GOOD EATS NYC 2024 (A Blanket Thread)

Back to BAAZI for another delicious meal.

The service is just abysmal, I’m going to have to post to Yelp or Google or somewhere public for the owners to see. 5 servers, all huddled in the back, with not a single person in the almost full dining room for most of the time we were there.

But, the food.

We had Goat Kakori again, as good as before.

Chicken Chandi Kabab - white kabab with silver vark / edible foil. As expected.

King Kachori — this was like a Raj Kachori crossed with a dahi batata puri. I would have skipped it, but people wanted some chaat. It had a kick in the chutney, which the same people were not expecting :joy:

Cauliflower - crisp and well-sauced, very tasty. Also had a kick.

Lamb shank Nihari — excellent.

Goat biryani — very good, just a bit wet. Flavors on point, generous portion of meat.

Butter chicken — weakest dish of the night. Too sweet, and too dilute in flavor.

Fish polichattu — reorder from last time because it was so good , but it never arrived. See my comment regarding service — we couldn’t find anyone to even ask about it.

Dal fry — good, as expected.

Naans and Kulcha – good

We skipped dessert after last time’s dud and got ice cream nearby instead.

(They took a few things off the menu vs last time — no shrimp main, for eg.)

7 Likes

It sounds worth checking out - tho yeah, you ought to post on google/yelp about the terrible service!
just a small possiblitiy - maybe those folks dont speak much english??

They do, but even if they didn’t I’m not sure I understand what that would explain

just a guess, why they hang around in back when there are patrons they might not be able to communicate with? are they really delivery people (or people who interface with them), not servers? it does seem puzzling and potentially enraging!

Since is was discussed upthread, I thought I would post that Buttermilk Channel is closing at the end of the year.

Raising a glass of gose beer to the first place I ever had gose beer,

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/33901/181841/

In case you missed the next in the NYT restaurant boondoggle series after Carbone — Keller country.

Funny timing: I just met up with a friend who lives in Napa, and he asked how Per Se compared to TFL. I told him that TFL was a lot more memorable for the overall experience, and it’s harder to sit at Per Se for that long and enjoy it the same way, no matter the food.

He still wants to go next time he’s here, but was convinced that we could visit the lounge instead. Or not — I sent him the article :joy:.

1 Like

As I said (I think?) elsewhere, these interim reviewers are trying to squeeze as much fancyfood as they can out of this gig.

1 Like

If they are, it sounded like they were rather let down. At both places.

I’d posted this in the food media & news category yesterday or so.

EL QUIJOTE

I’ve been a few times, and my conclusion every visit is that I love the space but I wish the food were better.

No different this week. Croquetas were good, but squirty! Gildas not quite what folks were expecting. Chorizo is good, but the cider is definitely sweetened, which makes the whole thing too syrupy. Tortilla was runny this time (not my preference), but not last time. Shrimp were probably the worst of the order — under-seasoned and I couldn’t see or taste garlic.

Last time we got the salad and calamari too, both were good.

Nothing is bad, it’s mostly fine to good. I just wished it lived up to the space a bit better.

3 Likes

Want to speculate on what’s next? I bet Le Bern makes an appearance, or Jean Georges. Maybe a fancy French survey, add one of the Bouluds. If they do JG or Boulud they can travel to other outposts of the empires.

I also made this joke elsewhere: Reanimating El Bulli :rofl:

1 Like

They’d have to time travel

The NYT will spare no expense.

Another (annual?) cull at Eater.

2 Likes

they bought all these (competing) food media platforms I could see that a business mind could see opportunities for cutting/consolidation. But I hope some decent food writing is left when the dust clears there is a lot less individuation and seriousness, or so it seems, than in the past

Well, they’re folding Thrilllist under Eater, but they seem to have gotten rid of a number of editors and critics in different locations (nyc, philly to start). For nyc they also own NY Mag (Grub Street), so there’s that in the overlap category.

that last is what I meant tho I believe that NYMag’s food coverage has largely been from Eater for a while?

Great meal at Bar Bête in Carroll Gardens yesterday. Sort of New American/French Canadian whatever that means. I usually find things to complain about but not much luck here. Perfect pacing, good drinks, service, and just about every dish a knockout.

Chicken liver Parfait - Really excellent, killer combo with the pistachios and spiced pear jam
Tuna Toast - More awesomeness. A nice layer of fermented chili & garlic chive spread really elevates it
Duck Fat Potatoes - Probably the most popular dish is like a really good Patatas Bravas, except the pieces are bigger so meatier. The Hummus lookalike is a nice garlic aioli.
Ricotta Gnudi - Also Excellent. Good balance, nice use of chili in all dishes
Caramelized Duck Breast - Nooooo! I dont know what the hell happened to the picture I took. Its a blurry mess that could be anything, a snowman. Never seen this before. Bummed because this was the best dish. The smokiness of the cabbage extremely aromatic and the duck was cooked perfectly.
Yellow Cake - Good. Maybe not as great as the reviews make it to be





8 Likes

I’m quite confused by the Bib Gourmand list – for eg Bungalow would not have been on my list of "bargain: / good value spots given price point – NYT lists it as $$$ / expensive (and relative to what counts as Bib in Hong Kong, for eg).

NYT also has a new list of 14 Best for 2024 (though several were not reviewed yet).

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/10/dining/best-2024-new-nyc-restaurants.html

ETA: Eater put out something too