Dinner in Chelsea/Midtown? (and dress code at Gotham Comedy Club?)

i saw that too, but Socarrat got a 1star NYT review, not exactly someone with a grudge posting on a board somewhere. plus the negative reviews had to do with the food itself, whereas both of those negative reviews you posted had to do with a bad service experience. even the people that wouldn't feed a dog there couldn't really rip apart the food... if bland is the worst they can say about it...

i tried to go back and give a second look to your original picks, and i thank you for posting them , i'll throw them back up again against Trattoria Trecolori and see how well they fare....

ctdubbin in Manhattan

Dinner in Chelsea/Midtown? (and dress code at Gotham Comedy Club?)

i mean i asked about it, it's not my first choice, but the best of NYC in any given category is all over the map... the fancy french food in Columbus Circle, awesome Asian in Chinatown.

i didn't find that that general vicinity around Chelsea to have quite what i was looking for, so it ended up being about finding the best the area had to offer. If it happens to be Italian, while it's not exactly what i had in mind, but it's all about the food. there's always another day to head downtown to feed my Turkish/Indian/Persian/Chilean desires.

ctdubbin in Manhattan

Dinner in Chelsea/Midtown? (and dress code at Gotham Comedy Club?)

it's not that i don't want your opinion, really it's not, but as i said i was suprised that the picks i got fared so poorly in terms of reviews.. but if that's the best in Chelsea...

of the top 20 or so on tripadvisor

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g60763-New_York_City_New_York.html

none of them are really in chelsea...

any opinions on Trattoria Trecolori?

ctdubbin in Manhattan

Dinner in Chelsea/Midtown? (and dress code at Gotham Comedy Club?)

my apologies to anyone i may have offended.

i realized after i checked out those places i was so graciously given that my original post (which can't be edited as far as I can tell) made it sound like i only cared about how the place looked, and that i needed to clarify that it was still all about the food. I guess I was unpleasantly surprised to look up some of the places and find such poor reviews. only then did i realize that my original post made it sound like i was some yuppie from out of state with a tribal tattoo and a late model C-Class i took on 40grand worth of debt to pay for....

Pomaire i liked because an expat friend of mine from outside Santiago had a meal there and informed me that everything there is authentic, from the Pisco he orders from a place in New Jersey because they don't sell it here, down to the fruits they put in one of the desserts that basically had to be flown in from south america.

i was thinking maybe some Russian, Turkish, Venezuelan, Indian (Indian would be great)

if there's nothing there that fits what we're looking for, that's fine too. we'd rather grab the Recession special from Grey's Papaya than drop $100 on sub-par food. or we'll go to an early show and find someplace on the other side of town to grab dinner that better suits our needs.

ctdubbin in Manhattan

Dinner in Chelsea/Midtown? (and dress code at Gotham Comedy Club?)

sno thanks on Vintage Irving, i ran by their website and got intrigued by the "absinthe" headline, to find they're hawking "lucid" as absinthe to make a quick buck or make themselves look cool. (sorry i'm an Absinthe snob)

Socarrat got a 1 star in the NYT, (a lot of complaints on the inability to cook the food correctly) the premise sounds cool, but maybe someplace rated a little better?

Pipa's reviews (while better than Socarrat) aren't anything spectacular either.

i'd definately be open to going farther away to get a good meal, and these places don't have to be overtly ornate or have communal tables or whatnot, i'd just rather not walk into the place and be the only person under 50 there... but if that's what it takes to get quality food, so be it.

i caught No Reservations on the travel channel the other day, the one with NYC, and Prune seems like an awesome place!

ctdubbin in Manhattan

Dinner in Chelsea/Midtown? (and dress code at Gotham Comedy Club?)

hey guys, taking this Pretty Young Thing to see Ralphie May at Gotham over the weekend. i'm going to be in the Chelsea/Midtown neighborhood, and wanted to grab some dinner before the show.

a chilean transplant buddy of mine suggested Pomaire up on Restaurant Row, and it's only 2 stops up on the ACE line.

suggestions from the chowhounders?

a little background to help ya out.

