This East Village Hype Machine Charges $28 for Two Shrimp
This East Village Hype Machine Charges $28 for Two Shrimp
by Parasite-Paradise
27 Comments
Parasite-Paradise
Ouch.
vagrantwastrel
I haven’t been (although I loved OG Foxface) and I don’t know if it’s the correct response for restaurants to clap back at reviewers, but I was amused by their response
“Do you know what happens when you don’t pay a PR agency to feed garbage publications your content? They send @rsietsema whose refined palate is usually satisfied by Boar’s Head sandwiches to write a hit piece. Well this little hype machine is going to keep selling wild sustainability caught prawns at the highest ingredient cost of any casual restaurant in town and will continue not to give @eater_ny @eater the time of day. At least no fact checkers were hurt in the editing of this wildly inaccurate piece”
fvckspeak
someone posted this review earlier and was big mad about it, claims to not be affiliated with the restaurant, deleted the post after getting numerous downvotes lol
Agnia_Barto
So ok, obviously $28 for 2 shrimp is a lot. BUT! There is a small niche of restaurants that put resources into experimental flavors and unique ingredients (kangaroo tartar come on!), and it costs money. Not just in cost of food but also in compensation people for their time. Rent for the restaurant that has what, 4 tables?
Definitely a hit piece, there is zero sense in being THIS shocked that expensive restaurant is expensive.
fishbellyfish
Fox Face is out of this world and one of a kind. What the owners are doing is cutting edge and imo they are going to bring a star home to the east village.
EddieFeastModeLacy
Maybe I’ve been here too long but I wouldn’t blink an eye at that price anymore
Swagyolodemon
Love me some good restaurant/critic drama. Place definitely seems like it’s not for everyone and I generally respect Sietsema’s opinion I’m not gonna let his opinion deter me from trying the place.
lsahart
I am not affiliated with Foxface (and wasn’t the author of the now deleted post), but I have been to what is now my favorite restaurant in the city about ten times since it’s opened. I can maybe understand how the shrimp dish — with its relatively minimalist presentation of pristine raw ingredients — would raise the hackles of someone like Sietsema. And ideally, you weren’t supposed to eat the entire shrimp shells, though I had to ask the server if it was recommended to do so or not (it was not), so perhaps there’s some fault there. (Unlike Sietsema, I did find there were enough innards to enjoy.)
But the article as a whole is a ludicrous hit piece. There’s no restaurant of its caliber I know that’s further from a Dali-esque joke than Foxface. In particular, the main courses I’ve had — the fluke, the bass in its various iterations, the duck breast, the duck confit, the venison — are all grounded in traditional cookery and have been straightforwardly satisfying, while being elevated by creative touches. Wells has the correct take on the goat — smoky, and tender, and just plain awesome. The kangaroo tartare, when I had it, was pristine and subtly spiced, like kitfo. I did find the prickly pear gelato, with its accompaniments, to be a bit challenging in its complexity, but the timut pepper and buttermilk gelato is delightfully harmonious and one of my favorite ice cream desserts I’ve had anywhere. The girella pasta appetizer I had in its second iteration, which was a take on quenelles de brochet, was an incredibly inventive — and delicious — creation I’ve never seen anywhere else. And on the locavore front, the shrimp sourcing is the exception — the oysters, scallop, mackerel, fluke, and bass (I believe) have all been from the east coast.
It seems like Sietsema maybe came in with an agenda, and picked up on some quibbles to unfairly tar this place with a broad brush. Readers deserve better. I have no dog in this fight, but I’m just sad that some readers may be dissuaded from discovering this wonderful restaurant because of this joke of a piece.
TheWicked77
I laughed at the pigs ears. She could have had the ones I have sitting in my pantry, but she would have to fight my huskies for them. Since they are treats for the dogs at my house. 😆😅🤣😂.
LancelotLinque
I’m going to jump on the pro-Foxface bandwagon. I went a few weeks ago, and the place is great. Every single dish was memorable and delicious. The staff is great. The wines are fun.
