Mary Ann's
107 West Broadway
NY,NY 10013
Food 7
Ambiance5
Service 3
Overall 15
Good For Strong drinks and stick to your ribs foods and small groups getting ready to party!
So I must straight off confess, I learned that this was a NYC chain when writing this review. Despite my suspicion of chains, I must admit that Mary Ann's delivers in two important categories where groups are concerned: strong tasty drinks and hearty well seasoned food portions.
We arrived around 9 pm, without reservation on a Friday night, to find the main restaurant well crowded. Our hostess, who spent a good several minutes ignoring us while speaking with another client on the phone, finally hung up and hurriedly seated us at a table in the bar area.
The place is typical pseudo Mexican decor. Entertaining and soothing colors.Tile and terra cotta splashed around strategically. The main dining room seemed cozy but unfortunately the bar was less attractive with a central large TV, showing a sports game, being the unfortunate focal point.
Perusing the food menu, I was happy to find a Tribeca restaurant with reasonable pricing (everything under 17 dollars) and somewhat shocking newflash -original Mexican ingrediants:actual cotija cheese!. They certainly offer many nontraditional jazzed up options- like a chicken roast eggplant quesadilla or whole wheat burritio- but I steered clear of these options. To be frank I was not expected anything close to authenticity in this area ,but looking at the food options ,you can be sure my heart yelled for some good ole mariachi music to dance to. I settled on the pork enchilidas and shared with my sister ,a chicken fajita. I also ordered a 8 dollar caipirina and and later a 12 dollar cadillac martini. Both were well balanced flavorful strong drinks, although the margherita was pulled off better.
Prior to our mains arriving, we busied ourselves with some fresh tasting tortillas and a mild salsa. I would have liked a little more zip in my salsa but it was , as you may note the theme, well flavored with an interesting medley of spices. My enchilidas arrived, a fairly small serving of two enchilidas with a sprinkling of cotija cheese and some red rice with beans. Although the serving could have been a little more generous, the pork was tender and fragrant. The rice and beans were substantial and made me wonder if the kitchen did not in fact hold someone's Mexican grandmother. The food tasted of home, not your commercial variety of Mexican food so often peddled here and elsewhere. My sister's fajitas were however miles above my enchilidas. Well marinated prior with a pungent mix of garlic and a variety of fresh spices which even included in an original move rosemary, their odor wafted invitingly as soon as they danced to our tables. The tortillas, guacomole and onions they were served with were also good but the star was the delicate chicken morsels. My only complaint was the fajitas had no grill taste which would have elevated them to beyond memorable status. I do believe these were truly among the best fajitas I have ever devoured, both at a restaurant or made by my own little hands.
The main problem with this restaurant was the service which was barely existant. When present, they were very helpful and attentive. Unfortunately, we spent too much of our dinner attempting to track down any waitstaff, although they huddled inexplicably at the bar, only a few feet away from us.
I heartily recommend this place for a group of friends looking for some authentic tasting well priced Mexican food and party invoking drinks in a cool part of town.
The Quest continues....
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Elderberry Pond Restaruant
Elderberry Pond Restaurant
3728 Center St
Auburn,NY 13021
Food 5
Service 5
Ambiance 7
Overall 17
Good For romantic lunch
I admit I am a true sucker for this local and organic food movement. If a restaurant advertises as such I have fantasies of seeing my pork slaughtered before me and them masterfully cooked on an open flame, while some rugged women tears fresh salad and root vegetables from the ground to pair with the finely grilled meat. What can I say- Michael Pollen inspired the quest for hog hunting in me. In any case, Elderberry Pond Restuarant is on a small working farm and advertises much of the food and wine on the menu as coming directly from them. So although I have yet to taste the marvel that is Blue Hill Stone Farms, I imagined this might be in the same vein.
It is out of the main drag, nestled among other farms and residences in deep country Auburn. Driving there at 7:30 pm at night, few street lights shining our way, even with the GPS we got lost twice. Finally, we arrive upon a charming country farmhouse- the interior an interesting mix of understated modern accesories and original wood detailing. The dining room is small and cozy. I wished I had come for lunch because the windows hints lovely exterior views which in sunlight might be all the more heart warming.
After being seated and perusing the menu, I was troubled to find very little"local or organic" on the menu. The wine list had maybe 2 or 3 wines from the region and the food menu had about the same in ingrediants from the farm. The farm apparently harvest produce as well as chickens and pork. The wine list was small and well priced with an interesting sampling of wines from around the world.
For appetizer I opted for the farm heirloom tomatoe ,mozzarella and basil salad while my husband had a potatoe leek soup. My salad was crisp and refreshing while his soup was underseasoned and lacking in the expected creaminess common to this soup type. For main, I ordered the duck breast while he went for their farm organic chicken. I had ordered my breast rare, and it arrived medium. My breast, while well seasoned was served with an unappetizing potatoe mash. I was quite hungry by the time my breast arrived, owing to an unusually long wait between main and appetizers , and I was in no mood to return it. However, I did let the waitress know that the duck had been overcooked. Imagine my surprise when she stated she had not heard me ask for my duck breast as rare. Our waitress,aside from this gaffe, was inexplicably absent for most of our meal. We were puzzled by this as the restaurant is very small and did not have a full clientele that night. Back to the food, my husbands chicken was bland , its meat was tender enough but the skin was soggy. Desperate for some food maginificance, we trodded to dessert. We opted for a blueberry lemon curd tart which was refreshing in its simplicity and taste.