1. we're both young (24), so someplace kinda hip...

2. i'll eat anything, she'll try anything as long as u can convince her it came from a part of the animal she knows. (i stopped telling her what the food i'm feeding her really is)

3. something kind of eclectic would be nice. Steakhouses and Italian restaurants, we can get that back in suburbia (connecticut)

4. Reasonably priced. Under $50pp would be cool. (pomaire's got a $29.99 prix-fix, but i don't like much what they have to offer.)

5. i'd rather not be waiting outside the door for an hour to get in.

thanks in advance for your responses.

oh yah, anybody know about the dress code situation at Gotham? no jeans?

ctdubbin in Manhattan

Best Recession Deals?

Vietnamese places in chinatown. $5.95 for a noodle bowl with everything, throw some sriracha (or i like the chili paste) and most of the time i end up eating a late dinner because i'm not hungry when i get home.

ctdubbin in Manhattan

Source for freshly made sauerkraut in W. CT?

Polonesz Deli in Shelton to the best of my knowledge does not have freshly made sauerkraut and judging by the rest of the food they serve there, maybe it would be wiser to go to Stop N Shop and get a bag of Boars Head (the kind in the bag next to the hot dogs and bacon, not the canned)

ctdubbin in General New England Archive

Waterbury CT Chow Report

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/491314

for example, there's a listing of a place on Baldwin St, which luckily i know of and wouldn't go into if they were giving out 100 dollar bills with every order.

also, someone mentioned D'Amelio's and its "neighborhood feel" but the last time i had to use the Peoples bank ATM next door, i had to navigate the side street lined with high-end imports, and a Waterbury native buddy of mine had to explain that D'Amelios had valet service some nights of the week...

if this is how we're doing things, My additions are:

Anatolia's (Turkish cuisine) next to Nardelli's and

Whooster Pizza across the street from the bowling alley on lakewood.

ctdubbin in Atlanta

Good Alternatives to Pizza Along Wooster Street in New Haven?

i second Bar, but don't go there too late, because at like 9 or so they start filling up with Yalies and if you're not into that, it gets loud and rambunctious.

try all of Bar's own beers also, they keep a blonde ale, an amber ale, pale ale and a stout, i've had all of them and they're all delicious. and they're cheap too, like $2 a glass. (well that's what I pay for them, the website lists 4.50 for a pint, 2.75 for a regular glass)

ctdubbin in General New England Archive

Anatolia in Waterbury CT, My review.

you'll like it... it's not really a "take a date" kinda place (well i don't think so anyway)... but the food's good, reasonably priced, and you don't have to drive a 45min to get there.....one day when you want to eat real food but don't feel like getting up, getting dressed, driving, getting served, etc. give them a call and pick up an entree.

ctdubbin in General New England Archive

Anatolia in Waterbury CT, My review.

first, the information.

Anatolia Restaurant
586 Plank Rd, Waterbury CT
(203) 591-8450

the back of Anatolia can be seen from Rt. 84, big sign that says "turkish cuisine" or something of that nature. so i decided to stop in and try it. I'm always down for something new in the culinary wasteland of the Rt. 8 corridor.

by the looks of things, it wasn't good. the parking lot for this place was crumbling (not unlike the rest of Waterbury) and had a drop from the street i wasn't sure my lowered Eagle Talon would be able to make. There was a single car in the parking lot, and the building itself was quite discreet, clean, and overall very unassuming. Inside it was evident that this building used to be a "family diner".... there was booth seating all around (service for maybe 75 ppl or so) and on the right a couple of round tables. A bar area sat right in front of the fryers and ovens, a la 50's style diners. on the far right of the bar/open kitchen was a large hunk of lamb spit-roasting horizontally. it looked really good. Minimal effort was made to establish this as "not a hastily remodeled former family diner," a couple of mediterranean-esque pictures and blue color scheme in the walls and tableware. I only dropped by for lunch, so i picked up a black and white menu and told the owner (presumably) that I wanted whatever was good that day. he tried explaining what he was going to make to me but I insisted as long as it's fresh and delicious, i didn't care what I ate.

