trussell

We tried 1741 on the Terrace because I received a coupon from the Hotel Bethlehem for my birthday. You too can get a coupon by going to their site and signing up. It was worth $15 towards an entree. Most entrees are considerably more expensive than this amount.
We went on a Tuesday and the place was fairly empty. The hostess (college student?) took us into the dining room and asked where we would like to sit. There was a table at the front window and I said that looked good, but alas, it wasn’t set with silverware and she asked if we would like to sit at another table. I didn’t see what was so difficult about putting two place settings on this table but we picked another table. Later in the evening someone came in and, having picked that table, asked the hostess to set it for them. Guess you have to push. Seems to be a lacking for a higher priced restaurant.
The waitress was exceptional.
She had about four tables the entire night, as people came and went.
For us we started by ordering a bottle of wine ($45 — white -- likely in the $18 to $22 range if purchased at a store). She brought it and asked if we would like to sit and sip the wine for a bit before ordering. This was very nice.
She came back after a while and we ordered the filet mignon and the smoked slamon. She would stop by every so often to see how things were and to drop off rolls or refill wine.
The food came out and it was well done and presented well.
Vegetables were crisp, food was hot and flavors were not oppressive but they were there and well balanced. The filet was done well, although the slightest bit dry. The salmon was a little crispy on the edges but moist. I enjoyed the differing textures with the salmon. I think the filet was around $35 and the salmon $26. I little high if compared to other restaurants in the area.
We finished the meal with coffee and tea. Regular fare for this part of the meal.
The room itself is very nice. They discovered a tile floor when they took up the carpeting and the tiles are something to examine. Some have various shapes in them. A Bethlehem star is in the center of the floor but was recently (2005) put there. This is the hotel that discovered marble steps when they took up the carpeting on the steps. Th is does give it some character.
The down side would be the giant cob web hanging from the ceiling. The ceiling, unfortunately, is made up of the 1950’s style sound deadening tiles. It would make the room more interesting to have a better ceiling or maybe they would find one there if they took those tiles off.
So --—
food — very good to excellent
service – waitress was great — hostess needs to be educated
prices — a little high

I would go for a special occasion or with the coupon but likely wouldn’t make this a place to visit on a whim.

Probably 4.5 stars but I can get to that later.
The service has improved greatly from the first reviewer. We chatted a lot with our server (Madison) and she was telling us about the team building exercises that the restaurant was having the staff perform. She said that at first she thought they were dumb but now sees how it helped in bringing the staff together so that when people are in trouble others will help out quickly and know how to help out.
We also asked about the time to “turn a table” and they said they go with the customer’s desires. Likely wouldn’t have helped with the first reviewer but now I think a customer could ask to be rushed through and get out within 45 minutes to an hour. But the place doesn’t rush and you can stay until you are ready to leave (unlike Mama Nina’s who will tell you to leave so they can turn the table).
Also spoke with a manager (Jordan Giles) and she was great. She came from the Phillie restaurant to open this one. A very sharp young lady who hopes some day to have her own restaurant.
Okay, so service was really good. Something I want in a restaurant.

