pworrel's Profile
Justine's
Just returned from dinner at Justine's on East 5th. Nice meal, but a few quirks I hope they can fix. The restaurant is in an old house that has been renovated; for the most part it looks nice and is not as loud as many restaurants, but it needed to be at least 5 degrees cooler.
Our waitress was nice but not necessarily knowledgeable about the menu. For example, she said she had not tried all the things on the menu, but had some good descriptions of the duck, for example. We started with the cheese, which was undistinguished and was served with an ok baguette. It could have used some local honey or some nuts, fruit, etc. or perhaps a crumbly cracker. The cheeses themselves were not memorable and we had to prompt the waitress to explain which cheese was which. In the end she just mentioned they were all french and one was blue--no real description or names, etc..
I had the duck which had flavorings including thyme and juniper berry. I thought it was tasty but a bit on the dry side. It was served with frisee tossed in a light dressing and pomme frites that were salty and crispy and just right. My companion had the grilled scallops which were served in a pretty unattractive way, sliced up and skewered with lardons (sp?) and frisee on the side. All looked pale and actually amateurish, but the flavor was good, in her opinion. We shared a creme brulee which we both thought was quite good and a good value at only $4 for a decent portion. Chose a rose, which was light and nice and not expensive at $6. Her white wine was the same price and undistinguished but not bad.
Bathroom needs some help with lighting and one stall is ridiculously small.
Bottom line: nice, well-intentioned staff needs some training--presentation of food needs some help. The place has great potential and I hope it survives. It also has a full bar and is open until 2 am. There are several tables outside and with the cooler weather it should be very pleasant to linger there. Their website is dreadful and is not safe to open at work; it features an arty movie of 3 women, one topless, in a bathtub. No menu and no explanation of the restaurant.
Chelsea standards
My sister and brother-in-law are moving to Chelsea. They know little about Chelsea-area dining and want to get to know the area (as do I, who'll be visiting often). What are the must visit restaurants, the fun neighborhood standards, the humble, the old fashioned, the Chelsea favorites? Other food options within a few blocks of "official" Chelsea would be welcomed as well. We love all types of food and are looking for recommendations from sandwiches at lunch to cocktails and fine dining at night. Thanks for your help on this broad request!
patience