so he whipped up for me a dish that i can't find on this menu i took with me. It was white rice topped with thin slices of the lamb that was roasting away when i walked in. On the side I received a large lightly roasted plum tomato, a lightly roasted Italian hot pepper, and a side of onion salad, which consisted of shaved carrots, red onions, white onions, and some parsley. I also got a half of a loaf of turkish bread, which was more like a large roll than a traditional loaf. Presentation wise, it looked good. there was a good mix of colors, and the lamb smelled amazing. it was garnished with a parsley leaf or two. I paid $12.00 for it.

-The bread was very good, slightly chewy but still soft, with a nice firm crust. more on that later though.

- the meat was delicious. it was thin shaved and more or less almost fell apart in your mouth. It was not heavily spiced, which was great considering lamb has a wonderful flavor by itself and doesn't need it. Some of the lamb was a little overcooked and a bit chewy, but overall delicious.

-the roasted vegetables were perfectly done, and the pepper was spicy. no complaints.

-the Onion salad could have been done with vidalias or some other sweet onion to balance out the red onions. too many of them and it gets spicy!

The only thing i was confused about is why i was given a large chunk of bread. there was no sauce on the lamb, and nothing that could be sopped up by the bread. it was delcious by itself anyways so i guess i don't care. it just struck me as odd.

it made me a delicious lunch, but i don't know if i would like to eat there for dinner. maybe someone else can chime in.

ctdubbin in General New England Archive

Recs in Shelton,CT?

i wrote my own little review of First Street that i probably mis-posted on the "tri-state forums.." but it might be a little harsh because it seems to me like the valley chowhound thread seems to mirror general trends in the valley itself. Plus there's a chance i might be one of those people that puts New Haven apizza on too high of a pedestal, and you'll read my review and wish i'd come back down to earth. but in my defense, if you make your place called "First Street Apizza" instead of "First Street Pizza," you asked for it.

i'll share with you guys my take on a local restaurant. my take will be on First Street Apizza, at 21 First Street in Seymour.

-from the outside, First street looks like it could be kinda nice. classy neon sign, located a block down from the train station down the street from the stately post office and Bank of America.... it looks like this was a typical downtown circa the 1950's... could be quite charming if it wasn't for 50 years of suburban sprawl, but all that's left is a couple of antiques shops that change hands every couple of months, a dumpy Walgreens, a TV repair shop that hasn't taken in a TV they knew how to work on since the 1980's and a charming old movie theater that needs desperately to connect with 2008. Now it seems that mostly hipsters and indigents use the train station and no one walks the streets anymore....it's a shame.

the place itself has a simple take-out counter, and a couple of chairs and tables. It's well done for what it is, but simply too small, i think like 4 tables and 8 chairs is all that really fits. Pretty classy, nicely furnished, just small. Menu choices are pretty standard. I found this searching for their menu written about their menu: "the menu includes a variety of gourmet toppings such as artichoke hearts and broccoli rabe, while specialty pizzas-red or white-include customer faves clams casino..." but I think that they've acclimated to being in Seymour because the last time I ordered from there, they didn't have spinach to put in a calzone for me (this should be especially bad if they offer spinach in some other dish they serve). First St. seems to pride themselves on "New Haven Style apizza" (as the owner of First St. is also the Owner of Dayton St. Apizza in New Haven) but I found it had more in common with valley pizza than New Haven apizza. the pizza was good, don't get me wrong, but i think that it lacked the burnt bottom, misshapen pie size, thin crispy crust, tangy sauce, etc. of Sallys/Pepes/Bar. It certainly didn't look the part, and only sort of tasted the part. In terms of cost, it was slightly more expensive than the traditional fare available here, but that wasn't what bothered me.

what I took out of the couple of times of having First St. Apizza is "why should I get First St. Apizza?" regular folks could be convinced that the neopolitan-esque pizza was what New Haven apizza is, but i've eaten the lion's share of new haven apizza and knew better. I couldn't convince myself that it was authentic enough or cheap enough to not just take a ride down to New Haven for amazing apizza.

