ABSTRACT:

The city’s restaurant writers were shocked when chef Dennis Foy opened a place in the West Village with only 11 tables. After all, Foy’s known for his over-the-top, big venues like Le mondrian in Midtown, which he opened in 1988 and later sold.

Displaying their typical restraint, on the second day of operation, the culinary critics, who all used fictitious names, booked every table but one at Restaurant EQ. One by one, reviewers from the major print publications were squeezed into the diminutive dining room.