12.30.10
Posted in Asian, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 4 to 5.5, Southeast Asian, West Village at 19:02 by Dominique
51 Grove & Bleecker Sts., 212-352-0460
Great for: losing your voice and hearing, mediocre food, wasting a lot of money
As you can tell I did not like this place. Expensive + mediocre + making me wait = angry Dominique. At least I got to spend time with my friend Eurasian Beauty.
After waiting twenty minutes despite having a reservation, we went with two small dishes from the specials, which you would think they could manage. The tumeric [sic] fried sardines with hot and sour sauce were pretty good, especially towards the tail, though the sauce was the best part. The four small spiced salmon cakes with lime leaf, snake bean, Thai basil and sweet chili sauce were only fine. I was disappointed that for over $10, they were just spongy patties of fish and not actual bits of meat.
The poached chicken and crab salad with coconut, cherry tomatoes and green nahm jim dressing was okay. True, there are some things I don’t love in the ingredient list, but it could have been a lot better. It was overly creamy, for one thing.
We got the Wagyu brisket with vegetables to finish. It was the best thing we had but still just decent. The four slices of meat were soft and juicy, probably braised in the sauce. The dish was kind of bland. We specifically ordered the small size but they either brought the big or charged us for the wrong one – we thought initially it was a good deal for the amount of food, so maybe the former. They fixed the check to charge us for just the small, in any case.
Our service was fine except for the mix-up. The décor is that annoying faux-Asian blond wood with uncomfortable tiny furniture that everyone seems to be affecting nowadays. You want to copy Momofuku? Be as good, dammit. There’s a bar and a long table in front where you sit community style. There are some little tables in a Lilliputian back room if you insist on keeping to yourself. EB and I still could barely hear each other there. This place is decidedly off my list.
Rating: 5 / 10
Our cost: $75 (3 small, 1 medium dish)
Noise level: earsplitting even in the back; I got a sore throat from yelling across the tiny table
Chance of walking in: you can’t, but don’t bother. Go somewhere good.
Permalink
12.03.10
Posted in Asian, Greenwich Village, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 4 to 5.5, Southeast Asian at 05:58 by Dominique
38 E.8th St. & University/Broadway, 212-529-2363
Great for: really not much
This time the Average Wonderwoman had a Groupon and we were going to a party nearby anyway. I can see why NYU kids eat here – it’s super cheap – but it is not very good.
We started with the three small plates for $11. The wasabi-mayo scallops were juicy, though not the freshest. The calamari fritters with ginger avocado sauce were nice but rubbery. The best was the sa-tae chicken, which was very tender. I liked the wasabi mayo sauce the most.
Crying tiger sushi is grilled flank on sticky rice with spicy roast rice grain chili dipping sauce. It was not as good as we thought would be. It managed to be both interesting and eh. The lemongrass tuna tartare with chili lime dressing and mixed greens was better. The green papaya and cherry tomato salad was ok. We found the sauce quite sour.
The best thing we tried was the crispy fillet of flounder with garlic butter sauce and roasted potatoes. It was tasty and very large, and made up for a lot. AW’s Bangkok buck cocktail did its part too. Our service was not terrible, just a bit dopey. It’s mostly harmless but I can’t think of a reason to come back.
Rating: 5.5 / 10
Our cost: $60
Noise level: college kids are boisterous
Chance of walking in: pretty good. It’s a large place.
Permalink
11.29.09
Posted in Asian, Gramercy, Midtown Central, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 4 to 5.5 at 17:02 by Dominique
17 W. 32nd St. & 5th/6th Aves., 212-967-1900
Great for: not much
I had an audition and rewarded myself for getting up so early with some soon du bu. It’s silky tofu cooked in a spicy sauce with veggies and various meats or kimchi. I usually get beef or seafood – on the lunch menu here, “both” was an option, so I happily chose that. This place is the offshoot of an LA-based Korean chain that I’d heard a lot of good about. Sadly, it did not live up to its hype.
