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Cute atmosphere, interesting menu, friendly service. The food is good, not great. This is the perfect place to go when you feel like good, satisfying food, but you just want to eat close to home (assuming this is close to home for you of course) in a relaxed but still somewhat upscale atmosphere.

Yes, the line can often be ridiculous. And I don’t think I’d wait over 30 minutes. But the burgers here are truly excellent; every single time I’m so happy to be eating my shack burger. The custard flavors are also unique (salted caramel, mango lassi, sweet corn, etc.) and very tasty.

If you go, try to go at an off-time – a late lunch, late dinner, etc. The line at these times can often be quite manageable (for the Shack at least) and the food is completely worth 15 minutes standing in beautifully shady Madison Square Park. And dining on a nice summer night under the lights of Shake Shack with a great burger and a beer or wine is one of those things that makes me smile and happy to live in New York.

I have nothing against things that are a little trendy or popular – it can be fun sometimes, people shouldn’t be so adverse. But this place I just don’t get. Sure, the fresh fruit it nice. But there is nothing special about the fruit or the frozen yogurt for that matter. Anyone from outside NYC who has ever been to a Marshall Field’s (Macy’s now) and had their yogurt there will tell you it is the exact same thing only 3x less expensive. If there were no line one day, I’d just won the lottery, and I’d paid off my grad school loans, I just might stop in for some Pinkberry. Otherwise, I don’t get it.

Public is fine. The space is beautiful. The bathroom is beautiful. The drinks are beautiful. The people are beautiful. And the description of the dishes on the menu make them sound beautiful. But five stars this is not. The food is creative in its use of unexpected ingredients or combinations, but the actual taste doesn’t quite meet the expectations set. The duck was very very good; the sea trout was good. Perhaps it was our service which soured the experience? After ordering, our waiter didn’t appear again until after we had finished eating. No obligatory, “how is everything”, “is the duck cooked to your liking”, “can I get you another drink” – nothing. That inattentiveness is really unacceptable for a restaurant promising an upscale and sophisticated dining experience as Public is supposed to be doing. I would go back, but only for drinks at the bar. For easily over $100 per couple, my expectations are significantly higher, especially given the other great restaurants within blocks of here.

The food here is excellent, as you would expect, and the service top notch. But two dishes I had really capture the experience I think. I ordered a Lobster Pasta. I was brought a plate with a tin of caviar which was opened and looked to contain caviar, but actually was filled with tiny squid-ink colored jewels of pasta made to resemble caviar. It was quite the presentation, and the luscious chunks of lobster, creamy soft poached egg and hollandaise sauce combined to form something truly wonderful.

The second dish was their breakfast for dessert. They won’t describe it to you prior to ordering, so I won’t give it away here either, but definitely save room. I couldn’t stop smiling the whole time I was eating it – very fun, whimsical, creative, and tasty.

Extremely open kitchen – almost like you are watching a performance you have such great views – is also a real treat.

Very nice atmosphere – rustic, wood-burning, pig-roasting, etc. Menu in all Italian which seems too much. Service was very friendly and comfortable. Pizzas are a safe, tasty, solid choice, though you will be told they aren’t filling enough. Pastas are simply prepared but fresh. Gnocchi with rabbit was very tasty, and the gnocchi was incredibly light. A fun place to go and worth a visit. Would also be a great option for drinks and apps in the bar.

Oh wow! Randomly decided to go here on a Tuesday night and dinner was phenomenal. Cherry tomato salad with arugula, toasted almonds and the lightest but most flavorful dressing was terrific; Farm Toast – goat cheese, kalamata olives and tomatoes was outstanding; even the basic French dip au jus with fries was great. The food was really stellar, the atmosphere is beautiful but totally unpretentious – a great place we’ll go back to for sure!

Pretty good brunch. Nothing amazing, pretty standard menu. Scene-y but not sure why. Nice outdoor seating.

We enjoyed our dinner here. Feels very comfortable and relaxed. Service was excellent. Scallops with polenta was very good, pork chop was good, mussels were okay. The pickles they give you with your bread are awesome! All in all, a pleasurable, low-key place to have a comfortable meal. Have heard great things about their brunch too.

Everything is just right at EMP. The service is fantastic, but still human and personal, not too stuffy. The food is amazing. The gnocchi was so light and fluffy, loup de mer was great, and the suckling pig was outstanding. You are going to spend a lot, so go for the four courses. You’ll leave with a full stomach and very satisfied by everything that has touched your tongue in those 2+ hours. (The atmosphere is also terrific – such a beautiful space!)