job!"
3
There’s sometimes a fine line between appropriation and appreciation. I speak as a white fan of American soul, r&b and jazz singing. In this case, Mr. Wells clearly picked up a phony, exploitative vibe. But I hope he is not implying that classics of music and art by black artists are somehow out of place in a venue run by whites. Maybe these white men decided to upgrade their ambiance, as well as their scallops.
6
Number of times we’ve had dinner at Legacy Records: 12
Number of times we’ve had flawless food and service: 12
Number of times we’ve had wine under $70 a bottle: 12
Number of times we’ve been disturbed by ‘Gratuitous and Offhanded’ Use of Black Culture: 0
19
The absolute last place at which I personally would ever want to eat. Hip$ter heaven.
1
before this article it is very important to remember that sometimes it is very important to trade in the vicinity of a trade in which allows one of the services you may want
I’ve been a part of two events upstairs and an expenced-dinner downstairs... and so far, enjoyed this place. I think the food and service deserve these 2+ stars, and not three, but the criticism about the decor / history is weird.
Which new multi $$$$ restaurant in the city DOESN’T try to ‘curate’ their self-idealized image... their own version of history, complete with selected design/fashion/music elements to make them seem a wee bit cool(er)? Anyone with a PR budget has to give the PR folks something to work with. Something to tie it all together. To blame this is a waste of time ,I think.
My personal criticism of this place is simply the cost. I would not / will not go here if my work/host isn’t paying for it. I host dinners and attend events all the time, several times per week... and - especially as compared to other established restaurants in the city - they are too expensive. Once the novelty is outshined by the plethora of Hudson yards onsite restaurants, they will presumbly adjust.
Then again, it’s novel and I think a great idea to have a wine shop as part of the project. Ditto the event spaces. Some of the best in the city. It’s as though this was designed as an event space first and then a restaurant second - which is fine by me. We need more high touch multi room options in the city.
I’m excited to see this weirdly remote part of nyc become a destination. Bring it on. Just start saving up...
10
Hudson Yards, is a sterile monstrosity that pretends, to the gullible, it's a neighborhood, while real neighborhoods, built up over centuries, are eviscerated to make for more of the latter. One way to distinguish these glass Potemkin Villages is to realize that the only thing to do there is to stuff your face. For many of the vapid transplants who paid handsomely for the New York "experience", this is about the closest to culture they will ever come, though even that realization is probably beyond them.
37
Amen. Saddened that my nyc fellows are so gullible.
3
Now, be fair! There are other things to do at Hudson Yards! Like shopping....ain't that cultcha?
1
Mr. Wells, thank you for visiting our restaurant and publishing a review. We know that many worthy restaurants don’t receive a NYT review and we don’t want to disregard its import, so, thank you.
First, I am happy to read that you enjoyed yourself and were taken aback by the quality of the ingredients and were impressed by some of the food. I am sure that Ryan and our chef de cuisine Henry Zamora will be pleased by your warm praise of these delicious dishes. I appreciated reading a few lines about the wine list, sadly a too often underrepresented component in restaurant reviews, but I cannot accept the credit for the wine program as it belongs to Arvid Rosengren. We are incredibly fortunate to work with such a talented and dedicated wine professional and it would be unfortunate to have Arvid’s contribution overlooked.
Finally, I am sorry that our art selection made you uncomfortable. This is the first time we have heard a comment like this but since you devoted so much space in your review that it must be heartfelt. However, I think you made some incorrect assumptions to conclude that we “ginned up a history” with a “superficial tribute to black culture” simply because we chose a print by Mickalene Thomas and we play hip-hop. Frankly, it’s a bit of a distraction in your otherwise compelling and reasoned review.
I’m curious to read other people’s comments about this subject.
Thank you, Robert
31
I’m with Wells. If it’s not a personal history why make it your personal history? Appropriation is inappropriate.
5
Thank you for the thoughtful comment about cultural appropriation.
16
Cultural appropriation is one thing, and generating a fake backstory is something similar. Are New Yorkers so ready to buy into "alternative facts"?
Hudson Yards is still sterile and creepy, and this restaurant is way, way overpriced.
23
OUCH! But Carbone can be Soprano faux chic, without causing the same pernicious critique? Just wondering I suppose, a mural or two won’t prevent nor induce my frequenting Legacy Records. The food, however, will.
7
"But Carbone can be Soprano faux chic, without causing the same pernicious critique?" Fatigue of the faux. The first time it was novel; the second, a trend. The third, old hat.
Carbone, run by two Italian-Americans in the space of a former red sauce joint (Roccos) just north of Little Italy, around the corner from Arturos. Not exactly the same.
5
New restaurants always give a reviving shot to any new residential neighborhood. May Hudson Yards be so blessed by the incredible variety of ethnic cuisines of New York, even if most of them are usanized ( = americanized).
1
"Mr. Hardy had dressed it with dots of yogurt, tiny oval basil leaves,"etc
Did he do that for you personally because he likes you? Or perhaps it's more likely that one of the scads of other members of the culinary team performed this task.
This stylistic tick bugs me because it implies that Chef is personally seeing to your individual happiness rather than leading a team that's turning out hundreds of the same meals with the same recipes over and over again.
18
You're really reaching here. Occasionally I'll side with the grammar police if it is warranted. But Mr. Hardy's team is an extension of himself, executing his recipes and his vision. The team deserves due praise for execution and consistency (if earned) but not for intent. This is not a "stylistic tick"; this is a line written to indicate that Mr. Hardy is the author of the plate and it could not have been written as, "a member of Mr. Hardy's team dressed it..." Beauty in prose will die if our definition of preservation is strict adherence to archaic rules (whatever they may be in this instance, of which I am not sure).
Also, one should not comment based upon assumption. Do you know for a fact that Mr. Hardy did not dress the plate? Perhaps Mr. Wells witnessed the dish being made, rendering this whole thing moo (it's like a cow's opinion, it doesn't matter).
5
Other reviewers, as well as friends who have been there, complain of the crowds and the high prices at Legacy.
Please reduce the number of reviews of "buzzy" new restaurants and get back to the boroughs, to small, family-run restaurants, not part of large restaurant groups and not featuring so-called "celebrity" chefs. And, for god's sake, don't include the word "curated", even in quotes. It is a meaningless buzzword that needs to be restricted to its use in describing art experts.
53
I once was looking for an apartment in Bushwick, then still in it's gritty stages, and the landlord, a lousy landlord, described himself as a "curator" of tenants. I knew at that moment, my chances were nil.
14
The Times stopped reviewing outer borough restaurants in the Metropolitan section in Sundays paper years ago. Money saving move, I would guess.
Ruined my Sunday mornings....
1
that's funny..