[Rail Paul]

opens tonight...

Menu sneak peek: white bean agnolotti with pork belly, octopus, and chorizo vinaigrette and rabbit with Carolina red beans and braised fennel. The front part of the restaurant, aka, The Tap Room, will feature wood burning oven specialties and a lengthy beer menu.

via Eater

[Sneakeater]

I enjoyed Tom: Tuesday Dinner (even if I went on a night that Coliccihio subsequently publicly announced sucked). And I LOVE Craft. So I had high hopes for this new restaurant where Colicchio is supposedly going back to serving composed dishes (based, I've read, on things he came up with at Tuesday Dinner).

I went last night (opening night) intending to eat off the bar menu. Having been told on arrival that they weren't serving any food at the bar yet (but only at bar-area tables), I figured that, if I was going to have to eat at a table anyway, I might as well try the dinner menu in the dining room.

I found Tom: Tuesday Dinner interesting. I found Colicchio & Sons boring (at least in this first meal). I'm trying to think of why that is. I think the difference is format. In a full extended tasting menu, the gestalt can seem interesting, in its range and contrast, even if the individual components don't so much. When you're just having a three-course meal, you notice that this is really just mainstream upper-level American Restaurant Food of the past few years. Nothing wrong with it. But nothing exciting, either.

(Note: this isn't Classics Well Done. This is stuff that hasn't yet attained "classic" status. And here's more of it.)

What this is like, now that I think of it, is -- not surprisingly -- Hearth. Another good restaurant I find boring.

For an appetizer, I had gnocchi with chestnuts and bone marrow. They were surprisingly bland.

For a main dish, roasted sturgeon, wrapped in pancetta, with roasted curls of pumpkin. The dish was also supposed to contain grapes, but they must have been processed beyond recognition (I didn't taste them). There was nothing wrong with this dish. This fish itself was good. It was a little tough -- but cooked sturgeon is like that. I liked the pancetta. But this was neither challenging, nor memorable, nor elementally satisfying.

Desserts were by a guy named Steve Carlucci. He's fine, but he's no Karen DeMasco.

The wine list is extensive. They're not giving anything away, but I noticed some decent values. (A big improvement, in that regard, on the Craftsteak list, which was a bit of highway robbery.) (Or maybe it's just that composed plates give you more play in hewing to cheaper selections.)

Maybe I'm jaded. But this seemed to me to be a competent middle-of-the-road restaurant that failed to excite me. I'll be back: I'm a fan. (And I STILL need to try the bar menu.) But I can't see myself coming here with the same sense of anticipation I have whenever I'm going to Craft.

[Wilfrid]

As soon as I saw the publicity, my reaction was - this won't be Tom's Tuesday Dinners.

It's the kind of food he has been serving for years, with current buzz words - wood-burning oven, beer list - duly attached. At least he has resisted the temptation to launch with an crytpic menu.

[Lex]

It's the kind of food he has been serving for years, with current buzz words - wood-burning oven, beer list program - duly attached. At least he has resisted the temptation to launch with an crytpic menu.

[Sneakeater]

Oh, and I guess I should note that the played fairly high-quality Old Fart music in the background.

If I've heard David Bromberg's "Sharon" since, oh, 1973, I sure can't remember it.

Also, they're giving a "preview" discount in an amount I can't remember for a period I don't know.

[nuxvomica]

Also, they're giving a "preview" discount in an amount I can't remember for a period I don't know.

for boring food it doesn't matter, does it?

how did the (undiscounted) prices strike you?

how was the room?

[Sneakeater]

The room looked just like Craftsteak.

The prices seemed fair enough. Nothing way above the mid-$30s (that I recall). Several things in the $20s (if I remember right).

[Rich]

The room looked just like Craftsteak.

The prices seemed fair enough. Nothing way above the mid-$30s (that I recall). Several things in the $20s (if I remember right).

I'm guessing - this shouldn't make the short list as an anniversary place?

[nuxvomica]

I enjoyed Tom: Tuesday Dinner (even if I went on a night that Coliccihio subsequently publicly announced sucked). And I LOVE Craft. So I had high hopes for this new restaurant where Colicchio is supposedly going back to serving composed dishes (based, I've read, on things he came up with at Tuesday Dinner).

I went last night (opening night) intending to eat off the bar menu. Having been told on arrival that they weren't serving any food at the bar yet (but only at front-room tables), I figured that, if I was going to have to eat at a table anyway, I might as well try the dinner menu in the dining room.