Overall, the food was adequate but for the pricing, our bill including 3 glasses of wine left near to 120 dollars, left much to be desired in regards service and quality. Their lunch menu seemed more reasonable in price and given the lovely ambiance of the grounds might entice me to try them one more time. The restaurant is a destination- as it is away from the main Finger Lake area and any main town. However, they do have farm tours and if you are truly into the organic local movement might be worth a quick trip. Certainly of our three restaurants, this was one of the best. However, overall the food sampled in these parts was pricey and subpar for the quality. If I return to these region, I will try my hand at the more numerous and well reviewed restaurants of the Ithaca area.
The Quest continues.....
3728 Center St
Auburn,NY 13021
Food 5
Service 5
Ambiance 7
Overall 17
Good For romantic lunch
I admit I am a true sucker for this local and organic food movement. If a restaurant advertises as such I have fantasies of seeing my pork slaughtered before me and them masterfully cooked on an open flame, while some rugged women tears fresh salad and root vegetables from the ground to pair with the finely grilled meat. What can I say- Michael Pollen inspired the quest for hog hunting in me. In any case, Elderberry Pond Restuarant is on a small working farm and advertises much of the food and wine on the menu as coming directly from them. So although I have yet to taste the marvel that is Blue Hill Stone Farms, I imagined this might be in the same vein.
It is out of the main drag, nestled among other farms and residences in deep country Auburn. Driving there at 7:30 pm at night, few street lights shining our way, even with the GPS we got lost twice. Finally, we arrive upon a charming country farmhouse- the interior an interesting mix of understated modern accesories and original wood detailing. The dining room is small and cozy. I wished I had come for lunch because the windows hints lovely exterior views which in sunlight might be all the more heart warming.
After being seated and perusing the menu, I was troubled to find very little"local or organic" on the menu. The wine list had maybe 2 or 3 wines from the region and the food menu had about the same in ingrediants from the farm. The farm apparently harvest produce as well as chickens and pork. The wine list was small and well priced with an interesting sampling of wines from around the world.
For appetizer I opted for the farm heirloom tomatoe ,mozzarella and basil salad while my husband had a potatoe leek soup. My salad was crisp and refreshing while his soup was underseasoned and lacking in the expected creaminess common to this soup type. For main, I ordered the duck breast while he went for their farm organic chicken. I had ordered my breast rare, and it arrived medium. My breast, while well seasoned was served with an unappetizing potatoe mash. I was quite hungry by the time my breast arrived, owing to an unusually long wait between main and appetizers , and I was in no mood to return it. However, I did let the waitress know that the duck had been overcooked. Imagine my surprise when she stated she had not heard me ask for my duck breast as rare. Our waitress,aside from this gaffe, was inexplicably absent for most of our meal. We were puzzled by this as the restaurant is very small and did not have a full clientele that night. Back to the food, my husbands chicken was bland , its meat was tender enough but the skin was soggy. Desperate for some food maginificance, we trodded to dessert. We opted for a blueberry lemon curd tart which was refreshing in its simplicity and taste.
Overall, the food was adequate but for the pricing, our bill including 3 glasses of wine left near to 120 dollars, left much to be desired in regards service and quality. Their lunch menu seemed more reasonable in price and given the lovely ambiance of the grounds might entice me to try them one more time. The restaurant is a destination- as it is away from the main Finger Lake area and any main town. However, they do have farm tours and if you are truly into the organic local movement might be worth a quick trip. Certainly of our three restaurants, this was one of the best. However, overall the food sampled in these parts was pricey and subpar for the quality. If I return to these region, I will try my hand at the more numerous and well reviewed restaurants of the Ithaca area.
The Quest continues.....
Quinto Quarto
Quinto Quarto
14 Bedford St
NY,NY 10014
Food 4
Ambiance 6
Service 5
Overall 15
Good For...pastas and some well priced wine
I must say that ever since my three trips to Italy, I have become convinced that I will never find pasta or pizza that compares to the magnificent examples I sampled so frequently there. However, as I am a woman on a quest, hope springs eternal and I had vague hope that this restaurant which advertises as an Osteria Roma might be the differance I was looking for. I must admit that the fact that they were advertising as a Roman Osteria might have given me pause. Although the food I had in Rome was good, it was easily dwarfed by the food in so many other more rural places. But I digress.
The restaurant is located in the heart of the West Village, sharing the street with many other well know favorites like Chez Henri and Blue Ribbon. The decor certainly reminded me of many an osteria in Italy. Small ,wood paneling with random signs in Italian. Large open windows with a view to the street. Real candles on the small tables. Its price point was suspiciously low,6 dollar appetizers or desserts, 11 dollars pastas and 19 dollars mains. But when choosing the restaurant, I assumed the price point was an easy way to get customers in the door of this new establishment. The wine list is exclusively Italian, with a well priced selection of a few sections of the country. We opted for a 30 dollar bottle of Valpollicella, which ended up being the highpoint of our meal.
My husband and I started with the fennel orange salad. A small portion of very ripe and juicy oranges and underipe sliced fennel with an overgenerous dousing of olive oil. Certainly good for a 6 dollar entree.