And while $28 is a lot of money for a pair of shrimp, it’s not at all out of line with what all restaurants are charging these days. And probably below what a good Japanese restaurant would charge for the same product. Singling them out for a $28 shrimp small plate when $45 mains are common at most mid-tier restaurants these days is ridiculous. And places like Foul Witch are getting raves while offering smaller dishes for comparable and higher prices. By the way, the shrimp were really delicious, as was the sauce they were in. With that kind of prep, you need pristine ingredients as there’s nothing to hide behind.
The chef is the former Exec Chef of Louro, which was also great and had a Michelin star under his watch. I hope this review doesn’t hurt them, because they deserve a much better take than that. I’m not going to insult Sietsema, but sending him was definitely a mismatch. Anyone familiar with his work knows this place isn’t in his wheelhouse, which is cheap, mostly outer-borough ethnic eats that are bargains. He almost never does upscale or culinarily cutting edge/ambitious places. It just seems like a snub and an unfair one. And it’s very plausible that they sent him because Foxface isn’t repped by a heavyweight restaurant PR company.
Very sad. If you’re a food nerd, don’t be put off by this review. And if this category of cooking isn’t your bag, don’t go.
stinkyfeetnyc
Guess this place is gonna close soon
CasinoMagic
if there’s one critic I do NOT trust, it’s Sietsema.
Barely less annoying than Pete Wells.
Federal-Attempt-2469
I appreciate Sietsema for always noting the price – at the end of the day, the question all food reviewers should ask is: is this meal worth it for people on a budget? Sounds like this a ripoff.
Delayed_Flight
We went on Saturday night and loved it! Super friendly staff. One of them (maybe manager) was very thoughtful about the quantity and order that the food was brought out. She also recommended changing one of our orders to a half portion, which was definitely the right thing to do. We hope to go again with friends!
jake_boxer
shrimps is bugs
omiaguirre
I went there some months ago and really enjoyed my meal
planesflyfast
This is prime nyc bullshit. You cocksuckers are eating each other. Y’all don’t know what beauty is so you just shit everywhere hoping a flower will grow.
richonarampage
Don’t really care for the article but $28 for that shrimp dish isn’t really doing it for me and honestly I’m not surprised that it may make consumers feel like it’s a rip off. I’d gladly pay the premium for better sourced luxury proteins but if you’re gonna charge that much then at least apply some chefy magic to the composition of the dish or present it in a different way to give me the illusion that I’m getting my moneys worth. Feels like a half baked dish.
laughingwalls
Highest ingredient cost my ass. The article does a great job of articulating why the restaurant is over priced for serving unremarkable New American food.
PorkloinMaster
This place will last another year, max. The hype cycle is actually going to damage these tiktok famous places because there’s a huge crowd early, scaring away locals, who then ignore the place when it’s less popular. TikTokkers visit once. What you need is the dude who stops in after work and then goes down the street to their apartment.
blankblank
>*“I could say Foxface Natural was a quintessential modern dining experience in which absurdly sourced ingredients are made into almost-edible dishes.”*
Ha, reminds me of a scene from Futurama:
>**Zoidberg:** Goose liver? Fish eggs? Feh! Where’s the goose? Where’s the fish? > >**Elzar:** That’s what rich people eat– the garbage parts of the food. > >**Zoidberg:** I ate garbage yesterday, and it didn’t cost me $300!
chass5
sietsema is not really a hit piece kind of guy, and there are a lot of compliments in his review. it is true that sietsema is not at all a picky or squeamish eater and is happy to report on a well-made but basic deli sandwich or things of that sort. that’s why I like him, he understands eating as a daily activity and you can’t eat at a fancy restaurant every meal every day
thee177
Pathetic.
Electrosnack
I think Sietsema should go back to doing what he does best: writing a review of a little-known mediocre “ethnic” restaurant deep into Brooklyn or Queens and inflating and exaggerating the quality of the food, thus taking credit for “discovering” it.
tigermomo
Worth $28 for the artistry you can eat. Only for you !
