WD-50

Occasion: Dinner with Edward at one of my bucket list New York restaurants.
Location: WD-50 on Clinton between Stanton and Rivington (wd-50.com)
Edibles: The 9th anniversary 12-course tasting menu, fully described below.

Musings: The first thing that surprised me was the décor. The furniture is made of thick wood and the walls are painted in these saturated jewel tones. There's a vibrant emerald green wall, a rusty red one and a purple one. The light fixtures look like lava lamps. I was expecting it to look more cold and modern and surgical.

Another surprise - Wylie Dufresne is actually in the kitchen. He's there five nights a week, we're told.

I waffled for the longest time over which menu to order. The $75 5-course "best of" menu or the full $155 tasting menu? My brother supplied the winning argument of "If you're only going to come here once..." We got a very modest bottle of white to nurse throughout the meal.

First course was nigiri sushi with salsify (kneaded with hazelnut oil into a rice-like substance), trout roe, seaweed "roe" and sesame. I loved this. What a great start to the meal. Except for the piece of fish, all of the ingredients were non-standard, but together gave the strong message of sushi.

Next, lobster roe ribbons, lobster meat, charred lemon, green grapes, coriander brown butter. Really delicious and harmonious. The grapes were a nice touch and really brought out the sweetness of the lobster.

Faux pho (or pho gras). Beef and foie broth, terrine of foie gras and a puffed piece of beef tendon. My favorite course of the night. As soon as the waiter poured the broth in and the heat hit the herbs, it was like a flashing neon sign that said "PHO." The broth was insanely rich and concentrated. My own quibble about this course was that the noodles were too slippery to eat with a spoon and fork - it really need chopsticks. The puffed beef tendon, I fancifully thought, tasted like an alien cocoon.

Amaro-cured yolk, chicken confit, "peas" and carrots. The carrot was in ribbons and the "peas" were actually little spheres of cooked carrot, coated in pea powder. Ingenious. It absolutely had the texture and taste of a regular pea. I think this was supposed to be a deconstructed roast chicken dinner. The egg was a revelation. We surreptitiously checked it up on Wikipedia and it turns out that amaro is an herbaceous liqueur. The curing gave the egg yolk a very thick, velvety texture and slightly grassy flavor notes. I ate my dish with the egg smeared on everything and it was great, but my brother thought the carrot was a little bitter on its own.

Veal brisket, za'atar, plum, mustard. I thought the brisket tasted like bologna and the mustard overpowered everything. Couldn't taste the za'atar or the plum at all. Edward got more plum than I did but he also thought the mustard was too strong.

Peekytoe crab toast with saffron and kaffir lime yogurt and arare. My portion had way too much lime; my brother thought his could use more. We both thought the saffron was too strong and overpowered the crab.

Sole, black licorice pil-pil, fried green tomato and pickled fennel. The sole was made into a roulade, steamed and then flash fried. However they cooked it, it was overdone. Mine tasted very mealy. I also hated the licorice sauce - SO strong. I actually scraped it off the fish. Edward liked the sauce more than I did; he thought the different elements came together nicely but didn't stand alone very well.

Lamb sweetbreads, nasturtium buttermilk, zucchini and pistachio. This was one of those dishes that I thought was absolutely well conceived but just didn't appeal to my palate. One of my sweetbreads was way overcooked and rubbery. Edward loved it - he likes sweetbreads in general - but didn't understand why the pistachio brittle was on the plate.

Root beer ribs, caraway spaetzle, apricot chutney. The pork was marinated in root beer, deboned, formed into a roll, and then cooked sous-vide for almost 20 hours. It was pretty tasty, but here's my problem with the preparation: ribs are delicious because they're on the bone. If you cook it off the bone, you've kind of missed the point of eating ribs, no? I also hated the caraway spaetzle - it was the first thing I left on the plate entirely uneaten. Edward liked the apricot.

Jasmine custard, cucumber sorbet, honeydew and chartreuse. I put a spoonful in my mouth and immediately blurted out, "That tastes like shampoo!" The jasmine was too pungent. Edward like the sorbet a lot.

Yuzu milk ice, hazelnut crumble, strawberries and basil. This dessert was a lot of fun. The "ice-cream" was puffed in a vacuum and so it was the ice-cream equivalent of cotton candy. Very light and airy and melted as soon as it hit your tongue. My pretentious comment about this course: "It tastes like dessert you'd get on a hydroponic farm on Neptune."