Next, food. From an American’s standpoint it’s very good, from a Swiss standpoint, it’s fair to middling. Don’t get me wrong. The food is good but it is not really fondue you find in Switzerland. That being said you will likely not be disappointed. We didn’t do the four course meal but instead did a cheese course and an entree course.
Point here. If you are a part of four (or six) get a table with two burners. That allows you to have two pots of differing styles on the table at once. Otherwise everyone has to agree on the type of pot.
So for the cheese portion we had a Swiss pot and a Fiesta (salsa/cheese) pot. The ingredients are fresh. The Fiesta pot was fresh cut jalapenos and some spices while the Swiss pot was various cheeses and cherry water. Madison went through and described everything she was doing. Somewhat funny at one point because they do 10 twists of the pepper mill and we interrupted her while she was counting. It made for a very good laugh amongst us. So we had to wait for the 10th twist to get the answer.
We got the Fiesta cheese medium but that was likely spicier than what people call medium but it was good.
You can have as many refills of the veggies or fruit (for the swiss) or bread as you want -- until the cheese goes away.
The entrees were varied and were seafood, chicken and beef with various marinades. They also bring you sauces that you can add to the meats when they come out of the pot.
For the pots we got a Coq au vin (very good and $6 extra) and also a plain oil.
There are also two bowls of sauce you can pre-dip into and then place into the pot and they generally coat the meat but didn’t seem to add much to the meat.
You also get bowls of veggies and cut up potatoes to add to the pot and can refills on these.
I had the shrimp, beef, chicken and pork. I think that just getting the chicken, with all the sauces, would be just as good. Oh and mine had pot stickers. I don’t see how to cook them properly. We tried with two and they both fell apart in the bowl. Ask and maybe they will tell you how. Too late for me.
We got the check and were sitting there when the manager (Jordan) came by and asked if we wanted any chocolate (on the house). I guess it was around 10:30-ish. We sat at 9:30. We said we were stuffed but she convinced us to try a small pot. It was something not on the menu and they call it the “Snickers” pot. It was awesome.
My recommendation from all of this --—-
go for the cheese portion and the chocolate portion and skip the entree.
Or possibly go for the chocolate portion only and be remorseful later. The chocolate was really very very good.
Oh and one more thing. Reservations are hard to come by but get on the waiting list because people do cancel.

You’re entering a chain restaurant. Yes the layout is different and the flat bread is a neat idea. If they are running behind in cooking the bread then the line can get a bit long and it will take a while to get out.
The workers do keep track of what the orders are considering the process used for ordering.
The sandwiches taste good although there isn’t a lot there.
If you want chain food go to the Red Robin’s in the same mall, down near the theaters.
The prices are a little high but there are buy one get one 50% off coupons every so often. It goes along with the outdoor mall in that the stores there are to the pricier side.

The lunch buffet here is a little pricey for the selection but the dining room is calming, the food is decent and you are never rushed.
I enjoyed the food here. Not a lot of selection but what selections exist are done well. Generally only one dish for dessert.
Parking sometimes is difficult to find.

For the area, this is one of the best restaurants from the standpoint of quality of food, service and price. The four of us went last night. We started with various drinks and appetizers – fried calamari and garlic bread. The garlic bread was surrounded with cheese and the bread was not for someone who is worried about heart failure. Possibly overboard on it but I liked it. The calamari was not overdone, not greasy and hot when it showed up (had not been sitting around waiting for someone to bring it to us).
The dinners were varied. My wife’s steak was prepared well. The daughter had chicken with ravioli (which she exclaimed about), the son had the blackened prime rib sandwich (with onion rings on the side) and I had the chicken chili and pizza special.
I can’t say any of us had an issue with what we ordered but we were stuffed. Since it was my daughter’s b-day they brought the dessert on a marble slab with chocolate writing on it saying happy b-day.
Dessert was ice cream with bananas foster. Really good.
Price for the four of us with drinks and tip was $150.
Service was spot on. Didn’t show up every two minutes but also were there when needed. Water was filled, refresh of the alcoholic drinks was offered rather promptly.
Suggest reservations. Strongly.

Okay, there are chocolate stores and then there is the local place where you can come in, sit down and chat for 15 to 30 minutes and walk out with your chocolate after having a coffee or hot chocolate.
Arlene (owner, chief chocolate maker — grin) is so bubbly and vibrant and always ready for a conversation. She started this shop one block away and had the chance to move it down near the Apollo Grill. Now she is swamped with people and there is a good reason why.
She has found a way to make these neat little chocolate delights that feature flavors like cappuccino, inside out peanut butter cup, fluffernutter, and my favorite — espresso.
Oh but there are others that I try to stay away from.
The price is really decent basing this on the bigger chocolate shops and their prices. If you are smart you will have a hot chocolate and destroy your calorie count for the day. I prefer the dark chocolate in the shop but those people who like milk chocolate tell me that those are yummy too.
Stop in, say hi to Arlene and then take a walk around Bethlehem. I personally like to buy some before dinner and then eat one or two on the way to the car as my dessert. Heck of a lot cheaper than dessert at a restaurant but so very very good.

