GRAYZ, 54st between 5 and 6 aves Options

[Inkslinger]

so
i'm hearing this rumor that gray-kunz has been ousted from Grayz ??

WTF ??

anybody else know anything about this ?

i think it's very strange

It's heard it's true! Gray Kunz is being forced out!

[Dishwasher]

It's heard it's true! Gray Kunz is being forced out!

What I heard is that they are getting rid ofhim because they feel lke he didn;t deliver. The reviews were a big blow and not what they signed up for. They were supposed to be closed in August for renovations but they didn't end up changing that much in the space. The Chef de cuisine is taking over the reins after Kunz is gone as Exec. Don't know whether they plan any menu changes. I thought Grayz was soild the few time I went, so it's sad that Kunz has to go, but in this economy it's not a big surprise that they want to downsize and let go of the highest salary.

[abbe]

What I heard is that they are getting rid ofhim because they feel lke he didn;t deliver. The reviews were a big blow and not what they signed up for. They were supposed to be closed in August for renovations but they didn't end up changing that much in the space. The Chef de cuisine is taking over the reins after Kunz is gone as Exec. Don't know whether they plan any menu changes. I thought Grayz was soild the few time I went, so it's sad that Kunz has to go, but in this economy it's not a big surprise that they want to downsize and let go of the highest salary.

sigh

i have really really mixed feelings about this.

on the one hand, i agree it's sad-- Grayz is one of my favorite places. granted, i've not visited nearly as much as i once did (app once a week, when it first opened) lately, but that's more a location issue than anything else. (it's just not that easy to travel to midtown if i have no other reason to be there.)

on the other hand, it might be a promising sign the chef de cuisine is simply taking over, rather than them trying to bring in someone entirely new. hopefully that means the quality of the food i've come to love will be maintained and won't suffer much after gray-kunz's departure. i have no idea how 'hands on' gray-kunz was as Executive, but i am discovering more and more how very few Execs actually COOK. quite frankly, in some restaurants with which i've come to be involved, even i have begun to question the value of the high paid Exec.

don't get me wrong, i like gray-kunz and i have no doubt of his talent or skill or benefit to any kitchen (SpiceMarket comes to mind, for example)

BUT

did gray-kunz actually market himself to the investors (who is it again ? michael ? david ? strickling something or other ?? ugh i completely forget) as someone who COULD and WOULD bring the stars and good reviews ? did he demand a percentage and/or a salary based on that promise ??
in which case: well, i have a much harder time finding sympathy for him.

but only because i think it's fucking ASININE for anyone, but particularly those so entrenched in the industry to put any value on fucking stars. ESPECIALLY considering the "influence" of a critic as utterly nonsensical as frank-bruni.
i mean, it wouldn't surprise me at all if a bunch of halfwit money guys decided 'stars' was the best way to measure the value of their investment, but i would have hoped somebody of gray-kunz's vast experience would have completely divested them of that mindset before ever even signing with blood on the dotted line.
seriously, what the fuck.

ah ha ahaa it completely reminds me of a discussion i had a whiles back with a prominent restaurateur who was down on his knees THANKING GAWD the day after his 'one star' review. he was all: "i am soooo glad... cuz my chef is already difficult and egocentric NOW. with TWO stars my chef would have been IMPOSSIBLE..."



whatever

i guess we'll see.

[john.smith]

the "influence" of a critic as utterly nonsensical as frank-bruni.

don't mind bruni.......................he's just drunk.............................

[Jason Has-Binn]

don't mind bruni.......................he's just drunk.............................

oh is that what it is

i thought he tosses 4 coins in the air and sees how many come up heads

[MONEYMAN]

sigh

i have really really mixed feelings about this.

on the one hand, i agree it's sad-- Grayz is one of my favorite places. granted, i've not visited nearly as much as i once did (app once a week, when it first opened) lately, but that's more a location issue than anything else. (it's just not that easy to travel to midtown if i have no other reason to be there.)

on the other hand, it might be a promising sign the chef de cuisine is simply taking over, rather than them trying to bring in someone entirely new. hopefully that means the quality of the food i've come to love will be maintained and won't suffer much after gray-kunz's departure. i have no idea how 'hands on' gray-kunz was as Executive, but i am discovering more and more how very few Execs actually COOK. quite frankly, in some restaurants with which i've come to be involved, even i have begun to question the value of the high paid Exec.

don't get me wrong, i like gray-kunz and i have no doubt of his talent or skill or benefit to any kitchen (SpiceMarket comes to mind, for example)