Ps. the link I quoted above is here: http://www.playnewhaven.com/site/news...

thanks for the heads up on "Crave," i'll have to check it out.

ctdubbin in General New England Archive

Alternative dining in an area devoid of it? (ct)

well my apologies, as i didn't look closely enough, so maybe someone could answer me this question.... what' the difference between the tri-state forums and the new england forums? your posts are pulled from the new england forums and this is the tri-state forum, so no wonder i can't find any posts in the tri-state forum!

seriously though, i'm new on chowhound and i feel like a dunce, but why is there two different boards for the same place? I thought tri-state fit Connecticut better than "New England," but hey, you guys are the one running this place, don't let me screw it up.

hopefully i can get at least one person to chime in and say "yah it's slightly confusing"

ctdubbin in General Tristate Archive

Alternative dining in an area devoid of it? (ct)

i went back a month and a half on the "tri-state" boards and could not find the topic "masteroflightchick" was referencing (digging up a post over a month old is usually a no-no on forums anyway, but chowhound's etiquette post doesn't explicitly say so) so if anyone knows what she refers to it'd be great to post it.

I agree on Nardelli's, it's our saving grace over here. otherwise it's still devoid, or at least until we start getting some names and addresses that prove otherwise.

to stimulate actual conversation on the topic, i'll share with you guys my take on a local restaurant. my take will be on First Street Apizza, at 21 First Street in Seymour.

-from the outside, First street looks like it could be kinda nice. classy neon sign, located a block down from the train station down the street from the stately post office and Bank of America.... it looks like this was a typical downtown circa the 1950's... could be quite charming if it wasn't for 50 years of suburban sprawl, but all that's left is a couple of antiques shops that change hands every couple of months, a dumpy Walgreens, a TV repair shop that hasn't taken in a TV they knew how to work on since the 1980's and a charming old movie theater that needs desperately to connect with 2008. Now it seems that mostly hipsters and indigents use the train station and no one walks the streets anymore....it's a shame.

the place itself has a simple take-out counter, and a couple of chairs and tables. It's well done for what it is, but simply too small, i think like 4 tables and 8 chairs is all that really fits. Pretty classy, nicely furnished, just small. Menu choices are pretty standard. I found this searching for their menu written about their menu: "the menu includes a variety of gourmet toppings such as artichoke hearts and broccoli rabe, while specialty pizzas-red or white-include customer faves clams casino..." but I think that they've acclimated to being in Seymour because the last time I ordered from there, they had neither spinach nor Feta to put in a calzone for me. First St. seems to pride themselves on "New Haven Style apizza" (as the owner of First St. is also the Owner of Dayton St. Apizza in New Haven) but I found it had more in common with valley pizza than New Haven apizza. the pizza was good, don't get me wrong, but i think that it lacked the burnt bottom, misshapen pie size, thin crispy crust, tangy sauce, etc. of Sallys/Pepes/Bar. It certainly didn't look the part, and only sort of tasted the part. In terms of cost, it was slightly more expensive than the traditional fare available here, but that wasn't what bothered me.

what I took out of the couple of times of having First St. apizza is "why should I get First st. apizza?" regular folks could be convinced that the neopolitan-esque pizza was what New Haven apizza should taste like, but i've eaten the lion's share of new haven apizza and knew better. I couldn't convince myself that it was authentic enough or cheap enough to not just take a ride down to New Haven for great apizza.

Ps. the link I quoted above is here: http://www.playnewhaven.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16389920&BRD=2639&PAG=461&dept_id=535026&rfi=6

ctdubbin in General Tristate Archive