Corton, Drew Nieporent's re-do of Montrachet, opened almost three weeks ago with Paul Liebrandt at the helm, and the bloggers and critics have already have time to file their early raves. Typically we like some bad news with our good, but in this case, there really aren't too many detractors (wait until more Yelpers join the fray). Take a look at what the reviewers are saying so far:
1) The Good News: An Eater commenter doesn't say much about the food but has a rave for the decor: "Having dined at Corton this past Monday night, I can say without reservation that the physical appearance of the restaurant has changed dramatically, and contrary to the previous comments, it feels comfortable and charming. The walls have what I guess one would call a bas relief textured design of a floral pattern...Our party enjoyed the food, and I'm certain that the critics will all have their say in due time." [Eater Comments]
2) The Mostly Good News: The first eGulleter to file on Corton (with an incredible amount of photo documentation) is mostly a fan: "So, all in all, a great meal. This is not the return of Gilt-under-Liebrandt but something else entirely. Although my tastes still skew to the big, brash, and grand, I can see how many might prefer this restaurant more. It's more accessible, more affordable, and feels adventurous while still using local ingredients that play into the dining public's general ethos of the time. My only general concerns with regard to the cooking have to do with the use of salt and the redundancy of a couple ingredients. A couple dishes pushed the edges of the salt frontier...In the end, this restaurant is a strong three-star contender." [eG]
3) The Good News: A second eGulleter has a short but positive review: "the room is beautiful....it's an exhibition in how to conduct a renovation. an oyster amuse was very very good...to be compared favorably with the terrific oyster I had at Yasuda the other week (those who have had it will know that's saying something). Rob's desserts are excellent. scallops were good but that squab is just first-rate." [eG]
4) The Obscenely Good News: The Pink Pig has one of the first blog reviews and it is a major endorsement: "...the food, from pastry chef Robert Truitt as well as Liebrandt, can already be ranked in the highest echelons. Jean-Georges or Bouley - let alone Daniel - would be far from ashamed to send out dishes of such creativity and precise execution. Better than Per Se? Put it this way: PerSe is more than twice as expensive, and can only wish it were twice as good." [Sign of the Pink Pig]
5) The Mostly Good News: Gael Greene was the first critic to file. She finds one dish too salty, one too sweet, but overall she's seduced: "Tonight's elegant seduction begins on a high: crackling petits pains studded with olives to be dabbed with irresistible seaweed butter...The subtle thrill of a Beausoleil oyster in cream of cod soup with broccoli in the chef’s offering is disarming." [Insatiable Critic]For more stories from Eater, go to eater.com.
