Itās the tone for me, ya know? Itās one thing to say āIāve enjoyed all sorts of restaurants, from very casual to very high-end āfine diningā,ā but itās another to announce āIāve been to the most famous fine dining on the planetā - as if fame really made a restaurant great.
Point taken though, like if someone is a regular at Mibu, Kataori, Comptoir Feu, and Etxebarri, then Iām definitely listening to his or her opinion on food very closely. But he or she is not going to describe those restaurants as āfamousā and bring up experiences there when discussing the food at an elevated pub. The preamble to bolster credibility just comes off a bit insecure to me.
If someoneās been once or twice to say The French Laundry and such and is quick to point out how āfamousā those restaurants are, then that doesnāt really give me any confidence in his or her judgment on other restaurants. I know several people who have been to a couple of 3-star Michelin restaurants and whatever but know next to nothing about food, display embarrassing dining etiquette, and letās say have odd dining preferences (such as diluting red wine with coke). Theyāre always trying to insert their Michelin experience into a conversation about other restaurants. Theyāre otherwise decent people when not bringing up their supposed food clout . And there are quite a few bloggers or food influencers who dine at great places but really donāt get the food, often mistaking dishes for others or not understanding presentations but are quick to write them off because of their visits to other high-end places. (I kind of see why some restaurants want to be āintroduction onlyā).
Diners can be to blame at times, but I donāt think that Horses was just a hollow, hyped mediocre corporate hotspot for ālamesā following celebrity cool āmanufactured by dubious characters and imposters,ā as Bill portrays it to be. In this case, Iām not saying that Bill Esparza doesnāt know a spectrum of food, but Iām saying āso what?ā to his claim that heās been to the most famous restaurants on Earth. Not really relevant to me to his ability to give an accurate take on Horses, which I donāt think is āThe Spotted Pigā for California that like he suggests. Sure, Horses and The Spotted Pig are both āgastropubsā and have controversy, including Ken Friedman, but food wise? Thereās Zuni, The River Cafe, Harryās Bar, etc. all mixed in, not just pandering to Angelenoās basic tastes or whatever. I think there are more accurate takes, but Bill seemed intent to denigrate dinersā love of a good burger and take an easy dunk on the place in retrospect.
Heās tilting at windmills, though on some level I appreciate his hot takes.
But the idea that Angelenos are specifically and uniquely hoodwinked by Horses - as if every major city doesnāt have sceney hotspots serving elevated classics - feeds into all the stereotypes about this place his work tries to combat.
I thought he said in one of the stories Ponchos Tlayudas has better blood sausage so maybe he has been to Horses? Or was it just that he knew Ponchos would be superior?
This makes sense now. He congratulated Eater for abstaining from giving praise to Horses and feeding the supposed hype (while calling out the LA Times, NY Times, and The Infatuation), but Eater also seems to like Horses - the cornish game hen in particular.
āand then thereās the food. Try the Cornish game hen with roasted dandelion panzanella and the delightful sheepās milk cheesecake.ā
*"Cornish game hen with roasted dandelion panzanella at Horses in Hollywoodā¦
thereās no hype about this place, just carefully selected elements that make Horses resonate in the best way. Now onto the food. One bite of my spatchcocked cornish hen gathereed an incredible mouthful of butter and herbs, but the contrasting crispy panzanella kept me quiet while the rest of my party continued the conversation. As a generous diner, Iām usually the first person to offer a shared bite, but this is one of those dishes that kept me from speaking up. The formula worksā¦this is my official LA joint."
I guess at least they didnāt recommend the boudin noir though (even though moronga is made with different ingredients)?
Tbh though, in looking at Billās meltdown on Horses, I am learning about some new Mexican spots to try
To get more than a little academic, that cultural outsiders can be more perceptive about the dominant/normative culture goes back to at least Du Bois and double consciousness. But itās not intrinsic or racial per se. Itās about being an outsider/othered in society.
And to your point, thatās not quite how heās using these ideas. Heās doing bot level essentialism.
I do appreciate the shine he gives to indigenous and ignored producers and foodways. But on this stuff he loses the plot.
āThe pair must also remain 100 yards from each other, though the judge said that can be lowered to 10 feet when they are working at Horses or their other restaurant Froggyās, which was supposed to open soon in New York.ā
looks like the garden at horses isnāt a separate resy/menu anymore. there are a bunch of garden patio tables now available under the horses resy page.
Thanks for the shout. Heading over for the first time tonight. Curious to see if it lives up to the hype.
Edit:
Food came out outrageously fast, but everything was delicious. Loud restaurant, but the soundtrack was right up my alley. Caesar, Panino, and Pasta a la Herman were the highlights.
. And there are quite a few bloggers or food influencers who dine at great places but really donāt get the food, often mistaking dishes for others or not understanding presentations but are quick to write them off because of their visits to other high-end places. (I kind of see why some restaurants want to be āintroduction onlyā).