The plethora of side dishes was ok, with several things I don’t usually see. The cream pasta with ham is decent; I found the fried whole fish hard to eat. The main problem is that the soon du bu is not very flavorful. I don’t think it needed more salt. It just wasn’t that savory. I was bored with it after a couple bites. A good soon du bu – at least, what I’ve had and liked – is a combination of different flavors, textures and spices that change with every bite and make you want to lick the bowl. It’s a sophisticated tofu stew that showcases the soft absorbency of the tofu and lots of spices. Plus, the shrimp (there’s crab and squid too) had heads and shells on. It is so frustrating to eat! What is the point of marinating, stewing or covering shrimp in sauce if they are encased? You peel them and they’re simply boiled boring shrimp anyway. It’s especially annoying in a messy soup. The added difficulty of the shrimp just made me mad.
Service is fine, décor is standard vaguely-Asian, and I am going elsewhere for my beloved soon du bu. A restaurant should at least make its own putative specialty well. I was so unhappy I almost visited Mad for Chicken to erase the memory with something tasty. (I didn’t, as I am only allowed to have fried chicken once a month.)
Rating: 5 / 10
My cost: $10
Noise level: not too bad
Chance of walking in: good.
Permalink
09.25.09
Posted in New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 4 to 5.5, Upper West Side at 06:47 by Dominique
505 Columbus Ave. & 84/85 Sts., 212-873-0200
Great for: really, not much
I love Anthos and it seems like everyone is always raving about Kefi, so I was super excited to try it out at long last with the obliging Ex. And was immediately disappointed. I really don’t know what all those people are talking about. Or what Michael Psilakis is thinking! It made me very sad.
I thought, after having such a lovely experience with them at Apiary, that sweetbreads with spinach, crispy shallots and garlic would be a good idea. Here the sauce was too vinegary or lemony though the sweetbreads themselves were nice. The dish was quite large and could be better. It was very clear that I was eating organs, which I really did not want to be reminded of. The Ex’s Greek salad was just ok too. We deemed it “not a good melding of flavors.”
For a main I had the special lamb chops. I am sorry to say the accompanying rice with vegetables was the nicest part of the whole meal. The lamb chops were very greasy, though better than my app. I felt compelled to finish them anyway because I was so hungry and the four of them were so small. His burger was good but big and soggy. The feta spread is too strong-tasting after a few bites. Overall the sandwich was too heavy. Ironically, his decent glass of red wine wasn’t quite heavy enough.
Shockingly, the restaurant did not have fresh pepper. I don’t know how this is possible. At least our waiter was very nice about it and everything else. I also did not enjoy the trashy, loud, b&t table next to us. The Ex and I had some mean-spirited fun making outrageous guesses about them so we wouldn’t stab them with our cutlery. Or gag them, which would have been more helpful I suppose. I feel terrible for restaurants when people are louts. The staff can’t do much unless others complain, and even then they’ll definitely be abused by both sides and nothing will actually improve. When’s the last time you asked a stranger to shush and they said “Oh, I’m sorry, I certainly will!” Anyway. Somewhat tolerable yet expensive food means I won’t be back.
Rating: 5.5 / 10
Our cost: $80 (1 glass of red wine, 1 bottle sparkling water)
Noise level: kind of loud
Chance of walking in: not great. But then, why would you want to after reading this.
Permalink
12.20.08
Posted in Asian, East Village, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 4 to 5.5 at 07:08 by Dominique
277 E.10th St. & 1st Ave./Ave. A, 212-260-9080 [now closed]
Great for: people with padded pants and malfunctioning taste buds
I was excited that Midtown Hedge Funder got a res here because I’d read how a Momofuku alumnus started this place, and several people online said it was a worthy and less expensive substitute for Momofuku Ko. Really no. I am very sorry to pan the place – it’s cute and clearly was a good concept at some point. But it sucks. Yes, I know I only gave them one chance, though I don’t see how an entire kitchen can have an off night with every one of ten dishes. There wasn’t a single thing I could say I liked without reservation. It certainly is cheap, at five courses for $37, but please go to Setagaya 1.5 blocks away if you’re on a budget. You’ll be hungry for food somewhere else anyway so just save yourself some time and money. I am also aware that Mr. Bruni didn’t hate it; perhaps it fell off after his review.
