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Is PrimeTimeTables.com a Rip Off?
The New York Times food section today was particularly toothsome and yummy: Kim Severson's piece on Prime Time Tables, the service that allows members to pay a fee (as little as $35) to get reservations at New York's hottest restaurants on short notice, reminded me that I had this same idea a couple of years ago. It was going to be called Tough Tables. The key difference was that I was going to donate 75 percent of the proceeds to the chef or restaurateur's favorite charity. First of all, what do serious eaters think of the idea of Prime Time Tables? Is it a rip off or just capitalism at its best or worst? Should we proceed with Tough Tables at Serious Eats? We could do it at restaurants all over the country.
b>Cut the Line
Also, we serious eaters decided that we were going to start a like-minded service, "Cut the Line," for the foods we love to cover on this site, things like pizza, burgers, hot dogs, Asian noodles and pork buns, pastrami, and food carts. For a buck or two you'll be able to cut the line at Di Fara in Brooklyn; the Burger Joint, Momofuku, Katz's, and Gray's Papaya in Manhattan; Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco; Pink's in Los Angeles; Johnny's in Elmwood Park, Illinois; Legal Seafoods in Boston and Washington, D.C.; Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix; Prince's Fried Chicken in Nashville; Red Mill in Seattle; and the Cheesecake Factory in hundreds of locations. Whaddaya think? Operators are standing by.
Is Top Chef Worth Watching?
Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni's piece on Top Chef is going to force me to watch my first episode of the show this evening. Is it worth watching? Has my Law & Order addiction prevented me from sampling shows like Top Chef? Who's going to win? Are the various spoilers correct in picking the winner? Serious eaters want to know.
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6 Comments:
1. tough tables sounds like a good idea, especially if you donate the money to charity.
2. Top Chef is entertaining. It's like they put american idol + real world together. It is worth watching for entertainment value and if you really like your Kenmare appliances and Caphalon cookware... but America's Test Kitchen on PBS seems way more informative and useful.
Pauper at 10:09AM on 01/31/07
Tough tables isn't my cup of tea, but it seems like a reasonable way to allow those who must be in the hottest spots but are unable or unwilling to plan in advance to get their tables. If their aren't enough customers to support it, it will wither away.
rothsteg at 12:40PM on 01/31/07
I was surprised that 'Top Chef' showed up on Bruni's radar to this degree. I mean, it is reality TV after all, and you can never get past the feeling that the conclusions you're drawing about the contestants and the judges are in fact calculated feedings by the show's producers. That said, I've liked the show in the recent past (from 7 contestants to the present) because these cooks actually seem to know what they're doing haute food-wise. My absolute favorite part of Bruni's piece (and the show in general) concerned Padma, when he described what her speech sounds like.
Any thoughts about the Bruni Gordon Ramsay review? Sounds like the food's very, very good, if a bit stuffy and staid. The majority of Bruni's criticism seems to be restaurant reviewer-type stuff, like the room's boring (read: compared to all the other places I go to) and that certain dishes are overused (me: but if I can only afford to go to such a place say once, I'm only going to have that dish once, and if it tastes good...).
Sandro at 3:13PM on 01/31/07
Prime Time Tables is one more way for the would be important (and wealthy) to cheat the reservation system of restaurants and deny ordinary diners ("serious eaters") seats that they might have otherwise obtained. If restaurateurs don't catch on (or tacitly go along with this), more power to the niche capitalist who can make this into an earning opportunity.
A quick reply to Sandro's question: I liked Bruni's review of Gordon Ramsey's NY restaurant. Ramsey has played the role of the hard-ass avatar of cutting-edge cuisine for such a long time that the seemingly lame and play-it-safe incarnation of his NY restaurant automatically disappoints, even if most of the dishes are well-made and good. Bruni made an especially good point about the relentless piling-on of luxury ingredients (caviar, truffles, foie gras) so prevalent in restaurants now - an easy way to make money and evade the necessity to be creative.
One more thing about Bruni: he is really hitting his stride as a reviewer who has the interest of the regular eater in mind. His review from last Wednesday, "Dear Graydon . . . " was a wonderfully deflating stab at the so-called "opinion leaders" and assorted gasbags and bubbleheads whose obnoxious behavior is exemplified in the vapid haughtiness of Mr. Graydon.
Thor Thorson at 9:57PM on 01/31/07
I can't remember where I read it today, but I agree with the point of view that says "What difference does it make what time you eat? It supposed to be all about the food isn't it (and a little ambiance doesn't hurt)? Why do people feel that they must be part of the herd at 8?
Both Prime Time Tables and Tough Tables offend my sense of egalitarianism and is a blow to people like me that practice relationship building with restaurant owners/chefs/front of house staff/etc.
Selling reservations made with phony names is just plain low class. I hope the Danny Meyer's of the dining world learn how to defeat it.
Livetotravel at 10:15PM on 01/31/07
I'm uncomfortable with at as well, though I don't doubt it would be successful. Too elitist for me.
norman at 8:37AM on 02/01/07