The Other Critics

Sifton Finds La Grenouille Worth It; Sutton on Abe & Arthur’s Wait

Sam Sifton maintains the three stars for La Grenouille: “This is the bastion now. It is worth the expense to put on your best and experience it. It is part of why you are here.” [NYT]

Ryan Sutton files a twofer on Abe & Arthur’s and Tanuki Tavern and is not overly impressed with either. At the former, wait times prompt him to muse that “As excellent restaurants struggle to fill their books amid the economic decline, it’s unfortunate that mediocre venues like Abe & Arthur’s get away with such carelessness.” The latter, at least, “is the rare Chodorow spot that offers semi-authentic, mostly satisfying cuisine.” [Bloomberg]
Related: A Closer Look at Abe & Arthur’s and Its Food
A Closer Look at Tanuki Tavern, Plus Menu

Of the service at Eleven Madison Park, Gael Greene writes “This is not just the fabled Danny Meyer service (which I have sometimes seen falter). It’s a kind of theater, the theater of four stars. At first it’s a bit too much for this paranoid New Yorker, so many smiles, the perky greetings, the bows and scrapes; it’s an American parody of Michelin three star service — friendlier, a little too much. But then I relax and decide to just wallow in it and discover it’s not a parody at all, it’s a deliberate translation.” [Insatiable Critic]

Jay Cheshes offers up three stars for Tipsy Parson, which is “best approached as the nightly dinner party it strives to be. … The food at Tipsy Parson may not rival your Southern grandmother’s cooking, but with the temperature plunging outside, the place makes for an awfully cozy retreat.” [TONY]

Sifton Finds La Grenouille Worth It; Sutton on Abe & Arthur’s Wait