At least it didn’t start out a total disappointment. MHF and I just got everything on the menu, as there were only two choices for each course. The fried stuffed squash blossom with scallop, tofu and garlic honey dwen jang (Korean miso) was weirdly tasty. I was surprised to kind of like it once I got used to eating flowers, big blossoms and all. We didn’t taste any scallop, though, and it got blander as we ate more of it. The sliced beef tenderloin with melon sauce, garlic, ginger, carrot, scallion and soy sauce was eh. The melon was a big no. I found the beef a bit bland, too. So far, no discernible flashes of Momofuku genius.
The pan-fried green tomato with crab cakes of summer squash, egg, hot sweet pepper and Shanghai choy kimchi was more along the right lines. I loved the bok choy. The crab cake was interesting, again bland, though a little spicy too. I grew to like it a bit as I ate more of it. This was probably the best thing in the whole meal, although that’s hardly saying much. The sliced braised pork belly accompanied by moo woo kimchi, salted Napa cabbage and seasoned dwen jang with salted baby shrimp mixed in was pretty standard. We liked it, but it was nothing special.
At three out of five courses, we were already on the entrées. I had miso stew with potato, onion, tofu, peng yi mushroom (enoki), scallion, sweet pepper and assorted seafood. It was ok but I had to dump in lots of hot sauce. Somehow it was bland and too salty at the same time. MHF’s kal gook soo thick noodle soup with house dashi, cockles, baby octopi, shrimp, garlic, scallion and seaweed was enormous and that much more of a disappointment. The shrimp, annoyingly, came intact. It’s such a waste. Chop off the heads at least, preferably all the appendages, so we don’t have to dissect the shrimp while trying to eat noodles in peace. I didn’t think they could mess up such a simple, common dish and sadly, I was wrong.
Oddly enough, I didn’t hate the lukewarm browned rice porridge/soup with tea. Exactly what you’d expect, it’s totally bland but I could imagine eating it when sick (Mom says congee will kill colds. It’s true if the cold is not too severe). Plus, it was manna from heaven compared to the misguided abomination that they called tomato mountain yam gazpacho with white mog yi mushroom, chives, fried sweet potato noodle, soy sauce and dashi. Yuck. I couldn’t even tell if there were mushrooms or white cabbage, and barely tasted any of the other things. It was so bad, every time I think of Persimmon I think of disgusting tomato water – no, not like V8, like crap liquid with tomato flavor – and nasty little mushrooms. I know I have an inordinate hatred of mushrooms but these were like creationists. Horrid, unnecessary, and misguided. This was tomato water with weirdly, disturbingly crunchy-chewy things you want to spit out. Preferably all over people you detest. Oh I shudder to think of it.
Dessert was not as terrible. There was a traditional Korean cookie and cinnamon ginger tea. I think I might be allergic to cinnamon, it bothers me so much, but I actually rather liked the tea. The sesame cookies were eh. The waitress said they’d get their byo license in December. I wonder if they’ll get their seating comfort license then too. I was expecting to suffer for Ko, but it was only here that my butt cried out for a cushion. At least the service was pretty good. The food gave MHF three hours of heartburn afterward though.
Honestly, until we had that shitty tomato water I was certainly not happy, but I was not mad either. That last thing was so awful it’s colored my whole perception of the place. I can’t talk about Persimmon without having a strong drink. And for a place with pretensions of rivaling Ko, the meal was really unacceptable. The best thing was blah and the worst thing made me want to clean my mouth out with acid. It’s really not worth any time or money. Don’t go.
Rating: 5 / 10
Our cost: $95 (no drinks possible)
Noise level: quiet
Chance of walking in: not good, although I expect that to get easier. And now they’re closed so it’s impossible.
