scerridesign "The Starving Artist"

Pros: Best and cheapest chicken (whole or quartered) in the city. Great variety of sides. Lightning fast service. Delicious Peruvian beer by the bottle. The place felt and smelled like you were in another country.

Cons: Extremely tight space. Service seemed disgruntled and was forgetful.

Overall: An absolute winner! The best tasting whole chicken for only $12. The cilantro-chili garlic sauce for the chicken was superb and flavorful. The skin was seasoned beautifully and you can taste everything on it. Sides were sure winners (tostones, maduras, and yuccas fritas) and the chocolate mousse desert capped it in the end. Unfortunately we didn’t receive our appetizers, but it was to our benefit because there was so much food. A whole chicken, 3 sides, 1 desert, and a beer came out to a total of just $35! Wow wow wow! The diners inside were equally energetic with the food and looked like they were having a good time. In the end, with all of that food, I didn’t feel guilty whatsoever. Delicious Peruvian food at dirt cheap prices. Do now miss this place!

Pros: Reasonably priced French food. Amazing selection of ales. From the outside, the inside looked attractive. Menu was very thorough and offered many classic French dishes without much fuss.

Cons: Be cautious when eating outside, mosquitos bite. Some chairs were defective and poked when sat on. Service was severely lacking.

Overall: Severely tasty. I’m leaving the atmosphere as debatable seeing how I chose to eat outside rather than inside. I’ll start with the bad news, meaning the service. After being seated and reviewing the menu, it took 10 minutes to grab the attention of a waiter. After that, another 10 minutes to receive our beverages and bread. Thankfully, the bread tasted the way bread from Europe should taste like. It made me feel nostalgic of Maltese bread back on the island. I skipped the appetizer and went straight for the special. “Duck Choucroute”, which was seared duck leg confit with roasted duck breast, grilled duck sausage with green peppercorns on top of sauerkraut and duck jus. All I can say is that for $24.99, they gave you a lot, and rightfully so because it smelled absolutely delicious right off the bat. I started with the confit which was melting off my teeth and into my mouth. Not a piece of meat was spared (Keep in mind I’m periodically picking the sauerkraut and potatoes, which was also delicious). Next I moved to the breast. Not as tasty as the confit but more flavorful than most duck breasts out there. The jus added another level of depth to the meat. Finally I moved on to the duck sausage. This could have been just another average sausage but the firmness of the meat and the fruity tasting peppercorns left it in a league of it’s own in terms of flavor. With the sauerkraut, the flavor of the meat gets cut quite nicely with the acidity. It was a good move to leave room for desert because it was awesome. I have to admit, whenever I see an assortment of cookies on a menu, I stop and order right there. The presentation alone was beautiful and the assortment between almond and coconut and chocolate were so divine. Every bite was such a treat. You can believe I’ll be back here to try the brunch menu, but if you’re hungry for some French, you shouldn’t think twice about giving this one a shot.

Pros: Besides being treated like royalty, Craft emanated the restaurant atmosphere most beg for in the NYC area. The decor was beautiful and the room enhances your appetite by the time you reach your table. Service was prompt and attended your every need. The beer selection was well thought out and very interesting. A true value for what you pay for in a tasting, and then some. The best chair I’ve ever sat in, flexible and comfortable.

Cons: Our waitress, although very polite, seemed “spacey”. There were customers that dulled my mood, particularly the ones that dined simply because they had money and not for the experience. I was seated next to a pilar with a floor light that distracted me most of the time.

