Bliss Bistro

Bliss Bistro
4520 Skillman Avenue

Sunnyside, NY 11104-2117
(718) 729-0778
Food 8
Ambiance 7
Service 7
Overall 22
Good for romantic couples dinner and for upscale small group dining for bargain prices- Orgasmic potential alert!
Now when I started this blog, I swore to myself that I was only reviewing places I had never been to before the blog. My husband thought this was unfair as some of my favorites would not recieve their just due. And while I am still sticking to the policy, I will revise it to add that if one of my true blue places delivers an orgasmic meal than I shall have to review it. And this is why I am reviewing Bliss. Since I started going to Bliss the last several years, it has become one of  our neighborhood stars for consistently tasty well priced French food in a romantic atmosphere. The owner Maruf always goes out of his way to greet us and we are always  promptly seated. The waitstaff is generally very attentive and food service uniformally speedy. Food quality is generally very good. On occasion spectacular, but on average just really good with good sized portions. .During the week , they have an unbeatable 20 or 25 dollar prix fixe. The atmosphere is elegant cozy chic. Its a fairly spacious dining room that can seat about 50 diners. White walls with cream  curtains and historic pictures of Sunnyside in the 19 th century . Comfortable cream well padded banquets throughout.
So we decided to go to Bliss for Valentines Day this year.
The menu for Valentine's Day offered multiple specials not seen on their regular menu.
The standard menu price at Bliss is ultra-reasonable. Appetizers $6-8, Mains $13-21 and Desserts $7. The wine list is also reasonable with a focus on well priced French wines.
We started with cocktails. My husband had a glass of whiskey and I had a signature champagne cocktail.Initiailly I found it too sweet so I asked them to add some lime, which still made it unpalatable. After a few sips I gave up. Although I did not complain or return it, they removed the drink price off our final bill.
We ordered a bottle of  $40 Pomeral Bordeux Red which was a medium bodied earthy red.
I started my meal with a $15  appetizer of sauteed fois gras with roast pear and my husband had a  $5 mesclun salad.
Now the fois gras and its perfection is the principle reason I am writing this review. Now in case you haven't figured this out yet, my primary reason for eating is taste. While I certainly care about healthiness, supporting local farmers ,having pesticide free food, and being humane to animals,if all of those things also didn't translate into supremely better tasting meals, honestly I really wouldn't bother. So for those who care about the pain the duck suffers being forcefed to produce their premium liver, I say, my first duty is to satisfy my tongue, by whatever means necessary. If a duck must be stuffed to accomplish this, so be it. So in my opinion, one of the best ways to have fois gras is when it is perfectly seared, slightly seasoned and served with a lightly sweetened accompaniment. Just enough accompaniment to highlight that delicate sweetness and creaminess of the fois gras itself. You really don't need to do much to the fois gras. If it is high quality, you want to barely caress it with seasoning, heat and sides so it is the true star of the show. And this is what Bliss did perfectly. The fois gras was lightly salted and peppered and so perfectly barely cooked. Even now the memory makes me infinitely sad it is not on the regular menu. It melted in my mouth, gliding into a creamy slice of perfect luxury. Bliss was not skimpy with the portion either , giving a good 3 inch portion of the fois gras. It was served with a 1/4 of a sliced roast pear and a balsamic reduction with a few sprigs of salad and a few toast points. The pear and balsamic reduction provided the needed undertone of sweet and tart to balance the fois gras. Truly one of the best fois gras appetizers I have ever had. My husband's salad was a simple refreshing salad lightly dressed. The Valentines menu was somewhat pricer than Bliss' typical menu.
For mains, I had the  $29 special rack of lamb with couscous and vegetables, cooked rare. My husband had the  $27 filet mignon with gratin potatoes,cooked medium rare. My lamb arrived perfectly cooked, well seasoned with a tasty side of couscous and small portion of fresh vegetables. My husband's filet was well seasoned and perfectly cooked and his potatoes were a well balanced mix of  creaminess. Overall the mains were the standard consistent tastiness we have come to expect from Bliss. Nothing extraordinary like the fois gras. We finished with an apple tart, which was a light refreshing puff pastry base with sliced apples served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.
Overall, Bliss is a true New York treasure. I am always amazed it is not packed with more people, as it truly delivers in taste for the price point. If only I could have the fois gras monthly.......life would be divine
So though the Quest continues I am so happy to report my first food orgasm since starting this blog........

Buttermilk Channel

Buttermilk Channel
524 Court St

Brooklyn, NY 11231
(718) 852-8490

Food  4
Ambiance 7
Service 5
Overall 16
Good for local beers and wine ,skip the pricey food and head somwhere else on Court street

So after hearing so much about this place, this past Thursday I ventured forth with my husband and cousin hankering for some expertly fried chicken. The restaurant is at the far end of Court Street, without too many other competing restaurants nearby. We arrived at 6 pm without reservation and were promptly seated when our full party was complete. The place is standard Brooklyn ,cool and elegant. Cream walls, cozy small space with high ceilings, loads of windows and historic seeming charm. Actually given the menu, focused on so many comfort foods, I was not expecting the refined decor. We waited at the bar for my cousin and I tried a $ 10 Bill Royale, a champagne cocktail  with pear brandy and ginger liquor while my husband had a $6 ommegang draft beer. My cocktail tasted like gingerale with a whiff of pear. Not my cup of tea and certainly not worth the price tag but not bad enough to send back.
The menu is somewhat pricey for the mish mash of good ole american and french inspired comfort food. The most well priced were the appetizers 5- 11 dollars, ranging from oysters cooked 3 ways, a variety of charcuterie, cheeses , salads and soups. The wine list is an impressive ode to American wine, with a nice well priced selection of Californian, Oregon and New York varieties. We settled on a  $30 Wolffers Estate North Fork Merlot and were nicely surprised.We started off with the $10 winter squash tart and the $7 pork rilletes. The tart was without a doubt the highlight of the meal. A sweet beautifully cooked squash layered on a thin bed of ricotta and puff pastry that tasted like shortbread crust. It was a perfect appetizer, combining a variety of subtle winter flavors in an appropriate sized portion. The rilletes on the other hand were another story althogethr. Underflavored, overly fatty with an unappetizing look and consistency, they reminded me of undercooked hamburger and had none of the lovely fullness that pork can always impart. For the main course ,my cousin had the $14 lamb salad, I had the $18 fried chicken and my husband had the $19 ommegang oxtail chili. Although I did not sample my cousin's salad, it was a small portion of a 2 romaine leaf boat filled with primarily lots of roast cauliflower, eggs and capers with a dusting of lamb chunks. My cousin seemed to marginally enjoy it. My fried chicken was a geneous portion of 2 leg and two pieces of breast meat with a tiny serving of coleslaw and half a cheddar waffle. The chicken was overly crusted and the leg just  barely  cooked while the breasts were dryly over cooked. The  crust was an hard shell around the chicken meat , which was uninspiringly seasoned. The waffle, though a tiny portion, was actually tasty and light but was served with a side sauce that tasted more like molasses than maple syrup. The cole slaw was standard, not too much sugar or mayonaisse. Overall for the price tag of 18 dollars, there a plethora of  better fried chickens to be had in Brooklyn and beyond. On to the worst of the worst, my husband's chili. I must preface my comments by saying that somehow my husband managed to swallow the entire portion of this chili and pronounced that he had found it enjoyable. But be forewarned that  my husband likes to be contrarian ,especially when I have such obvious disdain for a dish.First , let me state that when I think of chili I think of hearty portion of beans and meat, simmered together into a perfect stew of protein spiced goodness. The first clue that this was not the kind of chili Buttermilk  Channel was serving was the minuscule portion of chili served in a beautiful white porcelain  mini terrine soup bowl. The bowl itself was filled perhaps a third of the way with chili,at most a 1 cup portion for 19 dollars. Now despite the small portion, I hoped that maybe an incredible taste filled with heaty chunks of meat would make the ridiculous price worth it. Unfortunately, the first impression I felt at  looking  and smelling  the warm dirt brown colored chili in the soup bowl was that it reminded me of dog food . I ventured forth with a bite and my impression was confirmed that this chili was worse than it looked. .Truly shocking for a restaurant of this supposed caliber. A  place that can't make decent chicken or chili is very telling. I would certainly not waste my money on their other  entrees when they can't get basic standards. We continued with the $7 dollar apple bread pudding which unfortunately continued the theme of disappointment. We were served a barely warmed congealed hunk of bread doused with an overly caramel sweet sauce. We shared 3 bites and then were done. What was truly amazing is that by the time we were leaving, the restaurant had a line out the door. The only reason I would return here is if I wanted some local beers and wines at the bar. Otherwise, to spend your dollar at this Brooklyn joint when there are so many other fine establishments is in my opinion frankly nuts.
The Quest continues...........

