Food

[skywatch]

I really didn't enjoy it at all. No pics I'm afraid, and Mrs wmw has now eaten it

What a shame. I mean, live on an island, you're surrounded by fish.

[Raza]

I agree. If you're using a flash and disturbing other diners, that is one thing, but a discreet iphone snap without excessive and distracting staging is something else altogether. Personally, I'd not eat there again.

Jeannie

I'm beginning to feel very tired of these restaurants thinking they're some sort of sacred space and we non-cookers should feel privileged to pay them for the service. There's a pizza place, recently named the best pizza in the country by some magazine, that's near me. They sell 40 pizzas a night. No delivery. Pickup only. You go, you wait in line, and you hope to get a pizza. People start waiting in line an hour and a half before it opens. Once they sell 40 pizzas, they stop. People wait in line for hours and never get a pizza.

They have no phone. They're known for not having a phone. So you can't even call to find out if they're still serving.

It makes me want to go get a bunch of those $5 crap pizzas from Little Caesar's and just throw slices at the chumps waiting in line, begging to be accepted by another fake velvet rope.

Of course, there is a decorum and there are manners. But snapping a discreet photo of your food--cooked and plated with great care, no doubt--is not something that should bother anyone. If I put something together that was so good people wanted to share it on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or whatever, I'd be happy and a little proud, not annoyed or indignant.

[whatmeworry]

What a shame. I mean, live on an island, you're surrounded by fish.

I don't mind eating them, just rather not have to do all the messy stuff first

[Seriously]

I don't mind eating them, just rather not have to do all the messy stuff first

Were you showing off for the missus

Why didn't you get the shop to prep it for you ?, all the major supermarkets will do it fresh for you nowadays

You've only got yourself to blame miladdo

Is that an English thing

Correctamondo

[whatmeworry]

Were you showing off for the missus

Why didn't you get the shop to prep it for you ?, all the major supermarkets will do it fresh for you nowadays

You've only got yourself to blame miladdo



Correctamondo

No, I wanted to try doing it, and I'm glad I did, just not something I'm keen on doing again.

[Ryan]

I'm beginning to feel very tired of these restaurants thinking they're some sort of sacred space and we non-cookers should feel privileged to pay them for the service. There's a pizza place, recently named the best pizza in the country by some magazine, that's near me. They sell 40 pizzas a night. No delivery. Pickup only. You go, you wait in line, and you hope to get a pizza. People start waiting in line an hour and a half before it opens. Once they sell 40 pizzas, they stop. People wait in line for hours and never get a pizza.

They have no phone. They're known for not having a phone. So you can't even call to find out if they're still serving.

It makes me want to go get a bunch of those $5 crap pizzas from Little Caesar's and just throw slices at the chumps waiting in line, begging to be accepted by another fake velvet rope.

Of course, there is a decorum and there are manners. But snapping a discreet photo of your food--cooked and plated with great care, no doubt--is not something that should bother anyone. If I put something together that was so good people wanted to share it on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or whatever, I'd be happy and a little proud, not annoyed or indignant.

There are places like that around here too; restaurants that caught an arbiter's attention at some point and have been able to exploit the resultant public gaze of adoration for years to come. Especially pizza places--this is New York, after all--that have established a name for themselves and created a foodie, media cult; the pizzaioli become prima donnas, showing up for 40 pies only, no phone, no sign. It's obnoxious, and the difference between the place where people have to wait for four hours in line, know the secret knock to get through the door, and pay twice as much in "cash only" is mostly hype*.

[Ryan]

Is that an English thing or just a completely rando pizza accompaniment?

...Correctamondo

I don't believe you.

[bu11itt]

I'm beginning to feel very tired of these restaurants thinking they're some sort of sacred space and we non-cookers should feel privileged to pay them for the service. There's a pizza place, recently named the best pizza in the country by some magazine, that's near me. They sell 40 pizzas a night. No delivery. Pickup only. You go, you wait in line, and you hope to get a pizza. People start waiting in line an hour and a half before it opens. Once they sell 40 pizzas, they stop. People wait in line for hours and never get a pizza.

They have no phone. They're known for not having a phone. So you can't even call to find out if they're still serving.

It makes me want to go get a bunch of those $5 crap pizzas from Little Caesar's and just throw slices at the chumps waiting in line, begging to be accepted by another fake velvet rope.

Of course, there is a decorum and there are manners. But snapping a discreet photo of your food--cooked and plated with great care, no doubt--is not something that should bother anyone. If I put something together that was so good people wanted to share it on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or whatever, I'd be happy and a little proud, not annoyed or indignant.

I think it really has to do with the individual restaurant and how they handle it. Like you said, they can either be pretentious douche canoes about it with their noses in the air treating the customer like it is the restaurant who is doing them a favor by giving them the privilege of eat their food. Or they can embrace the fame and not take themselves to seriously, realizing that food is very much a fad these days (and we all know how quickly fads can come and go) so you better treat your partrons well, because someone is gonna have to want to go back after you're no longer the "IT" restaurant.

Full disclosure...

I once waiting 4 hours for Franklin Barbecue, but that was more for the experience. Also being a big BBQ fan and loving to cook and eat brisket, I just had to try the best brisket in Texas. The restaurant didn't take themselves too seriously, they really embraced the fun side of it. There was a mound of lawn chairs they provide for everyone, they let you go into the restaurant for the bathroom, were passing out bottles of water and had coffee inside for anyone in line. It was a very open, everybody-get-along type of environment (but what else would you expect in Austin).

By the way, this was the line at 10 AM, they start serving food at 11.

[Raza]

There are places like that around here too; places that caught the arbiter's attention at some point and have been able to exploit it for years. Especially pizza places--this is New York, after all--that have established a name for themselves and created a foodie, media cult; the pizzaioli become prima donnas, showing up for 40 pies only, no phone, no sign. It's obnoxious, and the difference between the place where people have to wait for four hours in line, know the secret knock to get through the door, and pay twice as much in "cash only" is mostly hype*.

Oh that's right, this place is also cash only.

My friends and I were also scratching heads as to how they make any money. 40 pizzas a night is gross $1000, tops. Then there's rent, supply cost, labor cost, breakage/spoilage.

[Raza]

I think it really has to do with the individual restaurant and how they handle it. Like you said, they can either be pretentious douche canoes about it with their noses in the air treating the customer like it is the restaurant who is doing them a favor by giving them the privilege of eat their food. Or they can embrace the fame and not take themselves to seriously, realizing that food is very much a fad these days (and we all know how quickly fads can come and go) so you better treat your partrons well, because someone is gonna have to want to go back after you're no longer the "IT" restaurant.

Full disclosure...

I once waiting 4 hours for Franklin Barbecue, but that was more for the experience. Also being a big BBQ fan and loving to cook and eat brisket, I just had to try the best brisket in Texas. The restaurant didn't take themselves too seriously, they really embraced the fun side of it. There was a mound of lawn chairs they provide for everyone, they let you go into the restaurant for the bathroom, were passing out bottles of water and had coffee inside for anyone in line. It was a very open, everybody-get-along type of environment (but what else would you expect in Austin).

By the way, this was the line at 10 AM, they start serving food at 11.

That's how waiting in line should be done. Not treating the customers with disdain, but with the knowledge that without them, the restaurant is nothing.