Where Does The "Hype" End?
not a hate piece I'm just...reflecting
I wish the hide keyword function could be applied to real life. If I could go a week without having to hear, or say, the word “hype,” I would feel a lot better. The word itself, transmuting from a noun to a verb, has dominated our digital vernacular. It is the caption of every reel, it is mentioned in articles, it is written about in cultural criticisms. Hype, and whatever quality it claims to represent, doesn’t really mean anything anymore. Instead, it is a qualifier for popularity. In the food world, “hype” seems to be a stand-in for attention—akin to views or likes—rather than indicating a substantive claim about the quality of a thing, or place, or experience. The“hype” has tangible impacts, though, and maintains an undercurrent of long lines, prolonged virality, and press. As these moments of recognition snowball, we seem to get further and further away from what inspired such excitement in the first place. The Lafayette croissants could be great, but they also made themselves the perfect subject for a pretty picture. Now, you’re going to wait in line for 2 hours for a croissant? Because the same three accounts told you to?
Wherever the hype lands is chronically subject to falling into two, over-simplified, and honestly meaningless categories: worth the hype, or over-hyped. Rather than focusing on really great food and exciting developments in the F&B world, we’ve become fixated on figuring out if something is “worth it,” worth a long wait, worth a long train ride, worth splurging on. Once a place like Lafayette or Win Son or Caffe Panna enters this new domain of popularity, people want to be assured that they won’t regret playing into the bit.
I’ve been assured by slews of reels from recognizable accounts that restaurants across boroughs are “worth it” or “life-changing,” and a lot of the time… they’re just not? This sort of interaction, of being sold something by a stranger through catchy 60 second reels and cheese-pull shots or cookie cross-sections, feels kinda yucky, and was an impetus for starting this newsletter in the first place. Let’s all be honest about sub-par meals that cost more than their worth, or reservations that are impossible to get with very little to back them up. This week’s right on Franklin is a bit different, a sort of come-to-Jesus for the places that really just weren’t as good as I thought they would be—ESPECIALLY given their attention from press/social media.
I have to preface that I specifically chose restaurants for this that I did like—they just did not live up to my expectations. I also believe that most restaurants deserve a second visit to give them a fair shot, so these are spots that fall into that category—not incredible first time around, but worth another shot.
C as in Charlie
The two year old Korean restaurant in Soho has received top press hits since its opening—Grub Street, Resy, the Michelin Guide, Eater—and subsequently became another buzzy, hard-to-get reservation. I finally had the chance to go earlier this year and had high hopes. I was expecting exciting flavors and inventive dishes that lived up to all that the food influencers and media outlets had promised.
The compact space on Bleecker street is well-suited to be a late-night spot. A red neon sign lights up the otherwise dark interior, but the restaurant is, otherwise, not particularly design-heavy. It is dark and loud and busy, and open til 12AM.
We ordered a cheap bottle of wine (did the trick) and 7 dishes for three people, plus a dessert. Starting with a fresh salmon ceviche that was good but not life-changing, that I wish had come later in the meal. What followed was 6 savory dishes that were all very sweet, a little greasy, and rather heavy, while still being pretty light portions. The corn-y salad was a plate of crunchy little gem wedges on a sweet corn puree with a corn relish and pecorino—a very sweet salad that texturally was nice but flavor-wise, not exactly what I would want from the one vegetable-forward dish of the night. We got the popcorn chicken served in a cute striped container and covered in a sweet gochugang glaze. Again, good, but really sweet! The green tomato hot-pocket, a thin, crunchy oily shell with basil, melty mozzarella, and tomatoes inside, came alongside the toast roll filled with shrimp—two greasy fried dishes that were more heavy than flavorful. The best thing of the night came at the end, unfortunately, after a filling and very sweet meal. The mushroom bibimbap was honestly divine, a bowl of rice with perfectly sauteed mushrooms, topped with a lovely poached egg. It was balanced and delicious and quite simple. The dessert, a sort of banana pudding, was not that great.
