Restaurant Pulse Check
Wednesday's New York Times Dining section featured a photo of Mario Batali, Sirio Maccioni and Jean-Georges Vongerichten wearing signs with pleas to come visit their restaurants.
Times critic Frank Bruni writes that "if you eat out regularly in New York, you’ve noticed a different reception, an altered mood: extreme solicitousness tinged with outright desperation."
Amid the talk of economic woes, I've encountered packed restaurants in DC the past few weeks. In the spirit of New York's reservation trackers, Grub Street's Two at Eight and Eater's resyfeed, I wondered what the result would be if I checked OpenTable two days out for prime time reservations for two — Saturday at 7:30 p.m. — at some of DC hottest restaurants. A sort of pulse check of our restaurant scene, if you will.
This is of course completely unscientific, and you can draw your own conclusions. And this is not meant to gloss over dropping restaurant revenues, staff cuts and other hardships. All I know is I still can't get into some of my favorite spots without planning well ahead. Here's a look at the results for selected restaurants, tested Thursday morning, for Saturday tables:
• Blue Duck Tavern: booked
• Central: booked
• CityZen: booked
• Marvin: booked
• Proof: booked
• Citronelle: booked
• The Source: booked
• Rasika: 6:15 p.m.
• Bourbon Steak: 6 or 9:15 p.m.
• Corduroy: 5:30 or 9 p.m.
• Sei: 6:30 or 9 p.m.
• Westend: 6 or 9 p.m.
Times critic Frank Bruni writes that "if you eat out regularly in New York, you’ve noticed a different reception, an altered mood: extreme solicitousness tinged with outright desperation."
Amid the talk of economic woes, I've encountered packed restaurants in DC the past few weeks. In the spirit of New York's reservation trackers, Grub Street's Two at Eight and Eater's resyfeed, I wondered what the result would be if I checked OpenTable two days out for prime time reservations for two — Saturday at 7:30 p.m. — at some of DC hottest restaurants. A sort of pulse check of our restaurant scene, if you will.
This is of course completely unscientific, and you can draw your own conclusions. And this is not meant to gloss over dropping restaurant revenues, staff cuts and other hardships. All I know is I still can't get into some of my favorite spots without planning well ahead. Here's a look at the results for selected restaurants, tested Thursday morning, for Saturday tables:
• Blue Duck Tavern: booked
• Central: booked
• CityZen: booked
• Marvin: booked
• Proof: booked
• Citronelle: booked
• The Source: booked
• Rasika: 6:15 p.m.
• Bourbon Steak: 6 or 9:15 p.m.
• Corduroy: 5:30 or 9 p.m.
• Sei: 6:30 or 9 p.m.
• Westend: 6 or 9 p.m.