Afterthoughts: Tony May is Steamed

                                                                                                  Yulia Davidovich

September 2009 saw Tony May open SD26 restaurant 15 months after he shuttered the splendid San Domenico, since 1988 a mainstay on Central Park South, New York and a haven for aficionados —locals and tourists alike—of authentic Italian food. Shortly after SD26 opened at 19 East 26 St. in New York’s Flatiron district where it rubs bricks and mortar with several of the city’s finest restaurants in nearby Gramercy and Union Square, consumers blogged and critics wrote that they didn’t think too much of it to which Tony objected, so he blogged back. His comments appeared in the New York edition of Eater blog. You can go there, if you wish, but I’ll save you the trouble. I include Tony’s comments here because they echo his opinions in this essay and one other that appears right after it in this collection, June 1994: Peccato Di Gola and TOG. “To recognize authenticity, you need an expert . . .To be competent in Italian cuisine, you have to go to Italy, you must have gone to different restaurants, you must have had lessons in Italian products, you’ve got to truly understand . . . I think we have a problem with the consumer, but above all, I think we have a problem with the press. They’re the first ones that don’t really know anything . . .  most so-called critics today do not really understand the true flavors of Italian cuisine.”