Ornella Trattoria

Ornella Trattoria Italiana

29-17 23rd Avenue, Astoria NY 11105
718-777-9477
Food 6
Service 5
Ambiance 5
Overall  16
Good for authentic and creative pasta and salads

I wanted to check out Ornella after reading about it in Edible Queens and either Metro or AM NY. I am always on the lookout for great pasta like what  I seemed to find so easily anywhere in Italy. So 2 weekends ago, my husband and I ventured forth on a Sunday night , with our Amarone in hand.They don't yet have a liquor license, so we actually came without Amarone, but ran to the liquor store next door to recitify that. On our arrival we were immediately greeted by the warm and very friendly owner, Giuseppe Viterale .He showed us to our table and began talking with us to find out if it was our first time visiting and how we had heard about it. Giuseppe is one of the main reasons I will be returning to this restauarant. His love and pride of his home cooking is evident. And he clearly is looking to make people feel truly welcome in his home style restaurant. Every small critique of his food he seemed to be taking truly to heart. Like he wanted us to truly help him make the restaurant better. A rare quality to encounter in a New York City restaurant. Back to the restaurant's ambiance. The place is long and narrow. The Viterales have tried to provide some rustic charm with cheery yellow walls and a few hastily made flowers  along with a few poor man's frescoes on the wall, but alas, the place lacks the much needed t authentic charm of its owners. On to the menu. The main menu consists of an assortment of interesting  appetizers $7-10, well priced pastas($14-19) and meat and fish main entrees($21-25). Of note a majority of the pastas and risottos are to be found in the menu vegetariano. So you should look at this before making a final selection. Since I had heard the star of the shows is pastas that is where we focused our attention. We started off with a $9 grilled octupus salad. A generous portion, definantly good for 3 to share, we were disappointed by the saltiness and toughness of the octopus. The accompanying salad was perfectly dressed and a refreshing counterpoint. I continued on with their $18 housemade chestnut pasta with shrimp, pasta di castagna, while my husband had the $19 imbustata. Both were generous portions of fresh homemade goodness. My chestnut pasta was similar to linguine  made with chestnut flour and served with quickly wilted arugula ,cherry tomatoes and shrimp.We also ordered a side of rabe, which was a delicious garliced complement. Although my chestnut pasta was a tad bit on the salty side, it was a hearty and satisfying with the unique understated nutiness of the chestnut. It reminded me in color and taste profile of buckwheat noodles. Aside from the tad bit over saltedness of the dish I did not find the shrimp married with the other ingrediants- would definantly order this dish straight vegetarian next time.  My husband's imbustata was essentially a lasagna filled with a rich creamy mix of ground veal and chicken with mushrooms,spinach, mascarpone cheese and mozzerrela cheese. It was too heavy and unrefined for my taste, the flavors collapsing together into an unrecognizable medly of mush. It was not bad, just in comparison with the sweet simplicity of the chestnut pasta quite surprising- and not for me in a godo way. My husband adored it. We finished our meal with italian flan and tiramisu. The flan was  tasty but nothing extaordinary. For my taste, not enough sugar or creaminess. The tiramisu on the other hand I found too sweet , without enough balance of coco and coffe flavors and an unusual orange flavored aftertaste which was not to my liking.
Aside from the owner, waitstaff was adequatey present.
I will definantly be checking out Ornella again. It is rare to find such authentic Italian pasta at reasonable prices in the city. Although there were several misses in our meal, the owner and the opportunity to try more original and unusual pastas make me want to return.
The Quest continues..............

Capsouto Freres

Capsouto Freres
451 Washington Street

New York, NY 10013-1723
(212) 966-4900
Food 5
Service 6
Ambiance 7
Overall 18
Good for romantic setting for unimpressive old school french for beaucoup dollars

So my husband and I went here before a Chinatown play for restaurant weeek dinner. Although it is a fairly old by New York restaurant standards, the reviews are uniformly glowing.  First off ,its in the middle of industrial nowhere, somewhere at the edge of Tribeca , SOHO and Chinatown. Meeting up on a winter's night at 6:30, I was a little scared at the lack of pedestrain traffic around these parts. When I finally sidled up to the restaurant, I was impressed at the size and warm decor. A historic almost cavernous room, with high celings, cheery hints of red and beautiful molding throughout. Giant leafy plants take over the massive windows.  I was instantly greeted by a cheery and somewhat cheeky older French fellow, who showed me to my table. The waiters, all dressed up in formal black and white attire, quickly gave me a drink menu to peruse while I waited for my husband. When we arrived at 6:30 the place was fairly empty. But by our departure close to eight it was full with  many large parties. We stuck with the restaurant dinner menu. I opened with smoked salmon salad, followed by a  daube de boef bourguignon. He had an argula goat cheese salad, followed by a grilled mahi mahi. We both had some wine, which was fairly priced and adequate. My smoked salmon was delicately seasoned and a nice portion. A refreshing opener for the palate. My husband' salad was nothing notable. Overly dressed and certainly not memorable. My beef was an unfortunate tiny small portion that was overly cooked and underseasoned.Very unimpressive for such an impressive looking restaurant. My husband fared worse. His fish was unfresh and miniscule. Although well seasoned, again I was shocked that a place with this look would serve so unfresh a fish. Overall the meal was barely adequate for a restaurant week price. If I had paid full price, I would have been a little more than disappointed. Service was fairly speedy and responsive. Given the ambiance and service, its a shame the kitchen is not more on point.
The Quest continues.....

Eat Rice in NYC

Eat Rice in NYC
7219 Roosevelt Ave
Jackson Heights,NY
7188039001


Food 7
Ambiance 6
Service 5
Overall 18
Good For cool casual cheap dinner and drinks, good for small groups

We went here early Friday  night at 7 pm for some good Thai comfort food.
We were immediately surprised by the funky decor as we were not expecting anything more than some good Thai  food in your typical Thai restaurant. Sleek white banquets. White shaded lights. Plastic but cute wheat grass throughout. The overall effect was understated modern. We seated ourselves in the half empty restaurant. The menu is straightforward Thai cuisine with a nice selection of mock cocktails that are sake based , a decent selection of wines by the glass and several beers. We started with steamed appetizer combo, $7.95, of crab shumai, shrimp shumai, dumplings and gyoza. This was a delicious and simple selection of well seasoned goodies. Hints of ginger,garlic and green onioned goodness. My husband continues with a  $7.95 large  ShrimpTom Yum Soup which was a beautifully seasoned and not overly spicy version of the classic with a fairly generous amount of shrimp. I had a  $10.95 chicken and shrimp pad thai. A little more sour and liquidy than normal pad thai  but a truly generous and tasty portion of perfectly cooked  juicy shrimp and chicken with rice noodles. The portion was really big enough for 2.My husband had a powerful pot of mint tea and I started with a $6 dollar lychee martini and finished with $5 warm sake. The martini was not overly sweet and a nice rounded option. The sake was a truly generous small bottle of good quality sake for the price.
Service was adequate.
Would definantly recommend this place both as a destination and if you are in the neighborhood for good Thai in a sleek atmosphere with well priced drink options.
Aside from Novo, Jackson Heights doesn't have much in the way of funky spots so I am glad to have finally discovered this place.
The Quest continues....

