Thoughts on the Chef Almighty

Today in the New York Times food section, Frank Bruni threw down the gauntlet to tyrannical chefs. He argues that the "balance of power" in many "upscale" restaurants, mostly in New York, has shifted in favor of chefs and away from diners, and he sites as evidence the increase in the number of tasting menus, the attitude of hosts and reservationists, time limits on meals, higher prices and the pushing of chef-authored cookbooks on diners. All in all, being the Times restaurant critic and being focused almost exclusively on New York restaurants, I'm sure he's right. My own experience of top New York restaurants is somewhat limited; I've only been to Per Se, Babbo and Daniel, and I would say that my own experiences at those few restaurants were not all together bad.

Actually, my dining experience at Per Se was thoroughly delightful. I never felt pressure to leave--I stayed with my date (Lou) for nearly four hours--and I felt like the servers and the kitchen bent over backwards to cater to our needs. We knew, of course, that we were submitting ourselves to the chef's tasting menu, but we willingly did so expecting to be treated to outstanding food and wanting to try the all-encompassing tasting and pairing experience. As it turned out we had plenty of choice. The menu offered three different tastings--one was the nine course vegetarian tasting menu, one was the chef's nine course tasting menu and the final one was the five course tasting menu, all priced at $175. Rather than feeling constrained by the limited choices or lack of control, I chose the five course tasting menu in part because I was able to choose from a selection of three or four dishes for each course. I also supplemented (paid more for) one of the dishes from the chef's tasting menu as an additional course in my meal. And, yes, we chose the full wine pairing as well. It was the most wonderful meal I've ever eaten in a restaurant. Each course was artfully presented, and the tastes were exciting and pleasurable. I also thought the setting was beautiful (we were there when The Gates were up in New York, and it was lovely looking out over Central Park at a sea of orange and white snow). I have a distinct memory of the smell of the fire burning in the fireplace in center of the bank of windows overlooking Columbus Circle and the park with the skyline in the distance. Both the service and the atmosphere were warm and friendly. It was a stunning evening.

I can't say as much about Babbo or Daniel. Actually, the meal we shared at Babbo with two friends--at the spur of the moment--was quite good. Bruni is right that Babbo is a loud restaurant, but the food was good. I was not keeping meticulous tasting notes on every meal I ate at restaurants then, so I don't remember exactly what we ordered, but I remember being pleased with the food and with the overall experience (I think one dish we ordered was the beef carpaccio). I do know that because we had not made a reservation we ended up at a table in the bar, which was fairly small, but we never felt crowded or rushed, which is a testament to kind treatment by the staff. The other thing that stands out from that night is that Bono was in the restaurant.

Daniel, on the other hand, was not particularly impressive. I can't remember anything I ordered, though I have a vague memory of an interesting dessert (Boulud is known for his desserts, after all), but the restaurant itself was cavernous and gaudy. The whole place had a stuffy feel about it. I much prefer more intimate settings. On that same trip, we also ate at August, and I think the overall dining experience was better there than at Daniel, though I may have been swayed by the fact that the wood-burning oven warmed up the restaurant and made for a nice respite from the cold October rain that was falling outside (note the recurring theme of fires). I also remember the onion tart, which I think is still on the menu. Delicious! Or, perhaps I've grown fond of the pan-Mediterranean cuisine that makes up their menu as a consequence of all my eating at many of the best of the Bay Area's top restaurants--Chez Panisse, Oliveto and Zuni, among others--all of which focus on Mediterranean-inspired cuisine.

In San Francisco, my experience with the restaurants that might meet Bruni's criteria for tyrannical chefs is limited. Of the top restaurants, I've only been to Chez Panisse, Zuni, Oliveto, Quince, Nopa, Bouchon, Delfina, Slanted Door, and Farallon. So, I haven't tried, The French Laundry (though I'm going in March), Cyrus, Michael Minna, Gary Danko, Fluer de Lys, Boulevard. Bruni's comments about how difficult it can be to make a reservation at any of these restaurants resonated with me most of all. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to book a table at some of the restaurants I've just listed only to hear the busy signal or to be told either that there are no tables left or that I can only have a table 9:45 or later. I've come to regard reserving tables at these restaurants as purely a matter of luck--like shuffling a deck of cards--and my conclusion is that the only way to book a table is to call regularly, or at least periodically. So, every once in a while I dutifully call to find out that, once again, I'm out of luck.

I seem to have better luck making reservations for restaurants in other cities. I'm going to LA in February, and I was easily able to reserve tables at Hatfield's and AOC, and for a trip to Chicago in March, I was able to hold tables at Alinea and the Custom House. All of them are well reviewed and much talked about restaurants with what Bruni would probably regard as powerful chefs. Alinea is the only one with a tasting menu.

For me, as a tasting menu novice and despite my annoyance with the difficulty of booking tables, I don't mind the idea of subjecting myself to the will of a chef. I think the overall dining experience is worth it. Based on my experience at Per Se, I'm game for another meal designed by Thomas Keller (the idea of a chef designing the meal says it all, right Frank?), and, I'm looking forward to dinner at Alinea as well. I'll have to weigh in again after both of those meals.

UPDATE: Frank Bruni has posted some additional thoughts on his blog, expanding on his overall point, which he restates, "that restaurants too often seem to put their own self-regard ahead of our satisfaction and our say."