Eater NY's Shitshow Week 2013: Day 1

Today is the first day of Shitshow Week 2013 over at Eater NY, a "festive time to focus on the great follies of the restaurant world." With its sixth-annual Shitshow Week, Eater NY promises reviews of potential shitshows, gripes from food industry folk about the New York dining scene, and, of course, new Deathwatch candidates. So far in the world of "colossal dining blunders":

· Eater NY begins the week with a reprieve by taking a few restaurants off its dreaded Deathwatch list. SD26 is off because the restaurant has "soldiered on" past its difficult first year and avoided "big slip-ups." Tribeca restaurant Jung Sik has been spared for earning a Michelin star and because it seems the owners have the money and the commitment to make it work. Co-Op Food & Drink has "managed to stay afloat in a tricky space," and since it "still has a heartbeat," it's officially de-listed. That still leaves: La Mar Cebicheria, Raymi, Joanne Trattoria, Neely's Barbecue Parlor, and At Vermilion.

· Robert Sietsema visits Bushwick, Brooklyn restaurant King Noodle and discovers a bona fide shitshow. Calling the restaurant "the neighborhood eyesore," Sietsema finds the Day-Glo murals of fantasy creatures "creepy" and a neon octopus in the window "bizarre." He finds the drinks inconsistent, but cheap. He finds issues with the food as well, describing "seemingly at random" influences playing out in dishes like kimchee carbonara, which "promises much but delivers little." Sietsema gives a nod to the ma po french fries, but ultimately finds the food "slapdash."

· In the first of many Airing of Grievances, Eater NY has asked some of New York City's best food writers to "anonymously share their gripes and frustrations about the restaurant scene these days." On the list of grievances are: Noma stages writing "former Noma" on their resume; restaurants that ban photography; "fucking Cronuts"; and unconditional love for Le Bernardin.

· The first Worst Table in New York nominations are in: "the table against the wall" at Gentleman Farmer and the table "with a wall between the two seats" in the back of Cafe Cluny.

· Shitshow Week 2013 [-ENY-]
· All Shitshow Week Coverage on Eater [-E-]