Char No 4

Char No 4
196 Smith Street

Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 643-2106

Food 5
Ambiance 5
Service 4
Overall 14
Good For whiskey shots and appetizers, skip the pricier food and cocktails
 Finally made my way to Char No 4 this past MLK monday on our way back from a D.C weekend.
Craving some good barbecue and whiskey, I figured this Brooklyn place should fit the bill.
We arrive at 6:30 pm without reservations, and the tiny spot had a few people dining and drinking already. By the time we left at 8:30 the joint was completely packed. Of course, not hard to do since this place is TINY. Mainly bar as you enter and 4 booths and 2 tables in the back. The place to us was  depressing in its decor. An  poorly thought out ode to the sevenities with brown walls and wood everything.
We were promptly seated and the menu is on the pricier end for what you get. We were hungry and unimpressed by the primarily all fried appetizers so we went striaght for drinks and main. I ordered the $22 ribs with spicy cornbread and baked beans. Underseasoned and not deliciously smoked ribs. Cornbread was moist and tasty. The beans were undercooked and the spiciness and other flavors not appetizing. Since I am somewhat obsessed with all things barbecue, this was a definante disappointment. My husband had the $18 house made  maple sausage with brussels sprouts. The sausage was unmemmorable although the sprouts were nicely caramelized and seasoned. A fairly small portion of food for the pricepoint.We shared a $6 side of braised kale. My husband first ordered the whiskey version of dark and stormy. A very weak sweet and watery cocktail, definantly not worth it. I ended up drinking most of this relunctantly and he went for their midprice $22 whisky flight. I started with a sazerac cocktail, which is not on the regular menu and I have never had, which was completely undrinkable medicine like cocktail. I returned that and went to my standby whiskey cocktail of a Rob Roy, which was predictably delicious.
Service was barely present throughout. And when I returned my Sazerac, my waitress grilled me on why I wa returning it.
Overall, would definantly not recommend this place if you are not in the borough already. The star here is really the whiskies. The food is secondary.
The Quest continues.....

Vesta

Vesta Trattoria and Wine bar
2102 30th Avenue

Astoria, NY 11102
(718) 545-5550
Food 6
Ambiance 6
Service 6
Overall 18
Good for casual couples dinner if you are in Queens, good casual wine bar for small groups

I heard about Vesta through the Edible Queens magazine, which has a nice listing of many new Queens restaurants. Since I am always looking for cool tasty options nearby, I checked it out 2 weekends ago on a Sunday night at about 7 pm. This restaurant is in a very residential part of Astoria and doesn't have many other restaurants nearby. When you enter the small space, you are struck by the understated casual charm of the place and the immediate smile of the host.  Brick walls, light olive green banquets, tiny wood tables. It reminded me of your typical Brooklyn joint. Which is a good thing, if you had to guess. Promptly seated, we reviewed the nicely priced menu and small but well ranged wine list. The menu has a wide price range, from $11.95 pizza to $27.95 steak. Wine is offered in 3 sizes, a bottle, a glass or a shot, allowing you to create your own wine flights. We shared a $32 bottle of Aglianico, a nice medium body Italian red which we have only tried once before.We started with a $ 6 celery root soup, a massive portion of creamy goodness in a bowl. I followed with the $14.95 lasagna and my husband had the $27.95 grass fed strip steak. My lasagna was a disappointment. Burning hot, when it arrived on the table I imagined fresh tasty meat and cheese. Unfortunately, the lasagna was primarily a sour tomatoe sauce sparsely layered with mozzarella and which was not adeqautely seasoned. My husband fared better, with a tasty and perfectly cooked steak and potatoes.  Nothing unusual in flavoring or presentation and a little pricey for what you get compared to everything else on the menu. We also shared a $4 escarole side, which was a beautiful fresh dish accented with garlic.
We ended the meal with a dessert white  and the speciality house Baby Jesus cake.We were underwhelmed by the Baby jesus cake, which is a semi sweet dense fig cake. It tasted too much like a brownie with minimal finesse.
Throughout, service was very good. With constant checking in and fairly speedy food to the table. The only exception was our dessert, which took a long time coming. The restaurant removed the cost of our dessert and glass of wine for the delay.
Although there were many misses in the actual food, I would check this place out again, especially for brunch. Would not trek out here from another borough for this place , given the price point and food quality. But if you are in Queens, its worth a try. Would definantly come here just for some wine and pizza although they have a fairly tiny bar area.
The Quest continues......................

Aliseo Osterio Del Borgo

Aliseo Osterio Del Borgo
667 Vanderbilt Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11238
718 783 3400
Food 6
Ambiance 6
Service 4
Overall 17
Good for romantic simple Italian cuisine for couple or very small group
So having lived in the Prospect Heights area a few years ago, I had always passed by this restaurant with intrigue. Last night, Saturday, finding too many of the funky new Prospect Heights establishements packed and not allowing reservations, I ventured forth in the cold night for some proper Italian comfort food. When you enter Aliseo,you feel you are coming home. Home to a cozy small dining room  that your Uncle from  Italy happens to open daily to strangers. Faded rose gold gilded wallpaper. Flickering candles. Soft sheltered lighbulbs. Murmurs of soft jazz background music. This is the kind of place that becomes your Sunday night dinner go to. The kind of place where you spend a 3 hour meal with friends and the owner ends up sharing a bottle of wine with you. In other words my kind of place. Now to have this kind of atmosphere , you must be intimate and truly small. The restaurant has maybe 8 tables total, all cheek to cheek. The food menu is as small as the restaurant, with many mains doing double duty as appetizers. Prices are reasonable, most appetizers in the 9-10 dollar range and mains in the mid teens to early twenties.Where Aliseo is not small is its fairly comprehensive Italian wine list, with an excellent representation of wines from most of the important wine regions.
After consultation with the owner, we settled for a $38 Montepulciano from Marche. A well balanced fruit forward wine which complemented our meal  and mood fantastically.
We opted to start our meal with the $9 squid fennel salad. The fennel was refreshing and mildly sweet. The squid was not ultrafresh and a bit too salty. Overall, an adequate salad. For mains, I opted for the $21 braised short rib with grilled polenta and my husband for the $25 special branzino and monkfish. We also ordered an extra $8.50 side of mixed sauteed vegetables. My short rib came , a tender mildy seasoned piece of meat with a pan grilled portion of creamy polenta. The plate also had some lovely charred endive. The beef could have been better caramelized and the polenta more grilled, but the overall flavor was simple home cooking. It reminded me of some of the inexpensive Italian places in Marche I have visited . My husband's fish, also not ultrafresh ,was served in a deliciously  fragrant saffron broth. Unfortunately the heady perfume of the broth did not have a chance to permeate the fish. In addition, his fish was not served with anything, vegetables or starch, which I thought was odd for a 25 dollar special. We moved onward to desserts. I ordered the chocalate tart and my husband the ricotta and coffee cake dessert. Both $8.50. My tart arrived , pieshell dangerously close to burnt, dancing on a semisweet orange sauce. The tart was a light not too sweet creamy chocalate. If the pieshell was less burnt it would have a been a perfect light dessert ending. My husband's ricotta and coffe cake turned out to be flavored ricotta served in a pie shell. Our waiter forgot to let us know they were out of coffee cake. Unfortunately, the flavored ricotta tasted odd with the pieshell and was really not a welcome dessert ending.
Our waiter was not very present most of our meal.
Overall, although there were some misses in the food and service, I would venture forth here again and focus on pastas and meats.
The Quest continues..............

