garbo38's Profile
fall wedding for 120 downtown or in Brooklyn?
Heya lizisinflatbush!
I followed you over from your post on Brooklyn budget weddings... how did the wedding turn out? What did Cobblestone do for you? Number of people? Cost?? I'm looking at DAC as well!
Is it possible? A $70 per head restaurant/caterer for a wedding?
I've been looking at Bassett Caterers in Brooklyn http://bassettcaterers.com and they great prices in the $25 to $45 range plus tax and gratuity. I read one review on here that was positive by giftergirl.
"Naturally Delicious" or other bklyn caterers
Hey giftergirl! I have been looking at Bassett to cater a wedding because their prices seem awesome, but too good to be true! Also, seriously, there are NO reviews anywhere of them. What things did you get that were great and not so great?? THANKS SO MUCH!!
North Brooklyn caterer suggestions?
Not sure if you're still looking, but in the process of wedding planning for my best friend I came across several caterers that seemed to be cheaper than most, but probably not as cheap as $30 a head... But I was looking at dinner menus, not brunch, which would no doubt be cheaper.
Basset Caterers seemed to be the cheapest http://bassettcaterers.com/ at least they have prices listed on their site. Spoonbread Caterers http://www.spoonbreadinc.com/, Bon Soir http://www.bonsoircaterers.com/, Real Food Catering http://www.realfoodcatering.net were also cheaper options. Good luck! What's the cost of renting the knitting factory? Cheaper due to earlier in the day?
Fonda on 7th Ave in the Slope
Not to rain on the parade of all who found Fonda wonderful, I have to say I was underwhelmed. I will admit to having some bias, as I am Mexican and grew up eating wonderful food at home... Last night we had the Flautas for the app which we found to be extremely salty. The red and green sauces were ok, but honestly couldn't taste much beyond the salt and some heat. The skirt steak was ok, cooked well, served over a light tomato cream sauce and folded tortillas and a sprinkling of cheese. I guess it was supposed to be a deconstructed enchilada? It was ok, but certainly not worth a trip back for. My boyfriend had the Marco Pollo, which was a reasonably tender chicken leg/thigh in an achiote spiced sauce with tomato which was supposed to be used to make tacos (tortillas provided) this was a nice sauce similar to the arroz con pollo I make at home. The rice and beans were middling as well, and served lukewarm. The rice was studded with cilantro and onion which was fine, sort of like Chipotle. The beans had a smokey chile in them but I found them to be fairly bland, except for the salt. For me with Mexican food you can tell a cook by how well they make their beans. Overall the prices were not bad, $50 for two entrees, one app and a margarita (which was really good) also the service was excellent. But honestly after all the talking up about this place I expected better than mediocre. I might be persuaded to go back and try the mole, but I'll cook at home otherwise.
Anniversary Dinner on a budget!
Do yourself a favor and make it a luncheon, same great restaurants, far lower prices. That being said if you're set on supper for romance I would hunt through Time Out's restaurant section which lists average entree prices... I like Petite Abeille, the one on Hudson, for a cheap $18 pre fixe and excellent food and intimate atmosphere
Authentic tacos al pastor in NYC?