S'mores with bitter cocoa ganache, frozen meringue filled with marshmallow fluff, black currant. I thought this dessert was badly balanced. The "marshmallow" was too solidly cold, there was too much of the fudge ganache and the blackcurrant brought out the bitterness of the chocolate and made it taste chemical-y. Edward disagreed with me on this one, and thought it worked overall.

Finally, there was a white chocolate truffle with goat cheese, covered with freeze-dried raspberries. Edward and I both agreed that it was tasty and unusual.

So there it is - the full tasting menu at WD-50. It was not exactly what I expected. The use of the science-y stuff was actually pretty restrained. I did feel like taste and flavor were his first priorities. I thought the seasoning got a little bit aggressive in the later courses. It wasn't all to my taste, but I was challenged and surprised.

Porsena

Occasion: Winnie's birthday!
Location: Porsena on E 7th between 2nd and 3rd
Edibles: pea risotto and baby octopus starters to share; various pasta mains (more detail below)

Musings: There's a lot to like about this restaurant. It's a cute, cozy space. The staff couldn't have been nicer to us. The food gave me the impression that the chef really has a strong food philosophy, and cares about good ingredients.

That said, I'd give it an average score of B+. There was a something about almost every dish that was just a little bit off. With a few small tweaks, it could be amazing. (Or at least amazing to me. It's entirely possible that the chef and I just don't have the same palate, whereas you might find the flavors perfect as they are now. Porsena is kind of place where you tend to give the chef the benefit of the doubt.)

The pea risotto, for example. The perfect spring dish, it was competently prepared. I did find it oversalted, and texturally it needed to be a bit looser. (You can tell by the way it's mounded up in the picture that it's too stiff. A perfect risotto would slowly ooze into shallow puddle.)

The octopus was great. No problems there.

I also ordered the beef tongue appetizer, more out of curiousity than anything. I liked the concept of the dish; I think the pickled vegetables were absolutely the right side to serve with the meat. The tongue itself was a little mealy. Maybe it should have been served cold instead of room temp? I'd skip this dish, at any rate.

For my main, I got the pasta with spicy lamb sausage. The pasta was very interesting, a wide tube shape with ridges on the inside. It was cooked perfectly al dente. The lamb sausage had a great flavor - unfortunately, I could only enjoy the complexities of the flavor for a few bites before the aggressive spiciness numbed my mouth.

I also tasted of Winnie's uni pasta and Gabrielle's pasta curls with many cheeses. The sea urchin sauce was too rich and too fishy for my taste. I don't think I could have finished a whole dish of it. Winnie loved it, though. The cheese sauce was likewise too rich, though I loved the whimsical pasta shape.

I give this place at least one more try. Start with the octopus and maybe try another pasta.

Big Apple BBQ

Location: On the streets bordering Madison Square Park

Met up with Winnie, Erin and Hsinpei for another meat-a-palooza. I swear I eat vegetables too. (I do! Sometimes.)

Stop #1: Ubon's - $8 for pulled pork shoulder sandwich with a side of coleslaw

Nice enough. Very tender and moist. Most of the flavor I got was from the sauce, though.

Stop #2: Pappy's - $8 for ribs and a side of beans

The ribs were, once again, undercooked for my taste. The meat was hard to chew and I was not impressed with their flavor (which was basically just bbq sauce slathered on at the end and brûléed). It was also unfortunate that we happened to get the stubby little ribs that come at the tip of the rack. The ends always get a little burned and dried out, compared to the bigger ribs further up. And the beans were sort of watery and sad. Thumbs down, Pappy's.

Stop #3: Blue Smoke Bake Shop - $6 for blueberry crisp à la mode

Now, I'm normally hating on Blue Smoke for their crappy food. And I stand by that. But I will say that they serve a nice dessert. (We weren't quite done with the meat yet, but passed right in front of Blue Smoke Bakery while waiting in line for Ed Mitchell. So we dispatched Erin to pick up... let's call it an unusual palate cleanser.)

This was the first dish of the day that made me go, "WOW!" Really good crisp topping and not too much of it, a light hand with the sugar in the berries, and a scoop of perfectly textured vanilla ice-cream. Yum.