I had a great night with lovely company, and it was fun to try a buzzy spot! Each course just felt so heavy, and not quite salty or savory enough to make up a dinner. I would say, if you are in Soho and looking for a fun late night dinner, go for it. I would absolutely give it another shot, but it was not nearly as good as I expected it would be. Curious what other’s experiences have been…
Bar Contra
This one KILLS ME!!! Everyone and their mother has been writing about Bar Contra, and rightly so. From the minds behind the wildly popular Wildair, Bar Contra is the new reiteration of Contra, the ten year old tasting-menu restaurant that closed last September. I was thrilled to have grabbed a Friday night reservation, stepping into this dark, almost-missable corner of Orchard street with an amber hue at a cheeky 9pm. We walked past the red fluorescent Contra sign and a long, sleek bar with rows of exposed, chrome bulbs overhead. The bar was full and lively, and we snuck past to the back half of the restaurant where a handful of booths lined the walls. We were lucky to be tucked into a corner booth, and were so excited for snacks and drinks and people-watching.
We ordered what we thought was most of the menu, but it was a rather small showing. Starting with the drinks, which were the best part of the meal—the menu was divided by each drink’s preparation: carbonated, shaken, stirred, on the rock, and frozen. I opted for a shaken mezcal drink with a modelito sidecar. It was delicious.
We ate a handful of dishes that felt like…really not a lot of food for the price. We also weren’t in awe of anything we ate. For example, okay, we ordered a celeriac crumpet with seaweed butter. It was okay, but not what I wanted from a bread course. The flavors and textures were not what I wanted. We got tomatoes, which was a dish with exactly 3 cherry tomatoes on a toothpick on a bowl of ice. They were served with fermented sour cherry and shaved onion which sounds great, but why only three tiny tomatoes! We got the tuna mayo with potato crisps which was good, but definitely nothing special, and the Maine scallop which was, in fact, a single scallop that had been battered and fried, and sliced in half. The shiso was a nice addition, but didn’t really save the dish. Moral of the story—I would love to come back here and sit at the bar, enjoying every sip of a $20+ cocktail. Next time though, I think I’ll skip the food.
Sawa
Sawa was actually delicious, but this was an instance when the service wasn’t so great, and I really couldn’t get behind the ambience. The new Lebanese restaurant in Park Slope, had a lot to live up to. The kitchen is lead by alum of Sofreh and Eyval, both INCREDIBLE Brooklyn restaurants. Naturally, press rushed in, including a restaurant review in the New Yorker, and notes from the usual suspects, food media outlets and food influencers alike. The restaurant is quite large and bright, with an interesting set-up that requires passing the kitchen before entering the larger, separate dining room. The design is simple, white-washed brick walls, hanging pendant lights, soft light wood furniture. The air felt particularly casual and lively, but still quite low-key, as many central-Brooklyn restaurants tend to be. We waited a really long time both to order and receive our food, which can be par for the course at a new restaurant. All in all, the food stood alone as the highlight of the experience.
The menu is mezze heavy, as it should be, and I would suggest visiting Sawa with a larger group to give yourself the opportunity to try as many dishes as possible. We started with the rakakat, a psuedo-spring roll, fried crispy filo filled with halloumi and parsley. Yum! We had the muhamarra, a coarse red pepper and walnut dip with delicious fluffy pita. We ordered akhtabut, crispy octopus plated with large couscous, peas, and a cilantro garlic sauce. It was good, not any different than other octopus I have had elsewhere. The best part of then meal, by a landslide, was this insane eggplant dish. Roasted eggplant and crispy chickpeas were spread across a plate, topped with a generous portion of a creamy tahini yogurt. Pine nuts, fried pieces of pita, and pomegranate seeds. It was tangy and sweet, mushy and crunchy. I had leftovers the next day and they were even better cold. I would go back just for that dish. In all, I wasn’t blown away but I think it’s worth giving another chance.
SORRY FOR THE HOT TAKE but, for now, Theodora is on this list. I need to give it another chance before doing a full write up, but I was not amazed…eek. More on this soon.
Here’s where to next…
Do tell me what buzzy spots you have been to that weren’t so awesome, I love the goss.
Til next week!
The three tomatoes absolutely fried me I’m crying
Jadis is so cozy!!