The Tap Room is an area of the lobby that is just off the side of check in at the Hotel Bethlehem. You would think this might be awkward but there isn’t a lot of foot traffic to the check in desk so it works well and the pillars block off the section nicely.
There are nights (Thursday) when there is Jazz music and that makes it very nice to sit and listen to the music and talk with friends.
Food is so varied here it is difficult to pick an area. You can be simple (burgers) and you can get as fancy (steak, seafood, etc). The same can be said for the drinks. Normal beer and wine is maybe $1 more than a local watering hole but for a hotel bar it is a reasonable price. They also have the $200 martini. I am not recommending it but they don’t shy away from being fancy.
Now the only down side that we have experienced is the wait staff. It is spotty at best and sometimes you need to wave down someone for a refill or a drink or napkins or a place setting of silverware. Simple things that shouldn’t happen.
The appetizers are generally very good, nice presentations and decent price. Something to munch on while listening to music.
Oh, and check out the stair case. They took the rug off and found out it was a marble staircase underneath. No one remembered this. Amazing. Also check out the tile floor in the terrace room. Again, covered with carpeting and then “found”.
So the three stars is about the service, not the food.

Stopped into John’s on Bleeker street. There are two other locations in NYC. One in the tourist section of midtown and the other on the east side. I don’t want to be in the tourist area and I was too far away from the east side so here is where I headed.
The menu is very simple. Salad (large and can feed two), sandwiches, pizza, beer, wine and soft drinks.
There are some appetizers too but we didn’t bother with these.
The prices are decent here. Plain large pizza is $16 and a bottle of wine is either $17 or $21. The pizza is thin crust and has a far amount of sauce on it and isn’t overly drenched in cheese. Toppings are not skimped on though. If you order a topping it will be fairly well covered (for me was pepperoni). And when they bring it out it is hot enough to burn your mouth (always a good sign). The dough could have a little more flavor to it.
Tables and well engraved upon and you can spend time looking through the topics on your particular table.
Considering the area of more upscale places this is a hole in the wall but I actually like these places.
Service is fast and attentive and if it isn’t you can easily flag people down or call out to them. It isn’t a large place.
Tables fill up so going there on an off hour or before the lunch or dinner crowd shows up is important.
They also do NOT serve slices. You buy a whole pie or pick something else (like some meat balls).
For the three of us I think the bill came to $45 with tip. Not bad for a meal in the city.
And after finishing they don’t rush you to vacate your table (even though there was a line of people waiting to get in). You can finish your wine and chat.

This is a combination take out and restaurant and the restaurant is split up into two rooms. One with booths and the other with tables.
The meals give you a good portion. The quality varies. I suppose a lot depends upon who is the cook that night.
The subs and pizza are all decent and well priced. The service is generally very prompt. Lots of coupons in the papers for this place so you can make it cheaper.
I often will stop in to order something to go and they are quick and efficient.

Before the theatre we stopped at Brazil Brazil and decided to sit at the bar. It’s a small bar (maybe 10 seats). The bartender was very nice and helpful. She explained the foods and we decided to have an appetizer (chicken) which came on a large plate and was heaping (we saw the people next to us having it). My wife stopped eating halfway through the plate so it was left up to me to finish.
In the meantime we each had two sangrias and I had a cappuccino to finish the meal. Total for four drinks, the appetizer and the coffee was $32. Not a bad deal for NY.
Leaving we got to meet the owner.
Oh, and ask for the hot condiment (can’t call it a sauce). It really went well with the chicken but you better be ready for the heat.