241286 Mon Oct 06 17:08:31 -0700 2003 8 19 Outer Boroughs 0 1280696 I have defended BSM on this board more than once. I am not religious but I was always very happy there. Well..... The wife went to BSM on Sun. for Brunch. She had bad things to report. "To Chowhound!" she cried. It seems the menu has changed, the food was sub-par and the help was all new and not good. She said the gentleman we believe is the owner/manager was there but seemed to be disinterested. We also noticed, possibly late, that the grocery they had opened up next door is most definitely closed. I am sorry I don't have more details on the grub - but the general question is - "whats going on?" Does anyone know if these are the last days of BSM? Mon Oct 06 17:08:31 -0700 2003 0 fkerm 1 1280698 I would say very unlikely - they are busy every night as far as I can see when I walk by - the grocery store was speculative - they had nice stuff but it was a crummy location with little foot traffic going by, but Id bet the rent was a fair amount which might be stressing them a bit. As far as the brunch food, weve never been there but it is often the weak link in a restaurant's week - the chef has to take SOME time off in the week. Sorry your wife had a bad experience though. My observation is that BSM staffs the room perhaps a little too lightly - usually they look like they are a server or two short, and from time to time some of the servers are abrupt . But their price/value ratio for dinner is unsurpassed in the neighborhood - at our last meal in mid-September all the dishes were top notch . Anyway, as of a couple weeks ago, we has a top notch dinner at BSM,so I have to say they dont look like they are on the way out. Mon Oct 06 17:29:33 -0700 2003 1280696 0 jen kalb 2 1280709 I had a really dissapointing dinner there a week ago. Slow (but nice) service, my swordfish dish was not hot, everything was mediocre. I used to go when it first opened and it was great, but it has gone downhill. Another friend of mine warned me against it too. Tue Oct 07 00:31:58 -0700 2003 1280698 0 noel 3 1280712 what day of the week/time did you go? As I said, we saw no indication of a problem in the kitchen on our last visit (a wednesday night-steak night) The kitchen was definitely on, as good as ever. Tue Oct 07 09:39:03 -0700 2003 1280709 0 jen kalb 4 1280799 Didn't I read somewhere that the chef/owner is busy helping with the opening and menu at some brand-new Cobble Hill / Carroll Gardens/ Red Hook place... can't remember, but would bet I read it here. Might that be an explanation? Wed Oct 08 21:33:15 -0700 2003 1280712 0 Katerina 5 1280802 dont know. Johannes Sanzin is the chef at Bistro St. Marks - I read this week in a local paper that Neal Ganic (formerly of La Bouillabaise) is consulting with Sammys - could you be thinking about that one? Wed Oct 08 21:49:30 -0700 2003 1280799 0 jen kalb 6 1280890 I think I read he was now working with Pier 116. Judging from the reviews above, not doing a great job of it... Fri Oct 10 11:03:55 -0700 2003 1280802 0 Katerina 7 1281376 not about Bistro St. Marks, but cleaning my office, I saw the 10/1 Times, with its Asimov review of Pier 116 - it said that it was Aaron Bashy, chef/owner of Minnow who was consulting there. Wed Oct 22 17:02:49 -0700 2003 1280890 0 jen kalb 1 1280716 You are correct- this place is slipping- especially for brunch. Sunday's visit included a very long wait for our dishes and two of the four were luke-warm at best. The restaurant was not half full (not that it matters). As for the "market" next store, it's certainly no surprise it didn't make it. The shelves were partially empty and the place screamed "half-assed" from the start. I'm worried (because I like the place) that this attitude is seeping into the restaurant. Tue Oct 07 11:23:23 -0700 2003 1280696 0 bob