I then ordered the housemade tonnerelli pasta with sausage and porcini mushrooms while my husband opted for the rabbit cooked in tomatoes and anchovy sauce served with potatoes and peas. The pasta came out in a insipid millky sauce dotted with crumbled sausage meat and a few porcini. Although the noodles, twice the size of spaghetti noodles, were fresh and tasty the sauce was unappetizing to look ,smell and unfortunately even eat. There was no hint of the porcini taste in the sauce and the sausage meat was somehow also falvorless. The rabbit arrived a bony 3 fragments of 2 inch pieces of overcooked and underseasoned meat laying next to a few slivers of old potatoes. Now when I mean old, I mean, OLD, potatoes roasted several days prior to their being served. The peas were grey in color, so I did not even venture near these.Now while Italian portions are certainly not the mammoth food quanties of Italian American fame, they are more generous than their French counters. The rabbit portions wre truly shocking given the cost. When we informed our waiter,after he asked, about the subpar potatoes and rabbit, he did give us a gratis sampling of a whole sausage and swiss chard side . While a nice gesture, unfortunately both complementary items, were not much better than the original. Determined to have the full Roman Osteria experiance, we ordered a 10 dollar trifecta of desserts -- ricotta cheesecake, panna cotta and apple chocalate cake with a shot of limoncello. The panna cotta was in indelicate gelatinous mess, the cheesecake a tasty light dessert while the chocalate apple was a intense sweet indulgence. The limoncello was heavy and a bit too sweet with not enough lemon tang for my tastebuds.
Quinto Quarto left me hungering for some true Roman treats. However given the pricepoint, location and ambiance, I would attempt another pasta only forray before completely writing it off. In addition, I appreciated their gesture to try and satisfy us and will take it as proof that some of the subpar food was due to growing pains in this new establishment.
The Quest continues.....
14 Bedford St
NY,NY 10014
Food 4
Ambiance 6
Service 5
Overall 15
Good For...pastas and some well priced wine
I must say that ever since my three trips to Italy, I have become convinced that I will never find pasta or pizza that compares to the magnificent examples I sampled so frequently there. However, as I am a woman on a quest, hope springs eternal and I had vague hope that this restaurant which advertises as an Osteria Roma might be the differance I was looking for. I must admit that the fact that they were advertising as a Roman Osteria might have given me pause. Although the food I had in Rome was good, it was easily dwarfed by the food in so many other more rural places. But I digress.
The restaurant is located in the heart of the West Village, sharing the street with many other well know favorites like Chez Henri and Blue Ribbon. The decor certainly reminded me of many an osteria in Italy. Small ,wood paneling with random signs in Italian. Large open windows with a view to the street. Real candles on the small tables. Its price point was suspiciously low,6 dollar appetizers or desserts, 11 dollars pastas and 19 dollars mains. But when choosing the restaurant, I assumed the price point was an easy way to get customers in the door of this new establishment. The wine list is exclusively Italian, with a well priced selection of a few sections of the country. We opted for a 30 dollar bottle of Valpollicella, which ended up being the highpoint of our meal.
My husband and I started with the fennel orange salad. A small portion of very ripe and juicy oranges and underipe sliced fennel with an overgenerous dousing of olive oil. Certainly good for a 6 dollar entree.
I then ordered the housemade tonnerelli pasta with sausage and porcini mushrooms while my husband opted for the rabbit cooked in tomatoes and anchovy sauce served with potatoes and peas. The pasta came out in a insipid millky sauce dotted with crumbled sausage meat and a few porcini. Although the noodles, twice the size of spaghetti noodles, were fresh and tasty the sauce was unappetizing to look ,smell and unfortunately even eat. There was no hint of the porcini taste in the sauce and the sausage meat was somehow also falvorless. The rabbit arrived a bony 3 fragments of 2 inch pieces of overcooked and underseasoned meat laying next to a few slivers of old potatoes. Now when I mean old, I mean, OLD, potatoes roasted several days prior to their being served. The peas were grey in color, so I did not even venture near these.Now while Italian portions are certainly not the mammoth food quanties of Italian American fame, they are more generous than their French counters. The rabbit portions wre truly shocking given the cost. When we informed our waiter,after he asked, about the subpar potatoes and rabbit, he did give us a gratis sampling of a whole sausage and swiss chard side . While a nice gesture, unfortunately both complementary items, were not much better than the original. Determined to have the full Roman Osteria experiance, we ordered a 10 dollar trifecta of desserts -- ricotta cheesecake, panna cotta and apple chocalate cake with a shot of limoncello. The panna cotta was in indelicate gelatinous mess, the cheesecake a tasty light dessert while the chocalate apple was a intense sweet indulgence. The limoncello was heavy and a bit too sweet with not enough lemon tang for my tastebuds.
Quinto Quarto left me hungering for some true Roman treats. However given the pricepoint, location and ambiance, I would attempt another pasta only forray before completely writing it off. In addition, I appreciated their gesture to try and satisfy us and will take it as proof that some of the subpar food was due to growing pains in this new establishment.
The Quest continues.....
Friday, September 25, 2009
Marrakesh
Marrakesh
235 E53
NY,NY 10022
Food 3
Ambiance 4
Service2
Overall 9
Good for I'm thinking.......
So the first thing that should have tipped me off that there might be something odd about this place is that when I sat at my table I noticed that the table next to me had ordered Mexican and Morrocan plates and that both were coming out of the same kitchen. When I had entered the restaurant , I had noticed a sign for a Mexican restaurant next door. What I did not realize is that it is all one happy restaurant. The Moroccan menu has a spattering of typical Meditteranean ingrediants and throws in a bevy of Italian American foods as well. The restaurant itself is a cozy Moroccan tiled basement. Nothing grand but also not ridiculously basic.
The kind of space where if the food is fantastic would rapidly become a well cherished gem.
Unfortunately .....what Marrakesh wins awards for is great cheap food at hefty portions...the most expensive thing on the menu was 15 dollars ,which for an restuarant in the bowels of the eastside is a feat.
