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@ralaw: Yes, it is a "bad word". But in the RAE has 3 definitions.
http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltObtenerHtml?origen=RAE&LEMA=pinche&SUPIND=0&CAREXT=10000&NEDIC=No

I heartily second the recommendation for Otto. Also, I'd look into Blue Ribbon Brasserie, Blue Ribbon Bakery, Freemans, Tia Pol, maybe some of the other spots that ONLY take reservations for large parties. This might be your ticket in to somewhere that usually has a 2 hour wait.

hey, everyone, kenny is doing a reading of his new book tomorrow evening at the strand.

I don't think anyone is saying that Kenny is charming. I think we are saying that there is a certain charm--a kind of NYC magic--in his behavior, and we're glad that the dyspeptic take-no-prisoners NYC style still continues, even in one little corner. There was a time when it was practically on tourists' lists of things-to-do to get insulted by a surly NY deli waiter or a surly NY cabbie. Well, now the cabbies are all from somewhere else, and spend the entire trip on their cell-phones anyway, and the waiters are all aspiring actors or corporate-trained waitrons, and that magical NYC experience is gone.

I don't think anyone was saying Kenny finds it quaint to be a dick--he IS a dick, he admits he's a dick (he admitted it to Terracotta in the anecdote), and it's up to you to decide whether you want to brave it or not. I don't think he acts a certain way to build business. He is who he is, and that's incredibly rare and wonderful.

I also don't think the people who are defending Kenny would say we thought it was charming if he tripped blind people--because he wouldn't. He's not sadistic. He's a cranky, idiosyncratic guy who is perfectly aware of his personality drawbacks, and so tries to create a situation where as few people as possible will ride his last nerve. You could say he has all those rules and warnings for YOUR protection; he's making the effort to protect you from himself. If you choose to disregard them--well, what would you say if you kept poking a tiger with a stick and then he took a swipe at you? Would you denounce him for his violent behavior? Or would you look at your own culpability in what happened?

Geez, Kenny just wants to be able to cook. He's found a way to make that happen, and tens of thousands of lucky people have been able to benefit. If you can't cut it in his place (and, seriously--why would grits not be vegetarian? or, if they had bacon in, why would that not be on the menu?), then don't go, but don't start blaming him for the experience.

Snappy is the word my husband always uses.

Funny how many people think that its wrong that he treats customers this way... This is America, where people are free to open a business doing almost anything they want (except drugs, violence, sex, and raw milk cheeses... go figure) If people are willing to go there, we should celebrate it as a freedom we all have to be assholes when we want to be.

Secondly, people aren't masochists, they are sadists... They want to see the other guy get yelled at, which is the genius of this... if he yells at 1 in 10 customers, he's got 1 upset customer, and 9 people who are going to be talking about this restaurant the next day. Not sure if this was the game plan going in or not, but it is brilliant.

If you don't want to be treated badly, either follow his rules, or don't go there... If you don't want strap marks on your ass, don't go to an S&M club... Pretty simple decision making skills here people.

I'll jump in here before Cassendra does and point out that the Japanese "u" is a short sound. Not at all the double o in the English word "poor". Unless ofc you happen to be one of those accented English speakers who say "poor" like the "pur down in the mur."

I am hooked on the word used by The Food Pornagrapher-
http://www.thefoodpornographer.com/

"Bursty"

lol, i'm not sure, but from my minimal knowledge of phonetic Japanese, I would say: POOR-ee POOR-ee

My problem with wine bars is that they are just as expensive as regular restaurants, and often don't have nearly as good a selection of food. And that's putting it mildly. Some wine bars I've seen border on being ripoffs. You would think that with the volume of wine they sell they would attempt to differentiate themselves by have a lower markup. So I'd rather just go to a restaurant that has a good by-the-glass wine list, and just order some appetizers with my drinks.