PrintDitch Plains is not there yet
Clam shacks are one of my favorite eating destinations of all time, but sometimes I think that serious chefs think that all it takes to open a good one is to shuck some clams and make some chowder. Ever since Rebecca Charles opened Pearl, a bushel full of chowder and fried clam pretenders have come on the scene in New York. First Laurent Tourondel opened a less than mediocre clam shack on the ground floor of BLT Fish, and now Marc Murphy of Landmarc fame has opened Ditch Plains.
Based on one meal I've had, and numerous reports from friends and colleagues, Ditch Plains is not worth a visit. They sell fried clam strips, and though they are marginally better than Howard Johnson's, they should be ashamed of themselves for selling bellyless clams. When we first asked our waiter about the clams he assured us they were bellies. When the clams arrived at the table, I tried one and sent them back. Then the manager came over and said they started with clam bellies iin the kitchen and then cut them into strips. Huh?
The clam chowder had no discernible clam flavor and couldn't even be redeemed by the chunks of bacon swimming in it The roast oysters were pretty good, mostly for the oil-soaked bread beneath the oyter shells. A shrimp and bacon salad tasted like perfectly acceptable shrimp and and pieces of nothing special bacon on a plate. Not bad, but not great either. Plus, they use instant iced tea. Guess I really didn't like the place.
I think making this kind of food really good is a lot harder than chefs think.
So for now go to Pearl for your lobster roll, chowder and fried seafood fix. Maybe Ditch Plains will get better, but for now it's a skip.
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6 Comments:
Will you go to Hoboken? If so the Elysian Cafe at 1001 Washington St. (201)798-5898 makes one of the best lobster rolls I have ever had. Better than the Pearl in my opinion.
coconut_tr at 9:26PM on 05/19/06
wanted very much to like. went to LandMarc the very 1st nite they opened, & enjoyed til the vibe changed. by that i mean, the owner/chef marc murphy & wife now branching out & "going for the gold" vs. their oft-mentioned concept of wanting to stay simple & just be a "neighborhood" hang-out. so much for that concept. now, on to the time warner center.
ditch plain's prices are higher than they should be, the service appears to be too nonchalant, the wines are mediocre & should be priced conservatively; & as ed mentioned, the food is average-to-below average, or similar to a fast-food joint, or worse, "just for the money". better to cross the street for blue ribbon bakery.
baruch at 10:30PM on 05/20/06
additionally, which is "considered" the better of the two: Pearl's or Mary's??
(the Mother or the daughter, so-to-speak?)
baruch at 12:24PM on 05/21/06
Baruch, that is a tough one. I go to Pearl much more frequently, mostly because I have gotten to know and really like Rebecca Charles. They are both really good eating spots, and we are lucky to have them both in our fair city.
Ed Levine at 6:22AM on 05/22/06
thx; rebecca's pearl oyster bar on cornelia st n greenwich village happens to be right next to a very small, but very good little bistro (another "one"!!) le gigot. & every time i pass by pearl, unfortunately, it is FULL :(
as an aside, & FYI - on egullet, which "appears" to be made up of mostly very young, quite inexperienced, highly amateurish foodie wannabes who PRETEND to be knowledgeable, but it's mostly dribble; has a ditch plains topic string, which blah, blah, blahs/yada, yada, yadas, til about halfway, when finally one of these "wannabes" wakes-up & acknowledges what U (ed l.) immediately keyed in on - the bellyless clam serving, along with the very lame server/manager stupid/self-serving explanation "as if" they were talking to a child. i, for one, appreciate this/your venue, & kudos for finally providing a grown-up forum vis-Ã -vis both egullet & chowhound.
btw, still don't understand the "thumbs up/thumbs down" concept??? but, whatever...
lastly, & as stated before, but re-emphasized HERE (again), when marc (the chef 1/2) & pam (the money 1/2) bought the bldg & opened LandMarc, on the concept of good food at (semi-) reasonable prices (for TriBeCa) with a wine policy of only 1/2 & full bttls at minimal mark-ups = great idea.
minor quibbles included a bar that did NOT have the option of any buybacks due to only bottles was a little too cute + fairly expensive prices for all other alcohol beverages was & is sort of aggravating, but still, when compared to the stupid mark-ups, acknowledged by robert parker, frank prial, etc, etc... all over the city, the LandMarc prices were amazingly refreshing. now, sadly to report, the prices have crept upward, the quality has crept downward, & what apeared to be a novel concept, & sniped at by competitors (jealousy & greed), has now deteriorated to just average. furthermore, the kitchen has become very uneven. not surprising since both marc & pam have decided to embrace the restaurant mogul concept, & are concentrating on expanding - first to - ditch plains - & - now on to the time warner bldg's 3rd fl.
unfortunately, this has affected the quality of the original blueprint, as well as the recently opened ditch plains, both appear to embrace the concept of
"cut back on quality, cut service, raise prices, expand the gross & operating margins, at the expense of a public that apparently will put up with anything, particularly those in TriBeCa & the West Village, made up of those who don't mind paying-up for CRAP, just as long as they can be seen AND heard, oblivious to the rip-offs around them!!!
sorry to sound so critical, which i'm NOT (generally), but it does aggravate me, the LandMarc crowd, as well as many others, able to get away with this - but, as has been said to me a # of times:
"IF it's what the market will bear, then all bets are off!!"
so, i guess (??) as long as people will pay AND put up with.... whatever; the restauranteurs will continue to overcharge & underoffer - that's just the way it is!! no amount of writing, commentary, etc... will change the habits of those who just allow "stuff" like this - no wonder, BUSH is our President!!!!! THINK ABOUT THAT!!!
baruch at 11:54AM on 05/22/06
the waitress came at me with clam chowder in a copper pot. If I'm not at Jean George, I don't want the ceremony of a copper pot being spilled into a bowl. This, from a joint that puts the whipped cream can on the table with the key lime pie. What strange service affectations they have there.
loulou at 12:03PM on 05/25/06