We started with a mix of hummus and baba served with whole wheat pita and some morrocan mint tea. The tea was perfumed sweetness . Thankfully,it helped wash down the horrid aftertaste of tahini loaded hummus, tasteless baba and storebought and unheated wheat pita. My main was the chicken couscous while my sister had the lamb kebab. The couscous was a well seasoned mash of seasonal vegetables on a bed of couscous with diced grilled chicken on top. Although it was tasty, it was odd they took the time to stew their vegetable but not their meat. The lamb kebab was standard street fare,a bit gamey, but edible nonetheless. We did not try dessert as the place looked ready to close. In fact they had looked ready to close from our entrance at 8:30 that night. The waitresses seemed to enjoy hanging out in the kitchen,as far away as possible from the spares number of patrons and peeked out every half hour or so to see if we had finally vacated the premise.
That night my sister and I suffered the consequences of our exotic travel abroad.
Apparently the world is just not ready for Moroccan-Mex cuisine.
The Quest continues....
235 E53
NY,NY 10022
Food 3
Ambiance 4
Service2
Overall 9
Good for I'm thinking.......
So the first thing that should have tipped me off that there might be something odd about this place is that when I sat at my table I noticed that the table next to me had ordered Mexican and Morrocan plates and that both were coming out of the same kitchen. When I had entered the restaurant , I had noticed a sign for a Mexican restaurant next door. What I did not realize is that it is all one happy restaurant. The Moroccan menu has a spattering of typical Meditteranean ingrediants and throws in a bevy of Italian American foods as well. The restaurant itself is a cozy Moroccan tiled basement. Nothing grand but also not ridiculously basic.
The kind of space where if the food is fantastic would rapidly become a well cherished gem.
Unfortunately .....what Marrakesh wins awards for is great cheap food at hefty portions...the most expensive thing on the menu was 15 dollars ,which for an restuarant in the bowels of the eastside is a feat.
We started with a mix of hummus and baba served with whole wheat pita and some morrocan mint tea. The tea was perfumed sweetness . Thankfully,it helped wash down the horrid aftertaste of tahini loaded hummus, tasteless baba and storebought and unheated wheat pita. My main was the chicken couscous while my sister had the lamb kebab. The couscous was a well seasoned mash of seasonal vegetables on a bed of couscous with diced grilled chicken on top. Although it was tasty, it was odd they took the time to stew their vegetable but not their meat. The lamb kebab was standard street fare,a bit gamey, but edible nonetheless. We did not try dessert as the place looked ready to close. In fact they had looked ready to close from our entrance at 8:30 that night. The waitresses seemed to enjoy hanging out in the kitchen,as far away as possible from the spares number of patrons and peeked out every half hour or so to see if we had finally vacated the premise.
That night my sister and I suffered the consequences of our exotic travel abroad.
Apparently the world is just not ready for Moroccan-Mex cuisine.
The Quest continues....
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Bistro 1
Bistro 1
1 E Gennese St
Auburn,NY
Scaled 1 to 10, 1 being repulsive and 10 being orgasmic (of course!)
Food 5
Ambiance 4
Service 6
Overall Rating 15
Good for drinks and quick lunch
I booked Bistro One primarily because of a few good reviews and its proximity to our hotel. It was a short 5 minute walk away and was touted as the only fine dining in the heart of Auburn. We initially passed by the understated entrance and when we finally entered the restaurant were warmly welcomed and promptly seated in the half empty restaurant by our cheery hostess. The interior decor was standard and unoriginal, a mishmosh of neutral warm toned orange sponged walls and mahogony colored furniture, very Jennifer Convertibles and not at all Bistro. The tile floor screamed bathroom or kitchen tile and the ceiling screamed 1970s outdated white cheap cork like tile. But as I said ambiance is a small part of what I look for.
The menu was surprisingly small and again a mish mosh assortment of American bar food a appetizers with attempts at inventive Nouvelle Inspired mains. Underwhelmed by the appetizer options, we settled for a lobster risotto to share. It arrived a large mass of overcooked rice and minimal amounts of fishy tasting lobster on a bed of salad. No creaminess or cheesiness in this risotto, rather it tasted like a heavy ricecake.
As we prepared for our mains, we reviewed the wine list which showcased a variety of well priced wines, although surprisingly very few local wines. As we pondered on our red choices, our waitress informed us that in fact,because of a party the night prior, they only had TWO bottles of red wines varieties to choose from. Now although this is the weirdest thing I have ever heard, thankfully of the two there was pretty decent 40 dollar Russian River valley pinot noir.
Prior to the mains, we were served a complementary salad, laced with balsamic vinegarette. This was a very ordinary garden salad,although I was surpised at the addition of what look suspiciously like iceberg.
For mains, I opted for the intriguing pork shank confit , especially when my waitress informed me there was only one left . My husband opted for the New York shell steak with roasted potatoes and grilled vegetables. My husband's steak arrived well seasoned and grilled, a healthy portion of meat served with a well sized portion of undercooked roast potatoes and well charred eggplant. The steak was overcooked as it was served medium although it had been ordered medium rare.
My pork confit arrived a small fried smoked ham hock next to a lovely potatoe mashcake and grilled vegetables. My pork was not confit at all. Primarily bone with a 2 inch sliver of meat it was reduced to a sad inedible hunk of meat. I love a good ham hock as well as well braised pork so I was disappointed to find neither of these in the dish. I returned my poor pork in exchange for chimichurri lamb chops. These fortunately were perfectly cooked as ordered,rare, but lacked seasoning. The chimichurri sauce served with these was watery and lacking in flavor. The star of my dish was the potatoe mash and grilled vegetables. Our waitress throughout was attentive and apolgetic and entertaining, truly the best thing about Bistro One.
We finished with a banana bread pudding, which also suffered from the dry hunk syndrome of my pork confit. Well flavored, it had likely been cooked the night before and left congealing in the refrigerator.
Bistro One suffered from the same syndrome as Simply Red( check out my earlier review). Truly not Bistro standard, but better in flavor profiles for price than the Simply Red.