67 Burger

67 Burger
67 Lafayette Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11217-5500
(718) 797-7150


Food 7
Ambiance 5
Service 3
Overall 15
Good for upscale burger in deluxe McDonalds setting



On my way to see a really bad Tennesse Williams movie at BAM last December, I decided to check out 67 burger for a quick bite. Having heard enough of the rave reviews of my sisters, who rates it as one of her  favorite burger joints, I ventured to see what all the love is about. Set in the hip heart of Fort Green, literally minutes from BAM it is a great location for fast and furious burger loving. The space is tiny, probably 10 tables in a mod diner looking establishment. Metal, bright colors all you need to feel funky and hip while eating a burger. I must admit although I did not partake when ordering my burger a nice touch is a select option of wine and beer at reasonable prices. When you enter the joint, its like Mcdonalds except upscale. Go to the counter, order the combo your way (oh yeah that burger king), sit down and burger arrives in a few minutes. They even give you free tap water without asking.  So you can choose between 4 kinds of burger - grilled chicken, ground turkey, veggie and good ole beef. No organic grass fed fanciness here. All burger are served on standard sesame bun with lettuce tomatoes and onions. Then you choose your style- with 12 burger variations  ranging from greek feta cheese, artichoke hearts and olive tapenade to your basic blue cheese and bacon classic 67 burger, varying in base price of  $7-9. Then you can add a variety of cheeses and sauces for under $2  per topping. They also have a variety of salad sides or mains. Fries are not included and your options for under $4 are regular curly, cajun seasoned and sweet potatoe . They also have pricey onion rings for $4.50  . I opted for the  $8 parisien beef burger, medium rare, served with white wine sauteed onions, mushrooms, dijon mustard with a side of regular $2.95 fries. One thing for sure this place is speedy. In five minutes, I got a well sized fresh tasting beef packet of yumminess. The lettuce tomatoe onion  and pickle were a bit faded but the burger itself was a flavor bonanza. The meat was juicy and  perfectly cooked. The fries were enormous, really the size for 3 people to share and unfortunately to salty and not crispy enough for my taste. Overall, the burger was good. Certainly not the best burger my big mouth has consumed. I also did not like the quick serve , Mcdonald aspect to this place. Its does not feel  like a restaurant and personally if I am going to end up spending 10 dollars on a burger and fries I would like to feel like I am in a more chill down place. Of course,as a take out spot or I just need a quick upscale burger fix, it's not a bad option.
So overall I would recommend 67 burger .
The Quest continues..................

(aged.)

(aged.)
10702 70th Rd
Forest Hills , NY 11375
(718) 544-2433
Food 5
Ambiance 6
Service 5
Overall 16
Good for drinks

So I have been off vacationing in Portugal for the holidays, hence my lack of blogging. But prior to my trip out, on the December 17th  Thursday, I had the unfortunate experiance of eating at (aged.). My husband and I were in the neigborhood of Forest Hillas after having dropped my sister off at the airport and figured we were sure to find a cool dinner bet along Austin Street. Occupying the space formerly housing Rouge, a french restaurant, a glance inside the window whetted my appetite. Its no casual Peter Luger's. Sleek wooded interior with funky metal lighting. We arrived around 7 pm, and the place although medium in size, was about half way full. A deceptively good sign I thought. We promptly were seated and quickly ordered. My husband had been hankering for a burger and I for some good steak so we figured this place would be a perfect settlement. We started with the $7 apple raspberry candied walnut spinach salad. Heavy on an overly vinagered dressing, I gave up after a few bites and hoped for the best with my $19  hanger steak. I ordered it bloody, which in NY is still not enought to gurantee rareness. I was hoping a steakhouse could handle the order though. My husband stuck to his guns and ventured for the $14 angus burger with blue cheese and mushrooms. My steak arrived medium rare with an uninspired mash of potatoes but a tasty though small side of vegetables. I returned it immediately and waited for some true rare steak to reappear. My husband's burger although very flavorful had the bizarre consistency of wood chips. I have never had a burger like this, sawdust dry although it was actually perfectly cooked medium. I have no idea what kind of angus was in there but it was a true travesty for 14 dollars. The fries accompanying the burger were adequate, but nothing memorable. When my steak returned tableside, it proved not worth waiting for. It had an off tangy taste, almost gamey, was under seasoned and generally not much to write home about. After a few bites I desisted, finished the tasty greens and pondered the sad situation. I suppose (aged .)might be a good place for a drink if you are in the Forest Hills area. But never mind the food. A steakhouse  that can't make a spinach salad, burger or a hanger steak  is a very pathetic steakhouse indeed.
The Quest continues......

Aqualis Grill

Aqualis Grill
773 Fulton St.

Brooklyn, NY 718-797-3494
Food 6
Ambiance 6
Service 5
Overall 17
Good for basic Greek inspired seafood in the heart of Fort Green

Now since I live in Queens, not far from the bastion of the best Greek cooking in the city, Astoria, I pondered more than thrice the wiseness of trying Greek anywhere else. But curiosity ,proximity to BAM and a string of good reviews, made me venture forth. Aqualis Grill sits in one of the hippest  strips of Fort Green, in a space that has had poor luck maintaining any restaurant for longer than 2 years. The interior has not changed much from its former incarnation as an Italian restaurant, and is fairly nondescript. Tame yellow walls, wood accents, a large undivided dining room. The decor is standard, uninspiring, but adequate. We arrived at 6 pm on a Tuesday and were lucky to find that there is a $25 prix fixe from 5- 7 :30 pm. The place was fairly empty,although by 7:30 pm it had slowly begun to fill up. My husband opted for the prix fixe option, which includes a glass of wine. I opted for the whole dorado and my sister ordered the appetizer mussels with a side of fries. One problem with this place is it is fairly slow in service. Although the place was empty, our waiter took his time getting our orders and our food took its time getting to the table.
The prix fixe appetizer we chose was an eggplant mash, which was served almost ice cold with tasty toasted pita points. Flavorful, it was marred by the ice cold temperature. My main dorado was a generous portion of fresh flaky fish. Under charred and under seasoned, it was no match for some of the best Astoria seafood places. Served with a side of wild greens , I also ordered a $4 side of the beet salad. The greens were delicately sauteed in garlic and olive oil. The red beet salad was one of my favorites of the meal, a combination of yellow and red beets tossed in a light vinaigrette with red onions. Perfect for summer with grilled meats. My husband's main was a grilled salmon filet, which was perfectly cooked and in contrast to my dorado well spiced. My sister's $10 appetizer mussels portion was fairly small  with an interesting unexpected flavoring of feta, saffron and the anised sweetness of the ouzo. The $4 side of fries was disappointing not only in size but lacking in proper crispness. My husband's prix fixe ended with a small serving of creamy greek yougurt sprinkled with nuts and honey. Although tasty, fairly uninventive as far as a dessert offering.
Overall, this is not by any means on par with most of the excellent greek restaurants in Astoria.
However, the prix fixe is an excellent deal and if you are craving Greek in Brooklyn , Aqualis is a good substitute.

The Quest continues......

