Thursday, February 12, 2004

 
NYC RESTAURANT REVIEWS.
External link: http://www.creamy.com/blog/2003_01_01_archive.html#90261619

I've been pretty lax in reviewing restaurants, so I thought I'd give a quick run through, all at once, of all the restaurants on my American Express year-end summary from last year that I remember eating at and are still in business. All stars are out of a possible four stars.

MANGIA * * 1/2 (2 and a half stars)
This self-serve has a nice atmosphere, but is overpriced. You'll be a lot happier at the new Whole Foods Market in the new Time Warner building.

NONG * * * 1/2 (3 and a half stars).
Delicious, elegant modern pan-Asian cuisine.

CRAFT * * 1/2 (2 and a half stars).
The food was hearty but the flavors were very overwhelming and unsubtle. Overpriced.

AUREOLE * * * (3 stars).
Good, but a little overpriced.

DIM SUM GO GO * * 1/2 (2 and a half stars).
Too greasy! Very inexpensive.

WOLF'S DELI * * * (3 stars).
In any other town, it'd be a great deli. It's nice when you want something a little smaller and lighter than you get at those great New York Delis that overstuff every sandwich.

HOOTERS 1/2 (half a star).
I get dragged here a lot, because I live very close to it and it's good for the Atkins diet. I really think they believe that having waitresses in skimpy costumes means that they don't need to put any effort into the food quality.

EAST 55 * (one star).
I live right across the street from this sushi joint, and I love sushi, so I wind up here a lot, but I really don't like it. It's one of my least favorite sushi restaurants in New York. It always smells a little fishy to me, though I'm very sensitive to that.

PICK A BAGEL ON 57TH * * * (3 stars).
Great for a quick bite. The sushi here is surprisingly good, especially for the price.

MARLOWE * * * 1/2 (3 stars).
Probably my favorite Italian on Restaurant Row (46th between 8th and 9th). They have especially good pasta, and a great dinner special.

B.SMITH * * 1/2 (2 and a half stars).
It's okay, but its one of my least favorite restaurants on Restaurant Row, which has a lot of really great restaurants.

LINDY'S * 1/2 (1 and a half stars).
Passable, but I just don't know how this very mediocre restaurant has lasted so many years.

VYNL * * (2 stars).
Okay, but a little too oily for my taste.

HOWARD JOHNSON IN TIMES SQUARE * * * (3 stars).
The clam strips and the ice cream are as good as you remember. But I come for the atmosphere. They have a piece of real estate that is easily worth twenty million dollars, and they can't possibly have renovated that place once since 1970. It's the single most authentic thing in Times Square.

JOHN'S SHANGHAI * * * 1/2 (3 and a half stars).
The soup dumplings are fantastic, and there are a lot of bargains on the menu.

SUSHIYA * * * 1/2 (3 and a half stars).
The sushi here is always delicate and sweet and excellent. The menu is a little pricey, but the maki combo specials are a bargain. In a city where it's a sin to ever go to the same restaurant twice, I go to Sushiya all the time.

TOPAZ THAI * * 1/2 (2 and a half stars).
It's okay, but it seems very westernized and inauthentic.

VINCENT'S * * * 1/2 (3 and a half stars).
This hundred-year-old Little Italy favorite on Hester and Mott has amazingly good red sauce and great meatballs and excellent pasta.

FERRARA * * * * (4 stars).
This Little Italy bakery/cafe has amazing Italian desserts.

JOSIES * (1 star).
This health food restaurant has a lot of vegetarian choices, but everything is just so bland that it is a chore to eat it.

BROOKLYN DINER * 1/2 (1 and a half stars).
This very average diner on 57th in Manhattan is terribly overpriced.

COFFEE SHOP * * * (3 stars).
This hip bar/restaurant has very good food and is open very late.

JOHN'S PIZZERIA * * * * (4 stars).
A real contender for best pizza in New York, it's probably my second favorite after Lombardi's. Note to Atkins dieters: they bake the cheese right onto the bread and put the sauce on top, so this place is not for you if you like to just eat the cheese and toppings.

RUE 57 * * * (3 stars).
This elegant, casual French bistro has very good steak tar tar, and a great Sunday brunch.

ANGELO COAL OVEN PIZZA * * * 1/2 (3 and a half stars).
Way better than the best pizza in your town, but probably just misses my top ten in New York.

BEN'S KOSHER DELI * * * (3 stars).
Way better than the best deli in your town, but probably barely makes my top ten in New York.

