New Lotus: Still a Work in Progress, but the wine list is promissing

K

kirk wallace

kirk wallace
L.O.S on 5th, in the old Cru space, soft opened to the public this week. Mark & I had dinner there on Friday. Some very nice dishes (e.g., tuna tartare, soft shell crab (in November?!) and drunken noodles, mild yellow curry with chicken stood out), and others that still need work; not surprisingly, some service issues still to be worked out, but on the whole the attitude and drive seems right. It will be worth re-visiting for sure, even without its wine list, which is of course why it worth posting about here. Not nearly as huge or comprehensive as the Vegas original, but lots of goodies. I went with Huet petillant by the glass (claims to be 2002, but 2000 was served; very pleasant nonetheless); 2005 Egon Muller Schartzhofberger Kabinett and 1990 Merkelbach Urz. Wurzgarten Auslese.

The E.M. Schartzhofberger was a bit closed and subdued (or was just not a terribly well stored bottle) but still a great Saar minerality lurking under the ripe 2005 fruit. The '90 Merkelbach UW Aus was really fine; I'd not had a Merkelbach with this much age on it before and the brothers style is so delicate (and delicious young) that I wasn't sure it would be ideal for 20 years aging, but indeed it did. Still alive with a ripe, if fading, pear note, with all these tertiary flavors of maturity -- touch of metals, dry leaves and flower petals, etc. ; great match with a the mild yellow curry.

A very pleasant Friday dinner, all in all.
 
soft shell crab (in November?!)
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Did they specify the origin? I believe these things can be harvested from tropical Asian waters all year round.

Sounds like a fun place. I never paid much attention to the talk about the Vegas version but obviously this is much closer/more compelling.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
soft shell crab (in November?!)
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Did they specify the origin? I believe these things can be harvested from tropical Asian waters all year round.

Sounds like a fun place. I never paid much attention to the talk about the Vegas version but obviously this is much closer/more compelling.
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It's been 2 years since my last visit, but L.O.S. in Vegas is genuinely vaux le voyage.
 
Has anyone been since the renovation? I just don't know what I'm going to think without the buffet cords hanging from the ceiling tiles.

In any case, no NYC location can compete with the bringing of virgins to Vegas LoS.

"Here?"

"Here."

"This is the place?"

"This is the place."

"But...here?"

"Here."
 
originally posted by Thor:
Has anyone been since the renovation? I just don't know what I'm going to think without the buffet cords hanging from the ceiling tiles.

In any case, no NYC location can compete with the bringing of virgins to Vegas LoS.

"Here?"

"Here."

"This is the place?"

"This is the place."

"But...here?"

"Here."
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So true, Thor. I've people act as if they feared I was taking them to set up for a kidnapping or mugging -- the same people who happily and willing walked in to real muggings at places like Bradley Ogden at Caesar's.
 
I love that auslese and still have two in my cellar that I bought in 1991. Glad to hear your bottle was still good - I expect mine to be as well.
 
originally posted by maureen:
I love that auslese and still have two in my cellar that I bought in 1991. Glad to hear your bottle was still good - I expect mine to be as well.
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Your patience will be rewarded. (not clear to me that you'd want to wait another 10 years, though.)
 
So, I went there Monday night with seven other folks, including a bunch of fans of the Las Vegas location and it was the single most disastrous dining experience any of us have ever encountered in a restaurant. I posted my thoughts on another board it's become a lengthy thread and Eater even picked up on it.

Everything is wrong with Lotus of Siam NYC.
 
Kirk - My experience was similar to yours. I also had the 2005 Egon Muller and thought it was nice and it opened up over time. They clearly have some major service issues and this gets exacerbated with large groups based on Brad's experience and a review I read from a group of six. The Grand Cru Selections team is doing the wine list and will slowly add more from the old Cru cellar as well as newer selections. I look forward to going back.
 
originally posted by Robert Dentice:

Kirk - My experience was similar to yours. I also had the 2005 Egon Muller and thought it was nice and it opened up over time. They clearly have some major service issues and this gets exacerbated with large groups based on Brad's experience and a review I read from a group of six. The Grand Cru Selections team is doing the wine list and will slowly add more from the old Cru cellar as well as newer selections. I look forward to going back.
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If I were opening a new restaurant, I would not even accept resi's for anything more than a 6 top; and maybe not even 6 for the first month or so.
 
originally posted by Brad Kane:
So, I went there Monday night with seven other folks, including a bunch of fans of the Las Vegas location and it was the single most disastrous dining experience any of us have ever encountered in a restaurant. I posted my thoughts on another board it's become a lengthy thread and Eater even picked up on it.

Everything is wrong with Lotus of Siam NYC.
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Yeah but you were with some guy who dresses like the Joker.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
How could Lyle call any other board the most widely read WBB in the world? I mean, how could he?
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He's just trying to get a rise out of Thomas Matthews.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
How could Lyle call any other board the most widely read WBB in the world? I mean, how could he?
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He's just trying to get a rise out of Thomas Matthews.
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That's pretty low-hanging fruit, isn't it (as you well know)?

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by Brad Kane:
So, I went there Monday night with seven other folks, including a bunch of fans of the Las Vegas location and it was the single most disastrous dining experience any of us have ever encountered in a restaurant. I posted my thoughts on another board it's become a lengthy thread and Eater even picked up on it.

Everything is wrong with Lotus of Siam NYC.
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Why so hostile, Brad ? Give the guys a break, I thought they just opened.
 
originally posted by .sasha:
originally posted by Brad Kane:
So, I went there Monday night with seven other folks, including a bunch of fans of the Las Vegas location and it was the single most disastrous dining experience any of us have ever encountered in a restaurant. I posted my thoughts on another board it's become a lengthy thread and Eater even picked up on it.

Everything is wrong with Lotus of Siam NYC.
Click to expand...

Why so hostile, Brad ? Give the guys a break, I thought they just opened.
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Fuck em. I hope a gas line blows.
 
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