Photo by stu_spivack/Flickr CC
It's hot, hot, oh so very HOT. It is the New York City place to be seen these days. Indeed, it is so hot the receptionist said she could not get reservations even for her friends. (Not sure I believe her.) She recommended calling two months ahead. The only way I got in was a TV personality friend used her name to make the reservation.
Minetta Tavern on MacDougal street in the Village is the HOT New York City eatery. Another Keith McNally creation. It is a retro tavern. Recently renovated--or what do you call it when you re-do a place to make it look old?--to capture a bygone atmosphere. Large black and white squares on the floor. Vinyl red upholstery on the chairs and booths. Tables covered with white butcher paper. You get the picture.
The menu is high-endish bar food with a few twists thrown in. Salads and then things like stuffed squid, oxtail, and foie gras terrine, and three kinds of meat tartares--beef, lamb, and veal--for hors d'oeuvres. Burger, tavern steak, trout meuniere, roasted chicken, for entrees with some unusual bits like cod en papillote.
Ah, the disappointment of it all. There is nothing about Minetta's that is worth a two-month wait. There is nothing worth even waiting in line the night of, unless what you want is a good story for your next dinner party or to be "seen" at the hot place. And no real foodie wants that; they want to discover the hot place.