Jeremy King told me that the restaurant where he'd seen more relationships begin than anywhere else was Arlington — and before that, Caprice. 'People would come in expecting not to get a table, sit at the bar instead, and something would happen. Side by side. No pressure.' The Wolseley is about to open in New York. I keep wondering what that bar will witness.
Efficiency has always destroyed a little bit of the soul of creativity. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Now that the A.I. is taking over, we can again be humans..
I am so sick of AI taking over real cultural criticism. The redundant, identical sentences ("protect bar seats") & choppiness of the whole thing in an attempt to sound more profound drive me up the wall! This is either AI or simply poor writing, and I'm afraid I'm sympathetic to neither.
I haven't been to NYC, so this hasn't been my experience, though bits of the techno intrusion has made inroads here, too. I very much miss the more casual dining experiences and the eateries that relied on and catered to it.
This mostly makes sense except the preposterous claim that this no longer happens because of Resy:
"You waited next to strangers. Someone recommended a dish. A bartender overheard a conversation and sent something over. The couple next to you told you about a place three blocks away that was even better."
They all may have booked in advance, but they're all still strangers, they all can recommend dishes to each other, bartenders can still hear them all speak.
I have only ever lived in an era where bookings and reservations were part of weekend plans, and I hate it. Nothing is serendipitous and fluid like I dreamt my adult life would be
Love the article. You have brought up a subject that really irritates older diners. we're not all tech savy but do enjoy going to a restaurant and meeting up with friends on the fly. Not so easy today!
Thank you Kieth McNally for reserving for walk -ins at all your restaurants!
Perfectly put. Unfortunately it’s not only NY but Paris, Barcelona, Madrid and London.
Absolutely agree….. even getting reservations are a pain in the city.
Jeremy King told me that the restaurant where he'd seen more relationships begin than anywhere else was Arlington — and before that, Caprice. 'People would come in expecting not to get a table, sit at the bar instead, and something would happen. Side by side. No pressure.' The Wolseley is about to open in New York. I keep wondering what that bar will witness.
Efficiency has always destroyed a little bit of the soul of creativity. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Now that the A.I. is taking over, we can again be humans..
I am so sick of AI taking over real cultural criticism. The redundant, identical sentences ("protect bar seats") & choppiness of the whole thing in an attempt to sound more profound drive me up the wall! This is either AI or simply poor writing, and I'm afraid I'm sympathetic to neither.
I haven't been to NYC, so this hasn't been my experience, though bits of the techno intrusion has made inroads here, too. I very much miss the more casual dining experiences and the eateries that relied on and catered to it.
So wonderfully written. Love this !
This mostly makes sense except the preposterous claim that this no longer happens because of Resy:
"You waited next to strangers. Someone recommended a dish. A bartender overheard a conversation and sent something over. The couple next to you told you about a place three blocks away that was even better."
They all may have booked in advance, but they're all still strangers, they all can recommend dishes to each other, bartenders can still hear them all speak.
*But technology rarely stops at solving the problem it was built to create.
I have only ever lived in an era where bookings and reservations were part of weekend plans, and I hate it. Nothing is serendipitous and fluid like I dreamt my adult life would be
Love the article. You have brought up a subject that really irritates older diners. we're not all tech savy but do enjoy going to a restaurant and meeting up with friends on the fly. Not so easy today!
Thank you
I am glad someone finally said this so eloquently. Completely correct and a real loss.