Convivium Osteria

Convivium Osteria
68 5th Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11217-2021
(718) 857-1833
Food 7

Ambiance 7

Service 6

Overall 20

Good for well made and priced home cooked italian specialities in romantic Old World decor
So I have been intrigued by this place for some time as it advertises itself as serving Portuguese and Italian food. Aside from the odd combination, it has been a neighborhood favorite for some time, although because of its miniscule size, the wait is generally very long. Luckily, I attempted the outing on a Sunday night and was easily able to sit a party of 4 for 7 pm. We arrived there and from the minute we stepped in I felt we had taken our TAP flight right into Lisbon. Having traveled to Portugal frequently for the last 10 years, the place gets high marks for authenticity in decor. Beautiful blue and white tiles. Rustic wood tables. Cozy simple charm. I can only imagine how lovely it must be when they have their Fado set on Saturdays.This place however is beyond tiny. Maybe 5 tables at most in the entire space. It is amazing they can get enough mileage put of those few settings. Be prepared to get close to your neighbor diners.
Now while the decor is a definate ode to all things Portuguese, the food from my estimation was straight up Italian.  Lots of pasta,polenta and preparations that recall nothing in Portugal that I have seen.The wine list is an extensive mix of primarily Italian ,Spanish and Portuguese wines, with a good range of pricing. We opted for a  $40 bottle of Spanish Cava- a nice refreshing complement to everything we ordered. We started with the  $13 grilled octopus served with a white bean celery and tomatoe salad, a sizeable appetizer portion. The octopus was perfectly grilled, tender and subtly seasoned. The salad, although a fresh  summery combination was marred by the undercooked beans. I opted for the  $24 whole seabass, my mother had a special linguine with half lobster, my sister had rabbit with polenta and my husband had the $22 dollar pork ribs with polenta. The star of all the dishes in my opinion were thoseb featuring seafood. My mother's linguine was perfectly cooked  and delicately spiced with garlic and herbs with a generous portion of half lobster. My whole seabass was perfectly cooked and super fresh. I could have handled more ample seasoning and char but for the price, the fish is beyond ample for one. The sides of asparagus and potatoes were good choices,especially the charred delicious asparagus. Both my sister's and husband's meals were underflavored for my tastes. While both meals were not bad, they did not merit the price, as their portions were at least half of the seafood dishes with half of the taste. Though full, we finished of the meal with a "a panna cotta flan" which was an essentially very delectable,creamy flan and the italian house speciality- a crumbly  moderately sweet chocalate hazelnut fig cake which was decadently good.
Overall , if you stick to seafood dishes , this place is a great ambiance filled trip to Portugual by way of Italian flavors for a reasonable price. Service was appropriately attentive throughout.
The Quest continues.....

Kitchenette

Kitchenette
156 Chambers St, New York 10007
212 267 6740

Food 4
Ambiance 4
Service 4
Overall 12
Good for heavy greasy leaden diner inspired brunch
So I realized when arriving here last Sunday, that I have visited the Morningside Heights branch of this establishment many times before. However, the Morningside heights branch has  never left me so sorely disappointed. We arrived there fairly late, my husband, sister and my mother around 3 pm. We were quickly seated at a small corner table ,with a window to the super cramped kitchen. When you enter this place you are reminded of country diners gone awry. To your left, is glass area of  baked goods , cakes, cupcakes and cookies that look fresh and delicious. The rest of the decor is a mishmosh of garage finds and colors. Pinks,red,yellow and greens. Well battered and used kitchen items. The menu is fairly priced, most brunch items starting in the  ten dollar range with some in the early teens. The food is basic with some attempted creativity thrown in. Plates come heavily loaded and and the food is just plain heavy. My sister had the  $11.50 sweet potatoe waffle, my mom the  $12 chicken cobb salad, my husband  $11.50 blackberry and cherry pancakes   , and I had the $10.25 Turkey sausage, cheddar and potatoe omelet.  All of our food came out within about 15 minutes, which made me a little suspicious as to how fresh everything was. The plates looked large and potentially appetizing, though clearly this kitchen is not about finesse.  Food was just plopped on the plate, diner style. Where to begin on this journey of sublime disappointment. I will start with my mother's skimpy Cobb salad. The thing about Cobb salad is it should be very hard to screw up. Load up the plate with onion, bacon, cheese, tomatoe, avocado and chicken. And voila you have salad. However, when my mom's salad arrived all ingredients were barely there. 4 pieces of tiny chicken, a few tomatoes, smattering of onion, no celery and very little blue cheese . It was amazing that compared to all other brunch items they were so pathetic in the salad. Aside from the general paucity of ingredients, the dressing and taste just were plain not too good. On to my omelet. Greasy and heavy. Like coal landing in my stomach. Some foods are greasy bits of heaven. This wasn't one of them. Barely seasoned, poor quality cheddar. The biscuit was even worse. I knew there was a problem when I picked it up and could sense its weight. Problem No 1. Problem No2 is it tasted as leaden as it looked.  My husband's pancakes continued the theme of leaden food. No air or fluffiness is these pancakes. Just wood. My sister fared almost worse than all of us. The waffle, which had not taste of sweet potatoe just the orange color, was denser than both of our brunch entrees. Service was barely present most of the brunch. I noted that when were leaving we were the last in this place and the waitstaff looked ready to go with us.
Needless to say we left with all of our plates half full. Our stomach's questioning the wiseness of the decision to eat even that amount.
I would definantly caution anyone searching for a satisfying brunch to avoid this place.
The Quest continues.....

Craftbar

Craftbar
900 Broadway St
NY,NY 
212 461 4300
Food 7

Ambiance 7

Service 6

Overall 19

Good for trendy tasty enough  dining in Union Square for couples or groups, no Top Chef here though!
I promise a Brooklyn review soon. I have somehow been hanging out in Manhattan more than usual these days. Anyways we went to Craftbar super early last Friday on our way to a wine class through NYC wine class at 7 pm. Our dinner reservation was for the ungodly hour of 5:30 pm and apparently 3 people called my husband to confirm our open table reservation. With this kind of annoying followup, we expected the place to be packed on our entry and where surprised there was only 1 other table with clients. Now of course I went here to sample the famed cuisine of Tom Collichio, now also know for his co judge role on Top Chef. He owns 2 other places in NYC, Craft steak and Craft, and Craftbar is described as the most casual of all 3. I must say if this is casual cuisine I am very intrigued to find out what his other restaurants look like. When you enter, the space is decidely modern. A little too much for my taste..large red canvases distributed throughout the sleek wood and metal interior with a few pops of green. I think the place is an homage to nature and the waitstaff were dressed in casual teeshirts and pants in brick red and green. Dimly light . Well cushioned faux leather banquet seating. We were quickly seated and perused the fairly small menu .
Prices are average for this level of Manhattan cuisine. Appetizers ranged $9-13 and mains $18-24. The menu leans towards Mediterranean, focus on French and Italian cuisines. Although they have a fairly large wine bottle menu with a good price range, the wines by the glass were more limited although a good range of a few varietals in both red and white categories. We decided to share a half portion of the beet casunzei as our appetizer. I started with a $9.75 glass of the Muscadet white and my husband had $14 Crozes Hermitage white. I later had a $9.75 Manchuela red. The wines were fine, nothing spectacular but ok for simple dinner accompaniments. The Casunzei was essentially beet ravioli. The half moon shaped dough was a little undercooked, beyond al dente firm. It had the suspicious taste of wonton wrappers- often substituted for fresh made pasta. The half portion came out to 4 fairly small ravioli. Not bad for an appetizer portion but for a pasta main, doubling that, would still be puny. The filling was a lovely sweet fresh tasting mix of beet and ground lamb served with a light butter sauce. I found the taste subtle but not as simple or great as the best Italian pastas I have had. I am not sure why American chefs have to make all pasta so complicated. Seems to me the rule of three, or 3 ingrediants maximum which works so well in Italy should work here. On to the mains. I had the toro tuna , essentially a nicoise salad and my husband had the branzino.  Both were fairly small portions and not exquisitely fresh. My toro was perfectly cooked but the presentation and taste were very boring and basic. I have had tuna nicoise raised a notch before, and unfortunately for 20 plus dollars a pop this was not that. My husband's branzino was over cooked, not to the point of dehyrdration luckily. His dish was better flavored with more complex spice combinations. But this was definantly no Top Chef moment. For the buzz of this chef, I must say overall I was unimpressed. Its not that the food was bad, it just wasn't top notch by any means. We continued on to the desserts, because we were both still hungry after our puny meal. The dessert selction is skimpy. I am hoping there is no dessert chef with these pathetic dessert options. I opted for an olive cake with ice cream and my husband had the brownie with ice cream. Both came out looking like unkempt messes. My olive honey cake looked strangely like a tiny dunkin donuts muffin. Unfortunately it was half as good as one. Very disappointing. Not very moist or tasty. The brownie was an average brownie with a chocalate sauce that tasted too similar to Herschey's chocalate sauce. The star of both was definantly the ice cream. And would definantly recommend if here getting their trio of icecreams.
I have to say the level of cuisine at this place is not making me want to rush out and spend more dough at Craft or Craftsteak anytime soon.
If you are in Union Square and are dying to sample Collichio cuisine for not outrageous prices in a cool enough atmosphere, check this place out.
The Quest continues.....

