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The first thing that
strikes you about this place is the awesome bordello-like cheesiness
of the surroundings. The big banquets decked out in what can only
be described as crimson velvet suggest more burlesque than classy
restaurant. And this place ain't cheap. I guess those prices come
when a joint had a Michelin star, but you'd at least expect them to
get someone in there to decorate that doesn't make the space look
like something out of Jack Ruby's wet dream. The restaurant itself
is tucked away behind the facade of The
Excelsior Hotel, the entrance an awkward hallway that leads to
the low-ceilinged interior. And that interior, and about 90% of the
tables, was empty. That's always strange for any Manhattan restaurant,
especially one that just opened in 2008 and purports to be a place
where people want to eat. The few elderly customers who were there
might as well have been moldering to dust in a grave somewhere rather
than gobbling twenty-dollar appetizers with their manmade chompers.
We, on the other hand, were young(ish) and eager to chow down. The
evening started off on an odd note as our waiter seemed completely
confused about the menu and how it worked. We asked about the tasting
menu, and he stammered and stuttered and walked away to get us the
print out. He returned and told us that he couldn't, in fact, tell
us what was on the tasting menu. We asked if he could give us just
a hint. He said no, but that if there was anything on the tasting
menu that we didn't like, we could request something different. Uh,
and how could we tell him what we didn't like on the tasting menu
if there wasn't a menu? He stood in stunned silence. All of us looked
at each other with obvious frustration, shrugged and stared daggers
at him when he asked, "So, did you want to do the tasting menu?"
Needless to say, we went a la carte. And, surprisingly, I ended up
pretty happy with my meal: soft shelled crab appetizer, foi gras and
scallop ravioli and short rib paired with a decent bottle or two of
wine. The others in my party were less thrilled with their meals,
especially given the steep prices. I guess the less then auspicious
beginning with our dumbass waiter and weird surroundings soured the
evening right out of the gate, and the group just really never recovered.
[MF]
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