The NYT Plops a Goose Egg Atop Tavern on the Green

New York City's somewhat beloved Tavern on the Green has amassed quite a collection of poor reviews in the wake of its two-month-old remodel and relaunch. Today, restaurant critic Pete Wells of The New York Times delivers another blow: a zero-star review of the iconic Tavern. It should be said that Wells wanted to like the restaurant, insomuch as it represents the city in a way, but couldn't do more than express regret before announcing: "...it's not a good restaurant yet by any measure."

In time, the kitchen may figure out how to get plates on the table while they are still hot. The chef, Katy Sparks, may rethink some of the overworked, underdelivering recipes... Somebody may tell the servers not to drop the check while people are still eating dessert. The sommeliers may turn down the thermostat so that red wines aren't the temperature of a kiddie pool.

Gummy. Flavorless. Thuggish. Useless. These are the words Wells uses to describe the appetizers. He has some suggestions for the chef:

Maybe the food, which isn't especially ornate, still needs to come down a notch or two. The pork chop could lose the stringy, sour, half-raw roasted rhubarb. The brisket in a sweetish barbecue sauce, which you'd be happy enough to find at your local brew pub, could do without the comatose potato salad. And the menu would be easier to handle if Ms. Sparks didn't organize it by heat source. ("I don't really care what I eat, as long as it was cooked on a plancha!")

There's a sweet finish though. Wells likes the birthday cake dessert: "...it's exactly what a plain-vanilla American layer cake should be."

· A Celebrity Steps Back Into the Spotlight [NYT]
· All Tavern on the Green Coverage [-E-]