PX This.

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… !

Ramen Takumi (formerly Setaga-ya)

What was your first impression?
So, Takumi is still Setaga-ya with more stuff, right? (The curtains and bowls still say "Setagaya.")

Please rate the Bar:
N/A, unless you mean the open-kitchen communal counter. Takumi has a lot more choices than Setaga-ya did, though— a nice selection of sake, beer and plum wine…

Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
Reasonably priced.

Please rate the Dining Room:
Very simple. Three communal tables and the aforementioned counter. Better than before (nice lamps), but hardly imaginative.

Please rate the BOH:
Solid, but not excellent. Also better than Setaga-ya in terms of selection, with popular additions (appetizers, salads, etc.) to the menu. More ramen variations to choose from.

How was the staff?
Friendly and efficient.

What did you eat?/ How was the food?
Pork Gyoza : Pretty good, but not outstanding.
Shrimp Shumai : The flavor’s not bad, but the dumpling far outweighs the shrimp.
#3 – Miso flavored broth… : Hearty miso tang, savory marinated egg, but the pork and vegetables are weak. It’s a shame that most people look primarily for economy in ramen— I’d gladly pay more for a good dose of meat and fresh vegetables.
#8 – Spicy soybean broth… : Ditto the #3. Nice seasoning, but again with the frugality where it’s least appreciated.

What did you like?
That the check for everything was under $50.

What did you dislike?
That it doesn’t top nonsensically MSG-happy Ippudo.

What was your last impression?
Whew, I’m stuffed.

Would you come back?
Yeah, probably.

Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
Arigato Gozaimasu!

Welcome to: Where I Spent My Day Off —by a NYC Restaurant "Insider"

So, what do you do in the industry?
I’m the General Manager for a [very popular] 160+ seater in midtown.

And you have how many days off a week, generally?
Two.

What did you do for breakfast yesterday?
I hardly ever eat breakfast; I just don’t have the appetite for it most mornings. Just two cups of my special recipe of blended espresso with a lot of hot milk, at home.

Lunch?
My friend and I went to Kelley & Ping, because we were both craving ramen. Normally, we probably would have chosen Ippudo, but I read that thing you guys had about the MSG (LOL)! Somebody should call them or something, and tell them to stop using that stuff; maybe they’re losing a lot of customers! They probably wouldn’t care anyway, though, they’re so busy all the time…
Anyway, Kelley &Ping was good; I still love that place, too.

And afterward?
Walked around SoHo and then stopped in to see our friend who’s a bartender at Balthazar. Had a couple glasses of white wine.

Dinner?
Met another friend at Perilla. I looove Perilla. They have this amazing sea urchin foam thing, and the seafood pasta dish is incredible. Sooo good. Their staff is really great, too— so professional and really nice.
Plus a lovely wine list— some good choices at decent prices. I refuse to go to places that have crappy overpriced wine, which actually, is like, half the places in the West Village.
My friend had "thai sausages" which were just OK, though. We also joked that the execution seemed more "Vietnamese" than "Thai," but whatever. And he also had the burger— was it duck? In any case, he liked it.

And afterward?
We decided to try Avenue, since neither one of us had ever been there before, and we were both curious to see what it looked like. And since it was a weekday and still earlyish, we figured we wouldn’t catch that much of a hassle at the door. Well, we were wrong. We got there probably right before 10PM, but the guy at the door told us it was a "private party" or "reservation only," something like that. We’re not the type to argue our way into places, so we just decided to have a drink at The Park next door instead.
My friend decided to order the mushroom fingers because it sounded weird and intriguing, even though we were both still stuffed from dinner. I only had a couple bites; they were eh, not bad, but not great either.

