it may not be pricier than the chef’s tasting menu but if one wants to eat at Providence, they provide much cheaper options, including their seasonal 9 course menu.
And iirc, n/naka was already a tough reservation prior to Chef’s Table. The price did go up shortly after it though iirc. But your point about n/naka being a smaller restaurant is probably a big reason.
Yup. Providence has at least 22-25 tables not counting all the bar counter seats IIRC.
Nope, I was able to get same day reservations before chef’s table.
Gotta love anecdotal evidence.
hope Kali squeezes a star
Party of 1
Two top
ha
n/naka reservations pre-chef’s table were not impossible to get if you were diligent. See my prior threads on the subject - I was able to book tables every week. BUT only because I was diligent and spent time to figure out how the system worked.
Joe Schmo was going to be assed out of luck unless they got incredibly lucky via a cancellation or similar, which is how a lot of same day/next day reservations are released, esp. for restaurants with known cancellation policies. e.g. 24 hour cancellation policy = check Resy the day before for cancellations.
Hell, for extremely popular restaurants, I would argue it’s easier to get same day reservations than it is to book 1-2 weeks out (see: Bestia)
That’s how I was able to get MozzaPlex reservations a couple of years after it opened. A month (and even a week) before and all they had was 5PM or 9PM. I called the day before (or the morning of…I forget which) and had my choice of 6:30PM, 7PM, 7:30PM, or 8PM.
" It’s possible that some of LA’s stalwarts — Langer’s, Al & Bea’s, Savoy Kitchen — will get middling recognition in the upcoming Michelin Guide, but it’s very possible that they won’t earn stars and won’t be considered as best in class, despite their history and everyday relevance to the greater Los Angeles dining public. This is a city that still runs on pastrami and cheeseburgers and tacos, things the Michelin folks don’t tend to care very much about at all…But for the average Angeleno, the one who has been eating well around Southern California for a generation or two, it won’t mean much."
How is history and everyday relevance even relevant in a “best of” guide? It certainly didn’t whenever Eater comes with with one of those. Also, the guide is essentially useless to 75% of the local population anyway so that point is moot.
I didn’t take the history into account as much as I think that the people who currently care about food and dining in L.A. won’t care much about Michelin rolling into town. That was my takeaway from @FarleyElliott’s piece.
Exactly
Michelin guides list a lot of good everyday places.
The key word is good and history and the “everyday-ness” of a restaurant shouldn’t have any bearing.
History doesn’t seem to be a factor, at least in SF.
people forget they can call restaurants. still think it’s a good way to go if you are having trouble online
