PX This presents THE F&F REVIEW
Hey, sorry we couldn’t make it to "Friends&Family," we were out of town/ had to work/ not invited. We’re really glad we finally managed to come by, though— it’s so nice to see you!
What’s that? You would still like us to take the time to fill out the F&F survey, because you’d love to take advantage of all our vast experience, knowledge, insight, and expertise as long as we’re already here? Because you invited 75 people to F&F, and afterward all you got was 41 "Congrats[es]!" 22 "Awesome[s]!" 3 "Ciao[s]!" and 9 "Best of lucks[s]!" ?
Of course, we’d be honored. Oh ha, yesss, we’ll be honest— brutally honest even, ha ha! After all, that’s what friends & family are for!
No no please, don’t send anything more, we’re stuffed, we can’t breathe, you’ll have to roll us out of here, ha ha ha… !
i Tre Merli (SoHo) – The Remix
What was your first impression?
My very first impression? It looks great!
My very next impression? It looks… OK.
Please rate the Bar:
Much smaller than before, about half the size actually. Also, I’ve never quite been a fan of bars you have to traverse the dining room to reach, but that could just be a personal preference.
The bartender is friendly enough, if not particularly attentive— warm and enthusiastic, though.
Overall, I’d say it could use a little tightening here and there, especially for a bar that’s very newly built.
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
The wine list is brief and mediocre. To put it bluntly, it’s a lot like SoHo— so maybe it’s fine. Ditto the cocktails list— mostly classics, not exactly inventive. And kind of pricey…
Please rate the Dining Room:
Cozier than previously; the restaurant is now flanked by large banquettes running up the entire length of the dining room. Still has that late-80’s/early-90’s vibe in a way— well, maybe it’s retro. Still somewhat austere and not exactly inviting.
Please rate the BOH:
Much has changed on the menu; it’s now "italian version of tapas" oriented. And slightly expensive. In a nutshell, I’d say the food needs work— whether the food is their primary focus remains to be seen.
How was the staff?
Fine. At ease, comfortable— likely veterans of i Tre Merli’s former incarnation. Adept and proficient if not remarkably amiable.
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
Tuna Crudo : Odd. Overcooked (yes, it’s supposed to be crudo) and covered in cream sauce (that’s not even flavorful).
Langoustine Crudo : Very overcooked. And then re-refrigerated to almost the point of frozenness. Plus, call me crazy, but I’d swear this is shrimp. Not good.
Sauteed Mushrooms : Tasty, but extremely oily. And a very small portion for $10.
"Special" Piccante Sausage Pizza : OK. Again, very oily. But not very piccante. The crust doesn’t exhibit any benefits of the wood-burning oven. Can’t quite hold its own against the enormous competition out there.
What did you like?
Reminiscing about the golden years of i Tre Merli, SoHo.
What did you dislike?
That it still isn’t living up to my memory of it.
What was your last impression?
Ah, the good ol’ days…
Would you come back?
That would depend on a lot of things… I’m keeping my eye on it for now.
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
Thank you, and best of luck.
HEY! Did you realize it’s Love Your Local Asian Month? Kiss Me, I’m Asian Month? Asian Heritage Awareness Month?! O.M.G!
Well, wouldn’t you kow we have just the thing that will help you truly appreciate those lovable little liebchens (or any other kind of Chens!).
Hit it, boys!
p.s. Did you even realize that these boys did this "viral" video thing all the way back in 2005? But the stupid, unoriginal white people didn’t pick it up until 2009? And the white people only got about 900,000 views, but the Chinese boys got over 4.5 MILLION views?!
Go, Asians!
:)
*See also (earlier):
Crocker Starr – Cabernet Franc 2006, St Helena- Napa Valley, California
Cost: $54.99
A fabulous cabernet franc from what happens to be my first taste from this winery. I am always interested in trying new offerings from various wineries and encourage everyone to keep exploring, because that is what makes wine all the more exciting. And I came across this cabernet franc, a difficult grape to make good wine (and if not done correctly will yield that vegetal green character)—- while nice as a blending grape to cabernet sauvignon, could be overwhelming if not harnessed correctly on its own. Crocker Starr performs quite admirably by offering more of the red and black currants, mild sandalwood, sage, and a touch of cigar tobacco on the nose. In the mouth, this moderately full-bodied wine holds a consistent flavor profile, with good persistence of fruit that is matched by polished tannins. With about 30 minutes of air time in the glass, I noted some complex cedar-y graphite nose on the palate, adding a pleasant touch. A genuinely solid performance for this cabernet franc.
Rating: 90
Lane Tanner Pinot Noir – Julia’s Vineyard 2007, Santa Maria, California
Cost: $34.99/Bottle
This is an impressive performance from once again, my first taste of a winery of which I’ve never heard. From Santa Maria, California, this pinot noir from Julia’s Vineyard came to life from the minute it was opened. Forward aroma of violets, iris flowers which yield to ripe strawberry jam, and raspberry and cherry fruit, slightly laced with a hint of smoked meat, is a joy to sniff. In the mouth, medium-bodied, this garnet red with a darker ruby center is smooth and satiny from the attack to the finish, unfolding that juicy red strawberry and raspberry immediately with good concentration. Lane Tanner rocks and I must pick up more of this for a penny shy of $35. This is great pinot noir. At a bargain price too!
