Product placement
New York City restaurants are capitalizing on their brands with mass-market versions of the foods that made them famous. But how do they measure up? Our panel compares notes.
Wed Apr 9 2008
Restaurant: Rosa Mexicano
(1063 First Ave at 58th St, 212-753-7407; 61 Columbus Ave at 62nd St, 212-977-7700; 9 E 18th St between Fifth Ave and Broadway, 212-533-3350)
AT THE RESTAURANT
Photograph: David Rosenzweig and Erkan Said
Menu item: Enchiladas suizas with pulled roasted chicken, rice and beans; $13.75 at lunch, $18.75 at dinner
FROM THE STORE
Photograph: David Rosenzweig and Erkan Said
Retail product: Vegetarian Enchiladas with Suiza Sauce from FreshDirect, $8.99
The Testers
- Steven Goldstein, restaurant consultant
- Rod Brogan, prepared foods junkie
- Kanlea Clark, Gristedes cashier
The Claim
The website states: “Bold, vibrant Rosa Mexicano dishes at your casa.”
The Restaurant
“There’s attention to detail here,” says Goldstein, as he surveys the eatery’s creamy tomatillo sauce, the vibrant yellow rice and black beans. Everyone mopped it up—this was the only set of dishes that ended with clean plates.
The Retail
The biggest success and favorite of the tasting—despite the chicken-vegetable disparity—the enchiladas “were a restaurant-quality experience,” says Goldstein. Brogan takes it a step further: “The similarity of the excellent sauces is impressive,” he says.
The Verdict
Thumbs up
NEXT: Sylvia's
Restaurant: Sylvia’s
(328 Malcolm X Blvd [Lenox Ave] between 126th and 127th Sts, 212-996-0660)
AT THE RESTAURANT
Photograph: David Rosenzweig and Erkan Said
Menu Item: Collard greens, $3
FROM THE STORE
Photograph: David Rosenzweig and Erkan Said
Retail product: Around $1.49 at major supermarkets
The Testers
- Steven Goldstein, restaurant consultant
- Rod Brogan, prepared foods junkie
- Kanlea Clark, Gristedes cashier
The Claim
“The retail line was created based on recipes in the restaurant,” says Sylvia’s spokesperson Tren’ness Woods-Black. “We tasted and tasted until the products were as close as possible.”
The Restaurant
“The restaurant’s collard greens are full, clean, vinegary, salty and sugary,” murmurs Brogan, savoring the balance of flavors. “The collards look plump and fresh,” he adds. “A healthy plate of green.”
The Retail
Though they’re nothing like her grandmother’s (or Sylvia’s) collards, Clark enjoyed what she called the canned greens’ “artificial flavor.” Brogan notes, “The restaurant greens have a much cleaner taste.”
The Verdict
Thumbs down
NEXT: Cake Man Raven Confectionery
Bakery: Cake Man Raven Confectionery
(708A Fulton St at South Oxford St, Fort Greene, Brooklyn; 718-694-2253)
AT THE RESTAURANT
Photograph: David Rosenzweig and Erkan Said
Menu Item: Red velvet cake, $6
FROM THE STORE
Photograph: David Rosenzweig and Erkan Said
Retail product: Red velvet cake, $6.49 at participating Applebee’s in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Sheepshead Bay and Downtown Brooklyn
The Testers
- Steven Goldstein, restaurant consultant
- Rod Brogan, prepared foods junkie
- Kanlea Clark, Gristedes cashier
The Claim
“Applebee’s slices are about half the size of the slices in the store,” says Tara Brown, a Cake Man spokesperson. “But the cakes themselves are the same.”
The Restaurant
You can get the moist, airy slice with pecans on the cream cheese frosting’s edge, or not (we chose yes). Besides being gargantuan (the slices are about 1/4 a cake), the wedge was deceptively light. “It’s a fresh piece of cake,” says Goldstein.
The Retail
Applebee’s denser, smaller slice had an odd strawberry flavor, first detected by Clark. A call to Applebee’s confirms that flavoring (and pecans, for that matter) can be added upon request—guess we got someone else’s slice. Goldstein figures the syrup was added to combat the “mealy, old taste.”