I found Tom: Tuesday Dinner interesting. I found Colicchio & Sons boring (at least in this first meal). I'm trying to think of why that is. I think the difference is format. In a full extended tasting menu, the gestalt can seem interesting, in its range and contrast, even if the individual components don't so much. When you're just having a three-course meal, you notice that this is really just mainstream upper-level American Restaurant Food of the past few years. Nothing wrong with it. But nothing exciting, either.

(Note: this isn't Classics Well Done. This is stuff that hasn't yet attained "classic" status. And here's more of it.)

What this is like, now that I think of it, is -- not surprisingly -- Hearth. Another good restaurant I find boring.

For an appetizer, I had gnocchi with chestnuts and bone marrow. They were surprisingly bland.

For a main dish, roasted sturgeon, wrapped in pancetta, with roasted curls of pumpkin. The dish was also supposed to contain grapes, but they must have been processed beyond recognition (I didn't taste them). There was nothing wrong with this dish. This fish itself was good. It was a little tough -- but cooked sturgeon is like that. I liked the pancetta. But this was neither challenging, nor memorable, nor elementally satisfying.

Desserts were by a guy named Steve Carlucci. He's fine, but he's no Karen DeMasco.

The wine list is extensive. They're not giving anything away, but I noticed some decent values. (A big improvement, in that regard, on the Craftsteak list, which was a bit of highway robbery.) (Or maybe it's just that composed plates give you more play in hewing to cheaper selections.)

sounds like i should go to SHO instead

[Rich]

I enjoyed Tom: Tuesday Dinner (even if I went on a night that Coliccihio subsequently publicly announced sucked). And I LOVE Craft. So I had high hopes for this new restaurant where Colicchio is supposedly going back to serving composed dishes (based, I've read, on things he came up with at Tuesday Dinner).

I went last night (opening night) intending to eat off the bar menu. Having been told on arrival that they weren't serving any food at the bar yet (but only at front-room tables), I figured that, if I was going to have to eat at a table anyway, I might as well try the dinner menu in the dining room.

I found Tom: Tuesday Dinner interesting. I found Colicchio & Sons boring (at least in this first meal). I'm trying to think of why that is. I think the difference is format. In a full extended tasting menu, the gestalt can seem interesting, in its range and contrast, even if the individual components don't so much. When you're just having a three-course meal, you notice that this is really just mainstream upper-level American Restaurant Food of the past few years. Nothing wrong with it. But nothing exciting, either.

(Note: this isn't Classics Well Done. This is stuff that hasn't yet attained "classic" status. And here's more of it.)

What this is like, now that I think of it, is -- not surprisingly -- Hearth. Another good restaurant I find boring.

For an appetizer, I had gnocchi with chestnuts and bone marrow. They were surprisingly bland.

For a main dish, roasted sturgeon, wrapped in pancetta, with roasted curls of pumpkin. The dish was also supposed to contain grapes, but they must have been processed beyond recognition (I didn't taste them). There was nothing wrong with this dish. This fish itself was good. It was a little tough -- but cooked sturgeon is like that. I liked the pancetta. But this was neither challenging, nor memorable, nor elementally satisfying.

Desserts were by a guy named Steve Carlucci. He's fine, but he's no Karen DeMasco.

The wine list is extensive. They're not giving anything away, but I noticed some decent values. (A big improvement, in that regard, on the Craftsteak list, which was a bit of highway robbery.) (Or maybe it's just that composed plates give you more play in hewing to cheaper selections.)

sounds like i should go to SHO instead

Nux - I think you would really enjoy SHO.

[Sneakeater]

I would personally definitely recommend SHO over this.

[nuxvomica]

it's funny, SHO is within walking distance for me (although i don't ever walk in that direction) and i've been meaning to go for a while but somehow i still haven't made it.

i guess it's easier to eat somewhere when i have to be in the area for something else rather than make a reservation in advance (unless it's a b-day or something) and go just for a meal

thanks for the push

re: colicchio - sneak, did they indicate when they might offer bar menu?

[Sneakeater]

They offer the bar menu now.

They just aren't offering it at the bar. You have to sit at a table in the bar area. They said they wanted to limit the number of simultaneous covers until they get the wood-buring oven operation down cold (poor choice of words).

[oakapple]

Also, they're giving a "preview" discount in an amount I can't remember for a period I don't know.

for boring food it doesn't matter, does it?

It might be a bit early to pronounce that verdict on the place.

[Sneakeater]

Right. ONE person had a meal HE thought was boring. That's all there is so far.