232844 Sun Apr 09 09:11:48 -0700 2006 6 18 Manhattan 0 1235563 We are planning to have one dinner in NY and were thinking about WD50 because of the creative food. Is it a good choice? Thank you Sun Apr 09 09:11:48 -0700 2006 0 marcia 1 1235577 yes, good choice as far as unique foods and great desserts as well as being located in a great neighborhood. Sun Apr 09 12:55:25 -0700 2006 1235563 0 john k. 2 1235598 for creative cuisine that you can really enjoy, David Burke and Donatella wins hands down. wd50 has a difficult menu, wasnt much fun for me. Sun Apr 09 17:15:50 -0700 2006 1235577 0 coconuts 3 1235815 The only preconception I should have left at the door is the notion that I would have either a good or memorable meal. In fact, I went expecting to be surprised and delighted. What I came away with, after a full tasting menu with paired wines, was a great sense of disappointment. Very few of the courses broke through in terms of flavor or texture--instead, they seemed like fun experiments that didn't satisfy the basic food senses (except perhaps the visual). And when a course was good, it was so miniscule that by the time you figured out that you liked it, it was gone! About halfway through the meal my friend an I looked at each other and knew the game was up, that it wasn't going to get any better. He was especially upset with the wines, very few of which seemed like they would retail for more than $25 per bottle, many proudly announced as non-vintage. And the pairings themselves were highly suspect, including the notion of pairing several of the wines with more than one course.   I know WD-50 has its rabid fans, and it certainly has gotten press. But for me great food is about using the best raw materials, respecting them and preparing them in a way that maximizes their inherent flavors and textures. Creativity and inventiveness are part of the equation, but the less you do to get in the way of what nature has to offer, the better it is; the desire to see how well it can be done is what keeps me going to new places, not to see how inventively someone can try to alleviate my boredom by playing with my food. Also, the flavor and the spirit of great food, like great wine, stays with you, even the next day. WD-50 wore off so quickly that my buddy and I decided to drown our sorrows in a pastrami sandwich at Katz's, which, while not WD-50, is certainly a WMD on the coronary arteries, and a worthwhile one at that!  Please take this advice: If you have one meal in New York, don't have it at WD-50. For the $400 we spent, you could eat at Le Bernardin. If you want to be more casual or to to eat in a downtown environment, you could have the tasting menu at Hearth for about half the price and walk away with a smile on your face. If you must, go ahead to WD-50, but don't say I didn't warn you, and by all means skip the wine pairings—even water would be a better choice. And make sure you eat early enough to make it to Katz's for that pastrami sandwich. Mon Apr 10 23:22:48 -0700 2006 1235598 0 ahnyc 4 1236314 Thank you so much for the information. I really was dreaming about WD -50 as a very special place.I may choose any other place to have a great dinner. It has to be one as prices can get really high .In that case which other restaurants should I consider?What kind of food is served at Hearth? Thu Apr 13 18:13:23 -0700 2006 1235815 0 marcia 5 1236337 Hearth serves food that is Italian, but not traditionally or classically so. Marco Canora grew up learning to cook from his Italian family in upstate New York, but his professional background is at Gramercy Tavern and Craft, where market-driven American food is served. So his food combines food from the greenmarket with his Italian roots, and the result is delightful. Also their wine program, led by his partner Paul Greico, is innovative, surprising and safisfying. The staff is friendly and helpful and, most important, well-versed in their food and wines. They really add to the experience of eating there. If you can get seats at "the pass," where the kitchen sends the food out (there are four non-reserved seats at a counter there) you will get to watch the kitchen in action and chat with the chef. In any event, at Hearth you will find highly focussed food, lovingly prepared and presented. It is upscale casual in terms of dress--basically anything goes. Thu Apr 13 23:28:02 -0700 2006 1236314 0 ahnyc 1 1235583 Yes...go! There will be more than a couple of people who will tell you to go someplace else. Don't listen to them. Leave your preconceptions at the door and just let the experience take you...you'll have a lot of fun. Sun Apr 09 14:18:58 -0700 2006 1235563 0 iheartoffal