Rating: 94
• omg! remember when i spotted kelly-killoren.bensimmon outside CafeSelect? look! here’s the outfit she was wearing— it was on last week’s episode of Real Housewives of NYC.
i recall thinking at the the time it was quite eye-catching, but since it was particularly sunny and warm that day, it seemed rather an odd choice for the weather.
and even though she walks southwardly away from CafeSelect at the end of scene, in real reality she must have gone back cuz by the time i saw her, there were no cameras around at all. and evidently they had already "finished filming."
• yah so word on the interwebs is "the boom boom" may be going "members only."
YAY!
• the renovation of iTreMerli on west broadway is almost finished! and it looks pretty smokin. they even have a wood! burning! oven!
you know what that means: pizza.
but— do you remember back in the day when iTreMerli was totally the jumpoff? wellll… this could be fun.
• yah so, apparently LosDados is closed. again.
:(
i’m just sayin.
PX This presents THE F&F REVIEW
Hey, sorry we couldn’t make it to "Friends&Family," we were out of town/ had to work/ not invited. We’re really glad we finally managed to come by, though— it’s so nice to see you!
What’s that? You would still like us to take the time to fill out the F&F survey, because you’d love to take advantage of all our vast experience, knowledge, insight, and expertise as long as we’re already here? Because you invited 75 people to F&F, and afterward all you got was 41 "Congrats[es]!" 22 "Awesome[s]!" 3 "Ciao[s]!" and 9 "Best of lucks[s]!" ?
Of course, we’d be honored. Oh ha, yesss, we’ll be honest— brutally honest even, ha ha! After all, that’s what friends & family are for!
No no please, don’t send anything more, we’re stuffed, we can’t breathe, you’ll have to roll us out of here, ha ha ha… !
What was your first impression?
It’s pretty.
Please rate the Bar:
Nice, spacious, clean. Comfortable enough. And the bartenders are amiable and knowledgeable.
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
Decent list overall, especially for a Vietnamese restaurant. Creative, with a healthy array of fresh-ingredient cocktails. Expensive, but not extravagantly I suppose, considering the generous volume.
Please rate the Dining Room:
Appealing, but rather cramped in the "modular" area. Seemingly geared more toward imbibing than dining. Fine, but personally, I would have done it differently.
Please rate the BOH:
Not bad. Ambitious, but contrived. Also expensive, despite the "large portion, family style" explanation. Overall: presentation OK, but execution slightly off.
How was the staff?
Good. Quite knowledgeable and adept, if not particularly amicable. Perfectly proficient. Conscientious, actually.
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
West coast oysters : Skip it. Especially at $3.80 a piece.
Bo La Lot : Nice presentation but a bit too salty. Beautifully fresh Boston lettuce, but the "sausages" were trite. And small.
Chicken and Crab Salad : Again, easier on the eyes than the palate. For all that rigmarole going on, it lacks distinction in the flavors. Just way too wet and heavy on the plate.
Braised Beef : Fine flavor (slightly sweet), but lacking in succulence. Hardly worth the hefty $32 price tag.
Ice Cream & Sorbet : Refreshing. The sesame ice cream is pretty delicious.
What did you like?
The location. And the space— I saw it in its prior incarnation, and this is a vast improvement.
What did you dislike?
The contrivedness.
What was your last impression?
Australians…
Would you come back?
For a drink, maybe.
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
Thank you, and best of luck.
Here is an awesome graphic display of 25 things you should and/or should not do on the subway. Look— it works for NYC, too!
This one in particular I didn’t quite understand at first. "Do it at the beach."
Do what at the beach? Stick yourself in the closing doors? But, then I realized: he’s "swimming," get it? Ha ha ha, "do it at the beach."
:)
Anyway, enjoy!
Bad manners are universal! Hooray.
*With special thanks to James "Milkman" Mielke
Jonny Cruz performing for Heartthrobs&Friends at The Hammerstein Ballroom.
To hear more music from former F&B/Nightlife Superstar, Jonny Cruz, visit ReverbNation.
omg i just found my newest favorite website everrr!
actually, i’m not entirely sure what they do really— frankly they could simply blog "all work and no play makes jack a dull boy" over and over and over again but it would still be my favorite website ever. just cuz of the title and "logo."
but now i’m scared cuz the last time i named my favorite blog everrr, they promptly turned idiotarded like practically overnight. also i’m deathly afraid these anonymous bloggers are just former gawker ignorassholes or some shit, looking for their next book deal, like This is Why You’re Stupid or Postcards From Your Asshole or whatever those bloggetty books are called. (it’s on tumblr, see. that’s the official gawker ignorasshole blog server— most likely cuz it’s free, and we alls know that despite all their arrogance and pretentiousness, gaaahwkers are actually broke as shit. i mean— if ShutUpFoodie is actually any good, i’ll give them the fucking $40 it takes to run a real website, for fuck’s sake.)
anyways. yah. it’s awesome.
i’m just sayin.
PX This presents THE F&F REVIEW
Hey, sorry we couldn’t make it to "Friends&Family," we were out of town/ had to work/ not invited. We’re really glad we finally managed to come by, though— it’s so nice to see you!
What’s that? You Read more »
You better worrrk.
Renowned chef Philippe Chow demonstrates his technique for the world-famous chicken satay— for a ‘standing room only’ crowd at Macy’s Herald Square, Thursday, April 1st.
Mmmmm, sataaay…
Aaaand, now we have to kill you.
* with special thanks to Stratis Morfogen
= "personne extraordinaire"