Los Portales in Astoria (Broadway and Crecent) is the real deal, excellent al pastor on the spit and chicken tacos. The rest of the comida is average, personally I was disappointed by the beans (nothing on god's green earth better than frijoles made right) but man the tacos hit the spot, especially late night, they're open until 2 I think. Best part about this in the summer they open up the front and you can get a taco right on the street and they do this hot pot sort of thing with a giant pan filled with spicy bubbling liquid covering the meat and spring onions which they will throw on your plate as well. YUM! ALSO! If you're looking for good mexican, you have not lived until you've had a cemita from Ines Bakery in Brooklyn (36th and 4th Ave, right outside the DMNR 36th street train station). I usually get the bistec which comes on that grilled sorta crumbly cemita bread with grilled onion, melted buttery Oaxacan cheese, avocado slices and chipotle sauce, sometimes they'll put on a schmear of refritos (beans) depending on who is making the sandwich. The tortas are excellent too, sometimes the little hole in the wall Mexican places have odd smelling and tasting chicken, but the chicken at Ines is excellent. I've not had the tacos there (everytime I go I get overwhelmed by my desire to have a cemita) but if the rest of the food is anything to go by, worth a try! Also the pastries with guava and cheese are out of this world, do yourself a favor and get a wedge of it instead of the individual empanadas, more cheese and guava goodness! Oh and the coffee is outstanding too! Out where I live in Flatbush/Kensington area Cinco de Mayo is decent but unless you're in the neighborhood not worth a trek.
best turkish restaurant in NYC for special occasion
Turkish Kitchen is pretty good and the atmosphere is great... I have to say best Turkish food in NYC is Tacis Betyi, in Brooklyn. It's a trek if you don't live in the Midwood/Sheepshead Bay area... I have a Turkish friend who comes from Long Island to eat there and he thinks its way better food than any of the places in Manhattan. Everything is amazing, tender meats and nicely spiced dishes... BUT the atmosphere with the harsh overhead lighting leaves a lot to be desired, even if they do have cloth napkins.
Chili Cheese Dog
I'm originally from the the midwest and I have to say one thing I dearly miss here in NYC is a good chili cheese dog! And not one of those weird ones with giant kidney beans sticking off it either (as in that papaya place on 7th ave and 23rd) ditto on Nathans too, they're best with NYC style onions in red sauce, mustard and kraut. Anyone know where I can get a decent Chili cheese?? ...I'm having visions of spicy chili, shredded cheese (or nacho style is good sometimes too) diced onion and mustard... god that sounds like heaven!
Mystic CT where to eat, what to avoid
The boyfriend and I wanted a quick easy vacay out of the City, I figured Mystic CT would be the ticket, particularly since we picked up his parent's car in Long Island and took the ferry from Orient Point (highly recommended, zero stress way to get to southeast CT).
I guess I was expecting something along the lines of Greenport, NY with lots of little shops and places to get a bite, but the reality was there were far fewer shops (overpriced or not) and far far fewer restaurants. The biggest problem was everything closes around 9pm! We had an awful meal at a place called Steak Loft just off I-95, Do Not Go There, it's a health hazard ponderosa/sizzler/golden corral type place only ridiculously over priced. Apparently it was voted best steak house in CT for the past 20 years... which I find hard to believe. Peeling walls, suspiciously stained carpets, sad salad bar, smell from the kitchen was a combo of diapers and rotten seafood... you get the idea. The company who run it also own a place called Go Fish and Ten Clams which I wouldn't dare try if Steak Loft was any indication.
On a more positive note we had a great lunch at a place called Somewhere In Time on Gold Star Hwy (yummy turkey roasted in house). And a nice more upscale American ($18-$23 entree) at a place downtown called Azu. Mystic Pizza is a joke, it tastes like pizza hut and the crust was soggy, maybe it's better if you get a whole pie instead of just a slice if you're determined to give it a go.
After our first night horror at the steak place I got on Chowhound (NOTE TO SELF DON'T EVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT DOING THIS) to check out some recommended stuff, Sea Swirl is a little ice cream stand with recommended fried seafood, we had a cone but we didn't try the seafood. Kitchen Little, S&P Oyster Co. and Bravo Bravo (upscale Italian), Rice Spice Noodles (Thai) got some positive reviews but we didn't end up eating there during our stay. We actually had a good breakfast at the new Equinox diner, attached to the HoJo, which was surprising as it seems to be a chain but a bit more upscale than a Denny's, IHOP or Steak and Shake type place. Overall, I guess I've gotten too used to living in the city with great food a short trip in any direction, I'll have to plan more carefully next time I venture out of town.
