Has Resto, spring’s darling little restaurant saluting the Low Countries, slipped in quality? It sure felt that way to me last night. Don’t get me wrong: it still has a place in my heart, but the volume generated by the glowing reviews, lack of reservations, and general chaos of the (admittedly tiny) dining room is taking a toll on the kitchen.
Look at one of Resto’s standouts, the deviled egg, on a “pork baguette” (really breadcrumbs and guanciale that’s chopped and fried). It remains a great idea, but was the execution always so… timid? Worse, the pork baguette has morphed into something that looks a lot like a hash brown. Sure, the eggs come on a wood plank now, but that's missing the point. Even the burger, which both the Times and New York hailed as one of the best in the city, has a rather tired bun. Would a brioche cost that much more?
Love of meat brought foodies to Resto, but if it devolves into more of a scene—I saw a lot of chunky belts and white jeans— and becomes less about the food, it's unlikely they'll keep returning.
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