The Quest continues....
1 E Gennese St
Auburn,NY
Scaled 1 to 10, 1 being repulsive and 10 being orgasmic (of course!)
Food 5
Ambiance 4
Service 6
Overall Rating 15
Good for drinks and quick lunch
I booked Bistro One primarily because of a few good reviews and its proximity to our hotel. It was a short 5 minute walk away and was touted as the only fine dining in the heart of Auburn. We initially passed by the understated entrance and when we finally entered the restaurant were warmly welcomed and promptly seated in the half empty restaurant by our cheery hostess. The interior decor was standard and unoriginal, a mishmosh of neutral warm toned orange sponged walls and mahogony colored furniture, very Jennifer Convertibles and not at all Bistro. The tile floor screamed bathroom or kitchen tile and the ceiling screamed 1970s outdated white cheap cork like tile. But as I said ambiance is a small part of what I look for.
The menu was surprisingly small and again a mish mosh assortment of American bar food a appetizers with attempts at inventive Nouvelle Inspired mains. Underwhelmed by the appetizer options, we settled for a lobster risotto to share. It arrived a large mass of overcooked rice and minimal amounts of fishy tasting lobster on a bed of salad. No creaminess or cheesiness in this risotto, rather it tasted like a heavy ricecake.
As we prepared for our mains, we reviewed the wine list which showcased a variety of well priced wines, although surprisingly very few local wines. As we pondered on our red choices, our waitress informed us that in fact,because of a party the night prior, they only had TWO bottles of red wines varieties to choose from. Now although this is the weirdest thing I have ever heard, thankfully of the two there was pretty decent 40 dollar Russian River valley pinot noir.
Prior to the mains, we were served a complementary salad, laced with balsamic vinegarette. This was a very ordinary garden salad,although I was surpised at the addition of what look suspiciously like iceberg.
For mains, I opted for the intriguing pork shank confit , especially when my waitress informed me there was only one left . My husband opted for the New York shell steak with roasted potatoes and grilled vegetables. My husband's steak arrived well seasoned and grilled, a healthy portion of meat served with a well sized portion of undercooked roast potatoes and well charred eggplant. The steak was overcooked as it was served medium although it had been ordered medium rare.
My pork confit arrived a small fried smoked ham hock next to a lovely potatoe mashcake and grilled vegetables. My pork was not confit at all. Primarily bone with a 2 inch sliver of meat it was reduced to a sad inedible hunk of meat. I love a good ham hock as well as well braised pork so I was disappointed to find neither of these in the dish. I returned my poor pork in exchange for chimichurri lamb chops. These fortunately were perfectly cooked as ordered,rare, but lacked seasoning. The chimichurri sauce served with these was watery and lacking in flavor. The star of my dish was the potatoe mash and grilled vegetables. Our waitress throughout was attentive and apolgetic and entertaining, truly the best thing about Bistro One.
We finished with a banana bread pudding, which also suffered from the dry hunk syndrome of my pork confit. Well flavored, it had likely been cooked the night before and left congealing in the refrigerator.
Bistro One suffered from the same syndrome as Simply Red( check out my earlier review). Truly not Bistro standard, but better in flavor profiles for price than the Simply Red.
The Quest continues....
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Simply Red Bistro
Simply Red Bistro
Scaled 1 to 10, 1 being repulsive and 10 being orgasmic (of course!)
Food 3
Ambiance 5
Service 4
Overall Rating 13
Good For the view , a glass of wine and a straigh foward cheese plate
7448 County Rd. 153 Ovid, NY 14521
Tel 607-532-9401
Well I must confess that the biggest reason why I decided to stop here for lunch is that this restaurant is at the Sheldrake Point Vineyard , whose reisling has drawn great reviews as a bargain jewel. As many of the Cayuga reislings, I didn't love it much especially for the price point. The menu seemed inventive with a supposed focus on local ingredients. Lunch, was outside in a nicely landscaped garden with unfortunately obstructed views of Cayuga Lake. It might have been a sign that those running this establishment are not the brightest kids on the block that they would hire a landscaper that would block what is the place's greatest asset. The food I would soon learn was not in this category.
We arrived before the lunch rush at 12:30 pm. Although the place only had 4 tables seated, it took about 10 minutes for us to be seated. Our waiter, a fresh faced teen, fumbled through the specials while we pondered the overpriced and all over the place lunch menu. There were only three appetizers to choose from none of which made our mouths water so we opted to go straight to mains. 10 dollar chicken sandwich to a 22 dollar roast half chicken.. I settled upon a 14 dollar 4 cheese pizza which my waiter stated was his favorite and truly filling. My husband opted for the 10 dollar free range chicken sandwich. Both were served with a side salad.
My pizza arrived, appearing suspiciously like a 6 inch thin crust frozen pizza jazzed up with dressed salad greens placed on top. Aside from the odd placement of seasoned greens in the middle of a pizza, the greens were quite good and fresh, with an interesting mix of fennel fronds,arugula and others. Unfortunately, the pizza tastes as uninspired as it looked. Because I was so hungry and after seeing the sandwich my husband got, I calculated that the kitchen was fundamentally flawed and suffered through my frozen pizza main. My husbands sandwich tasted a little worse than a Au Bon pain sandwhich, heavy on the mayonaisse, with fennel oddly strewn in, on a tasteless whole grain bun. After the disappointment of our mains, we decided against dessert as we were not willing to waste any time or money in this place.
