Scarpetta and Benoit
(My apologies for not including photos with these short reviews. My camera went missing for a week or so and it turned out one of my sons had it. To think that he wanted to take photos of jam bands rather than food. The nerve.)
Scarpetta - Can you imagine if an author kept writing the same book over and over again? I don't mean a rewrite of the same themes, I mean a near copy of the exact same words. Well that's the best way to describe Scott Conant's restaurant, Scarpetta, where he has decided to serve the same food that he was cooking at L'Impero five years ago. One wonders whether Conant ever heard of the concept known as progress? Making matters worse are small portions and lackluster execution. Take Conant's goat entree. He uses a culinary trick that chefs often use to save money by shredding the meat off of the bone and composing it on the plate. Though it looks like a large amount of food, it's actually a small amount of food that is piled up to look substantial. Even worse, the goat meat gets dried out in the process of being manipulated. I have to say I was shocked at the mediocrity of the experience after reading some positive reviews of the restaurant. But I am sure that Frank Bruni will give the place two, or even three stars. After all, if it's Italian Bruni usually genuflects unless the restaurant's owner is named Ago. Acceptable (Barely)
Benoit - On the plus side, the food was perfectly fine. On the minus side, the idea of repackaging a classic Parisian bistro and bringing it to NYC makes my skin crawl. Aside from that, I was intrigued by the low price point (entrees in the $25 range.) But then my food arrived (I ordered a chef's salad and then salmon with sauce Choron) and I needed a magnifying glass to see the food. Actually the salad wasn't as small a portion but that was pretty much lettuces and leftover scraps. But my salmon brought new meaning to the word skimpy. Same with the steaks that my sons ordered. They were tasty but it was as if the the meat was sourced from miniature cows. However the food tasted (and the various sauces that came with the food were superb,) I couldn't help feeling as if I was eating at a bistro that was run by a large corporation where everything was pre-measured and geared towards making sure $X dropped to the bottom line. It's a great way to run a business, but it puts a damper on the spirit of the dining experience. As usual Mrs. P out it best when she gave it her vaunted "there's no reason to go back" rating. Acceptable
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