WD-50 in New York City is the showcase for the cooking of Wylie Dufresne. Chef Dufrense is the Milton Babbitt (contemporary composer who wrote a famous article: "Who Cares if you Listen?") of the contemporary food scene. The food at WD-50 worships creativity and uniqueness to the exclusion of taste. Some dishes are inspired, some are edible, and some are bad jokes. If there ever was a place where one can see the relationship between the creative impulse and arrogance, this is the place. Recommended only for food journalists doing research.
Note: My meal here was two years ago. Although Frank Bruni in a recent New York Times review agreed somewhat with my opinion, saying that "many visitors to the restaurant understandably feel that what they've experienced isn't so much a meal as a prank," he now says that the food at WD-50 has moved towards emphasizing providing dining pleasure above simply showing off: The Shape of Eggs Benedict to Come. If true, this is certainly a welcome development.
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