THE EMERALD PLANET * * * 1/2 (3 and a half stars).
I really like this health-conscious fast-food wrap place.

VICTORS CAFE 52ND ST * * (2 stars).
Okay, but growing up in South Florida has given me very high standards for Cuban food, and this does not make the cut.

RUSSIAN SAMOVAR * * * (3 stars).
Hearty food yet delicately flavored.

WILD RED ONION * * * (3 stars).
This sushi and Thai combo has something for everyone, and a lot of creative sushi choices.

MAISON * * * (3 stars).
A great place to eat outside when the weather is nice. Good French food at high, but reasonable prices.

ROUTE 66 CAFE * * 1/2 (2 and a half stars).
My friends all love this southwestern style restaurant, but I find it quite ordinary.

CINEMA CAFE * * * (3 stars).
A dopey, half-attempted gimmick, but pretty good food.

AQUAVIT * * 1/2 (2 and a half stars).
Very fancy schmancy, but the food is not particularly special. Overpriced.

DALLAS BBQ * * * (3 stars).
Good food at a good price.

BEN ASH (no stars).
I don't know how this horrible restaurant stays in business. I'd heard nothing but outrageously bad things about this place from my friends and family, and I thought it couldn't possibly be that bad, but it was.

SHELLY'S * * * (3 stars).
Very good seafood, but falls well short of greatness.

ELLEN'S STARDUST DINER * * (2 stars).
I don't really like the gimmick of having the wait staff perform karaoke, and the food is otherwise just average and overpriced.

ART CAFE * * (2 stars).
A very ordinary diner with pretentious style.

ETATS-UNIS * * * * (4 stars).
Exquisite, delicate, wonderful food.

WONDEE SIAM * * * (3 stars).
One of the better Thai restaurants in New York.

SARABETHS AT THE WHITNEY * * * 1/2 (3 and a half stars).
They have an excellent Sunday brunch, if you don't mind the crowds.

JING FONG * * * * (4 stars).
My favorite Dim Sum in Chinatown. Plus, it's crazy cheap.

HEARTLAND BREWERY * * * (3 stars).
Good hearty food. Enough so that I definitely think of this as a restaurant first, and as a bar as a distant second.

APPLE JACK DINER * * * (3 stars).
A better than average diner.

RUBY FOO'S TIME SQUARE * * * 1/2 (3 and a half stars).
Very good, but definitely very overpriced.

JACKSON HOLE * * * * (4 stars).
A definite contender for best burger in New York, but don't let that keep you from exploring the rest of their excellent menu.

GALLAGHER'S * * 1/2 (2 and a half stars).
You know, I just don't like steakhouses very much. You shouldn't listen to my opinion about any of them in particular at all.

ROSIE O'GRADY'S * * * (3 stars).
What I like about this steakhouse is that they have some pretty good things on the menu besides steak for people like me, who don't really like steak.

RIO GRANDE * * * 1/2 (3 and a half stars).
This new restaurant is definitely my favorite Mexican in Manhattan, and that's only partly because there aren't a lot of very good Mexican restaurants here.

PAD THAI * * * (3 stars).
Probably my favorite Thai in Manhattan, but I just can't find great Thai food here.

BLUE CHILI * * * (3 stars).
This new Sushi restaurant is just okay and overpriced.

CAFE MOZART * * * 1/2 (3 and half stars).
Wonderful desserts.

PASTABREAK * (1 star).
This Times Square fast food pasta restaurant would have to improve considerably in order to be mediocre.

DANNY'S GRAND SEA PALACE * * * (3 stars).
"Where Bangkok meets Broadway," this combination Thai and New York steakhouse is pretty good, at least on the Thai side of the menu.

NOCHE * * * 1/2 (3 and a half stars).
Good food, good service, and an elegant, energetic atmosphere.

COPELAND'S * * * 1/2 (3 and a half stars).
This Harlem soul food restaurant is excellent. The fast food outlet next door has food that is just as good at absurdly low prices.

CHAT-N-CHEW * * 1/2 (2 and a half stars).
I know a lot of people who really love this place, but I find it rather average.

ACME BAR * * * (3 stars).
Great Cajun food at low prices.

EL CID TAPAS * * * (3 stars).
Good, reasonably priced tapas.

This is The Official Record. 2:05 PM
link to this item: http://www.creamy.com/blog/2004/02/nyc-restaurant-reviews.html


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