To call this place Bistro is a decided slap in the face to any halfway decent bistro out there. I have to say that even as I write this review, the memory of that pizza, leaves me sad and partially embarrased. After having tasted the amazing simplicity and flavor profile of pizzas in Italy, I am always confused when American high end restaurants have such problems rendering a good pizza. A good pizza is after all predicated on 3 things: dough, sauce and cheese. I might venture to say the same about a good chicken sandwich: chicken, bread, tasty vegetables. That this restaurant could not get right the simplest of fare makes me shudder at what dinner here would taste like. Never mind the cost.
The Quest continues....
Scaled 1 to 10, 1 being repulsive and 10 being orgasmic (of course!)
Food 3
Ambiance 5
Service 4
Overall Rating 13
Good For the view , a glass of wine and a straigh foward cheese plate
7448 County Rd. 153 Ovid, NY 14521
Tel 607-532-9401
Well I must confess that the biggest reason why I decided to stop here for lunch is that this restaurant is at the Sheldrake Point Vineyard , whose reisling has drawn great reviews as a bargain jewel. As many of the Cayuga reislings, I didn't love it much especially for the price point. The menu seemed inventive with a supposed focus on local ingredients. Lunch, was outside in a nicely landscaped garden with unfortunately obstructed views of Cayuga Lake. It might have been a sign that those running this establishment are not the brightest kids on the block that they would hire a landscaper that would block what is the place's greatest asset. The food I would soon learn was not in this category.
We arrived before the lunch rush at 12:30 pm. Although the place only had 4 tables seated, it took about 10 minutes for us to be seated. Our waiter, a fresh faced teen, fumbled through the specials while we pondered the overpriced and all over the place lunch menu. There were only three appetizers to choose from none of which made our mouths water so we opted to go straight to mains. 10 dollar chicken sandwich to a 22 dollar roast half chicken.. I settled upon a 14 dollar 4 cheese pizza which my waiter stated was his favorite and truly filling. My husband opted for the 10 dollar free range chicken sandwich. Both were served with a side salad.
My pizza arrived, appearing suspiciously like a 6 inch thin crust frozen pizza jazzed up with dressed salad greens placed on top. Aside from the odd placement of seasoned greens in the middle of a pizza, the greens were quite good and fresh, with an interesting mix of fennel fronds,arugula and others. Unfortunately, the pizza tastes as uninspired as it looked. Because I was so hungry and after seeing the sandwich my husband got, I calculated that the kitchen was fundamentally flawed and suffered through my frozen pizza main. My husbands sandwich tasted a little worse than a Au Bon pain sandwhich, heavy on the mayonaisse, with fennel oddly strewn in, on a tasteless whole grain bun. After the disappointment of our mains, we decided against dessert as we were not willing to waste any time or money in this place.
To call this place Bistro is a decided slap in the face to any halfway decent bistro out there. I have to say that even as I write this review, the memory of that pizza, leaves me sad and partially embarrased. After having tasted the amazing simplicity and flavor profile of pizzas in Italy, I am always confused when American high end restaurants have such problems rendering a good pizza. A good pizza is after all predicated on 3 things: dough, sauce and cheese. I might venture to say the same about a good chicken sandwich: chicken, bread, tasty vegetables. That this restaurant could not get right the simplest of fare makes me shudder at what dinner here would taste like. Never mind the cost.
The Quest continues....
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Finger Lakes Wine Trails
Finger Lakes Wine Trails
9:08 am
So although this blog focuses on NYC eateries, I do travel. So I figured that since you NYC foodies travel too ,you might be interested in my humble food reviews outside of our great metropolis as well. Especially when they are near wine terroir. So I am presenting three reviews of restaurants visited this past Labor day in Auburn, NY in the Finger Lakes region.
It was an amazing time to visit. Weather was spectacular and for those of you who love wine trails, the Seneca and Cayuga wine trails are very accesible with well designed tasting rooms, many with spectacular views. Most charge a nominal fee, so bring cash. I found charging for tastings a bit annoying but the upside is that most allow you to taste their premium wines and a large selection overall. I have only tasted one or two wines in NYC restaurants from this region but have heard many great things about their reisling and cabernet franc productions. I don't actually understand why NYC restaurants don't have more Finger Lakes and North Fork wines on their menus, especially those touting the regional local food movement.
I have to say that overall I was not impressed. Most of the wines were not bad table wines, but the prices usually above 13 dollars were not justifiable when I can find a better European alternative for that price or less. Also, almost all the wineries made a full selection of red and whites, although almost all the red wines were truly unimpressive and even pricier, usually 15-25 dollar range. I am not sure why they just don't stick to a few grape varieties and perfect them. Overall, the Seneca Lake wineries were more impressive in view and taste. One wine that was definantlyworth the trip for ,which I did not see much write up about prior, was the champagne and sparking wines produced here. These were almost uniformly tasty and reasonable in price for the quality. Bruts varieties tended towards sweeter than what I generally have tasted but these were a great chmpagne alternative. My favorite was from the Knapp winery, http://http://www.knappwine.com/
Although the quality of the wines of this region are still evolving, I would definantly recommend the trip for the scenery and a close wine trail experiance. We stayed in Auburn, where we ate primarily, although if I visit again would base myself in Ithaca were they have several well reviewed restaurants which I did not have the opportunity to check out including the Heights Cafe and Grill, http://www.heightscafe.com/, and Taverna Banfi , http://www.tavernabanfi.com/.
Overall my food experiance was disappointing and prices were equivalent or pricier than the city. Again, it appears that the culinary destination is Ithaca, so I won'd damn the whole area based on this trip,just stay away from Auburn for dining.
9:08 am
So although this blog focuses on NYC eateries, I do travel. So I figured that since you NYC foodies travel too ,you might be interested in my humble food reviews outside of our great metropolis as well. Especially when they are near wine terroir. So I am presenting three reviews of restaurants visited this past Labor day in Auburn, NY in the Finger Lakes region.
