this thread has kind of meandered around but i will reply from a different angle. i don’t post reviews, per se, because my profession involves selling a product to restaurants. i don’t want to be outed via my on-line persona so never post anything within a smallish time window of my visit. if down the road a particular place pops up i will chime in with honesty, whether positive or negative.
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wut? i could not disagree more. a restaurant firing on all cylinders is impossible to deny.
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ZwiebelHash described that they’re resting on their laurels. That is more than satisfactory for most.
Despite my experience that ZwiebelHash described as “we got famous, now we’re just coasting on our reputation, we’re really not trying anymore and oh-well, too bad for you because we really don’t care.”
Again, perfectly acceptable to most.
I couldn’t find any reasonable excuse for what I endured. But, YMMV
I’ll use Babbo as an example. We ate there about seven years ago and then two years ago. Spot on in every way.
I read that. And at that price (what? A thou for two with wine pairings?) it damn well better be perfect.
with supplemental charges cost can be closer to $1k pp.
wells had the budget of the nytimes and ate there 3 times over several months. for many mere mortals a dinner like that may be once in a lifetime.
If only someone else would pay 
Are you comparing Per Se to Babbo?
No, what you described, if accurate, would certainly not be satisfactory for most.
I don’t know if they’re resting on laurels, having a bad change in staff/management, or what. It was so opposite anything I encountered over numerous visits up to about a year ago, that something drastic is afoot.
no. babbo is obviously being well-run but per se not so much. both have the celebrity chef angle and i was honestly shocked at the per se review. keller has been a guest chef at several smallish events i’ve worked and his quiet intensity was really something. for wells to have had 3 different meals there and all of them to have been mostly mediocre is outrageous at that price point. the service fails were especially galling. at that level of dining you are supposed to feel utterly cosseted.
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Thanks for elaborating. I was also shocked even though I’ve not eaten at Per Se or TFL. (Don’t I wish?) I wonder if there’s a back story.
Not very often. These are experiences over many years. The restaurant with the nice manager, our out-of-town guests love the place, so we’ve easily visited 40+ times. It’s by far the best restaurant near us. By now we know what the dishes are supposed to be like. Probably 7 visits had something complaint-worthy, yet we only complained the two times mentioned.
I get it, if all a manager can do is just listen, regardless of whether the complaint is justified, it could be for a lot of reasons. Maybe it’s a new manager who doesn’t know how the dishes are supposed to be. Maybe the cooks have changed and they just can’t make a dish how they used to. Maybe the kitchen is very busy and they don’t want to refire dishes. I’m sure there’s a hundred reason I haven’t even thought of yet. That’s why I like reading people’s thoughts here.
I’ve enjoyed Babbo and many, many other Manhattan restaurants I’ve visited through many, many years. High end, low end and everything in between.
I don’t know. I’ve only been twice. Both visits this year.
As to if the review is accurate, well, I can only describe my experience. Not that of the masses.
I may be a more discerning individual than some, if not most.
You’ve read my review on Chowhound.com
I’m not into excuses or apologies.
I’m only in search of delicious food.
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i am 52 years old and have never been kicked out of anywhere. what the hell do you do? i mean, do you walk in someplace and say, “oh, yeah, i gave you that tepid, dirty dishwater review on yelp”?
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I’m with you…except I’m almost 69
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i ate at babbo in ny once, after befriending the sommelier at a biodynamic wine event the previous day. he knew i also worked for a famous chef as a somm so we were getting some vip treatment. there was a tremendous lag before our main courses arrived and our server was nowhere to be found. after over 45 minutes our plates finally came and a different server came by to check on us. my friend got something different than what he had ordered but was too ravenous to send it back. when we asked what happened she got very flustered and basically ran away. turns out our server had been fired in the midst of service! it was one of the weirder dinners i have ever had and it cost a small fortune.
OMG. What a mess. Reminds me of a time when we were in a diner-type place for breakfast. Suddenly they locked the front door and said that the cook had walked out so they wouldn’t let any one else in. But it wasn’t Babbo or 
Three of us walked into the Spotted Pig and we were told it would be an hour wait. Yeah, right. We approached the bar, sat down, ordered beers and decided on what we would eat for dinner.
Absolutely one of the most tasty and flavourful meals I have enjoyed in recent memory. Tasted of culinary skill.
Unfortunately I’m not in Manhattan much anymore.
When I worked in Manhattan my search was different.
Now, out on Long Island, I’m just looking for delicious food.
Not an easy task in the least. I calls 'em as I sees 'em.
the place was absolutely slammed too. unless there was a stabbing, i cannot imagine firing somebody mid-service. there were 4-5 other tables left hanging in her station and our dinners all just fell apart.
