Streetlevel: Cafe Mei Mei Renamed Ribant
Court Street’s new-ish Cafe Mei Mei, originally named for Chef Robert Ribant’s beloved dog, has been rechristened Cafe Ribant. The sign on the door says, “Robert’s Husky is fine and playful as ever and isn’t the cause of the change. Due to copyright laws involving us and a ‘cafe Mei Mei’ elsewhere, we decided to…
Court Street’s new-ish Cafe Mei Mei, originally named for Chef Robert Ribant’s beloved dog, has been rechristened Cafe Ribant. The sign on the door says, “Robert’s Husky is fine and playful as ever and isn’t the cause of the change. Due to copyright laws involving us and a ‘cafe Mei Mei’ elsewhere, we decided to make the change to cause no further issue with the other said establishment.” Since the old name sounded a bit Asian, and the menu offered (and will continue to offer) seasonal American bistro fare, this change might be for the best. Has anybody eaten here yet? GMAP
New Restaurant Opening on Court Street [Brownstoner]
Wildly uneven experiences at this restaurant. Sometimes, great food. Other times genuinely awful food. Friendly but completely amateur service. I won’t be going back, no matter what they call it.
my wife and i had the same experience as watcher…
and on the monday lobster special night. we also arrived early to a mostly empty place and ordered the lobster…we werent served for till an hour and a half later!!!!!
and they forgot the side order of fries….
comp’d our drinks though
mei mei means
‘little sister’ in cantonese
One of my favorite brunch places in the neighborhood. Its quite inexpensive for how tasty the food is. I’ve never had dinner there, but could imagine it’d be just as great.
We went as a group of four early, when just two other tables were full, and what started as a pleasant evening — nice room and very good appetizers — quickly devolved into one of our worst restaurant experiences ever. Our main courses still hadn’t come an hour after we ordered them; the three different people waiting on us offered no explanation, shrugging as if to say “How would I know” or saying “Soon” and hurrying off when we asked; when, on the way to the rest room, I saw the chef and asked if we were nearly there, I got a silent, stony face in response. When it came, the bouillabaisse was not warm and the chicken was undercooked. And then the two of us who had ordered salmon were each given a plate with a tiny bit of salmon, and the waiter said, “One salmon fell on the floor, so we thought you wouldn’t want it and we split the other.” We were told that another salmon was in the works but after fifteen minutes more we threw in the towel and left. Though our wine was comped, no one was at all apologetic (one waiter was eager that we know it wasn’t his fault — “It’s only my second night”). We live in Cobble Hill and wanted to like the place; if someone had simply said “The sous chef called in sick” or “Two burners are out” or “I know it’s been too long and we’re doing all we can to get the food out,” we might give them another chance. We could even understand a salmon that flew to the floor, but the lack of concern and the poor preparation of the food was beyond the pale.
Have not eaten there yet, wish them all the best but lets face facts, that is one of the most haunted spaces in the hood. Never understood why, but nothing works in that spot. I hope they break the decade plus long trend.
@hokem: I agree, and in any event, it would be a trademark problem, not a copyright problem — presumably this would have been made clear if it were a real problem and not a cover story for having picked a poor name.
I agree, too expensive, end of story
that sign is absolutely awful. please, invest in good graphic design and branding — it will elevate your business. the senses are all tied; if the food looks better, it will taste better, and this includes the setting, IMO!
i pass by here frequently and consider it briefly. what always turns me away is the price, and that there are so few people in there.