Stop #4: Ed Mitchell - $8 for a chopped whole hog sandwich, with a side of coleslaw

While waiting in the long-ass line (after the blueberry crisp), I saw someone making pork rind crackling. At this point, my head pretty much exploded with joy. I had to get me some. When it was ready, they passed out a few shards to the people in line. It was amazing.... and so I had to get some more.

I went up to the lady and shamlessly played up my bacon-themed t-shirt and love of all pork products. Happily, she found me at least moderately amusing and rewarded my antics with a *massive* piece of crackling almost as big as my head!! Oh, happy, happy day!!!!

Yeah, we also got some of their whole hog, but nothing could really compare to that crackling. Here they are chopping it up:

And here's the sandwich:

I liked the more varied texture of the whole hog, but it was also sort of bland. Coleslaw was pretty generic, not as good as Ubon's.

But the crackling..... oh, the crackling.......

Macondo

Occasion: Huijin's birthday dinner, with Yining and Melissa
Location: Macondo, on E Houston and Allen (macondonyc.com)
Edibles: clam ceviche; chorizo and shrimp; pork belly flatbread; mofongo de pulpo (mashed plantains and octopus), feijoada (a Portuguese stew) and duck tacos; two desserts to share - chocolate cake filled with dulce de leche and French toast stuffed with lemon cream cheese

Musings: I've passed this place a hundred times and never felt the urge to go in. That sign, maybe - it just looks cheesy.

But now that I've been, I'm definitely going back. The reason? Their awesome and totally addictive pork belly flatbread with tomatoes, lima beans and mahon cheese. It's super crispy and savory... just wonderful. If we hadn't ordered so much other food, I'd've insisted we get another one.

If the flatbread was the winner of the table, the feijoada was the loser. It was a special, not on the regular menu. One of the most expensive dishes of the meal at $15, the stew just sort of muddy and didn't have any depth or pizzazz.

Everything else was tasty. The portion on the duck tacos is perhaps a bit small and hard to share, but they were delicious. I also really liked the clam ceviche. Very refreshing, and it's a generous serving.

The French toast dessert (torrija) is HUGE - even with four of us eating it, we barely made a dent. Both it and the chocolate cake (brazo de gitano) were very, very sweet. I personally would have had trouble finishing a whole dessert by myself but it was great to have just a few bites.

With a round of cocktails, tons of great food and two shared desserts, our dinner came out to a very reasonable $40 per person including tip and tax.

A Matter of Taste

Directed by Sally Rowe (amatteroftastethefilm.com)
Featuring Paul Liebrandt, chef-owner of Corton
(cortonnyc.com)

My review: 3/5 stars

This film follows Paul Liebrandt over a decade and stints at three restaurants. It's not so much about cooking, or even food, but rather the career trajectory of a chef.

Liebrandt's story shows how difficult it can be to find and maintain success in the restaurant industry, even when most people agree that you're a damn fine chef. He encounters such obstacles as a horrible economy for restaurant financing, a horrible economy for fine-dining customers, the capricious decisions of management, and a new Times critic who intrinsically likes another style of food. Through all of that, he sticks to his guns and keeps cooking the food that he loves.

The film does have a happy ending with his current restaurant, Corton, backed by Drew Nieporent. Finally, finally, it all comes together. He even manages to squeeze three stars out of Frank Bruni.

I happened to see the premiere screening at Tribeca, and Paul Liebrandt and the director did a Q&A afterwards. The poor director was pretty neglected; all the questions were for Liebrandt. He talked predictably about having passion and perseverence. (That's him at the podium. The director is in the yellow blouse, to left.)

[Postscript: The film premiered on HBO July 13, 2011.]

Doughnut Plant

Location: 23rd between 7th and 8th

Doughnut Plant makes these huge, very chewy, very bread-y doughnuts, $3 each. I got one of the fresh strawberry and one peanut butter and jelly.

The strawberry had a nice scent, but any flavor of fresh strawberries was overwhelmed by the amount of sugar in the glaze. I liked the balance of the PBJ doughnut (a jelly-filled doughnut with peanut butter glaze) better. But I personally thought they both had way too much glaze, which tended to crack and get all over everything.

An interesting novelty, but I don't think this is going to be the next dessert craze.

