I've been out of the loop (new job and all) the last few days, but I'm wondering why no one's ever chatted about those two? Mermaid Inn, Harrison, Red Cat not withstanding, they shaped the boys from Little Owl/MarketTable & let's not forget Perilla. Any thoughts?

Well.....

Guess that takes care of that then

heeee

well actually we DID have an owner ?? GM?? somebody
who was a member here in the very beginning oh geez i forget the handle now.

but i do distinctly recall getting a private message. she was very sweet and even invited me to drop by the RedCat

i have to check my old messages

oh but to answer your question, i guess we never discussed them cuz aside from the one member (who never actually posted?) i guess nobody here has ever worked for the company or anything like that.

but GO HEAD GIRL give us yer two cents. or three or whatever

WELL....for starters:

"EaterWire: Trouble Brewing at The Harrison
TRIBECA—There is a rumor making the rounds concerning Tribeca mainstay The Harrison and its executive chef, Brian Bistrong. To be more precise, while officials insist all is well at the restaurant and no one is going anywhere, word is that Bistrong is on the verge of leaving the Harrison. He and Harrison owner Jimmy Bradley are trying to make a deal, but the situation isn't looking good. If he goes, you do have to wonder about Bradley's ability to keep chefs around, as this would be the first, or second, to leave somewhat abruptly. [EaterWire]"

Word on the street is he can't keep GM's either

I'm not giving up people! :

I found this:

In the Upper West Side, Danny Abrams is days away from debuting the second branch of The Mermaid Inn. According to field reports, the kitchen is fired up: "Walking down Amsterdam Ave last night, I passed by the shiny new Mermaid Inn. Not quite bustling with activity but definitely open for business." Officially, it's not open until 'sometime next week,' but locals may want to try their luck with walking-in. We'll send you off with this PR color: "Three signature dishes – the lobster sandwich, wedge salad and spaghetti with a salad on top – will make the move up north, as will the easygoing hospitality..."Divided into two rooms, the space will also have garage-style doors that can be opened on nice days, allowing sunlight to complete the restaurant’s by-the-shore vibe." 568 Amsterdam Avenue, UWS; (eater.com)

GO PENELOPE !! GO GO GO GO

That's funny!


Well, I have a friend who attended Mermaid Inn UWS's tasting on Friday and said it was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. He said it was almost identical to Mermaid downtown and that they had a ton of people walking in off the street that wanted to eat (but were turned away).

He owns Smith's too (MacDougal St.), which just opened last week.

smith's needs a lot of work. early trip was bad - good service, bad food. silly me for going so early. hope they fix what they need to fix as it seems to have a good potential

That's a bummer to hear; I'm more 'Team Abrams' these days and really want that place to do well. I know a few of the other partners & have faith they will tighten it up. Besides, it's usually the opposite: bad service, good food in the beginning. Half the battle is won if the service was ok....

Holy Crap!

Bradley has lost another Chef and GM:

BRIAN BISTRONG, below, has left the Harrison in TriBeCa to open his own place next spring, with John Paul O’Neill, who was the manager of the Harrison, in the former Voyage space: 117 Perry Street (Greenwich Street).

i'm sure they will. the service was eager to please and enthusiastic - it goes a long way towards a good impression and forgiving a few technical things - which can be learned after all. i'm sure i'll give them another try after a while.

And...just so there's no mistaking it: Abrams was the FOH-part of the team when still with Bradley, so that friendly, gratious service stays with him. The feedback I've been getting lately from people that have gone to Red Cat and Harrison is."Mheeeeaah" (whatever that means).

bad for you, good for them.

if they're SMART enough to be paying attention that is. hahahaa

Which book has had the biggest impact?
“Ma Gastronomie” by Fernand Point taught me balance. “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu taught me many leadership and organizational lessons. But I wasn’t a great cook until I found Walt Whitman.
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/200...-jimmy-bradley/

everyone picks up on Sun Tzu but i think the Walt Whitman reference is infinitely more interesting

more scary

Amanda Freitag Leaving Gusto for Harrison, Anne Burrell Taking Over

Amanda Freitag is leaving Gusto, her popular West Village perch, and moving downtown to the Harrison, where owner Jimmy Bradley tells us she was his first choice. “We’re going to go in a new direction,� Bradley tells us. “We were doing French cookery in a New American style, but with Amanda the menu is going to be lusty, soulful, rustic Mediterranean-inspired cookery.� The changeover should happen in January. As for Gusto, it will come under the control of Anne Burrell, the chef at Gusto’s sister restaurant Centro Vinoteca. With Centro packed nearly every night, the time is right for Burrell to expand her authority.

http://nymag.com/daily/food/2007/11/amanda...r_harrison.html

I'mnot trying to be a suckass, but that's weird!!!!! From what I hear alot of peple like working for Centro and Gusto so why would the chef leave to go and work for someone that doesn't seem to have such a great reputation?????

Because Jimmy Bradley has a reputation for being a springboard to owning your own joint following employment with him. What no one gets is that the "spring board" was really when he and Abrams were still together. Since they split, Bradley has lost Chefs, GMs managers and staff. Rumor has it he has also started cutting people off at the knees if they go to work for Abrams in any capacity. Not sure if Walt Whitman ever recommended doing that.........

You'd think one Gusto chef could learn a thing or two from another Gusto chef.