Overall: Yes, we all know the hit T.V. show “Top Chef” and that head judge Tom Collichio owns the downtown restaurant known as Craft. With that aside, it was just a flat out incredible experience. The tasting was a long and delicious journey. All the dished expressed a certain emotion and was felt course after course. The first course was a Peeky Toe Crab & Pea Salad. Although I would have preferred the crap to be warm in contrast to the cold salad, a tasty dish nonetheless thanks to the sweet peas. The second dish was the Wild Spinach & Chanterelle Cannelloni was definitely a favorite. The moment it hits the tongue and explosion of flavor rushes the palette. The chanterelles just added the perfect mix of earthiness to counter the cheese and spinach. The third course was Swordfish with Bordeaux Spinach
& Mousseron Mushrooms. The fish was perfectly cooked, and the mushrooms were always a nice welcome. What made this dish special was that so many things could have gone wrong, but didn’t. The fourth course was the Squab Ricotta & Stinging Nettle Tortellini and Bluefoot Mushrooms. Yes there’s a lot of mushrooms so far, but for a reason. The bluefoot was a perfect compliment to the nicely cooked squab that was sauced perfectly, giving off hints of liver without being gamy. The tortellini was cooked perfectly al dente and provided that bit of savory to such a meaty course. The fifth course was Ozark the Grass-Fed Sirloin French Lentils & Spring Vegetables, another favorite. The star of this dish surprisingly wasn’t the meat, but the tiny sized lentils that combined with ever element on the dish. There was also a long bean vegetable I couldn’t figure out but it was delicious. Also, let’s not forget the sirloin, perfectly medium rare and perfectly seasoned. Now the dessert! The Ricotta Crêpes with Strawberries & Rhubarb was extremely light and necessary after a few heavier, meatier dishes. The crepe was fluffy and the ricotta melded nicely with the strawberries and rhubarb, I just wished the crepe was a bit bigger. The Chocolate Financier Brooks Cherries & Vanilla Ice Cream was an absolute winner! What better way to end a meal than with something chocolate and vanilla? The mini cake was warm, moist, flavorful, everything you could have hoped for and the combination with the vanilla ice cream just could not be beat. Add some cherries and you can almost see yourself levitate off your seat. Overall, an amazing time! I’d come back just for the cannelloni to be honest. If you have the cash and wish to splurge, make the right choice and give Craft a crack to feed your appetite.

Pros: Cheap, fast, delicious. Far better when drunk and the variety of syrups is great. Menu is well diversified and you probably won’t find better pancakes in all of NY. It’s classic diner food that can brighten the darkest of days and make a sad horse smile.

Cons: Ran out of raspberry lemonade. Lines in the morning are often long.

Overall: I know what you’re thinking… why 5 stars? If I can sum it all up into one word, that word would be consistency. IHOP manages to out-do itself every time I walk through the doors. I had a patty melt for the first time ever at IHOP and it was absolutely delicious. The meat was perfectly moist, cheese was perfectly melted, and the fries were perfectly crispy. With food this good, you can care less about the service or overall interior. IHOP remains on my top list, drunk or sober.

Pros: Great service. Didn’t feel fake whatsoever, just genuinely natural service. Food was prompt and very flavorful. Beer selection was right on the money. You can have a regular conversation without having to raise your voice. The complimentary baked good are always a welcome treat.

Cons: Overall interior wasn’t impressive, felt old and tired. Bit pricey compared to the portions we received. Though you can barely hear the music, it wasn’t audible enough to get the full experience of what the restaurant was all about. Scrambling service can often be distracting.

Overall: Chef Flay’s flagship restaurant reminds you why bold flavors and simple foods made him so popular. Almost everything on the plate made me want to go home and somehow mimic what he’s done or somehow alter it. The cornmeal crusted oysters with green curry sauce was delicious. It had a great crunch and didn’t have that strong shellfish taste when dipped in the sauce. The Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon Ancho-Chile sauce was seasoned perfectly and tender. My only problem with it was it felt as if it were waiting in the kitchen for a few minutes before it got to the table and was served lukewarm. The sweet potato tamale with pecan butter was awesome and the perfect compliment to the dish. The sleeper hit of the meal had to be the assorted cookie tray. Bite sized cookies of all different sorts. I believe there was a homemade smore but made with almonds and walnuts. All in all, this was my third visit to Mesa and it surely was not a disappointment. Good food and good people, but only if you have a good sized wallet.

Pros: Great food, great space, great atmosphere, great service. Seasonal ales are delicious. Menu is diverse and eater friendly. Food was prompt.

Cons: Service was great but felt fake at times. Food can be too rich.

Overall: I’m not going to lie. I came because I’m a big fan of Chef Flay, and the night I saw the episode of Throwdown featuring Bar American’s “Kentucky Hot Brown”, I made it a mission to try. Start up with the seasonal ales, they change regularly and are very delicious. The hot chips with blue cheese sauce was very tasty and rich, but I would avoid eating it alone if you want to finish the main meal. The Kentucky Hot Brown was delicious. Country white bread topped with a beefsteak tomato, bacon, bechamel, and turkey broiled to perfection. Unfortunately, the richness of the sauce stopped me from completing it and leaving any room for a dessert but not before I managed to get a taste of the lighter, and also delicious, crawfish crabcakes. The space was huge and the decor wasn’t overly swank. It had enough America in it along with a huge bar and an array of specialty liquors. In the end, this is not an experience to be missed. Even if you hate the food network, it’s no reason to eat on some of the best food New York has to offer.

