Someone pass Sam Sifton the (parsley-infused) butter because he's on a roll, with another top-notch insight. This one is in last week's review of the new restaurant in the Ace Hotel, the John Dory Oyster Bar, and it ventures beyond the cultural to the philosophical. Complaining about the restaurant's no-reservations policy, Sifton writes the extremely lengthy wait nearly overshadows the food's quality, which is probably why the restaurant didn't receive more than two stars. He recommends it might be better not to go until figuring out when one can actually be seated, and then delivers this:
"In the meantime, though, that tariff rankles. It leads to exclusivity disguised as populism. Manhattan in a nutshell."
This is as sharp as it gets and rightly captures Manhattan's swing toward becoming the world's largest gated community -- "You're welcome to come but not to stay," or maybe "You're welcome, but truthfully, you're not," or maybe, "You really don't know what you're talking about." I've been thinking about Sifton's line since I read it. You should too.
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