Momoya

Occasion: Post-movie dinner
Location: Momoya on 7th Ave and 21st (momoyanyc.com)
Edibles: chef's choice sushi dinner

Musings: Of course, I walked out of "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" just starving, and dying for sushi. After a few blocks of aimless wandering failed to uncover a sushi place, I asked a gay guy walking his dog for a recommendation (because a dog's a good indication that the walker lives in the neighborhood). The guy sent me to Momoya. (Hilariously, he didn't remember what corner it was on in terms of ordinal directions, but did remember that it was where some bar or club named Merkin used to be. Oh, New York.)

The chef's tasting included ten pieces of nigiri sushi and one roll. The Black Dynamite roll I picked had a bit too much going on with two sauces and multiple fillings.

The sushi was likewise overly complicated. There were lots of garnishes piled on top that made it impossible to dip the sushi in soy sauce. And they didn't make much sense, e.g. a slice of jalapeno and some caviar on the fluke. The best pieces were the eel and the rock crab.

A nice dinner, and one that certainly hit the spot after the movie. But not worth $50.

Northern Spy, part II

Occasion: Pre-movie (Cinema Komunisto at TFF) brunch with Josh
Location: Northern Spy Food Co. on 12th between A and B (northernspyfoodco.com)
Edibles: I had the biscuit and sausage gravy, with two baked eggs; Josh had the sausage, egg and cheese sandwich.

Musings: I've been wanting to come back here, ever since that first dinner with Winnie and Gabrielle - gosh - a year ago. Not too much to add. The décor is as charming as ever, and the food is hearty and unfussy. My gravy was good, the biscuit was nice and fluffy, and the egg yolk provided the perfect amount of unctuous ooze over everything.

One niggle. They did seat their dining room sort of awkwardly, i.e too many people at once. The kitchen got slammed and our food took ages to come out.

Pylos

Occasion: Dinner with Josh
Location: Pylos on 7th between First and A (pylosrestaurant.com)

Edibles: beets; saganaki; octopus; lamb chops; walnut cake and Greek coffee

Musings: Really funky interior - the ceiling is strung with hundreds of clay pots. Very distinctive.

They start you off with some warm pita and hummus, and it was soooooo good. Possibly the best part of the meal, in retrospect. Which is not to say that the rest of the food wasn't great - because it was. But that pita was REALLY amazing. Mmmmm.... warm bread.... one of life's simple pleasures.

The beet salad was massive - definitely good to share. The octopus was not - just two smallish tentacles for $14. It was cooked perfectly, though, not rubbery at all and with the perfect amount of char. Saganaki's pretty uniformly delicious and hard to mess up. Pylos' tasted pretty much like every other one I've ever had, but it did go great with that warm pita.

Since we got so many apps, we just shared a single main. The lamb chops we got were yummy. Also perfectly charred, and they got the doneness spot on.

I really just had a bite or two of the walnut cake. It doesn't say anywhere in the description, but it's got tons of cinnamon. Gag. The Greek coffee was tiny but incredibly potent - the kind of stuff that's often described as being able to float a horseshoe. I'd get the unsweetened, and try to do it myself next time; the pre-sweetened version was too much even for me, and I put about five sugars in my regular coffee.

Pylos is a good option for fancy Greek. I'd definitely come back to try some of the other things on the menu. And hey, if you want to keep it economical, just load up on that maaaaarvelous pita....

Cafe Orlin

Occasion: Post-movie (Battle LA - absolutely execrable) brunch
Location: Cafe Orlin on St Marks between 1st and 2nd (cafeorlin.com)
Edibles: salmon omelet with dill, cream cheese, cucumber and red onions - came with salad, home fries and toast

Musings. In short - long wait; close quarters; exotic menu; great coffee.

My omelet had WAY too many onions, but it was fine after I removed them. In retrospect, I should have ordered something more adventurous. I'm sure there's something amazing on the menu that they don't serve anywhere else. Like maybe the Middle Eastern Eggs? The Tunisian Eggs? It's worth a few more exploratory visits.

[Side story: Josh brought me some layered marzipan squares from his favorite bakery. I gamely tried one, even though sweets like that aren't really my thing. I should probably have been more diplomatic - still, he seemed to take it pretty well when I told him I thought it tasted like toothpaste. Something like 30 seconds later, he had inhaled the three remaining pieces in the box - and those things were not small. It was very cute. I don't think I've ever met anyone who likes marzipan quite so much.]