It was an amazing time to visit. Weather was spectacular and for those of you who love wine trails, the Seneca and Cayuga wine trails are very accesible with well designed tasting rooms, many with spectacular views. Most charge a nominal fee, so bring cash. I found charging for tastings a bit annoying but the upside is that most allow you to taste their premium wines and a large selection overall. I have only tasted one or two wines in NYC restaurants from this region but have heard many great things about their reisling and cabernet franc productions. I don't actually understand why NYC restaurants don't have more Finger Lakes and North Fork wines on their menus, especially those touting the regional local food movement.
I have to say that overall I was not impressed. Most of the wines were not bad table wines, but the prices usually above 13 dollars were not justifiable when I can find a better European alternative for that price or less. Also, almost all the wineries made a full selection of red and whites, although almost all the red wines were truly unimpressive and even pricier, usually 15-25 dollar range. I am not sure why they just don't stick to a few grape varieties and perfect them. Overall, the Seneca Lake wineries were more impressive in view and taste. One wine that was definantlyworth the trip for ,which I did not see much write up about prior, was the champagne and sparking wines produced here. These were almost uniformly tasty and reasonable in price for the quality. Bruts varieties tended towards sweeter than what I generally have tasted but these were a great chmpagne alternative. My favorite was from the Knapp winery, http://http://www.knappwine.com/
Although the quality of the wines of this region are still evolving, I would definantly recommend the trip for the scenery and a close wine trail experiance. We stayed in Auburn, where we ate primarily, although if I visit again would base myself in Ithaca were they have several well reviewed restaurants which I did not have the opportunity to check out including the Heights Cafe and Grill, http://www.heightscafe.com/, and Taverna Banfi , http://www.tavernabanfi.com/.
Overall my food experiance was disappointing and prices were equivalent or pricier than the city. Again, it appears that the culinary destination is Ithaca, so I won'd damn the whole area based on this trip,just stay away from Auburn for dining.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Walter Foods
Walter Foods
Neighborhood: Williamsburg - South Side
253 Grand St
between Driggs Ave & Roebling St)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 387-8783
Scaled 1 to 10, 1 being repulsive and 10 being orgasmic (of course!)
Food 4
Ambiance 4
Service 4
Overall Rating 12
Good For spending your hard earned money on mediocre drinks and food but looking cool doing it in your own 'hood with your Billyburg buddies
Review
The first thing you notice as you enter Walter Foods is the noise level.
Between the crashing din of loud clubby music playing and the people talking, you feel like you are walking into a bar rather than a casual restaurant. And in fact you are, as almost half of the indoor area of the place is devoted to the bar area and that is your first port of entry. The second thing you notice is the wood. And lots of it. The décor seems to harken back to an earlier age of old style saloon with some extra Brooklyn cool thrown in. What give its away are the deep green plush sofed back seating for cubicles and the artful wall placement of sepia and black and white drawings.
The menu ,matching the size of the establishment, is on the small side. Entrees ranged wildly in price from a 13 dollar short rib burgar to 44 dollars for their version of surf and turf, a half lobster and filet mignon. Food flavors might be described as leaning towards diner casual with some Brooklyn creativity thrown in, or what I like to call chef identity confusion. Their cocktail list is as extensive as the food menu, which might suggest this is where their true strengths lie. An interesting selection of tequilia, rum, bourbon or gin- based drinks with many classics thrown in. The wine list has a small but adequate selection of bottles, with a even smaller selection of wines by the glass. The bottles tended towards pricey for the casual style of the place,most in the 50 or 60 dollar range, maxing out at a 100 dollar pricepoint. (I never understand the placement of a 100 dollar wine bottle in a place like this. If you are spending 100 dollar on a bottle the quality of the meal should match the expense of the wine. I love fried chicken as much as if I was true southerner, but eating it with a 100 dollar bottle of wine is either sheer stupidity or sheer pretention. ) I opted for an 11 dollar rum based apricot sidecar. Light on the alcohol, very apricot in taste, a little too sweet for my taste. As far as cocktails go, pricey for what you get in the alchohol and taste spectrum. My husband opted for glass of an Austrian white, Gruner veltliner, which the waiter had a hard time describing. Not crisp or sweet, with a yeasty unusual aftertaste, my husband found it a good match for our first course.
We started with the oysters ,as they advertise prominently that they have a raw bar. In fact, there was only one raw option on the menu,”oysters”, with a selection of 4 to choose from. The price was standard, 2.5 to 3.5 per oyster, no Brooklyn deals here. We went for the Long Island Bluepoints and Beausoleil from Prince Edwards Island, which were good and fresh, although nothing spectacular. We also opted to try the lollipop wings which I had read much about. I was sorely disappointed to find them nothing but buffalo wings with less meat on them, albeit less messy to eat. In short neither unusual or an exceptionally good version of these bar standards. Served with a blue cheese sauce laced with cilantro which though tasty on its own, I did not find complementary to the wings. The wings were saucy but tended towards rubbery, perhaps having been simmered in their sauce for some time.
For our second course, I opted for a glass of the Austrian pinot noir and my husband, tried the German beer, bitburger. We found both uninteresting and not particularly good.
