Last night, at Zadie’s Oyster Room, New York by New York members enjoyed oysters, wine, and a behind-the-scenes look at this year’s Where to Eat issue. “We know it’s time to assemble that list,” Grub Street editor Alan Sytsma explained, “when Adam walks into the office and yells out, ‘What trends are we tired of this year?’ It’s the battle cry for the issue.”
In addition to the eight gastro-grievances listed in this year’s edition, the two have a couple more bones to pick with the NYC restaurant world. “I’m tired of everything being served on cutting boards,” said chief food critic Adam Platt. “And $80 dollar carrots. Granted, these sorts of precious, fancy little tasting joints have been around for a while, but I’m still tired of them.”
Other trends that Platt wishes would go away: “Destination ramen. I love ramen, and New York is home to so many wonderful ramen shops, but after the 50th ramen place it starts to be a bit much. And I’m tired of these expensive, impossible-to-get-into neo-speakeasies that all serve the same thing: red meat. What happened to seafood restaurants? I can’t remember the last non-sushi fish restaurant I reviewed.”
And speaking of fish, Sytsma doesn’t want to know who caught his. “I’m tired of farmers’ first names on menus, like ‘Dave’s salmon.’ Obviously someone caught this fish, and his name is Dave, but I don’t know Dave, and this sort of forced, fake familiarity feels tired. Everyone has a name, so this isn’t even special. It’d be more interesting if these ingredients came from people without names —‘These mushrooms arrive at our restaurant every Wednesday afternoon, but we have no idea how they get here.’ Now that would be worth discussing.”
Another question posed to the two: Where do they eat on their road trips?
Sytsma went first: “My wife also loves food, so our travel plans usually revolve around what we’ll eat — there’s not a lot of idle restaurant time. If I were driving through Cincinnati and saw a Skyline Chili, that’s where I’d go because that’s what you do there. But if I’m on a long stretch of highway and I’m hungry, I do have a soft spot for double-decker tacos from Taco Bell. I’d never seek out a Taco Bell in New York, but if I’m on a long drive, that’s the time and place for it.”
As for our chief restaurant critic, “If I’m traveling with my family, my two girls will make the call,” said Platt, “and it’ll be McDonald’s. My daughters love McNuggets. Now that is a food success story — McNuggets. Kids love them. There are the regional chains, of course, but there’s always McDonald’s. And you can’t argue with hungry kids.”
