Wine Spectator
Second Helpings
When it comes to rating restaurants, judgment is more than a matter of taste
by Thomas Matthews
June 30, 2004
For every important new restaurant that opens in a media-rich city like New York, multiple, and often conflicting, reviews compete for the attention of potential customers. How can a diner decide where to eat? Reviewers can help their readers by articulating the criteria they use to judge a restaurant and the standards they use to measure quality. Once you know how a critic arrives at an overall rating, you are better able to gauge how you personally are likely to respond to the restaurant.
In order to help readers understand my restaurant reviews, I thought it would be useful to explain what Wine Spectator looks for in a fine dining experience. To put our criteria in a broader context, I'll compare my own reactions to those of interim-critic Amanda Hesser of The New York Times on three restaurants recently reviewed by us both.
The Times uses a four-star ranking system wherein one star is "good"; two, "very good"; three, "excellent"; and four, "extraordinary." The places I'll focus on are Asiate (newly opened and rated one star in the Times), Compass (also one star, down from two in a 2002 review) and Montrachet (two stars, down from three in 1998). Given the aspirations of these restaurants, and their previous ratings, it seems clear that Hesser was disappointed in their achievements.
What were her criteria? According to the Times, "ratings reflect the reviewers reaction to food, ambience and service, with price taken into consideration." This is significantly different from Wine Spectator's approach. For example, wine is not even mentioned by the Times, but it is a key element for us.
As with wine reviews, Wine Spectator uses the 100-point scale to rate restaurants: 80-84 is "good"; 85-89 is "very good"; 90-94 is "outstanding"; 95-100 is "classic." (In the case of restaurants, we do not always include the numerical ratings in the published reviews.) We judge restaurants in four categories, given differing weights, to come up with an overall average: food (40 percent); wine (30 percent); service (15 percent); and ambience (15 percent). Price is not taken into account. Our approach is to judge quality on its own, and let the reader decide whether the restaurant merits its cost.
Asiate was the first of the high-profile restaurants to open in the Time Warner Center. The multilevel dining room is on the 35th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, with floor to ceiling wine racks and huge windows with breathtaking views over Central Park. At once dramatic and serene, it restores to New York some of the high-rise glamour lost with the destruction of Windows on the World.
Chef Nori Sugie has worked with Tetsuya Wakuda in Australia and Charlie Trotter in Chicago, both high-concept chefs open to global influences. His eclectic menu includes many Asian touches, such as steamed perch in a delicate broth infused with ginger and Thai basil. The French-inspired dishes, such as suckling pig served with red cabbage and mushrooms, are richer and bolder, and better match wine.
Hesser called Asiate's food "muddled." I found some of the flavors bland, but most of the dishes integrated diverse ingredients with focus and harmony.
Sommelier Annie Turso's motto is "harmony, authenticity, simplicity." Her savvy, eclectic 375-selection list offers serious sakes, artisanal Champagnes, Pinot Noirs from around the world and a sampling of mature Bordeaux.
Asiate's ambition, and commitment are evident; I believe its talent will fuel continued improvement. It's a fine place for a quiet conversation or a family celebration. I give it a weighted average score of 88 points, or very good.
Compass, on the Upper West Side, recently hired chef Katy Sparks, who established her reputation at Quilty's in SoHo. Her creativity is evident in highlights such as an intense and harmonious soup of spring peas with morels, and a rack of Colorado lamb enlivened by a vivid hibiscus-scented sauce.
Wine director Glen Vogt has assembled a 900-selecoon list, heavy on great (and expensive) wines reaching all the way back to Chateau Margaux 1900 ($9,500). An enhanced roster of wines under $50 would give it better balance.
The dining room is much bigger than that at Quilty's, and the kitchen sometimes seems overwhelmed by the crowds. The service staff, which Hesser described as "comically inept," needs more training. Compass has the tools to succeed, but for now the restaurant is a work in progress. It will appeal most strongly to neighborhood residents and serious wine drinkers. I give it a weighted average of 85, or very good.
Montrachet, a Tribeca pioneer when it opened in 1985, was among the first of a new breed of restaurants, serious about food and wine but with a more relaxed approach to service and ambience. Though chefs have come and gone, the menu has remained French-influenced, with priority given to wine-friendly flavors.
Under the guidance of wine director Daniel Johnnes, on board since the opening, and head sommelier Bernard Sun, the wine list has grown to 1,500 selections, based on an inventory of 25,000 bottles. Burgundy lovers will find great wines from the best producers in all the great vintages. The California and Rhone sections are also mind-boggling, and there's a short but strong selection of mature Bordeaux.
Montrachet offers more than a great list; it delivers the best wine experience in New York. This is especially so on Monday nights, when patrons may bring their own bottles without a corkage fee. On one recent Monday, I saw 1966 DRC La Tache and 1959 Latour. An inexpensive Zinfandel "still warm from the shop window," as one sommelier put it, was opened with the same dignity as the rest. Camaraderie, friendly one-upmanship and sheer love of wine were palpable in the room.
So when Hesser calls the restaurant "a wine haunt," she's right. But why is that a criticism? And even if wine isn't your top priority, Montrachet delivers a satisfying dining experience.
A recent refurbishment has brightened the space without stiffening its cozy comfort. The most intimate elements--silver, china, stemware--are of excellent quality, the servers are friendly but professional.
Chef Chris Gesualdi, back for a second stint, presents harmonious dishes that are satisfying but never seek to dominate the wines. Dorade served with lardons, leeks and chanterelles works equally well with red or white wines. Tripe stewed with salsify and black truffles is earthy and complex, and showcases the fruit and spices of a young red Burgundy.
Montrachet reminds me of the great Parisian bistros. It wants to comfort, not intimidate, and if the food sometimes lacks the polish of a show kitchen, it never loses its soul.I give the restaurant a weighted average of 90, or outstanding.
My ratings differ from Hesser's on two counts. First, our criteria are different. For example, the wine element of the dining experience counts much more for me, and elevates my ratings for Compass and Montrachet. Second, our judgments of the restaurants' quality vary, as with our evaluation of the food at Asiate.
In the end, no restaurant is perfectly consistent; as a result, no review can be perfectly reliable. I hope to convey a sense of each restaurant at its best, and to describe its character in a way that helps readers make informed choices. Above all, I hope you will share my excitement about dining out in this great city. No matter what your appetite, there's a restaurant here that's perfect for you.