The Verdict
Thumbs down
NEXT: White Castle
Restaurant: White Castle
(various locations; see whitecastle.com)
AT THE RESTAURANT
Photograph: David Rosenzweig and Erkan Said
Menu item: Hamburgers, six for $4.49
FROM THE STORE
Photograph: David Rosenzweig and Erkan Said
Retail product: White Castle Microwaveable Hamburgers, around $3.99 for a box of six at major supermarkets
The Testers
- Steven Goldstein, restaurant consultant
- Rod Brogan, prepared foods junkie
- Kanlea Clark, Gristedes cashier
The Claim
“When you can’t get one hot off the grill, this is a close substitute,” says Kelly Collins, marketing supervisor at White Castle.
The Restaurant
The Post-it note–size sliders come steamed, with the gratis garnish of ketchup, pickles and onions. “The pickle is all I taste,” says Brogan. Clark, a former White Castle employee, agrees: “These burgers are no good without toppings.”
The Retail
Nuking made the frozen patty just as moist, but that’s where the similarities end. “The bread gets rock hard in the microwave,” says Clark, who notes that there’s no pickle. Brogan spoke for the panel when he deemed the hamburgers equally bland: “What was I thinking in college?”
The Verdict
Thumbs down
Restaurant: Tabla and Tabla Bread Bar
(11 Madison Ave at 25th St,212-889-0667)
AT THE RESTAURANT
Photograph: David Rosenzweig and Erkan Said
Menu item: Tandoori Black Pepper Shrimp, $18
FROM THE STORE
Photograph: David Rosenzweig and Erkan Said
Retail product: Spicy Black Pepper Shrimp from Fresh Direct, $7.99
The Testers
- Steven Goldstein, restaurant consultant
- Rod Brogan, prepared foods junkie
- Kanlea Clark, Gristedes cashier
The Claim
Tabla's website stands by the product, declaring that, “You can enjoy Chef [Floyd] Cardoz's award-winning New Indian cuisine wherever you want in mere minutes.”
The Restaurant
Shell-on and twice the size of the FreshDirect shrimp, the restaurant's crustaceans had "massive amounts of pepper and [were] massively overcooked," said Goldstein. (We did not reheat the dish before tasting, to avoid cooking it twice.) "The look of the shrimp is not appetizing," said Brogan, "and the taste is all pepper." The restaurant version came with a side of salty basmati rice.
The Retail
The ready-to-cook shrimp from FreshDirect arrived without prep instructions—we had to go online to locate a how-to (combine the spice mix and shrimp, then grill or panfry). It also came without rice; a separate side dish is available for purchase. "It's so mild," said Clark of the shellfish. "Nearly flavorless," agreed Goldstein, noting that unlike the restaurant’s version, his retail shrimp were perfectly cooked. "There's nothing similar about these dishes."
The Verdict
Thumbs down
Restaurant: Junior's
(386 Flatbush Ave Extension at DeKalb Ave, Fort Greene, Brooklyn; 718-852-5257; 1515 Broadway, entrance on 45th St, between Broadway and Eighth Ave, 212-302-2000)
AT THE RESTAURANT
Photograph: David Rosenzweig and Erkan Said
Menu item: Little Fella (a three-inch cheesecake), $3.95
FROM THE STORE
Photograph: David Rosenzweig and Erkan Said
Retail product: Little Fella, around $2.99. Available at Fairway, Zabar's and Kings grocery stores
The Testers
- Steven Goldstein, restaurant consultant
- Rod Brogan, prepared foods junkie
- Kanlea Clark, Gristedes cashier
The Claim
"Whether you enjoy it in one of the restaurants or enjoy it at home, [Junior’s] legendary cheesecake recipe is the same and is sure to put a smile on a face and a party in your stomach," says Bruce Bobbins, director of communications for Junior’s.
The Restaurant
The restaurant's Little Fella earned pans all around: "It's thick and heavy," said Clark. Brogan called it "chalky," and Goldstein summed it up: "It's a lousy cheesecake," he said.
The Retail
Everyone took a palate-clearing gulp of water before digging into the slightly lighter retail cake. "Both have an aftertaste," said Clark, grimacing. Brogan agreed: "This is chalkier and has more of one." Goldstein called the flavor "cornstarch" and proclaimed both versions inferior cheesecakes. The main difference between the two? Cooking time. "The restaurant's was slightly darker, while the market's was slightly raw," he said.
The Verdict
Thumbs down
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