Lady Mendl's Tea Salon

Lady Mendl's
56 Irving Pl, New York, NY‎
(212) 533-4466‎
Food  6
Ambiance 8
Service 4
Overall 18
Good for half way authentic pricey tea in a proper British setting
So one thing you will learn from reading my blog is  that there are certain foods I am ,one might say, obsessed about. All things cue, as in bbq,  fall in that catetgory as well as all things pork . Another area of intense obsession is English tea and anything that involves clotted cream. For those who have never tasted clotted cream, I am sure the word clotted and cream do not sound appetizing. In fact, writing this, I must confess it conjures up the image of a rotten dairy product. But clotted cream is like the sinful marriage of butter and whipped cream. Cousins that should not mate but wickedly do. The result in my opinion is one of the few food treasures the British have given humanity. I wonder if the Queen has knighted clotted cream's first maker.Bizarre to say  I cannot even recall the first time I tasted clotted cream or sat at my first English tea. All I know is , that despite the fact that  I have never experianced love with a man at first site , I am much easier when it comes to food. Love at first bite, sights, whiff- I fell hook line and sinker for the pomp ,circumstance and sheer food delight of my first English tea. Ever since then I have roamed the world in the search for a tea experiance that will sweep me off my feet again. On occasion, I have been know to throw a tea party myself. And while I can make a mean scone and some tasty sandwiches, my personal take is that  half of the love affair of high tea is being waited upon, properly and obviously. What girl can resist that!
 Lady Mendl's is a lovely historic inn in a brownstone off of Union Square. The entrance is discreetly marked with a golden address plaque with only the words Lady Mendl's. Definantly not a place to be recognized unless you are in the know. Be forewarned that since they have two tea services at 3 and 5 pm in a fairly small room, reservations are definantly needed. When you enter, you feel immediately that you are visiting the home of your well off British aunt. It is a well preserved, dimly lit brownstone with ornate wood molding, period furniture, elegant gold flowered wallpaper and lovely wood floors. Certainly the first impression is that the door magically transports you into your own private English oasis . Our reservation was confirmed by the host and after a short bit of waiting, we were led to the Tea Salon. The Tea Salon consists of 2 fairly small  rooms set up with small tables covered in white tablecloths. Most can fit very tightly two people although there are a few larger tables. Each room can hold about 15 people at most.
The tea is a set five courses for 35 dollars. After sitting, they offered us the option of a glass of champagne for an additional $10 which we declined. The tea menu is varied and offers many options- black to green teas and many herbal flavors as well. I decided on a Lavender Tea and my mother opted for an Black tea with rose petals. Of note, the tea is served in teabags which in my mind is a major no no. Loose leaf measured tea make for a much more delectable tea experaince. Our table was set with lovely gold rimmed china plates and silver plated utensils. Although service was present, throughout the tea there were significant lapses for a place that is cultivating the air of gentility. The wait between each course was fairly long and we were missing simple things like cream or lemon on the table when our teas were brought out or clotted cream and jam when our scones were served. Also the place is somewhat on the cheap side. After I finished my first round of tea which I did not love, I asked to switch to the Lord Mendl, a lapsang souchong tea. At first my waiter hastily told me that it is not permitted to switch teas. When I asked why not, he did end up changing my tea. .As we were leaving, I heard the table next to me complaining that they had been charged for additional scones they had asked for although noone had told them this would be the case. Nickel and diming is not very highbrown in my book.
In any case, back to the tea itself. All tea services I have attended tend to serve the core part of the tea in a tiered serving platter so you can sample the different parts of the tea at will. Typically most teas offer an assortment of tea sandwiches, fresh baked scones and sweet pastries. Some who want to increase the number of courses will add a salad or another savory treat which can be served separate to the core tier. At Lady Mendl's everything is served in sequential order. Once you are done with sanwiches, no going back. I found this lost alot of the charm of a typical service for me.
We started off our tea with a vegetable samosa wrapped in filo dough with a little lettuce. Tasty although mildy undercooked, I would venture that this was not made in house. Then we continued to the sandwiches- 4 choices of an openfaced salmon on pumpernickel or rye bread with butter, cream cheese and cucumber on white bread , turkey on wheat bread, and egg salad on white bread. Your first round you are given 4 portions of your sandwich of choice. All were tasty,although I was surprised at the poor quality of smoked salmon used. You then have the option of one other go around with the sandwiches. Then we had scones, a plain and one with cranberry, served with berry jam and clotted cream. Fairly moist but super tiny. Each was maybe an inch in size. After this ,we were served a mutiple layer crepe cakes, crepes with a lightly flavored whipped cream interspersed.  The final course were a few cookies and a chocalate covered strawberry. Overall most of the food was well prepared and tasty, although not the most generous of portions . But that is fairly typical for most teas. Despite some drawbacks, I would say Lady Mendl's is a good bet if you are looking for a unique and historical setting with fairly well prepared tea snacks in the heart of New York City.
The Quest continues

Les Sans Culottes

Les Sans Culottes
1085 2nd Ave

New York, NY 10022-2004
(212) 838-6660
Food 2
Ambiance 6
Service 4
Overall 12
Good for spending your money on some of the worst food the city has to offer

Although I ate there only this past Monday, writing this review makes me feel like I am a tragedy survivor.
There is just a singular word to describe my experiance at this french cuisine travesty: disgusting. The word is neither original or memorable. But it is just. There are few things worse than bad food and bad wine. Les Sans Culottes is  a master in both.
Let me back track by saying I had walked by this genteel looking french establishment many times. It always had a good amount of patrons and showcased 3 separate prix fixe meals starting at their basic $25. The menu has  many French bistro staples so I figured it was a safe bet. Midtown east and french. Usually a good pairing.
We made a reservation for Monday at 8:30 and arrived slightly early.
Two other tables were there but otherwise the place was deserted. The place has the feel of ghosts. A place whose better days are long past but noone has told them yet they are off the most wanted list. Dingy and dusty. A forgotten attic of treasures. The ambiance must have been charming some years ago I think. The wallpaper and posters. Bright red and black. Small tables nestled closely together. The place was dark and silent. I remarked on entering it felt like we were no longer in NY. At the time, I thought this could be a good thing. By the end of my meal, I wanted my visa burned and revoked.
We settled for the 25 dollar prix fixe.
This started with a appetizer of crudites, terrine and sausages. The terrine was old and crumbly although not horrific in taste, served with  cornichons and an off tasting mustard based sauce. 3 types of massive sausages were brought to the table hanging from a 6 inch contraption. We were to take each and slice at will. The sausages were neither french nor good. Some poor deli version of salami. The piece de resistance was their wild crudite platter. Whole vegetable and fruit, not cut or prepared, just tossed into a large basket. The whole thing had the feel of those bad movies showcasing barbarian lords eating big boned meat with their bare hands. I paused fearing my main course would require me to depluck a chicken.
We had ordered wine with our meal. A chardonnay for myself and a cabernet for my husband. My husband took 2 sips of his vinegared wine and stopped, seeking refuge in the stale bread served. My chardonnay was unmemorable but drinkable.
I ordered the trout meuniere. A filet of trout came out, fresh but  pan dehydrated beyond compare,served with a lemon acid congealed sauce coating , insipid grey potatoe mash and a tablespoon of fresh vegetables. Looking at the meal, it did not inspire confidance of any tasty revelations. It tasted worse than it looked or smell. After 4 bites I was done and thankful we had feasted elsewhere on a plentiful bar appetizer 1 hour before.  My husbands entree was another altitude of problematic. He ordered the chicken cordon bleu, which was served with the same sad sides as my trout. His was also laced with some off white congealed sauce. Both also had been served with an additional side of fries and rice. My husband attempted to eat a third of his chicken and I fancied a taste. What happened next is almost too disturbing to write let alone remember. I reflexively spit it out. The taste was so nauseatingly awful, a strange unfresh melange of chicken,ham and cheese that had gone terribly wrong. Thankfully, my reflexes were good enough to have the offending food hit the plate and not the diners next to me. After recovering from the shock of what had just happened, I wanted to leave. I figured the desserts would be as awful as everything else. My husband reminded me that since I was planning on reviewing this place, I should sample it all. So we continued our feeding torture with chocalate mousse and creme caramel. More revelations of badness.
As I left the restaurant dazed and appalled, I wondered how does a place at this magnitude of  incompetance at these prices on the Eastside manage to stay in business. Can it really only be tourists who dine here or uninformed NY customers? Writing this review I was shocked to see so many positive reviews ,recent as well, on menupages and tripadvisor about this place.  Sometimes a place can have a bad night and be off its game. But the complete lack of anything approaching decent for all three courses leaves me convinced that nothing good can come out of this place. Maybe a new owner and a facelift can reinvent the place and bring it back into its hey day. Until then, book your trip to France with another restaurant.
The Quest continues..................