Then as we were leaving The Park, my friend saw Wass Stevens, whom he knows, manning the door at Avenue. So then we went in.
I mean, so ridiculous— clubs in NY are so retarded now— do you want us, or don’t you? Maybe that other guy was just new or something, but seriously? A guy and a girl at 10PM and you’re going to give us a hard time? Not to sound conceited, but we’re not exactly hideous, you know.
So then we get inside and of course the place is totally empty. As we’re getting drinks at the bar, a waiter recognizes my friend (who’s also in the F&B industry) and takes us to table and says he wants to introduce my friend to the Maitre d’ or whatever. And he offers to send food, but we tell him we’ve already eaten. So then he sends over a mochi dessert! I mean, this is why nightlife is so crappy now. Make up your minds— you don’t want us to come inside, but then when we’re inside you’re happy to see us? So ridiculous.
We didn’t stay very long— we just had the one round.

How much did you blow today?
About $30 during the day, including lunch and half the tip at Balthazar. My friend insisted on paying the check at Perilla, The Park, the two drinks and the tip at Avenue, but I’m going to get the next one. Or maybe I’ll just cook for him.

Welcome to: Where I Spent My Day Off —by a NYC Restaurant "Insider"

So, what do you do in the industry?
I’m a Service Coordinator and Floor Manager for a [highly publicized] 150+ seater in TriBeCa.

And you have how many days off a week, generally?
Two.

What did you do for breakfast yesterday?
Had an english muffin (with butter) and coffee at home while watching the morning news.

Lunch?
Met a couple of friends at Ippudo on 4th Ave. They’re big fans of the ramen, and I think one friend even knows one of the cooks there. It’s usually packed (or rather, the wait is long) for dinner, so lunch is a better bet if you can make it there early enough. I used to be a fan myself, until a girl I was dating a while back had an allergic reaction which she attributed to MSG. I was surprised that a ramen house as well-known as Ippudo would still be using outdated and controversial ingredients like MSG, so when I got home I googled "Ippudo MSG." Even though I didn’t actually get a definitive answer, there were enough reports online of people with similar doubts and experiences to make me somewhat of a believer. I haven’t eaten at Ippudo since, and I try to warn my friends of the possibility of MSG in the food. Some friends care — others don’t.
Obviously, these particular friends still love it, but I stuck with two pork buns, piquillo peppers and a small bottle of sake. I hope the pork buns don’t have any MSG, but if it weren’t for my friends insisting on lunching there, I wouldn’t have gone back even for those.

And afterward?
Walked around Union Square with my friends, then went home to clean my apartment and catch up on the laundry.

Dinner?
Met another friend at Ed’s Lobster Bar in SoHo. She was craving a lobster roll, and Mary’s Fish Camp is too much of hassle (long wait) most nights. I also won’t go to Pearl’s because the staff has such an attitude problem there. Ed’s isn’t much better, but the irony is that at Ed’s the staff is nice, but the owners are real dicks. Usually whenever I see Ed or that other big guy through the window, I keep walking. But this time my friend was starving so I gave in.
I always try to get a seat at the counter as far away from Ed as possible. Sometimes he mans the front oyster/raw bar, and other times he darts in and out of the kitchen in the back. Unfortunately, this time there were only seats toward the front, and we had no choice but to plop ourselves smack in front of his surly mug.

The funny thing is I was bracing myself for a mediocre to downright awful experience, but I think Ed heard us talking and realized we were from the industry. He was unusually attentive, and no exaggeration, the lobster rolls arrived more overstuffed and perfectly prepared than I have ever seen before (more often than not, it’s a crap shoot). The fries were also perfect (ditto on the crap shoot) and even the little ramekin of pickles was practically overflowing. We also shared a Caesar salad to start, and even that was fresher and better prepared than it’s ever been. It ended up being the best meal I’ve ever had there.

And afterward?
Popped into Cafe Select to see if another friend of mine was working, but she wasn’t, so we dropped into La Esquina instead. Had two rounds of margaritas, which was one more than I wanted, but I know the girl that was bartending, so she refilled the glasses when we weren’t looking. We spotted Mischa Barton walking by, but I think I heard she’s there all the time. Also ran into a couple of other people we know.

How much did you blow today?
I treated my friend to dinner at Ed’s so all in all, about $190, including tip (which I gave the bartender at La Esquina a little extra for the sneak round). My friend paid for the first round of drinks at La Esquina. No cab fare all day which is one of the main reasons I mostly only go to places I can walk to (I hate the subway).