If the cocktails are mandatory, are the tastebuds impaired?

by Karina Longworth, Posted Aug 26th 2005 @ 1:02PM

I thought this was funny: Frank Bruni tacked a bit of a disclaimer on his Diners Journal entry on Lower East Side instastaple Kitchen & Cocktails. "When a restaurant refers to beverages in its very title, giving them as much semantic and typographical weight as food, you really have no choice. Cocktails aren't an option. They're an obligation." So he starts backwards, detailing the strawberry and cachaca laced libations he imbibed before ever getting to anything produced by the kitchen. He then procedes to wax rhapsodic over various appetizers and entrees (although, admittedly, he finds fault with a too-truffled ravioli and a bland grilled lamb). But I wonder: even for a professional food critic, when you're admitting to drinking a lot of heavily-flavored hard liquor before your meal at a non-remarkable, very sceney sort of place, isn't it possible that you've already comprimised your ability to judge the cuisine with any kind of impartiality? I mean, who isn't happy to see a plate full of fondue after a few fruity cocktails?

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Filed Under: Raves & Reviews, Newspapers, Ingredients, Drink Recipes, Chefs & Restaurants, Restaurants
Tags: cachaca, cheese, cocktails, dinner, east coast, fondue, frank+bruni, FrankBruni, fruit, Kitchen&Cocktails, kitchen+&+cocktails, lower+east+side, LowerEastSide