Noho: Daniel Boulud's recession baby DBGB Kitchen & Bar officially opens tonight, but it's been unofficially open to the public for four whole days—and to friends and family for even longer—meaning the masses have had plenty o' time to tweet and blog their reactions. (NB: the wait was already 2 1/2 hours for a walk in at 5 on Friday night.) Hopefully, the critics are waiting until at least this week to go in, so expect Plattypants and the RG to file by month's end and the Brunz to weigh in right before he waives adieu this August. In the meantime, primary reactions:
The Pretty Good News: Per @andreabakes: "DBGB dinner during soft opening. Daniel in da house. Cavernous, noisy, warm. Soups excel, coffee choc cake, very accom'ing, we shall see..." [Twitter]
The OK News: An eGulleter goes in on night one. He finds the front bar room disorganized since it's not overseen by the hostess stand, the service "harried but friendly," the beers, expensive. But let's get to the main event: "My favorite of the three burgers was actually the Yankee, the most basic of the lot. I felt as though the pork belly on the Frenchie and pulled pork on the Piggie were perhaps a bit distracting, though both were wholly enjoyable. The grind and cooking on both burgers was exemplary. Loosely formed, juicy, very tasty...The bread in the bread basket itself was, surprisingly, forgettable. The dogs were the weak point for me, and the DBGB dog was the weakest dish of the night. It was fine but the filling was too airy and smooth..." [eG]
The Good News: Wilfred the Pink Pig also makes an early visit: "Walked into the bar area and grabbed one of a number of two-tops last night. Easy. DB present in his whites, like he's about to flip some burgers. The Yankee burger was fine (not huge). Tablier de sapeur a nice snack ($4). My main impression was just how smoothly Boulud can make a place this size run from the first night. Same manager who opened dB Bistro Moderne and Bar Boulud for him running the show." [Eater Comments]
The Mostly Good News: DBTH stopped in for a drink last week before the dining room opened: "While the service was very uneven, the food was very good (we recommend the Piggie). But we were especially impressed by the beer selections...This place is obviously going to have a great run, but we see it more of a once every 4 or 5 month places rather than a destination burger place for East Village residents, considering it will run you 3x the cost of a Paul's..." [DBTH]
The Bad News: The Low Down is willing to give DBGB another chance after this botch job: "Despite the fact that DBGB has been in "friends and family" preview mode for awhile, it was clear there are still some kinks to be worked out. To be fair, that's what "soft openings" are for...The bartenders are, as you'd expect, real pros. They were friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. It's a good thing, because the kitchen was obviously having some problems. We ordered the artisinal dry sausages ($7), the DBGB dog ($7) and the burger with grilled pork belly ($17). Not so complicated. After about an hour the bartender noticed we had not been served. A short time later all three dishes emerged. The sausages were fine, if a bit underwhelming. The burger was also okay, but the pork belly really didn't seem to add any additional flavor. The hot dog was cold and not fully cooked. The bun it came on was also cold and somewhat dried out. We consoled ourselves with dessert, which was delicious..." [TLD]
The Mixed Tweet: Per @leeny519: "DBGB dog is missable..burgers are awesome, esp Yankee burger, good fries..amazing space for a restaurant." [Twitter]
