My neighborhood (lower east side) has had a definite shortage of places to eat. 71 Clinton was a great addition, but it's only open for dinner, and how often can you eat there really? If you're thinking lunch, forget about it (The Hat? No thanks.) Until now that is. Barrio is a new restaurant on Stanton St. between Ludlow and Orchard. It's a huge space (2 floors, plus roof garden) that the owners put a lot of money into (they bought the building I believe.) But the atmosphere is defintely casual down town (as opposed to, say, the 71 Clinton St. upper east side on the lower east side craziness.) And not only are they open for lunch, they're open 24 freakin' hours a day. Think 3 star Yaffa cafe (if it's possible to imagine such a beast) and you'll be pretty close. The chef is supposedly (like 71 Clinton) a former Jean-George employee (waiting for definitive confirmation on this.) The food is a joy. Very clean. For instance, the toast that came with my brunch on Sunday, had NO BUTTER on it! There's no butter anywhere in sight. Nothing is being covered up or hidden. The tofu sandwich (eating right now) is great. Fantastic whole grain bread. Interesting little sprouts on top (interesting sprouts and shoots seems to be a Jean-George trained identifying characteristic.) And it comes with home-made tarot chips on the side. Every plate seems to have a nice touch like this. Last night we had the vegetable risotto, and a fish special (Pike.) All very good. Not over thought, or over dressed, or over done. Simple. Clean. Fresh. I'll wait for Mike's word on the wine list, but it seems good to me (mostly in the $25-$60 dollar range; few big one$.) No Kendall Jackson type offerings at all. We had a very nice Valpollicella. It's not going to get 3 stars from the Times, but it's not trying to. Praise the lord. A good, simple, no effort required place to eat in the 'hood. It's been a long time coming.
whats with kendall jackson, eminently middlebrow?
dont know what the last two words mean but KJ is popular and over sold brand (stores sell at near cost to bring people in) quality can be low, the owner is making money buying up all kinds of land to grow more plunk, no more birds for Dr Wilson....FU KJ
emin/mid = exceptionally average
I didn't mean to be too snobby about it. I've had some good bottles. It's just that it is everywhere. It's the obvious thing to have on your list.
sounds great!!, tarot chips?? did you get the magician??, i love (p)ike, food prices??
Whoops. Tarot - that might have been funny if I had meant it. How is it spelled? Tarro? Anyway, prices are good. Vegetable dish was $12. Fish around $15-$16. Didn't look too closely at the meat, but I'd be surprised if anything was over $20.
I'm very sad to have to add a comment to my own post here, but I guess that's the way things are. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. I gave it a chance, lord knows. I really wanted it to be good (and the food often is good,) but I simply can't go there any more. The service is horrible. And not in a "we're trying, but we're new and just don't have it together yet" way. It's bad in the "I really shouldn't be a waiting on you because I'm much more beautiful than you" way. Plus, you risk about a 30% chance of having to sit through too loud R&B music (and I'm not talking about Aretha Franklin or anything like that.) I honestly didn't think anone really listened to that sort of thing. Isn't R. Kelly just a figment of some record producers imagination? Perhaps I'm still too mad at my lunch disaster today to be writing this (no, I don't really want you to finally bring my drink along with the check,) but I'm too much of a chicken to not tip at all, so this is my protest. You have been warned. Not ready for prime time.
Oct 27, 2000
The chef at Barrio (which, as you say, is quite good) was indeed a Jean Georges employee, as well as Bouley bakery.
-Swerdloff
In my new quest to add useless comments to threads long ago over, I'll mention that William Grimes seemed to agree with my indictment of the Barrio staff. "Service during the day is so inept that it deserves serious study by teams of
professionals. The waiters, although unfailingly polite and gentle in manner, seem
perplexed by the very idea that their job entails the fetching of food. It's as though it
were a ritual they have read about but cannot quite bring themselves to believe in." Ouch.
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- jim 9-13-2000 5:57 pm
whats with kendall jackson, eminently middlebrow?
- dave 9-13-2000 8:50 pm [add a comment]
dont know what the last two words mean but KJ is popular and over sold brand (stores sell at near cost to bring people in) quality can be low, the owner is making money buying up all kinds of land to grow more plunk, no more birds for Dr Wilson....FU KJ
- Skinny 9-14-2000 1:02 am [add a comment]
emin/mid = exceptionally average
- dave 9-14-2000 1:11 am [add a comment]
I didn't mean to be too snobby about it. I've had some good bottles. It's just that it is everywhere. It's the obvious thing to have on your list.
- jim 9-14-2000 1:11 am [add a comment]
i just wondered because that was one of the winemakers names my dad mentioned that bought their grapes. always good to have a relative idea of a labels reputation when you have no clue.
- dave 9-14-2000 1:32 am [add a comment]
please note i am the snob--we are one--all is good--i left plenty o' dead shows saying that sucked and next thing you know its a head saying "man thats the best show i ever saw"--doesnt mean we should rip up all the available land to bottle plunk (there i go again)....
- Skinny 9-14-2000 2:56 am [add a comment]
P.S. KJ's label reputation is very high a lot of people love the wines....
- Skinny 9-14-2000 2:58 am [add a comment]
sounds great!!, tarot chips?? did you get the magician??, i love (p)ike, food prices??
- Skinny 9-13-2000 9:58 pm [add a comment]
Whoops. Tarot - that might have been funny if I had meant it. How is it spelled? Tarro? Anyway, prices are good. Vegetable dish was $12. Fish around $15-$16. Didn't look too closely at the meat, but I'd be surprised if anything was over $20.
- jim 9-14-2000 1:16 am [add a comment]
i think its taro.
- dave 9-14-2000 1:34 am [add a comment]
I'm very sad to have to add a comment to my own post here, but I guess that's the way things are. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. I gave it a chance, lord knows. I really wanted it to be good (and the food often is good,) but I simply can't go there any more. The service is horrible. And not in a "we're trying, but we're new and just don't have it together yet" way. It's bad in the "I really shouldn't be a waiting on you because I'm much more beautiful than you" way. Plus, you risk about a 30% chance of having to sit through too loud R&B music (and I'm not talking about Aretha Franklin or anything like that.) I honestly didn't think anone really listened to that sort of thing. Isn't R. Kelly just a figment of some record producers imagination? Perhaps I'm still too mad at my lunch disaster today to be writing this (no, I don't really want you to finally bring my drink along with the check,) but I'm too much of a chicken to not tip at all, so this is my protest. You have been warned. Not ready for prime time.
- jim 10-06-2000 7:19 pm [add a comment]
jim--i wish i was with you--remember il buco dinner!!:>)--well jim just order delivared only and give the tip to the runner and help the chef keep his job!!
- Skinny 10-07-2000 5:51 am [add a comment]
p.s. who is R Kelly--is that the guy whom did the old dead albums (kelly and mouse??)
- Skinny 10-07-2000 5:53 am [add a comment]
Oct 27, 2000
The chef at Barrio (which, as you say, is quite good) was indeed a Jean Georges employee, as well as Bouley bakery. -Swerdloff
- anonymous (guest) 10-27-2000 5:31 pm [add a comment]
Hello Swerdloff. Thanks for the info. I liked your site (is it really over?)
- jim 10-27-2000 10:43 pm [add a comment]
In my new quest to add useless comments to threads long ago over, I'll mention that William Grimes seemed to agree with my indictment of the Barrio staff.
Ouch.- jim 12-11-2000 9:27 pm [add a comment]
(scene of the grimes)--wow thanks for that--i didnt read the whole article--it restores my faith in YOU
- Skinny 12-12-2000 1:53 am [add a comment]