Charmaine's Profile
overrated restaurants
Sorry to say about Lupa - you're right. I love Babbo and thought Lupa would be at least a LITTLE similar but it was overrated. Disappointing. Also thought the Little Owl was a huge letdown! After reading rave reviews in all the mags/papers I went there only to find the food is completely ordinary at best. Really puzzled at what all the fuss was about. Jeesh!
Help me knock out one restaurant: Urena, Eleven Madison Park or WD-50
Hey Jeremy - Give A Voce another chance (No, I don't work there :). I'm also a huge Babbo fan and I had some great meals at A Voce. Maybe it was an off night...which happens!
Help me knock out one restaurant: Urena, Eleven Madison Park or WD-50
Hi - I find it interesting that most people seem to say drop Urena. I've eaten there twice - one of those times was last week as a matter of fact, and I find the food is pretty good. The atmosphere does leave a lot to be desired though - you have to focus on the food. I did NOT like WD-50 - the portions were ridiculously small for the price and I didn't think they were particularly yummy. I also like most of the restuarants you mentioned though. I really recommend A Voce - the food there is AWESOME.
overrated restaurants
I agree with the WD-50 posting - I was also incredibly disappointed. I didn't think the food was particularly outstanding and the portions were RIDICULOUSLY small, esp for the prices! Shame...
Best food-driven island vacation?
Might be a bit late - but you have to try Trinidad if you love food. They have the greatest diversity in the Caribbean - food with Indian, African, Middle Eastern, European, Chinese origins - all tweaked over time to suit local tastes. There's some really great stuff there!
France and Italy
In Paris, try Benoit, Le Comptoir, Chez L'Ami Jean. You can actually go to NY Times and do a search for articles about restaurants in Paris. I've followed their recommendations and thought they were good to excellent.
Casual Romantic Dining in East Village?
Rebecca,
Try Le Tableau (French) or Lavagna (Italian) in Alphabet City. They're both on 5th Street between Aves B and C. They're related I think (same owner?). They're both small, cute, and actually really nice food at a reasonable price. I really like them both though I would choose Lavagna over Le Tableau if forced as it was livelier the few times I was there. Try the rabbit parpardelle - delicious!
