287323 Thu Jun 28 17:28:20 -0700 2001 8 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1544849 I was surprised to read W. Grimes' review of Craft. Not necessarily because he liked it, but because it represented something of an about-face from his previous sniffing about comfort food. He described Craft's food in terms of it's simplicity and you could sense his mouth watering as he remembered the dishes he described (e.g., "Roasted Nantucket Bay scallops, nearly the size of small muffins, coated in some simple pan juices.") Other quotes: "Nothing fancy was going on. I had no right to feel as happy as I did." and "Sometimes simple merely satisfies." My mouth watered too as I read his descriptions. After his previous condescension toward comfort food, I could only laugh and feel a bit smug. It's fine by me if he actually likes simple food but I hope he applies this new sensibility in future reviews. If you're going to wax rhapsodic over a porterhouse, don't dismiss people who will go out of their way for this simple pleasure. Sometimes simple merely satsfies, but sometimes so much more. Opinions? Andrew Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/27/living/27REST.html Thu Jun 28 17:28:20 -0700 2001 0 weinhen 1 1544889 Who is Grimes? Who is Craft? Fri Jun 29 23:53:08 -0700 2001 1544849 0 2chez mike 2 1544893 William Grimes is the chief food critic for the New York Times. Craft is a relatively new restaurant. Executive chef is Tom Collichio, of Gramercy Tavern fame. Sat Jun 30 02:13:27 -0700 2001 1544889 0 Dave Feldman 3 1544910 Back to Biff's alleged disdain of comfort food? Once again an issue is raised that doesn't exist. Grimes never said that he didn't like mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, or even Swanson t.v. dinners (though I'd be shocked if he did). What Grimes said in his infamous comfort food article is that he didn't like the idea that foods requiring little thought or effort, i.e. foods designed as much for the comfort of their progenitors as for their slack-jawed, culinarily-cautious/challenged customers, being the mainstay of restaurants claiming to be fine dining establishments - and charging for the privilege. As for bay versus sea scallops, maybe Grimes wrote it down wrong. Maybe, just maybe, whoever wrote the menu or described the dish got it wrong. I'm sure someone out there must know better. Sun Jul 01 22:31:49 -0700 2001 1544893 0 jr 1 1544901 I'm glad to discover this topic. Grimes's review of Craft has been my favorite so far of his oeuvre, perhaps because he was so obviously taken with the place (despite his attempts to maintain a professional distance, by complaining about how hard a diner has to work to decide yea or nay to summer truffles). I'll leave it to others to commisserate with Grimes for his exertions-- I'm preoccupied in LA trying to figure out the logistics of scallops and sweetbreads in NY. Sun Jul 01 02:16:41 -0700 2001 1544849 0 Deborah-LA 1 1544904 Yes. Apparently Grimes doesnt know the difference between bay scallops and sea scallops. Because theres no such thing as huge bay scallops. Sun Jul 01 10:37:02 -0700 2001 1544849 0 Jason Perlow 2 1544974 Actually, there are some very large bay scallops which approach the size of quarters. There was a terrific piece in Saveur some months back about this very subject. All I remember is that there are different strains/species of bay scallop. Anyone have an old copy who could post more thorough info? Wed Jul 04 18:02:25 -0700 2001 1544904 0 Chris 3 1544976 Quarters ok, but the size of muffins? Wed Jul 04 20:23:13 -0700 2001 1544974 0 Jason Perlow 4 1544985 I had the tiniest little muffins at a restaurant in Eureka,Montana this past Sunday :-) Thu Jul 05 10:21:58 -0700 2001 1544976 0 Chris