Per Se vs. Eleven Madison Park

GQgeek · Jun 20, 2011

Originally Posted by SField

I really don't give a **** about that. Frankly I think young "foodies" are annoying as ****. One thing I hate and I mean I HATE about going to Alinea or Per Se or L20 is that you have to sit around a bunch of yuppies or dinks and overhear their marsupialed conversation about food. As matt says, they're there to check off a list. I'm almost always with great company so my surroundings don't matter but sometimes you do overhear a loud group, and given that the dining rooms are small and rather quiet it isn't difficult for this to happen.

Older, more experienced diners are there to just enjoy themselves. They just talk about regular **** with occasional quips about the food. They're over it and they don't have anything to prove. So ya, sign me up for Daniel and the blue hairs.

I'm a youngish diner, not an expert, and I agree with you. I don't want to verbally dissect the food. If it's good, it's good, and if it's not, oh well. Same with wine. Enjoy it for yourself and STFU imo.

foodguy · Jun 21, 2011

much as i treasure my role as cranky old fart, i do disagree with you guys ... at least in some specifics even if i agree with you generally. part of what is really amazing about a restaurant like per se, tfl, alinea, etc., is the intellectual play that is going on. this isn't "shut up and eat" food. to me, sharing a meal like that with dining companions who are interested in food and informed about it can verbalize their thoughts is a great pleasure. the same goes for wine.
if i may, i think the difference is between those who are informed and those who just think they are. but i guess that's true for just about any conversation, isn't it?

RSS · Jun 21, 2011

Originally Posted by foodguy

much as i treasure my role as cranky old fart, i do disagree with you guys ... at least in some specifics even if i agree with you generally. part of what is really amazing about a restaurant like per se, tfl, alinea, etc., is the intellectual play that is going on. this isn't "shut up and eat" food. to me, sharing a meal like that with dining companions who are interested in food and informed about it can verbalize their thoughts is a great pleasure. the same goes for wine.
if i may, i think the difference is between those who are informed and those who just think they are. but i guess that's true for just about any conversation, isn't it?
I thought you made this point earlier (perhaps I assumed too much). But, I'm not in disagreement with you ... and could have infused my own thoughts.

Edit: Oops ... just read the post above yours.

akatsuki · Jun 21, 2011

Originally Posted by foodguy

much as i treasure my role as cranky old fart, i do disagree with you guys ... at least in some specifics even if i agree with you generally. part of what is really amazing about a restaurant like per se, tfl, alinea, etc., is the intellectual play that is going on. this isn't "shut up and eat" food. to me, sharing a meal like that with dining companions who are interested in food and informed about it can verbalize their thoughts is a great pleasure. the same goes for wine.
if i may, i think the difference is between those who are informed and those who just think they are. but i guess that's true for just about any conversation, isn't it?

Agreed - If you just want to eat food without thinking - I'd hit something more in the comfort range rather than go to Per Se.

In fact, I'd probably say the opposite - I hate the people sitting around chowing down on food without any intellectual appreciation of it at restaurants like that - go eat a $120 cheeseburger if you just need to show off.

Also why I don't bother to order off the wine list at PS or TFL - very standard, unsurprising, and designed to generally cater to the big wallet Robert Parker crowd. I will say that TFL's beer is pretty good though...

untilted · Jun 21, 2011

Originally Posted by ryansmith

Just had a hell of a meal at EMP.
http://smithratliff.com/2011/06/16/d...-madison-park/

having that menu in a month, pretty stoked. you have a great camera.

RSS · Jun 21, 2011

Originally Posted by GQgeek

I don't want to verbally dissect the food. If it's good, it's good, and if it's not, oh well. Same with wine. Enjoy it for yourself and STFU imo.

Originally Posted by akatsuki

I hate the people sitting around chowing down on food without any intellectual appreciation of it at restaurants like that - go eat a $120 cheeseburger if you just need to show off.

As long as the decible level of the conversation at other tables is considerate of the diners around them, why care about any table but your own?

GQgeek · Jun 21, 2011

Originally Posted by RSS

As long as the decible level of the conversation at other tables is considerate of the diners around them, why care about any table but your own?

I'm mostly talking about certain people that have been at my table. ;p

I can't say that i've ever been in a restaurant and been annoyed by what's been going on at another table unless they were being boorish. I generally limit myself to the types of restaurants that don't cater to the type of clientele that would be, however. That means I stay away from trendy places where young people go to so that they can say they ate at the same place as some celeb.

HomerJ · Jun 22, 2011

Originally Posted by RSS

BTW, you dine at a restaurant, you do cocaine.

RSS · Jun 22, 2011

Originally Posted by HomerJ

I shall assume those are Michelin stars and not the Moble guide.

ndsleep612 · Jul 1, 2011

I ate at EMP last year and felt like I was taken. Perhaps Babbo had something to do with it the night before. Food-wise, Per Se is what high end dining is all about. EMP tries to put on a good show, but I wasn't wow'd whatsoever. I had the 11 course tasting menu, the dinner took 5+hrs to finish. There were numerous breaks in-between for cheese, cognac and macaroons. That tells you how long it took. I had a corner table with a view of everything. The waiters kept on walking in a circular form and would constantly check up on me. I felt that this may have been a bit too much service for me. After 5+hrs and being tipsy on the all you can drink cognac, me and my dining companion left hungry....

JayJay · Jul 1, 2011

Originally Posted by ndsleep612

I ate at EMP last year and felt like I was taken. Perhaps Babbo had something to do with it the night before. Food-wise, Per Se is what high end dining is all about. EMP tries to put on a good show, but I wasn't wow'd whatsoever. I had the 11 course tasting menu, the dinner took 5+hrs to finish. There were numerous breaks in-between for cheese, cognac and macaroons. That tells you how long it took. I had a corner table with a view of everything. The waiters kept on walking in a circular form and would constantly check up on me. I felt that this may have been a bit too much service for me. After 5+hrs and being tipsy on the all you can drink cognac, me and my dining companion left hungry....
Interesting. This time last year I ate at those three plus a few more (i.e., Daniel, Degustation, Rubicon), and even though EMP was last on the list, I left with a completely different impression.

RSS · Jul 1, 2011

Originally Posted by ndsleep612

[M]e and my dining companion left hungry....
BTW that's "My dining compantion and I left hungry." But were you really?

ramuman · Jul 1, 2011

Originally Posted by RSS

BTW that's "My dining compantion and I left hungry." But were you really?
Escorts insist on different rules of grammar.

RSS · Jul 1, 2011

Originally Posted by ramuman

Escorts insist on different rules of grammar.
So the objective case takes precidence over the nominative case. As for the hunger, perhaps it was a more lusty kind of hunger. As example ... what are the words to that song I recently heard?

I'm looking for the words to describe the girl without being disrespectful.
Damn, yous a sexy chic.

hopkins_student · Sep 20, 2011

So I have decided that the answer to this question is...both.

Per Se vs. Eleven Madison Park

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