BUT

did gray-kunz actually market himself to the investors (who is it again ? michael ? david ? strickling something or other ?? ugh i completely forget) as someone who COULD and WOULD bring the stars and good reviews ? did he demand a percentage and/or a salary based on that promise ??
in which case: well, i have a much harder time finding sympathy for him.

but only because i think it's fucking ASININE for anyone, but particularly those so entrenched in the industry to put any value on fucking stars. ESPECIALLY considering the "influence" of a critic as utterly nonsensical as frank-bruni.
i mean, it wouldn't surprise me at all if a bunch of halfwit money guys decided 'stars' was the best way to measure the value of their investment, but i would have hoped somebody of gray-kunz's vast experience would have completely divested them of that mindset before ever even signing with blood on the dotted line.
seriously, what the fuck.

ah ha ahaa it completely reminds me of a discussion i had a whiles back with a prominent restaurateur who was down on his knees THANKING GAWD the day after his 'one star' review. he was all: "i am soooo glad... cuz my chef is already difficult and egocentric NOW. with TWO stars my chef would have been IMPOSSIBLE..."



whatever

i guess we'll see.

Screw the stars and all the critics....this is about profitabilty.
Which a chef only controls about 20% of the total.
But, if they are never there to execute their vision, then don't expect any stunning results....or happy investors.


I LOVE THIS TOWN!!!

[abbe]

Screw the stars and all the critics....this is about profitabilty.
Which a chef only controls about 20% of the total.

YES
that kinda was my point in a way.

but ya know-- executing a chef's "vision" could be very costly, cutting into potential profits.

part of what i loved about Grayz was its simplicity. fried okra... weisswurst... short rib..

unfortunately, it WAS expensive. the dishes amounted to something like a fancy high quality "tapa"-- STARTING AT AROUND $20 PER DISH

and thus everything else had to live up to that price point: location, space, service, decor etc

well, if gray-kunz promised the stars would come (and with it the profitability)

well then that is where i say he went horribly wrong.

[abbe]

did gray-kunz actually market himself to the investors (who is it again ? michael ? david ? strickling something or other ?? ugh i completely forget)

david-malitsky

i believe he was "the rainmaker" anyways, if i'm not mistaken.

[abbe]

don't mind bruni.......................he's just drunk.............................

hhahahahahhaaa did i ever tell the story of the GM who once said to me:

"i KNEW we were getting a good review when bruni got wasted on his last visit... practically stumbling out the door... leaning on the railing..."

and then supposedly frank-bruni told them

umm

let's just say it was a little TMI







sure enough when the review came out: two stars.

ahahahahaa

[Dishwasher]

sigh

i have really really mixed feelings about this.

on the one hand, i agree it's sad-- Grayz is one of my favorite places. granted, i've not visited nearly as much as i once did (app once a week, when it first opened) lately, but that's more a location issue than anything else. (it's just not that easy to travel to midtown if i have no other reason to be there.)

on the other hand, it might be a promising sign the chef de cuisine is simply taking over, rather than them trying to bring in someone entirely new. hopefully that means the quality of the food i've come to love will be maintained and won't suffer much after gray-kunz's departure. i have no idea how 'hands on' gray-kunz was as Executive, but i am discovering more and more how very few Execs actually COOK. quite frankly, in some restaurants with which i've come to be involved, even i have begun to question the value of the high paid Exec.

The Exec Chefs don't have to cook, maybe it's better they don't so that when they aren't around, the kitchen runs smooth;ly without them. But they start to lose their value if they can't control the kitchen. Sceduling, staffing, ,mgmt, ordering etc all play into the costs. Usually I like to see the Ecec on hand expediting and controlling the flow. Also in the case of a celeb chef it's always good if they place nice with the customers, shake hands, sign autographs..lol

[MONEYMAN]

Decline and Fall of Gray Kunz —Gray Kunz is a proud member of the Four Star Club (Lespinasse, 1994), but 2008 isn't a year he got it done. What Flo Fab reports (today): "The changes at Gray Kunz’s restaurant are subtle in the dining rooms, more extensive in the kitchen, and large on the menu, which is now à la carte. The new pastry chef is Seth Caro." What she doesn't: It isn't Kunz's restaurant any more. His investors, in a miscalculated effort to exorcise the demons of a truly awful space (unclear how Aquavit ever got it done), have pushed him out of the business. [EaterWire)

What????????????