MissionDrawing
Eater website is down now…coincidence?
YeaNah11
Foxface is an incredible restaurant. I knew her from foxface sandwiches and shes incredible and had no idea this spot was going to be this good. Yeah good food costs money, welcome to new york 2023
27 Comments
Ouch.
I haven’t been (although I loved OG Foxface) and I don’t know if it’s the correct response for restaurants to clap back at reviewers, but I was amused by their response
https://www.instagram.com/p/CywAe1xOyq9/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
“Do you know what happens when you don’t pay a PR agency to feed garbage publications your content? They send @rsietsema whose refined palate is usually satisfied by Boar’s Head sandwiches to write a hit piece. Well this little hype machine is going to keep selling wild sustainability caught prawns at the highest ingredient cost of any casual restaurant in town and will continue not to give @eater_ny @eater the time of day. At least no fact checkers were hurt in the editing of this wildly inaccurate piece”
someone posted this review earlier and was big mad about it, claims to not be affiliated with the restaurant, deleted the post after getting numerous downvotes lol
So ok, obviously $28 for 2 shrimp is a lot. BUT! There is a small niche of restaurants that put resources into experimental flavors and unique ingredients (kangaroo tartar come on!), and it costs money. Not just in cost of food but also in compensation people for their time. Rent for the restaurant that has what, 4 tables?
Definitely a hit piece, there is zero sense in being THIS shocked that expensive restaurant is expensive.
Fox Face is out of this world and one of a kind. What the owners are doing is cutting edge and imo they are going to bring a star home to the east village.
Maybe I’ve been here too long but I wouldn’t blink an eye at that price anymore
Love me some good restaurant/critic drama. Place definitely seems like it’s not for everyone and I generally respect Sietsema’s opinion I’m not gonna let his opinion deter me from trying the place.
I am not affiliated with Foxface (and wasn’t the author of the now deleted post), but I have been to what is now my favorite restaurant in the city about ten times since it’s opened. I can maybe understand how the shrimp dish — with its relatively minimalist presentation of pristine raw ingredients — would raise the hackles of someone like Sietsema. And ideally, you weren’t supposed to eat the entire shrimp shells, though I had to ask the server if it was recommended to do so or not (it was not), so perhaps there’s some fault there. (Unlike Sietsema, I did find there were enough innards to enjoy.)
But the article as a whole is a ludicrous hit piece. There’s no restaurant of its caliber I know that’s further from a Dali-esque joke than Foxface. In particular, the main courses I’ve had — the fluke, the bass in its various iterations, the duck breast, the duck confit, the venison — are all grounded in traditional cookery and have been straightforwardly satisfying, while being elevated by creative touches. Wells has the correct take on the goat — smoky, and tender, and just plain awesome. The kangaroo tartare, when I had it, was pristine and subtly spiced, like kitfo. I did find the prickly pear gelato, with its accompaniments, to be a bit challenging in its complexity, but the timut pepper and buttermilk gelato is delightfully harmonious and one of my favorite ice cream desserts I’ve had anywhere. The girella pasta appetizer I had in its second iteration, which was a take on quenelles de brochet, was an incredibly inventive — and delicious — creation I’ve never seen anywhere else. And on the locavore front, the shrimp sourcing is the exception — the oysters, scallop, mackerel, fluke, and bass (I believe) have all been from the east coast.
It seems like Sietsema maybe came in with an agenda, and picked up on some quibbles to unfairly tar this place with a broad brush. Readers deserve better. I have no dog in this fight, but I’m just sad that some readers may be dissuaded from discovering this wonderful restaurant because of this joke of a piece.
I laughed at the pigs ears. She could have had the ones I have sitting in my pantry, but she would have to fight my huskies for them. Since they are treats for the dogs at my house. 😆😅🤣😂.
I’m going to jump on the pro-Foxface bandwagon. I went a few weeks ago, and the place is great. Every single dish was memorable and delicious. The staff is great. The wines are fun.
