The service, like the food was worth it.
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| a scrumptious veggie concoction: roasted potatoes in one bowl and a variety of veggies in another |
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| I'll take the fish please with fresh shelled peas and sugar snaps! |
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Nick's on Broadway
The other day after worked Susie and I walked the four blocks from our apartment over to Nick's on Broadway, ostensibly just to have a drink. But, one thing led to another and we ended up eating for dinner. One of those last-minute decisions we've been making a lot of in our lives and so be it.
The service, like the food was worth it.
The service, like the food was worth it.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Sophia's Tuscan Grill
We went there recently on a special wine tasting dinner so the menu we sampled wasn't typical of the usual fare.
Still. . . The food was uneven: the risotto a bit too overdone for my palate although the sauce was very tasty. The mock Bolognese was flavorful good but some at the table thought the pappardelle (handmade we were told) was a bit too al dente.
The fish course, salmon supposedly with a pistachio crust was in a delicious butter sauce although none of us could locate any pistachios.
Another course was a crispy Tuscan pork belly which we thought far too large a portion and fairly bland in flavor -- and what was the "Tuscan" thing? That word is abused and overused in today's American restaurant marketing and I'm afraid Sophia's is no exception.
The cheese course was "imported" gorgonzola (there's domestic I suppose) with figs on homemade fig jam. The figs were delicious as was the jam but we thought the gorgonzola was more like a neutral goat cheese than anything else -- it completely lacked any "blue" flavor at all. The dessert was a bland cannoli -- typical old-guard Italo-American cuisine and not in keeping with the chef's marketing of his place as "new twists on Italian favorites."
The service was friendly, to be sure. The noise level, however, was unpleasant, the lighting not terribly attractive and the seating, for me at any rate was quite uncomfortable and they did nothing to resolve that (we were a special group for the evening, with assigned seating).
Lastly, the wines were, by-and-large quite good -- although our table agreed that the Lambrusco was devoid of any character and the Amarone thin and lacking the raisiny body so typical of those incredible wines.
If you want food in an Italian style go to Bacaro's or Al Forno. I'd skip this place.
Oh, and sorry about the photography -- terrible lighting.
Still. . . The food was uneven: the risotto a bit too overdone for my palate although the sauce was very tasty. The mock Bolognese was flavorful good but some at the table thought the pappardelle (handmade we were told) was a bit too al dente.
The fish course, salmon supposedly with a pistachio crust was in a delicious butter sauce although none of us could locate any pistachios.
Another course was a crispy Tuscan pork belly which we thought far too large a portion and fairly bland in flavor -- and what was the "Tuscan" thing? That word is abused and overused in today's American restaurant marketing and I'm afraid Sophia's is no exception.
The cheese course was "imported" gorgonzola (there's domestic I suppose) with figs on homemade fig jam. The figs were delicious as was the jam but we thought the gorgonzola was more like a neutral goat cheese than anything else -- it completely lacked any "blue" flavor at all. The dessert was a bland cannoli -- typical old-guard Italo-American cuisine and not in keeping with the chef's marketing of his place as "new twists on Italian favorites."
The service was friendly, to be sure. The noise level, however, was unpleasant, the lighting not terribly attractive and the seating, for me at any rate was quite uncomfortable and they did nothing to resolve that (we were a special group for the evening, with assigned seating).
Lastly, the wines were, by-and-large quite good -- although our table agreed that the Lambrusco was devoid of any character and the Amarone thin and lacking the raisiny body so typical of those incredible wines.
If you want food in an Italian style go to Bacaro's or Al Forno. I'd skip this place.
Oh, and sorry about the photography -- terrible lighting.
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| lemon risotto with scallop |
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| salmon in a butter sauce |
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| mock bolognese with homemade Papardelle |
Monday, June 17, 2013
Brunch at Nick's on Broadway
Some things never change it seems, and in the case of brunch at Nick's on Broadway that's an incredibly wonderful thing.
A week ago today we returned to Nick's for the first time since our return from Paris. We thought we'd beat the crowd and get there right at 8am when the doors opened but when we turned the corner we found ourselves waiting in line. Yes, indeed, some things never change.
But the line moved quickly -- and while waiting we struck up a conversation with a fascinating young man, also, coincidentally, named Nick. Before long we were seated at the counter, sipping coffee waiting for our food.
As always, the food and service was worth the wait: Susie got one of Derek's great sandwiches and I opted for the "special plus," which consisted of home fries, wheat toast, two poached eggs and their homemade sausage. Deeeelicious!
A week ago today we returned to Nick's for the first time since our return from Paris. We thought we'd beat the crowd and get there right at 8am when the doors opened but when we turned the corner we found ourselves waiting in line. Yes, indeed, some things never change.
But the line moved quickly -- and while waiting we struck up a conversation with a fascinating young man, also, coincidentally, named Nick. Before long we were seated at the counter, sipping coffee waiting for our food.
As always, the food and service was worth the wait: Susie got one of Derek's great sandwiches and I opted for the "special plus," which consisted of home fries, wheat toast, two poached eggs and their homemade sausage. Deeeelicious!
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
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