La Rioja

La Rioja
3305 Broadway
Astoria,NY 11106
718 932 0101
Food 7
Ambiance 6
Service 6
Overall 19
Good for tasty cheap tapas for a couple or a small group of friends
So I must confess that my main reason for going to La rioja is they advertised serving the famous iberico jamon de bellota, this black pig found only in a specific part of Spain whose diets is primarily acorns. I had just seen a few weeks ago a Gourmet Foodie TV special about the jamon and saw it featured in another magazine article where everyone was raving about the exceptional and unusual taste of this jamon. So one thing to know about me is that  I love all things pork and all things rarified. I will eat anything once. And eat it again if its tasty, whatever it is. Plus I love the idea of tapas because you really get a nibble of so many dishes and get a real idea of what a kitchen can do.
So we arrived on last Thursday night around 8 pm without reservations. The place was fairly empty  when we arrived although it filled up by the time of our departure at 9:30 pm. The restaurant is small, maybe 10 tables total tops. Standard unoriginal decor. Yellow walls, wood molding, ikea looking wood chair/tables. Nothing inspires you to think you are in Spain except you have a nice view of the little deli area in the back which showcases the jamon hanging from the ceiling and a pantry filled with a variety of  resonably priced Spanish stapels from cheeses to chorizo, paprika to canned pimenton. In any case, I came to eat ,not to shop, so we quickly set down to the business of ordering tapas. I glanced at the main entrees, which were standard grilled meat entrees and a few paella. Nothing tempted enough to deter me from the tapas agenda. Before launching into our tapas forray, I must note this place is still awaiting a liquor license. Knowing this beforehand we came with a tasty Calfornia Merlot and were not charged a corkage fee. Throughout our tapas, the waitstafff was very good at keeping our wine glasses full.
Now back to the tapas. We started of course with the 20 dollar plate of jamon Iberico de Bellota. Now I was a little askance at the price and was expecting a few slices of the pricey jamon as my reward. Instead we were served a heaping plate of about 20 thin slices of the ham. It was interesting and different, sweet somewhat nutty flavor that melted easily in the mouth. The consistency reminded me of delicate smoked salmon. Now sometimes things are so hyped up that they can never reach the expectation created in the mind. This was unfortunately my experiance with this jamon. Very tasty but not something to fly to Spain for. Upfront I must say that we loved all the tapas with the exception of the $7.95 shrimp in garlic sauce. This was well spiced garlic olive oil goodness save the rubbery shrimp. They tasted previously frozen and were just not good quality,surprising given the quality of everything else.
We continued with $7.95 white anchovies with avocado, which were simple and unexpected. The white anchovies were marinated in a light vinegar sauce and were served  on a bed of diced tomatoes with a squiggle of  avocado sauce in top. The combination of the subtle sweetness and tartness of the tomatoes with the smoothness of the avocado highlighted the  slight saltiness and creamy texture of the anchovies.  We also had the  $7.95 spicy chorizo with potatoes, which although it sounded like it might be very basic and boring turned out to be basic but definantly not boring. The chorizo was soft and spicy  with its paprika soaked orange juices seeping into the potatoe mash underneath. At first bite, I though they had used sweet potatoe,because the mash became that sweet orange color and taste of the yam. The combination of the light mash with the spicy chorizo was simplicity at its best. Another tapas that was delectable was the $7.95 grilled squid, a la plancha. Super fresh and tender, with just enough hint of garlic and olive oil to add to the tasty char. I have only 2 complaints about this tapas. One was the pathetic bread they were served with. Although it was warmed, it was essentially somewhat stale basic dinner rolls.  Second, although I am not a vegetarian, I do like my veggies, and the tapas selection is devoid of anything strictly veggie. After  the quantities of food enjoyed, we were absolutely stuffed,  but I decided to soldier on and  taste a dessert. The waiter steered me to the crema catalana, which was an unimpressive creme brulee. Not bad, just nothing to get ecstatic about.
Service throughout friendly and attentive.
Although the tapas are not super inventive and creative, they are without question some of the best tapas I have had in some time. Simple, fresh, well cooked and seasoned with generous portions for the price, there are  alot of reasons why I will certainly be coming back to this space. Hopefully, they will soon get a liquor license and  charm up the ambiance but in the meantime I will return with a good rioja and baguette  ready to sample more tapas.
The Quest continues........

The Spot

The Spot
417 Prospect Place
Brooklyn,NY
718 638 1733
Food 6
Ambiance 7
Service 6
Overall  20
 Good for drinks and appetizers, if needed a basic cheap dinner
I went to the Spot this past Halloween Saturday for dinner with my mother and husband to check out this fairly new American Bistro in Prospect Heights. It is a really sweet small cozy space with  touches of red and brown highlighted by candelit tables. There are odd artistic touches thrown in as well, like a withered brown tree painted on a white main wall. We got there at almost 10 pm and the place was almost empty, although this is a part of Prospect Heights that is just developing its restaurant row. We were seated promptly and since we were real hungry eagerly perused the menu which had a American Deli feel because of the abundace of  so many cuisines represented. Appetizer ranged from lots of fried seafood to ceviches in Mexican or Peruvian style while mains included various pastas and basic grilled meats and fishes. They have an fairly small wine menu and focus more on potent cocktail combinations. We settled on sharing the  $9 Mexican ceviche as a starter. My husband opted for the $11.95 grilled pork chop with mashed potatoes and asparagus, I had the $14.95 short ribs with spinach and rice and my mother had the  $15.95 grilled shrimp with plantains and spianch. My husband and I both opted for 2 strong cocktails ,both of which were cheap, sweet ,strong and tasty- in other words my kind of drink! Our ceviche came out a heaping portion of  fresh seafood - a mix of shrimp, squid, scallops, and fish  swimming in a spicy tomatoe sauce peppered with cilantro, lime and tobasco sauce. I was surprised at the size of the ceviche and was thankful we had not ordered another appetizer. This single serving gave us each an ample well flavored appetizer portion. Although the ceviche was a bit vinegary to my taste and the sauce was a bit too ample, it had nice taste and overall flavor  for the pricepoint. Our mains were less impressive. My husband's pork was seasoned with simple salt and pepper. Though moist, it was a bit overcooked and looked more fried than grilled. His asparagus were nicely sauted with basic flavorings although a very skimpy portion of only 4 asparagus. The mashed potatoes were pasty and unappetizing, reminding me of store bought box rehyrdated potatoes. My short ribs were tender with moderate seasoning of a little garlic, maybe  some parsley and salt and pepper. I found them too tomatoey in taste and stringey in texture. The rice was basic diner rice. The spinach was lightly seasoned and beautifully cooked. Probably the best part of the meal. Which is not faint praise since many places know how to kill some lovely spinach. Of all the mains, my mother's was the best. Her grilled shrimp were seasoned with a distant taste of cajun with nice even char. They were moist and not over cooked. The plantatins were not too greasy , and were nich thick chunks of sweetness. By the time dessert rolled around, we were just too full and a bit tipsy to order anything more.
Throughout, our waitresses were very attentive and helpful.
For the price, its not a bad deal. Nothing extraordinary but a good place for cheap good drinks and maybe seafood appetizers. If you must get a cheap dinner here. But there are so many places so close that can give you a great dinner experiance, really why bother
The Quest continues.................

