Eatiquette

Has a Restaurant Ever Served You Cold Shoulder?

Photo: Daniel Maurer

In his review of Niko today, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt complains that “while certain guests were fawned on and chatted up, others, like myself, were made to feel like the riff-raff we are.” He writes: “The well-dressed man wedged into the sashimi bar with his back towards us and his shoulder floating over my place setting while casually chatting with the couple on the end of the bar wasn’t just a mildly rude and totally oblivious customer. He was the owner.” Cobi Levi also gets called to the carpet by Steve Cuozzo, who’s apparently still smarting over the way he was treated at the Charles.

In a piece about the various “schools of masochism” (long waits at no-reservations joints, zoolike club-staurants, etc.), he writes: “Go in their early months when they’re still hot. You might get a table. But watch helplessly as Calvin and Gwyneth get better ones.” Aw, puppy. Our petty complaint: Can Brooklyn restaurants please open for dinner on Tuesdays? Yesterday we shuttled from Lucali to Mitchell’s to Mile End only to find them all dark — and the Vanderbilt was closed, too, for a private beer dinner (though they were nice enough to pour us a growler). Lesson learned: Next time we want to eat in Brooklyn on a Tuesday, we double-check the hours and call ahead.

No Good Eating, Just Beating [NYP]
Niko: Impressive Japanese Fare Without Service to Match [Serious Eats NY]

Has a Restaurant Ever Served You Cold Shoulder?