And while $28 is a lot of money for a pair of shrimp, it’s not at all out of line with what all restaurants are charging these days. And probably below what a good Japanese restaurant would charge for the same product. Singling them out for a $28 shrimp small plate when $45 mains are common at most mid-tier restaurants these days is ridiculous. And places like Foul Witch are getting raves while offering smaller dishes for comparable and higher prices. By the way, the shrimp were really delicious, as was the sauce they were in. With that kind of prep, you need pristine ingredients as there’s nothing to hide behind.
The chef is the former Exec Chef of Louro, which was also great and had a Michelin star under his watch. I hope this review doesn’t hurt them, because they deserve a much better take than that. I’m not going to insult Sietsema, but sending him was definitely a mismatch. Anyone familiar with his work knows this place isn’t in his wheelhouse, which is cheap, mostly outer-borough ethnic eats that are bargains. He almost never does upscale or culinarily cutting edge/ambitious places. It just seems like a snub and an unfair one. And it’s very plausible that they sent him because Foxface isn’t repped by a heavyweight restaurant PR company.
Very sad. If you’re a food nerd, don’t be put off by this review. And if this category of cooking isn’t your bag, don’t go.
Guess this place is gonna close soon
if there’s one critic I do NOT trust, it’s Sietsema.
Barely less annoying than Pete Wells.
I appreciate Sietsema for always noting the price – at the end of the day, the question all food reviewers should ask is: is this meal worth it for people on a budget? Sounds like this a ripoff.
We went on Saturday night and loved it! Super friendly staff. One of them (maybe manager) was very thoughtful about the quantity and order that the food was brought out. She also recommended changing one of our orders to a half portion, which was definitely the right thing to do. We hope to go again with friends!
shrimps is bugs
I went there some months ago and really enjoyed my meal
This is prime nyc bullshit. You cocksuckers are eating each other. Y’all don’t know what beauty is so you just shit everywhere hoping a flower will grow.
Don’t really care for the article but $28 for that shrimp dish isn’t really doing it for me and honestly I’m not surprised that it may make consumers feel like it’s a rip off. I’d gladly pay the premium for better sourced luxury proteins but if you’re gonna charge that much then at least apply some chefy magic to the composition of the dish or present it in a different way to give me the illusion that I’m getting my moneys worth. Feels like a half baked dish.
Highest ingredient cost my ass. The article does a great job of articulating why the restaurant is over priced for serving unremarkable New American food.
This place will last another year, max. The hype cycle is actually going to damage these tiktok famous places because there’s a huge crowd early, scaring away locals, who then ignore the place when it’s less popular. TikTokkers visit once. What you need is the dude who stops in after work and then goes down the street to their apartment.
>*“I could say Foxface Natural was a quintessential modern dining experience in which absurdly sourced ingredients are made into almost-edible dishes.”*
Ha, reminds me of a scene from Futurama:
>**Zoidberg:** Goose liver? Fish eggs? Feh! Where’s the goose? Where’s the fish?
>
>**Elzar:** That’s what rich people eat– the garbage parts of the food.
>
>**Zoidberg:** I ate garbage yesterday, and it didn’t cost me $300!
sietsema is not really a hit piece kind of guy, and there are a lot of compliments in his review. it is true that sietsema is not at all a picky or squeamish eater and is happy to report on a well-made but basic deli sandwich or things of that sort. that’s why I like him, he understands eating as a daily activity and you can’t eat at a fancy restaurant every meal every day
Pathetic.
I think Sietsema should go back to doing what he does best: writing a review of a little-known mediocre “ethnic” restaurant deep into Brooklyn or Queens and inflating and exaggerating the quality of the food, thus taking credit for “discovering” it.
Worth $28 for the artistry you can eat. Only for you !
Eater website is down now…coincidence?
Foxface is an incredible restaurant. I knew her from foxface sandwiches and shes incredible and had no idea this spot was going to be this good. Yeah good food costs money, welcome to new york 2023