Permalink
09.15.08
Posted in Latin, Lower East Side, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 4 to 5.5, small plates at 16:59 by Dominique
165 Allen St. & Stanton/Rivington Sts., 212-253-8840
Great for: fancy cocktails, crab & shrimp guacamole, being ignored and overcharged for mediocre food
A place that calls itself a restaurant should never have better drinks than food. Which is why I propose that Rayuela be repurposed as a pretty bi-level lounge with kitchen snacks. We were here because my friends L and D love ceviche, Rayuela’s putative specialty. Three other friends came along too, so I can say with certainty that, with only one duplicate dish between the six of us, we tried enough of the menu for me to have a pretty good idea of how blah it all is.
At least the very first thing, guacamole with crab and shrimp, was fresh and delicious. We had a hard time sharing it fairly among all of us. Then most of us got at least one ceviche. My cangrejo chino was crab and shrimp marinated in a lychee and guanabana citrus sauce with rocotto and jalapeño. The pear-like fruit strips made it slightly sweet. It wasn’t too sour, as ceviche so often is. The seafood was nice but not marinated enough. I liked it at first and then got tired of it. The hamachi with avocado and orange zest in a wasabi citrus sauce sounded great, tried to be inventive, and failed miserably.
The red snapper, marinated in ginger soy citrus with a rainbow of julienne peppers, cucumbers and jala, was nice but nothing special. One of us hit the jackpot with a yummy langosta revolucion of lobster and shrimp, grilled pineapple, jala and young coconut water infused with lemongrass and ginger, garnished with Uruguayuan caviar. The salmon trio al mango in pan seared, smoked and roe forms over mango, frisée, watercress and bacon with mustard and vinaigrette was fairly decent.
The pera con queso salad of Rioja-roasted pear infused with star anise, cinnamon, ginger, mixed greens, La Peral cheese, toasted walnuts and sherry vinaigrette was long on fancy ingredients, short on quality. Then there was the abysmal asparagus salad. D never sends things back, but she couldn’t just sit there and eat the worst salad ever. The asparagus was waterlogged and very clearly from a can. In fact, everything in the dish was canned, bland and horrid. At least they didn’t charge us for it.
My codorniz con lentejas, better known as roasted quail with a stew of pork belly, apples, black lentils, quail egg and crispy shallots was nowhere near as bad. It was a bit too sweet but I found the quail nice and spicy. The piquillo, a sweet Spanish pepper with lobster, shrimp, crab and chipotle aioli, was pretty good, as was the chile relleno (poblano with lamb barbacoa and creamy mushroom rice). The latter is very spicy. One of us got the restaurant week special of tiradito, which was sliced salmon with passionfruit, carica and citrus drizzled with ginger oil. It was quite sweet but decent.
We decided to share a dessert, since most of us were still hungry despite reaching our budget limits. (I had a ceviche and an app - that was already $34 without tax or tip.) The tres leches de chocolate with pineapple on the side was too fluffy. Its texture is weirdly different from how it looks, and there isn’t much taste. We did not like the random banana shit accompanying it. I hate bananas anyway, but in general I think they’re a bad idea with chocolate.
We had lots of $12 mojitos. One of them was so unacceptable D had to send it back. (The poor girl had some bad luck with this meal.) It wasn’t a big deal until her salad was awful as well, at which point we called the manager over. He was very polite verbally, but only took the salad off the bill. I kind of thought he should offer some drinks on the house, especially since he asked if we needed refills and a couple of us said yes. And despite the nice initial impression he made, he ruined it by scurrying away from us at top speed almost before he finished talking. After a little arguing at the end, he took off the automatic 20% tip.
We were puzzled by the glacial service. They not only took forever and lots of waving to come back to us for each thing, in two hours we did not get a single water refill. We were upstairs but there are lots of tables up there, it’s not as though we were all alone. There was really no reason for them to ignore us. We could not in good conscience leave them 20% for doing almost nothing, and begrudgingly at that. I think it ended up being something over 10%.