Shangri La

Shangri La Restaurant
7415 Roosevelt Ave
Jackson Heights, NY 11372-6529
(718) 424-8900

Food 6

Ambiance 4

Service 6
Overall 16
Good for a casual  cheap weekday meal for  small group of friends or a couple


So my husband and I checked out this place last week Wednesday for some authentic Tibetan cuisine. Although it has a selection of Chinese,Nepalese Indian and Tibetan food,  I am assuming it is owned by Tibetans as Dali Lama pictures were prominently displaced. I have only had Tibetan food once before at another Jackson Heights restaurant and was underwhelmed. I figured for these prices, most meals under 10 dollars, I would give it another whirl. Shangri La is a medium size restaurant with another smaller area for takeout orders. Wednesday night our meal was accompanied by a live singer. I am not sure where he was from although the music reminded me of some Indian songs I have heard performed. A little loud  for the space, but I always enjoy live entertainment with my food. The restaurant is nothing fancy. Simple tables and chairs with a few decorations on the wall. The ceiling needs serious repair and the floor is basic bathroom brown tile. Not quite a  hole in the wall but certainly not the place to go to if you are looking for ambiance.
The menu, serving a variety of dishes from 4 countries is extensive but not overwhelming. Each country gets its own page of about 12 dishes. They also offer, surprisingly, some cheap wine by the glass(5 dollar) and really cheap beer (3.50 Heinekan!). We decided to experiment with the Tibetan Butter tea- which thankfully before serving us 2 whole portions our waitress suggested we try a small amount first. It tasted like a buttery soup. Good for warming the belly in cold weather. Not particularly good for my tastebuds as a meal accompaniment. We opted for the sweet tea, a basic black tea with milk.
We started our meal with pan fried Tibetan chicken dumpling. Half moons of fresh thin dough stuffed with fragrant chive garlic seasoned ground chicken ,expertly fried. They reminded me of  really good Chinese dumplings, except fresher and better seasoned. This first dish defiantly left us anticipating the rest of our meal. Most of the Tibetan dishes were beef heavy, very few chicken , seafood or vegetarian options.We opted for a classic Tibetan house made noodle with beef, spinach and mushroom  and a beef  stew with daikon and spinach served with rice. We also sampled a Tibetan steam roll- tingo. I was surprised to find my noodle dish essentially a soup- which was not described on the menu. Contrary to the well spiced dumplings, I found the soup very light on flavor, even after adding hefty doses of soy and chili sauce. Also when my soup arrived, it was missing mushroom and spinach. When I asked our smiling waitress if maybe the wrong order had been brought out, she informed me that the kitchen was out of spinach and had substituted small bok choy instead. She was happy to get extra mushrooms to supplement in the soup. While it was a little annoying she did not inform us of the spinach substitution and that my dish was a soup, she was very helpful throughout. She ended up giving me an ample   side portion of nicely seasoned mushrooms. My husband's dish was more to my liking,although again it could have benefited from greater seasoning. Both were ample portions. We also both loved their version of Tingo. The one other time I had this , I was really unimpressed because it tasted like unseasoned dough.  I had initially not wanted to order the tingo because of my prior experience.  Thank goodness we did. Their tingo was a light airy dough subtly salted and truly delicious. I was tempted to get it to go and experiment with it as a breakfast bread.
While the space and the food were not perfect, I appreciated the kind service, excellent prices and overall  tasty food. Check this place out if you are in the neighborhood and looking for a cheap meal deal.
The Quest continues.......

Jade Eatery and Lounge

Jade Eatery and Lounge
1 Station Sq., Queens, NY 11375
at Continental Ave. 
718-793-2203 

Food 7

Ambiance 7

Service 5

Overall 19
Good for groups and pairs who like cool vibes and asian tapas and cheap sushi


So my husband found Jade when we were looking for a cool lounge in Queens to hang in. We ended up going to another place that night but wound up here for dinner last week Saturday night with a 7 pm reservation. Jade is in the pricey Forest Hills Gardens area of Queens. It boasts a large restaurant with a separate Morrocan lounge and focuses on pain asian cuisine. The interior is modern  and sleek with a dash of Asian provided by the multiple Buddha statues throughout.  Low white chairs and wooden banquets. Dim lights and clubby music combine to make it a funky place for groups. When we arrived the place was virtually empty and quiet.As the night progressed and more people arrived, the heavily windowed space maintained a quiet noise level. We were seated promptly and were somewhat overwhelmed by the expansive menu which was everywhere in terms of price.
Tapas start at 6 and go up to 15. Mains were usually starting at 12-20 dollars. Sushi was generally 3 dollars a piece with rolls only 4 dollars, except for signature rolls which were 20 dollars. The menu is primarily chinese and japanese, with a few indian and thai inspired entrees. They also have a  good  size dselection of sakes , white and red wines at reasonable prices. We decided to chow on tapas and cheap sushi, as the main entrees sounded fairly standard , without any compelling taste combiantions. We sampled 3 sakes, the ozeki unfiltered , a asian pear flavored one, and a more basic clear sake. All were pretty tasty and complemented our foods very well.They also have a standard martini menu but surprisingly NO sake inspired cocktails which I though was very odd and a missed opportunity for some creative bartending.
For tapas, we had scallion pancakes, red snapper tacos, tuna  tataki, grilled shrimp skewers,  dim sum  dumplings and a special broiled scallop appetizer. We also ordered salmon and yellowtail sushi, a shrimp tempura roll and a crunchy spicy tuna roll. Of the tapas menu, the stars were the tuna tataki , the dim sum dumplings and the shrimp. Although the tataki was a very small portion and somewhat drowing in the sauce it was served with, it was perfectly cooked and seasoned with an interesting combination of soy, ginger, sugar and maybe cilantro. The dim sum dumplings were my husband's favorite, thin doughed dumplings filled with a ginger garlic mash of chicken or beef. I found them tasty but not extremely original in flavoring or presentation.  My favorite of the tapas was the grilled shrimp, a lovingly charred sizable order of 5  mildy spicy sweet shrimp .The scallion pancakes were of the unfortunate greasy and  doughy variety.The red snapper won for the worst tapas award,with virtually  no snapper they were overfilled with a  peculiarly flavored avocado mash layered in stale tasting corn taco shells. The broiled scallops were a surprisingly good portion of 8-10 medium sized scallops flavored with orange, light soy and some spice. Well cooked but not ultrafresh. As you can tell none of the tapas were very inventive or jaw dropping in taste. When you look at the tapas menu it is basically  standard appetizers from many Asian cuisines with a few variations throw in for dramatic effect.
The  undisputed star of the meal was really the sushi, which came ultra fresh with fairly sizable portions for the price. At the price point and for the ambiance of the space, it is an excellent deal..
Service was very attentive througout. My only issue with the service is that after being seated at our table, I noticed our chair backs  were crazy low providing no back support . Since I have a bad back, I asked  our waitress if we could switch to the banquet sitting. At this point the restaurant was still very empty. She looked at me blankly and just kept repeating "but that is not my section". I persisted and she with an exasperated look stated she needed to speak to the manager for his royal ok. When he comes over, he starts repeating the same mantra that this is not her section but finally relented. It was weird because after we finally moved  she stayed on as our waitress.

So skip the tapas, get your mains at a cheaper authentic Asian restuarant and focus on good bargain price sushi with tasty sake in a chill atmosphere.

The Quest continues.....