Whimsical

In the process of casting around on the intertubes for the aforementioned Tony Maws/Craigie St. Bistro Lentiles Du Puy receipt, I came across a reference to Maws getting beat up on the Chowhound boards a little bit. I don't go on Chowhound unless I'm looking for a specific kind of place somehwere where I do not know anyone, but given all the love Maws has deservedly got, I was curious. There were some complaints about the service, but the one that puzzled me was this:

Anyway, I was glad to know they could manage special requests (no meat or chicken for me), but a little dissapointed to hear that if one diner has dietary restrictions, ALL the diners in the party must abide by them...It kind of s*cked that the Commodore couldn't indulge in his taste for flesh...:)

This is from a description of an experience with the cultish Sunday after nine Chef's Whim menu, a prix fixe where Maws cooks what he wants. I've had the chance to do it a couple of times, and I think it would be my Mitterand meal --I've never had a meal where I was intellectually and sensorally overwhelmed before I got full. But for these folks, not so much:

Since my high-end meals tend to be fewer and further between than many here, I usually walk out of a tasting or chef's menu, say, at restaurant week or other "Special Offering", starry-eyed and glowing, and vowing to come again, and splurge for the food at full-price...While the Chef's Whim here was a very good meal for the price (3 glasses of wine, T&T, and the whole thing came to $100 for 2), I have to say, that's all it was worth...It was great to get a chance to sample Tony Maws' cuisine, but in all honesty, I wouldn't consider it at the full tariff.

Um, yeah, but if you hire Miles Davis to come to your house, and then insist he play the harmonica, you might could have a subpar experience. Given the vagaries of life in the 02138, it is not surprising that Maws is obliged to cater to fussy eaters vegetarians. But as Dan Hawkins might say,  IT'S A CLASSIC FRENCH BISTRO!" (Or at least a fancy American interpretation of one.) Maws is in the hospitality business, and is obliged to accommodate the dietary  caprices of his patrons, I suppose, but for one of those patrons to pass judgment on the chef after forcing him to cook with one hand behind his back is unfortunate. The reviewer might be better served by sticking to seitan and tempeh joints, or hiring a private chef.

Comments

[Marco]

Miles might have done it, though I doubt it. Lots of cursing, either way.