Libertine is worth whatever it can get away with charging

Seven bangers, seventeen jams

Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, the best holiday of the year. It’s a great night to indulgently plan exactly what you want to do and then perfectly execute that plan, which for me usually involves a nicer dinner (no tasting menus), a good hotel, a fancy-ish outfit and a lowkey party. (Thanksgiving is the second-best American holiday, followed by the Fourth of July). 

More on NYE next week. After a few abnormal editions, we’re back to the usual bangers and jams, spanning time in New York, Austin and LA. (There was a San Francisco pit stop in there, but, per the bylaws, SF remains a banger and jam wasteland).

Bangers

Libertine (NYC)

I’ve enjoyed Matthew Schneier’s tenure as NY Mag’s new restaurant critic — he’s plugged in and observant in ways I deeply appreciate — but I can’t agree with his take that this new French bistro in the West Village is not worth the price. 

Perhaps the kitchen has tightened its operation since that September review. And as someone who has rushed out signature dishes with missing or untasted components, I’m sympathetic to off nights. Mostly, though, I just reject the premise. Our final bill here amounted to $566 for four people, or $141 per person, after tax and tip. That’s steep, even if the order included an excessive amount of wine, an upfront acknowledgement that we indulged in one too many entrees, and both desserts. But every single dish was quite good, and a few were spectacular. (I’ve never eaten a better sausage). The room is humming. The service is on point. On the train ride home, I texted a few friends to plan a return trip. No notes.

Has Libertine earned being 20% more expensive than a Mattos Hospitality or Unapologetic Foods restaurant through food alone? More than anything, I find the question dull. It’s rooted in an approach to dining out optimization that is disconnected from the joy of a New York dinner. If you want the best bang for your buck, get off the Resy notify list. Rent, food and labor costs have made it so that $120 per person is about the expected baseline for a hot table in the city. There are plenty of alternatives if that’s not your thing for one night or any night.

Critics can’t fully ignore these questions. I’m not begrudging Schneier for asking it; guiding people with limited time and resources is an essential part of the job. But centering degrees of cost among expensive restaurants is a tempting trap rarely worth exploring. I’ll concede that there’s a market for people who need to be told that it’s marginally more valuable to your taste buds to spend $400 at Gage & Tollner than $500 at Libertine. Personally, I’d rather read about … anything else. 

A paid subscriber messaged me the other day asking for Mexico City recs — one benefit of upgrading <3 — and I included this note: “I wouldn’t waste your time with Pujol, but if you feel obligated to go, get the taco tasting menu.” Pujol is relatively expensive. But more than anything, it’s a fairly sterile experience featuring a parade of somewhat forgettable dishes in an astoundingly beautiful house. The issue isn’t that it’s not worth the price. It’s that Pujol isn’t worth a precious evening in one of the best dining cities in the world.