The Bauerometer dips into The Dining Room at The Ritz, to find, sadly, "the razzle-dazzle has been dimmed" at a restaurant where chef Ron Siegel once "mesmerized" him. The "complex format" of multiple tasting menu options has been replaced by two choices: either a tasting menu where "too many ingredients seemed to repeat" or the a la carte menu. A lobster risotto is "bland and uninspired," meats are over-salted, "three courses had squares of flavored gelees," and "even the bread service spoke of lethargy." Then Bauer finds a hole in his tablecloth and notes the negligible Asian influence of year's past. There are a few rays of light, like the wines offered by Amgad Wahba, but at the end of the day, it's got to be a 1.5 star demotion to an all-too-familiar 2.5. [Chron]
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