Great Jones Cafe

Occasion: Dinner with Sheila, Rachel W. and Simon
Location: Great Jones Cafe on (duh) Great Jones between Lafayette and Bowery (greatjones.com)
Edibles: we shared a plate of creole chicken wings to start; I had the jambalaya, Sheila had the roast chicken, Rachel had the pulled pork sandwich and Simon had the catfish po'boy

Musings: A tiny little place - only about ten tables. Add the fact that the food is good and cheap, and you better believe it fills up fast.

There was something intriguingly zingy about their chicken wings. They were sloppy and greasy, but in a good way. I could've easily eaten an entire order by myself.

Of the mains, I thought Rachel's was the standout. Really succulent and flavorful pork, of the same calibre as Wilfie & Nell's amazing sliders. Very jealous that it wasn't my order. My jambalaya looked quite homely and unappetizing, but after chatting and eating for a while, I looked down at my plate with some amazement to see that I had pretty much hoovered the whole thing without noticing. Very hearty and filling for sure. A lady at a neighboring table had the gumbo, and that looked really good too.

Big thumbs up.

Five Points

Occasion: Dinner with the girls - Abby, Jill and Elizabeth
Location: Five Points on Great Jones between Lafayette and Bowery (fivepointsrestaurant.com)
Edibles: I had a couple of raw oysters, followed by the spaghetti and meatball special; the girls shared two pizzas

Musings: Meh. Five Points is a restaurant that I occasionally myself dining at, simply because the reservations are easily had. I think the food is okay at best and overpriced for sure.

One of the pizzas smelled so strongly of truffles it was almost nauseating. Jill agreed it was heavy-handed.

My oysters were good. But they don't really get credit for that - they're not cooked at all, are they? The meatballs in my dish were tough and gamey. I wasn't impressed by the homemade pasta either; I've honestly had dried pasta that was better.

[Postscript: Take a pass on this place and go to Great Jones Cafe instead. Better food and cheaper too.]

Pala

Occasion: Birthday dinner for Elizabeth!
Location: Pala on Allen between Stanton and Houston (palapizza.com)
Edibles: caponata and risotto balls to start; the porri e salsiccia (pork sausage, leeks, sundried tomatoes and pink peppercorns) and bufala cruda (buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil) pizzas

Musings: Great place for a casual midweek get-together. (Or a first date - nice dim lighting!) We were seated promptly even though the space is pretty small. The food came quickly, and was both tasty and reasonably priced.

A big thumbs up on the caponata. It was a nice big dish for $8, and the veggies were very fresh and vibrant. The risotto balls were decent, but nothing to write home about.

As for the pizzas, the bufala was definitely the plain Jane. However, the salsiccia had A LOT of flavors going on, and it was nice to be able to take break from it. They're good complements for each other.

Bonus - it's pretty much door-to-door for me on the bus. I'll definitely be back.

The Redhead

Occasion: Dinner with Gabrielle and Winnie
Location: The Redhead on 13th St between 1st and 2nd (theredheadnyc.com)
Edibles: sausage flatbread; shrimp and grits; buttermilk fried chicken; homemade tater tots; bacon brussel sprouts; dessert - sticky toffee pudding, apple cobbler, beignets

Musings: Knowledge is power. Or, as G.I. Joe used to say, "Knowing is half the battle." (I always wondered what the other half was. And then I realized: winning.) Gabrielle used to live in this neighborhood, and so knows this place pretty well. She pointed us toward a few things that I wouldn't necessarily have ordered going in blind, and her advice was flawless.

We started with the sausage flatbread. Sounds unremarkable, but it was really crisp and the sausage was really quality stuff. Yum. The shrimp and grits were lovely - the sofrito in the sauce really made this dish, I thought. The tater tots and the brussel sprouts were nice, but didn't really blow me away. I'd skip these on future visits; there's really enough food without having to order extra sides.

That buttermilk fried chicken - in a word, spectacular. I think they brined the chicken. It was really moist and savory. Great crunchy crust. And perfect sides. The spinach and apple salad on the side was particularly addictive, and just the thing to refresh the palate.

