I don’t know… I went back last week and had another enjoyable meal–better overall than the first one we had since I knew what to order: Tuna, Talo, Tomato, Duck, and Bread + Butter.
I also wanted to revisit the tortilla, so got that too and it was still thin af but at least it was cooked through and not liquid.
Yes it was a Tuesday, but the restaurant was basically deserted. Still a good option if you’re on that side of downtown and want a quiet meal or an easy walk in.
I have the unpopular opinion that Max is not telling the truth (possibly to himself) when he says he goes to a restaurant wanting to love it.
Is that really an unpopular opinion tho 
He goes to a restaurant wanting to love it, but then everything’s not perfect, so it sucks.
LOL Good. I don’t like being alone in my opinions. 
Also, unfortunately, the medium of instagram doesn’t really lend itself to nuanced writing. You can only really have images and short text for the most part. Not sure how much is his intent or the medium, but it tends to make his critique sound like objective statements (not enough acid for example) when really it’s more “not enough acid for his taste”. Ah who am I kidding, I’ve heard him on the air jordan podcast he definitely thinks his taste is objectively “correct.” He’s eaten enough and cooked enough for money that he’s got an experienced palate, I just think there’s a difference between what you like (balance of salt and acid for example) and what is incorrect (steak cooked well done) that is often lost.
Same mentality as Michelin.
https://www.fastcompany.com/90835444/best-restaurant-reviews-instagram-max-shapiro-air-jordan
… he wound up as Tom Arnold’s assistant, a job that was mostly normal, save for a few eccentric tasks. “Every Tuesday, Tom had AA meetings at his house. He had an Arby’s sponsorship, and so I had to go to Arby’s and get food for 30 people (for the meetings). I ended up having to sell my car because it smelled like Arbys.”
With few exceptions (e.g. massively oversalted) there is no objective taste. Even the most well known chefs have their preferences and might have a better knowledge of the most “common” taste preferences in their restaurants but that still doesn’t put them in a position to define any “objective” taste - even less some “random” guy on instagram who seems to take himself and his “culinary knowledge “ a bit to serious
He definitely knows more about food than a lot of people. And I think there’s an audience for his style of reviewing. Some of the people whose opinions I trust really dig his style. I like reading critics who embrace food and go to restaurants to enjoy them and who give thoughtful criticisms and opinions, much like most Food Talkers. Nothing wrong with pointing out a fail, but cynical and hypercritical makes me think the person doesn’t really enjoy food.
He has highly informed opinions, but he’s also a spoiled, effete, intolerant rich guy. It can be a useful perspective.
Rose’s Chicago restaurant Le Select, also opens this weekend as well. It’s being hyped as one of Chicago’s most hotly anticipated restaurants. Poor suckers.
Shapiro’s opinion on Cafe Basque isn’t exactly an outlier reading most of the reviews on this thread. I’m reading around 5 reviews here that would be deemed bad or disappointing experiences. Two of the reports, Rose wasn’t even there at a place that wasn’t even open for a month. Bad sign.
LOL. Well that IS a huge pepper.
+1 to @rlw, had an enjoyable meal there last night before a concert. Anchovy skewers (Gilda), Tuna, tomato, croquette, duck, green beans, bread+butter, cheesecake. All pretty good, duck and tuna a highlight for us. Bread very useful for the sauce with the duck and the spiced oil with the tuna. Portion size on the duck was slightly disappointing for the price, it was 5 slices that looked like 1/2 a duck breast. Flavor was good though and seemed like the duck was aged a bit, good duck flavor. Cheesecake does not compare to San Sebastian examples, of course. It is creamy, but on the firmer side, and lacking as much of the caramelized flavor that I’ve had in other examples. Not someplace I’d go out of the way for, but thanks to ordering guidance from you folks we had a satisfying meal.
Original eater chicago article with a h/t to this very page in reference to the reception to Cafe Basque 
I wonder if he was hamstrung here with the brasserie concept? The food he is doing in NY doesn’t look anything like what was happening at Cafe Basque.
That could be; restaurants operated in conjunction with hotels are often tricky when it comes to creative freedom.
2 things:
Le Coucou in NY is a brasserie but it’s run by a Starr Restaurants Group, whose portfolio seems positioned a little bit differently than BOKA Group’s. Yes, Cafe Basque and Le Coucou are both at / next to hotels, but The Hoxton is in a different market than 11 Howard. Without knowing the management behind the scenes, I wonder if it’s less of being “hamstrung with the brasserie concept” issue as it is some management style/terms/contract dispute.
In terms of climate - and I believe that Daniel Rose spoke to this early on - California is somewhat close to that of the Basque region, hence the California-Spanish menu. Also, in terms of the local “temperature” of the LA food scene, I could see why investors would be unsure that a high-ed brasserie like Le Coucou would work in LA. French food - like quenelles de brochet in sauce Americaine, sweetbreads in tarragon cream at Le Coucou - hasn’t succeeded that much in LA in my opinion, but that style of cuisine has history in NYC. An all-day concept at Cafe Basque seems like a safer bet for LA, also given that it’s at The Hoxton.
I wish we had a Le Coucou-esque brasserie in LA.
I’m not sure the brasserie business model would work anywhere in the US. Zuni Cafe in SF tried it, but they dropped their morning hours after a short time. They do stay open all afternoon and used to be open late (thanks Covid).
It was a management deal and he wasn’t doing any cooking here from what I understand.