Smaller Lobsters, Cheaper Steaks, and Foreign Accents
The city's more upscale restaurants have been busy adjusting to the economic downturn, not surprisingly. So what does this mean for you, the casual diner? Frank Bruni sheds a little light on how restaurants are coping: They're overbooking more than usual since they can't afford no-shows, and increasingly demanding credit cards, so that those who do reserve actually show up. More and more "value meals," which consist of cheaper plates during happy hour and late at night, have materialized. And they're replacing pricier items on the menu (giant lobsters, strip steaks) with cheaper alternatives (tiny lobsters, hanger steaks).
And because economic uncertainty presumably makes us yearn for simpler times, comfort food, as opposed to fussier, more complicated dishes, is the order of the day. Oh, and you should keep in mind that just the very fact you're American makes you a much less desirable customer to many restaurateurs: "'You should see, when [tourists] come in the door, the shopping bags they hand off to the coat check,” said Graceanne Jordan, the general manager at the Modern, which is part of the Union Square group and is near the shopping corridors of Madison and Fifth Avenues. "I mean, they're just spending. It's Monopoly money to them."
Bruni's advice: "If you really want to be sure of that 7:30 p.m. table, ask for it with a French, Spanish or Italian accent. It will brand you as a potentially bigger spender, the kind helping New York’s restaurants outlast a weak dollar and a wobbly Dow." We imagine a Russian accent might work, too.
