it’s kinda spot on…

The girl pictured is a Fishtown 9 and a half, NYC 6.

How long will this, plus the 2 bell Talula review, shut up the “Laban loves all things Starr” crew? 2 weeks? 3?

A fine example of a “Drink, but don’t eat” spot. Fill up at Modo Mio or Fathom (or just grab a quick bite from Paesano’s) beforehand and then just walk to FH. Problem solved.

I think his “rules” indicate he can only shift one bell at a time. 4 bells probably comes the following year. However, he should feel free to give it a great rating considering every other reviewer has done so and Bon Appetit called it one of the 10 best new restaurants in America.

I’m not interested in promoting Starr, I AM interested in realizing we have a critic in Laban who is fair.

So Starr stopped caring what Laban said? No, that’s not it, rory. It’s not it at all.

How about this theory that is probably MUCH more likely: generally, Stephen Starr restaurants are good. They make food that people would like to eat in an atmosphere that’s fun. Laban, like most critics, tends to reward places that make good food and that provide good experiences for the customer. It’s really that simple and it’s why Vetri and Garces also are similarly highly praised.

Laban gets spotted by Starr, I think everyone concedes that point, but you can only do so much with the knowledge a critic is there and that didn’t help Starr with the last two “relatively” poor reviews.

As someone who has been to Frankford Hall on a few occasions, and as someone who has zero interest in defending ANY Starr joint, I do think that Mr. Laban missed the point of this “restaurant”. This place is not a culinary destination, nor do I think Starr has ever intended it to be. It is a social destination. Where else in this town can you roll up with a group of 20 friends, with no reservation and have ample room to sit, talk, play games like jenga & ping-pong and drink fun German beers out of big glass mugs? Sure, it maybe be a departure for Mr. Starr from his usual “swanky” concepts… but if he had opened a swanky place in Fishtown, maybe threw a $100 bratwurst on the menu, would the commenters on foobooz and phoodie not have lit him up for that? Laban, using his antiquated 4-Bell rating scale for a place like this seems a bit ludicrous. You can’t hold a beer garden with no table service to the same dining standards as a 4-bell restaurant! It would be like giving LeBec Fin 1 bell because it doesn’t have a fun and lively bar scene. Mr. Laban may need to reevaluate his standards. In this town, and in our current dining environment, people are wanting more delicious beers and more delicious & unpretentious food.

Not to mention… in his review he hardly even talks about the beer!! Its a beer garden!

Having been there on both a Friday and Saturday night, I have never seen a line (with or without a velvet rope), and certainly not one managed by “thug bouncers”. In fact, if they even have bouncers, I couldn’t tell who they were.

And as for the valet thing… it is kind of lame, but I do know that the Fishtown Neighbors Association required them to have it. And it is better than the South Jersey crowd taking up all of our street parking on Saturday nights.