L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon Will Close June 30th

When Pete Wells reviewed Alison Eighteen a few weeks ago, he pokes at the current trend in restaurants that has taken place "in the decade since she (Alison Price Becker) last operated a Manhattan restaurant," stating that, "all of New York below 42nd Street has been taken over by kids."

He goes on to say, "Their bodies are still limber and lean, curse them, so when these kids are finally shown to a seat, and it turns out to be bigger than a laptop but smaller than an actual human lap, they can wedge into it without hearing anything inside creak or snap.  The seat (O.K., it’s more like a stool or a bench or a tree stump or maybe an anvil) will offer no lumbar support, but still they won’t wake up the next morning feeling as if they’d been lifting file cabinets all night.  The damage to their eardrums hasn’t started to manifest yet, so they can bob their heads to an early ’80s hair-metal anthem while recounting the latest episode of "The Walking Dead.""

Wells' prelude to the evolution of dining trends in New York City gets further support with the announcement yesterday that Joel Robuchon and the Four Seasons Hotel will amicably part ways.  L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon's last day of operation in the hotel will be June 30, 2012.  The restaurant opened in 2006 and for six years was a significant player in the world of fine dining.  Just last fall, L'Atelier received two Michelin stars.

While the restaurant lies above 42nd Street, its closing follows the changing trends washing through the city.  As more and more people continue to frequent small, casual, sometimes loud restaurants, fine dining establishments struggle to remain relevant.

Eighteen is Seventeen Too Many for Alison Eighteen

Alison Eighteen is the restaurant that Alison Price Becker opened in January, ending her decade long hiatus from the industry.  The first half of Pete Wells' one-star review is devoted to explaining the current dining experience in New York City south of 42nd Street.  At 15 West 18th Street, a handful of dishes failed to please Pete's palate.  "Razor clams slapped - grit, shells and all - on top of a knotted clump of flavorless fettucine" didn't do the trick.  A polenta dish with wild mushrooms was tilted "until a small pond of olive oil and melted butter collected on one side."

Traped behind an "eggplant-colored velvet curtain" is the "revival of an old play, the set looks great but the dialogue can feel a bit strained, and the players need time to learn their lines."