[Dick Johnson]

"Gray Kunz Confirmed Out at Grayz
Gone, baby, gone.

In her blurb on the reopened Grayz — “The changes at Gray Kunz’s restaurant are subtle in the dining rooms, more extensive in the kitchen, and large on the menu, which is now à la carte. The new pastry chef is Seth Caro” — Florence Fabricant fails to mention that executive chef Gray Kunz is out of the picture, as rumblings on PX This had it yesterday: "What I heard is that they are getting rid of him because they feel like he didn't deliver. The reviews were a big blow and not what they signed up for." We can now put an end to the speculation: Assistant GM Adam Landsman reveals to us that, for reasons he wouldn’t mention, Martin Brock, who hails from Michelin restaurants in Germany and worked under Kunz at Café Gray, took over in January. In a week, the restaurant will release its new menu, which will have more à la carte items and five-course and seven-course chef’s menus during both lunch and dinner."



Wow. Not "the wacky bunch at PX This", or "the Koreshian freaks at PX This" or even "the batshit crazy industry backbiters at PX This"!?

You sold me, Diaz. This Maurer guy is OK by me.

[Dick Johnson]

david-malitsky

i believe he was "the rainmaker" anyways, if i'm not mistaken.

Well, with all the rain we've had lately, I'd say the guy's been working overtime.

LOL.

[Groan. Sorry, couldn't resist!]

[Inkslinger]

Wow. Not "the wacky bunch at PX This", or "the Koreshian freaks at PX This" or even "the batshit crazy industry backbiters at PX This"!?

You sold me, Diaz. This Maurer guy is OK by me.

What the assholes at Beater and Gawker and people like Josh Ozersky don't seem to get is that we never did anything to anyone to deserve the kind of bullshit we've been getting all along. Beater has been such dicks to us since the beginning because of you-know-who, and look at how wrong they were! Who's eating crow now?

And Ozersky just looked like an asshole for taking JG's side, even though JG did something illegal, and was sued for it! Gawker shit all over Abbe just because they're snarky freaks, and Emily Gould got pissed that Abbester's friend approached Nick Denton at Waverly Inn. Josh Stein was a major dick to Abbe just because he, in turn, was fucking Emily Gould! When you really think about it, the whole thing is so disgusting. These are people in the media! What happened to integrity!?!? To top it all off, I bet none of them has any idea what's in Abbester's book. If they did, they would realize what assholes they've all been to us. But whatever! Their own karma will come back to get them!

[whats anorexia?]

What the assholes at Beater and Gawker and people like Josh Ozersky don't seem to get is that we never did anything to anyone to deserve the kind of bullshit we've been getting all along. Beater has been such dicks to us since the beginning because of you-know-who, and look at how wrong they were! Who's eating crow now?

And Ozersky just looked like an asshole for taking JG's side, even though JG did something illegal, and was sued for it! Gawker shit all over Abbe just because they're snarky freaks, and Emily Gould got pissed that Abbester's friend approached Nick Denton at Waverly Inn. Josh Stein was a major dick to Abbe just because he, in turn, was fucking Emily Gould! When you really think about it, the whole thing is so disgusting. These are people in the media! What happened to integrity!?!? To top it all off, I bet none of them has any idea what's in Abbester's book. If they did, they would realize what assholes they've all been to us. But whatever! Their own karma will come back to get them!

eater is so jealous, that they don't even credit nymag with the info, i guess because px has a link there.


http://eater.com/archives/2008/09/decline_...f_gray_kunz.php
Decline and Fall of Gray Kunz
Wednesday, September 10, 2008, by BL
Gray Kunz is a proud member of the Four Star Club (Lespinasse, 1994), but 2008 isn't a year he got it done. What Flo Fab reports (today): "The changes at Gray Kunz’s restaurant are subtle in the dining rooms, more extensive in the kitchen, and large on the menu, which is now à la carte. The new pastry chef is Seth Caro." What she doesn't: It isn't Kunz's restaurant any more. His investors, in a miscalculated effort to exorcise the demons of a truly awful space (unclear how Aquavit ever got it done), have pushed him out of the business. [EaterWire; previously]

[MONEYMAN]

http://nymag.com/daily/food/2008/12/grayz_...ss_in_2009.html


Best Wishes to Chef Gray.........maybe if he gets some real partners things would be different.

[virgo]

http://nymag.com/daily/food/2008/12/grayz_...ss_in_2009.html


Best Wishes to Chef Gray.........maybe if he gets some real partners things would be different.

that is going to be tough in this economy.