New York is undisputedly one of the restaurant capitals of the world. We may not have the best restaurant in the country (that title these days seems to go to Alinea or the French Laundry depending on which list you are studying) but we almost always fill out the rest of any top ten. For sheer number of great restaurants in one place we can't be beat. But don't tell to that Lauren Collins of the Guardian. In a screed today she makes every effort to paint our dining scene as a crowded, chaotic and unappetizing mess. "A dinner out in New York," she says, "even for those who intend to pay the bill in full, often offers all the relaxation of a rush-hour tube ride to the dentist's office."
Of course it is hard to take the authors word for it when she shows serious ignorance of our city: "New Yorkers, remember, choose to live on a island with 8.4 million citizens and, basically, one park." She hasn't heard of Brooklyn (let alone the other boroughs)—maybe she's been learning from TV?
Anyway, according to the article London restaurants are all about great food and a calm ambiance whereas here in the Big Apple we are apparently all about the "theatre." And apparently there are only two kinds of restaurants in New York? One defined by its "annoying New York hostess-types" (fair enough, we do have a lot of those) and the other by its "Pretentiously Unpretentious" nature—Y'know, places where "you're paying extravagant, adult prices for an almost anti-luxurious experience." And yes, we do have those too (though we won't name names), but that's only half the story.
There are literally thousands of other restaurants in the city that don't fit into either of those molds. You want a fancy white table cloth experience where you won't feel like you are being pushed out the door? Many of our "top" restaurants fit that bill no problem (Marea, Jean Georges, Union Square Cafe to name three). You want a "hipper" experience? We got you covered there too. You want a quiet, exquisite meal with no fuss? There is a restaurant that makes that grade in nearly every neighborhood. What's more we have spots offering every kind of food imaginable in every kind of venue imaginable—from fancy-shmancy all the way down to street carts.
Which is to say, when Collins says things like "Sunday in a pub: what is it all those people are reading? Newspapers—mere props at Balthazar" we just think she is jealous. But don't worry Ms. Collins! London should have its own Balthazar next year.
