|
Stein’s pick: Charlie Bird proves the extraordinary popular delusions and madness of the foodie crowd. It starts with an Instagram and ends with an Eater Award. But has anyone noticed, in the crush of flesh and scrum of bodies, drenched in the deafening beat of hip-hop on the Soho street, that the food is only mediocre? Or noted, as I did in my review, the cultural dissonance of celebrating hip-hop and New York street culture, while at the same time contributing to its demise and catering to its destroyers? Ozersky responds: I agree that Charlie Bird is overrated, but not by much. It is a mediocre restaurant that gets lukewarm two-star reviews. |
Ozersky’s pick: I don’t know if it counts as a restaurant, but Empire Biscuit is grotesquely overvalued if even one person goes there. This is a place where they charge $4.50 for a single biscuit. And it’s not even that good a biscuit! The fact that Empire Biscuit even exists makes me mad. Stein responds: A $4.50 biscuit—freshly made with your choice of butter and jam—at Empire Biscuit, on the other hand, seems to be picking on the small guy. |