Pros: Health concious and spacious. Easy to hold a conversation without having to raise your voice.

Cons: The tables for parties of 5 or more were fold outs and the legs were on the outside rather than inside. Service and atmosphere was forgettable. Menu was uninspired. Average food at best.

Overall: It might be a breakfast thing but I expected more from a “healthy” restaurant. I had the eggs benedict with smoked salmon and roasted veggie potato hash, a sure bet for great tasting meal. Unfortunately, it ended up being just like every other eggs benedct in NY. The roasted veggie potato hash was served aldente, maybe a little too aldente for my taste, and didn’t provide much flavor. The standard variety of toast didn’t help either (you would think they had multi-grain or something that stands out) and the bottled jams makes you wonder why they don’t make their own. It’s a shame that the restaurant seemed to settle for standards. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good either. It’s possible that lunch/dinner could be the better bet but there shouldn’t be any excuse as to why breakfast can’t be equally as good. On the good side, the interior was well proportioned and tastefully designed. Very colorful and fun just to tilt your head and experience the decor.

Pros: Reasonably priced food for the location. Service was courteous, prompt, and well attentive to every need. The smell as soon as you walked in was welcoming and makes you feel right at home. Interior was cute and the plates on the wall added a certain charm. Peroni on tap.

Cons: Guests were either rich snobs who wouldn’t keep their opinions to themselves or pretentious trust-fund kids with limited vocabularies. The seating was cramped and made it difficult to talk to whoever you were dining with. Main courses didn’t come with some sort of side.

Overall: A nice experience. We were in and out within an hour and fifteen minutes. The complimentary breads were tasty and were accompanied with a lovely head of roasted garlic. I wished the grilled octopus appetizer tasted more grilled since the texture felt as if it was pan seared. The mixed grill of lamb chop, lamb ribs, cotechino, and bone marrow over a salsa verde was a mixed review. The marrow was delicious as was the lamb chops and the cotechino, but the ribs were very fatty and the over abundance of salsa verde took away the natural flavors of the meat. Our side of creamed spinach in bachamel would have been better if it wasn’t over seasoned with nutmeg. The clear winner was the ice cream sandwich dessert with chocolate gelato and salted cashews. It was presented beautifully with the pastry buns and overall simplicity. The saltiness of the cashews perfectly complimented the sweetness of the gelato. I would go back for the desert alone if given the chance.

Pros: Interior was well done with soft seats, fancy chandelliers, an odd but fun red leather diner-cushion ceiling. Tables were clean and the area was pleasant. Food came out quickly and was plated neatly. The menu was interesting, not intimidating, and the food was very flavorful.

Cons: Service was very poor. Although we were seated promptly, it took 15 minutes to be attended to. Waiter was friendly, but struggled to understand what was on the menu. Host was more interested in fixing the curtains rather than attending customers, and unless you spoke italian, he wouldn’t acknowledge your existance. He also slipped the “F” bomb in front of us and didn’t seem to care.

Overall: I would wait a few months before returning. The high point was the food. The complimentary bread and tomato paste with olive oil revved up our appetites. The poached then fried eggs with hollandaise sauce over beef carpaccio was delicious. The sauce was perfectly creamy with hints of lemon in every bite. The carpaccio was tender and not overly salty. However I would have preffered the yolks not to be completely cooked. The lobster omelette was equally delicious and very liberal with the lobster. Even the grape tomatoes were surprisingly good due to proper seasoning. With some help with the kinks in service, I would consider coming back.

Pros: What you see is what you get. Total dive bar with all the props and smells of spilled beer. Can’t go wrong with cheap PBR in a can. Prices were dirt cheap considering it’s located in the Meat Packing District. Waitresses multi-tasked flawlessly and the food came out quickly. The place felt comfortably white trash. The residents were both friendly and funny.

Cons: For a dive there wasn’t enough beer variety. The jukebox “randomly” kept playing annoying country music. After the meal, I felt extremely guilty.

Overall: It’s sad to hear The Hog Pit will be losing its lease in January 2009. Had I known, I would have came more than just once with friends and family. The jalapeno poppers were clasically delicious while the mac n’ cheese was to die for. The fried chicken was not as crispy as I had hoped but the inside was juicy nonetheless. The sleeper hit had to be the cabbage and bacon. The cabbage had the texture of chinese chow fun infused with bacon, but was very oily and found myself frequently shaking my head as to why I was eating it. If you’re reading this before 2009, give it a shot and prepare yourself for a visit to your local gym afterwards.