RESTAURANT Week is in full swing, and the man who helped dream up the enormously popular dining deal is guidebook guru Tim Zagat. That was back in 1992, when Zagat and legendary restaurateur Joe Baum launched the promotion during the Democratic National Convention to lure visiting reporters into local restaurants.
But who knew New Yorkers would be so hungry for the three-course-meal deals? On the first day alone, Le Cirque and the Quilted Giraffe received 5,000 phone calls – each. The rest, as they say, is dining history. Restaurant Weeks are now held in cities around the country, and this year’s winter event features the largest number of participants yet. Through Jan. 30, some 250 restaurants will offer three-course prix-fixe meals for $24.07 at lunch and $35 at dinner. We checked in with Zagat about his creation and the state of the restaurant biz.
How does one get the most out of Restaurant Week?
An important aspect of Restaurant Week is that it gives diners a chance to walk in and out of restaurants that they might be afraid of normally. That’s really important to two [kinds] of customers – retirees on a fixed income and younger people who might feel a bit awkward. It’s a chance to try places you always wanted to.
Should they be dismayed if the Restaurant Week menu features dishes not on the regular menu?
The restaurant may want to put out some special items to show off or because they’re good to do in a more massive way. Early on, we had some complaints. Diners said they didn’t think their Restaurant Week menu was as good as they expected, and we really policed it. Either you do it right or you’re out of the program. With 250 restaurants, someone’s going to feel that they didn’t get exactly what they wanted. [But] the vast majority of people think it’s good.
You just launched a series of “Vintage Dinners” inspired by 19th-century menus at restaurants such as Blue Hill at Stone Barns. How have dining habits changed since those days?
There were different preparations, much larger portions – you’d have a whole salmon or a saddle of beef carved at the table rather than in the kitchen. Turtle soup was very common. [Butcher] Stanley Lobel put together a list of about 50 birds and cuts of meat – wild turkey, calves’ brains – things that we have lost and that are very inexpensive and delicious if you know how to cook them.
We’ve already seen some high-profile closures this year like Fiamma and the rainbow grill. How are restaurants surviving the economic downturn?
I think the restaurant industry as a whole is going to do better than most other industries for the simple reason that we all have to eat. And it’s cheaper and more efficient for most of us to eat in restaurants – particularly when you throw in the value of your time.
What are going to be this year’s big trends?
People are looking for good value, and restaurants are doing everything in their power to deliver it. Many restaurants are going to extend Restaurant Week. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s as many as 100. It sounds goody-goody, but I think the restaurant industry continues to diversify and improve.
What’s your biggest restaurant pet peeve?
Service is the industry weak link almost everywhere. When you see the percentage of complaints nationwide, about 70 percent relate to service. Everything else – food, prices, décor, noise – all together only equals about 30 percent. The front of the house doesn’t have the respect, professionalism or celebrity that the back of the house has achieved. They are good jobs, but you need to have people feel that it’s a respect-worthy profession. When was the last time you saw a maitre d’ on television?
* “River Café is gorgeous and romantic. It’s got one of the best views; looking onto the harbor and lower Manhattan. At night, the whole place twinkles. You want to get down on your knee and say, ‘Please, spend the rest of your life with me,’ to whoever’s sitting with you at the table.”
* “Del Posto feels like a really classic restaurant in Rome. Plus it boasts two of the most famous television chefs – Mario Batali and Lydia Bastianich.”
* “There’s really only one room you can sit in at 21 Club, and that’s the barroom downstairs. It’s just one of the classic New York places where you can sit with some of the major business
players – at least those that are still alive and kicking.”
* “Gramercy Tavern is always one of the most popular restaurants in the survey. Danny Meyer really understands the
Restaurant Week concept, and he goes out of his way to make the experience special and wonderful. There’s a real sense of hospitality and thoughtfulness.”
* “Nobu features unique Japanese-Peruvian food from one of the great chefs in the United States, Nobu Matsuhisa. His partner is Robert De Niro – either it’s the food or De Niro that explains the number of Hollywood stars that go there. It’s part of a chain, but it feels like a bunch of individual, special restaurants.”
* “I think Spice Market is exciting because of its absolute fantasy land ambience. It gives you the feeling that you have transcended your daily life in New York.”
* “Le Cirque is where the ladies-who-lunch lunch. It’s got an extremely sexy clientele in the social sense and very good food. It’s in a new location that people ought to see because it’s a special New York restaurant that’s been a player for years.”