Comments on Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome: bottarga & butter {john dory oyster bar nyc}

@Vannim: thank you! Yes, the piece got a lot of pl...

2012-01-11T07:38:08.610+01:00

@Vannim: thank you! Yes, the piece got a lot of play, both in the Times, then got reported on back in Italy as well.
@Jake: Yes, busman's holiday exactly!

"But I have to say, for better or worse , I t...

2012-01-10T20:20:52.126+01:00

"But I have to say, for better or worse , I tend not to go to Italian restaurants with what little time I've got in NYC."

Oh right - what was I thinking? Sort of a busman's holiday...:-)

@Amanda: I was there the 29th, you? @Vannim: Than...

2012-01-08T09:28:43.512+01:00

@Amanda: I was there the 29th, you?
@Vannim: Thanks!

Wait, really? I was totally there last week! What ...

2012-01-08T02:16:41.453+01:00

Wait, really? I was totally there last week! What a small world! I wonder if we crossed paths ;)

OT -and I apologize for that-: Congratulations for...

2012-01-07T21:06:47.955+01:00

OT -and I apologize for that-: Congratulations for landing a "prime" Real Estate article on the International Herald Tribune! http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/06/greathomesanddestinations/palazzo-for-sale-in-central-rome.html

@jake: in fact, it's hard to find a quiet rest...

2012-01-05T21:33:02.381+01:00

@jake: in fact, it's hard to find a quiet restaurant where you can actually have a conversation. No, never been to Via Emilia. But I have to say, for better or worse , I tend not to go to Italian restaurants with what little time I've got in NYC.
@Lost in Provence: Not sure about Poutargue. Let me know. And SS was right, it is a slightly crazed scene there.

Hmm, I am wondering if Bottarga is the same thing ...

2012-01-05T19:39:33.825+01:00

Hmm, I am wondering if Bottarga is the same thing as Poutargue? Will have to go and look that up. And I am glad to hear that you had a good time at John Dory. Sam Sifton's original review made it seem so crazy that I have never even tried to go!

Looks pretty good. I think there was a distinct lu...

2012-01-05T19:37:52.829+01:00

Looks pretty good. I think there was a distinct lull in food quality in NYC about 5 or so years ago, but it has come back up in the last couple. Part of that is a return to Italian and Italian-influenced cuisine and fresh food sourcing chefs. But you point to one stubborn problem with restaurants in NYC: most are way too loud for conversation. Part of that is New Yorkers, who simply cannot speak without shouting, and part of that is restaurant design - tall uncovered ceilings over maxed square footage with lots of tables on hard surface floors. I think it is more the economics of the restaurant business in NYC than anything else.

Have you been to Via Emilia (47 E 21st St) yet? I think that is a nice quiet place with a quite competent menu. Just in case your voice is still in recovery.