I also had a great cocktail (the Ginger Snap - ginger syrup, rum and citrus) and a great dessert (sticky toffee pudding). Thumbs up! Thanks to Winnie and Gabrielle for squeezing this visit in before the end of the year.

Antibes Bistro

Occasion: Abby's birthday dinner
Location: Antibes Bistro on Suffolk between Rivington and Delancey (antibesbistro.com)
Edibles: we got the roasted asparagus and some parmesan risotto for the table to start; I had two apps for my main course - the goat cheese and beet salad, and the marinated scallops; Jill also let me have a taste of her roast chicken

Musings: Happy birthday, Miss Abby! It was so nice to have all the girls together to celebrate!

Antibes Bistro has a charmingly rustic dining room that made me feel like I was in a farmhouse in the French countryside. The mismatched furniture, the soft amber lighting - it all added up to a great atmosphere for a relaxing, low-key dinner. As a bonus, there was a jazz trio playing live music! (I think the singer sang at Atticus and Kathy's wedding. Sadly, the cute clarinet player from that event was nowhere to be seen.)

The food. Generally good, but I had lots of little niggles. The asparagus was ho-hum. The risotto was overcooked. My scallops had an unpleasant bitter aftertaste. The goat cheese and beet salad dish was inexplicably served warm. I don't know why - it didn't enhance either of the ingredients and just came across as odd....

Ultimately, I think the chef falls a little short in the "attention to detail" department. However, I'd be willing to give this place another try. The space is great and the prices are very budget-friendly (apps $6-9, mains $13-18). I bet there's a great meal to be had off their menu - you just have to find it.

Momofuku Milk Bar

Location: Momofuku Milk Bar on 2nd Ave at 13th - there's a pass-through from the rear of the restaurant, but it also has a separate entrance (momofuku.com/milkbar/)

Musings: The compost cookie. Contains all sorts of alarming ingredients like coffee grounds, pretzels and potato chips. Interesting concept, but I thought they overdid it on the coffee grounds - it was all I could taste.

The blueberry and cream cookie is Robert's favorite. I found the unrelieved sweetness a bit cloying, but the chewy texture was nice.

Our third cookie was my favorite - cornflake, choco chip and marshmallow. The cornflakes gave it a great crunch and the slightest touch of savoriness without you having to taste actual grains of salt (like from the potato chips and pretzels in the compost cookie). I. Loved. It.

I bet you can make a reasonable facsimile of this cookie by taking the basic Nestlé Toll House recipe and adding a handful of cornflakes and mini marshmallows. Stay tuned for recipe-testing results in the not-too-distant future.

And finally, the crack pie. It's got a dense, sugary filling that reminded me of a pecan pie without the pecans. I looked at the ingredients and it's basically got the same things as a standard custard - sugar, eggs, dairy, etc. And yet there's some sort of magic (or witchcraft) involved because every time I finished a bite, I found myself wanting another. Aptly named, Momofuku.

Momofuku Ssäm Bar, part II

Occasion: Pre-movie (The Social Network) dinner with Robert, Ingrid and Judy
Location: Momofuku Ssäm Bar on 2nd Ave at 13th (momofuku.com)
Edibles: steamed pork belly buns; blackened bluefish sandwich; spicy pork sausage and rice cakes; tilefish with chai masala, squash curry and pumpkin seeds; amberjack with pearl barley, smoked marrow and chestnut

Musings: First, the good stuff. As before, the pork buns were magnificent (and not so fatty this time). The bluefish sandwich was another standout. Crispy, plump fillets of fish, creamy sauce, and a nice soft bread that didn't cause the all the fillings to squirt out when you bite into it. I hope they keep this on their menu - I liked it a lot.

The fish was likewise fresh and well-cooked in the two other dishes we ordered.

The Cons: The sides on both fish mains were terrible. Strange flavors, poorly matched to the protein, and parsimoniously portioned. At $27 and $23, I expected better and more. By comparison, the bluefish sandwich is a steal at $14.

The rice cakes I thought were too spicy and Ingrid thought were too salty. Which was a pity since it was the biggest plate of all the things we ordered. We had tons left over.

We considered but decided against ordering the clam chowder raviolo when we discovered that the $15 dish consisted of a single raviolo. Highway robbery! This, I think is the major failing of Momofuku - it's kind of overpriced. (Though it hasn't stopped my fellow New Yorkers from keeping this place packed day in and day out.)