For my entree, I followed with the pork, which that night was not the typical menu selection with apple compote and braised escarole but served with broccoli rabe and sauted red and green peppers with garlic. When I was ordering this pork version it did cross my mind that the pairing of broccoli rabe with green peppers did not sound particurlary appetizing, but nothing else on their menu appealed. As expected, my pork came out a jumbled mess of overcooked rabe and peppers dripping with grease and too much garlic. The pork chop was a thin standard supermarket chop, not as I had expected a double rib chop. Although the pork was well seasoned and not over cooked, it,following the wings demise, had been left simmering too long in its sauce. The result was a watery meat, somewhere between braised and boiled, fully unappetizing. My husband chose the whole roasted trout with a warm vegetable side salad. It arrived charred and dried, served on a confused array of snow peas,raddichio,endives and presumably any other leftover vegetable available in the kitchen that night. It tasted as dry as it looked and was flavored with another mix of confusing and unsavory herbs. We ended the meal with the peach cobbler, which arrived suspiciously quickly after our order.A generous portion, drowned in a thick haze of confectioner sugar, filled with barely ripe peaches and laced with an overly enthusiastic layer of firm dough. Sad to say, it was the highpoint of the meal.
We found service was adequate and polite.
In short, Walter Foods should merit a visit if you live in this Williamsburg block and want a few pricey drinks in a loud bar atmosphere followed by some expensive nibbles of mediocre food.
The Quest continues. .......
Neighborhood: Williamsburg - South Side
253 Grand St
between Driggs Ave & Roebling St)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 387-8783
Scaled 1 to 10, 1 being repulsive and 10 being orgasmic (of course!)
Food 4
Ambiance 4
Service 4
Overall Rating 12
Good For spending your hard earned money on mediocre drinks and food but looking cool doing it in your own 'hood with your Billyburg buddies
Review
The first thing you notice as you enter Walter Foods is the noise level.
Between the crashing din of loud clubby music playing and the people talking, you feel like you are walking into a bar rather than a casual restaurant. And in fact you are, as almost half of the indoor area of the place is devoted to the bar area and that is your first port of entry. The second thing you notice is the wood. And lots of it. The décor seems to harken back to an earlier age of old style saloon with some extra Brooklyn cool thrown in. What give its away are the deep green plush sofed back seating for cubicles and the artful wall placement of sepia and black and white drawings.
The menu ,matching the size of the establishment, is on the small side. Entrees ranged wildly in price from a 13 dollar short rib burgar to 44 dollars for their version of surf and turf, a half lobster and filet mignon. Food flavors might be described as leaning towards diner casual with some Brooklyn creativity thrown in, or what I like to call chef identity confusion. Their cocktail list is as extensive as the food menu, which might suggest this is where their true strengths lie. An interesting selection of tequilia, rum, bourbon or gin- based drinks with many classics thrown in. The wine list has a small but adequate selection of bottles, with a even smaller selection of wines by the glass. The bottles tended towards pricey for the casual style of the place,most in the 50 or 60 dollar range, maxing out at a 100 dollar pricepoint. (I never understand the placement of a 100 dollar wine bottle in a place like this. If you are spending 100 dollar on a bottle the quality of the meal should match the expense of the wine. I love fried chicken as much as if I was true southerner, but eating it with a 100 dollar bottle of wine is either sheer stupidity or sheer pretention. ) I opted for an 11 dollar rum based apricot sidecar. Light on the alcohol, very apricot in taste, a little too sweet for my taste. As far as cocktails go, pricey for what you get in the alchohol and taste spectrum. My husband opted for glass of an Austrian white, Gruner veltliner, which the waiter had a hard time describing. Not crisp or sweet, with a yeasty unusual aftertaste, my husband found it a good match for our first course.
We started with the oysters ,as they advertise prominently that they have a raw bar. In fact, there was only one raw option on the menu,”oysters”, with a selection of 4 to choose from. The price was standard, 2.5 to 3.5 per oyster, no Brooklyn deals here. We went for the Long Island Bluepoints and Beausoleil from Prince Edwards Island, which were good and fresh, although nothing spectacular. We also opted to try the lollipop wings which I had read much about. I was sorely disappointed to find them nothing but buffalo wings with less meat on them, albeit less messy to eat. In short neither unusual or an exceptionally good version of these bar standards. Served with a blue cheese sauce laced with cilantro which though tasty on its own, I did not find complementary to the wings. The wings were saucy but tended towards rubbery, perhaps having been simmered in their sauce for some time.
For our second course, I opted for a glass of the Austrian pinot noir and my husband, tried the German beer, bitburger. We found both uninteresting and not particularly good.
For my entree, I followed with the pork, which that night was not the typical menu selection with apple compote and braised escarole but served with broccoli rabe and sauted red and green peppers with garlic. When I was ordering this pork version it did cross my mind that the pairing of broccoli rabe with green peppers did not sound particurlary appetizing, but nothing else on their menu appealed. As expected, my pork came out a jumbled mess of overcooked rabe and peppers dripping with grease and too much garlic. The pork chop was a thin standard supermarket chop, not as I had expected a double rib chop. Although the pork was well seasoned and not over cooked, it,following the wings demise, had been left simmering too long in its sauce. The result was a watery meat, somewhere between braised and boiled, fully unappetizing. My husband chose the whole roasted trout with a warm vegetable side salad. It arrived charred and dried, served on a confused array of snow peas,raddichio,endives and presumably any other leftover vegetable available in the kitchen that night. It tasted as dry as it looked and was flavored with another mix of confusing and unsavory herbs. We ended the meal with the peach cobbler, which arrived suspiciously quickly after our order.A generous portion, drowned in a thick haze of confectioner sugar, filled with barely ripe peaches and laced with an overly enthusiastic layer of firm dough. Sad to say, it was the highpoint of the meal.
We found service was adequate and polite.
In short, Walter Foods should merit a visit if you live in this Williamsburg block and want a few pricey drinks in a loud bar atmosphere followed by some expensive nibbles of mediocre food.
The Quest continues. .......
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