New York Post Online Edition: food
I’ve always found it insulting that Thomas Keller and his orientation is so arrogant and rude. It’s not as if they don’t take reservations, they do. But you have to go through hoops because they don’t answer the phone except once a month.
While none of the reviewers or Keller wants to admit it, he’s an obvious protege of Ferran Adria who runs the ultra-famous (among food junkies) El Bulli two hours north of Barcelona. Read any review of El Bulli and you’d swear you were reading a review of French Laundry or Per Se. The difference is Adria has been at it for over 20 years. You’ll note that he is seldom referenced in any of the reviews of Keller.
Here Steve Cuozzo reveals some ideas.
When the reservationists eventually pick up, the trick is to wait them out. Don’t get off the phone until they come up with a short-term availability.
This happened to me three times. Each time, after stating that nothing was available in my foreseeable lifetime, the reservationist eventually discovered there was indeed such an opening, though the result was a number of meals at noon and 10 p.m.
If they take your name and put you on a waiting list for any particular date, don’t expect to get lucky: I tried it five times and never heard back.
It is easier to get reservations for lunch than for dinner. This may not be a bad thing. Per Se is the only restaurant in its class where I have ever found the food and service to be better during the day than at night.
The original soup Nazi is found here. Site also provides tips on getting soup.
If you can’t get into Kellers place, try this.
Coincidentally, I had to go through the whole Per Se reservation ordeal recently.
First, a clarification, Dvorak says they only answer the phone once a month, and the Post article says, quoting the restaurants phone system ” ‘reservations are taken up to two months prior to the calendar date’ — whatever that means.”
What it all means is: they answer the phone every day starting at 10AM. If you want a reservation for December 1st, you call the reservation line at 10Am on October 1st.
Simple enough, but still difficult to get a reservation.
I started calling at 9:55AM two months before the Sunday that is my wife’s birthday. Thankfully, the phone I was using had “instant” redial, meaning I didn’t have to listen to each number being dialed and it really sped up the process.
So starting at 9:55, I dialed and heard that the phone lines didn’t open till 10AM. I kept hanging up and hitting redial until 10 when the line went from a message to busy. I managed a hang-up and a redial at about 1 every couple seconds.
At 10:25 I finally got through. A recorded voice told me that I needed to wait until the next operator got to me.
I waited 15 minutes on hold until the operator picked up. He was very nice (he better be) and said that, for dinner, all they had was 10PM (ugh…). Since it was my wife’s birthday, I didn’t really have a choice.
He also told me that I had to confirm my reservation within 48hours of the time. And if I cancelled within 2 days, there’d be a $100 penalty per person! I guess, since there’s only 16 tables it’s to be expected … or not.
As for the comment that Keller is arrogant and rude, I guess that’s the accomodation people make for a chef that is in charge of arguably the best restaurant in the U.S. (French Laundry; verdict is still out on Per Se even with the NYT’s 4 Star review). Of course, it’d be nice if he wasn’t a prick.
And for the record, Soup Kitchen International, IMNSHO, is unbelievably good. I just wish it wasn’t closed half the year.