This place should just be a lounge. They have lovely cocktails and a bartender with some serious flair downstairs. I can’t understand what the hell is wrong with their food. Other than one or two standout dishes, it’s okay at best, inedible at worst, and quite pricey. At $15 or more for most apps, and $25 and up for all but three entrees, there is no excuse for such mediocre food and nonexistent service. I’ll come back for the drinks, especially the “Coming Up Roses,” but that’s it.
Rating: 5.5 / 10
Our cost: $400, but they took off the automatic 20% tip making it $330 for 6 + a small tip
Noise level: early stages of a party
Chance of walking in: medium, there are lots of tables.
Permalink
07.01.08
Posted in Asian, Japanese, New York City, New York City Reviews, Queens, rated 4 to 5.5 at 02:15 by Dominique
7208 Main St., Queens, 718-575-8700
Great for: Orthodox Jews, giant entrées
I found myself in Queens with some friends, and they’re Jewish so they decided to show me how good kosher food can be. I wasn’t exactly blown away. I enjoyed the company and watching the waiters scurry around inefficiently much more.
We shared a bunch of appetizers, beginning with the sushi special, a volcano of tobiko, spicy mayo, scallion, jalapeño, tuna tartare, avocado roll and tempura flakes. I had very high hopes for the resto based on this dish, which was yummy and extremely spicy. I really liked the combination of textures and flavors. Unfortunately, I got excited too soon. Do not get the dumplings of beef and chicken ginger. They were dry, with a weird jalapeño sauce. El bomba, avocado and sundried tomato eggrolls with tequila lime sauce, wasn’t that impressive either. I didn’t actually eat it, there was too much avocado and I find sundried tomatoes yucky. My friends said the sauce didn’t complement the dish at all.
The Jerusalem (imitation) crab cakes with crispy panko crumbs and creamy unspicy jalapeño sauce were done very well; I could barely tell it wasn’t real crab. In my defense, the panko and “meat” were thoroughly mixed up. The agedashi tofu was pretty decent too, lightly crispy outside and fairly soft internally. I found the pink-orange sweet sauce unworthy of it. The kalbi (short ribs) were almost bite-sized. They had a bit of slightly sweet glaze which brought out the flavor of the crispy yet tender meat.
For an entrée I tried the enormous Bangkok sizzle, thin pan-seared slices of beef with onions, baby corn, bamboo, chestnuts, mushrooms and lemongrass in spicy chili sauce. It was oversauced and the meat could have been more tender. The sauce was quite basic, not spicy, and too sugary. The huge sea bass fillet with vegetables was a little better. We liked the tender, flaky fish, though some bits were a bit bland. Another friend got some rolls. The black dragon roll with American caviar on top of avocado and tuna was overpowered by the avocado and still bland. I did like the ikura and the cooked salmon and tuna roll with scallions though.
The Metsuyan kalbi fillet of mediun rare char-grilled boneless rib meat started out good, though it quickly became cloyingly sweet and too saucy. The sauce was as red as the blood oozing out of the many, many slices of meat. The Kobe short ribs were a bit better, but also very sweet and soft. The slightly charred steak Polynesia was the best thing I tasted. I later realized that I was lucky to have had a good piece – the rest was a bit overdone.
We had some pretty good sides. The French fries were well seasoned and quite good. They could have been crispier but that was a minor quibble. The others told me the cole slaw was very spicy; I didn’t try it (I hate cole slaw). The mashed potatoes came with the skins, and tasted better than they looked. I think that was from the liberal use of butter.
They don’t serve hard liquor, so I contented myself with cold sake. One friend had a glass of red wine and the others had fruity iced teas. My sake was ok. The service was forgetful but friendly. I imagine they were so scatterbrained because the place was crazy busy. Definitely make reservations. At 9pm on a Sunday night we still had to wait almost 30 minutes.
The decor walks a fine line between tacky and tasteful. I think mostly it stays on the good side. There’s lots of wood, one wall is a long aquarium, and another one is a white tropical frieze. It is an expensive (steaks are about $35), kosher place, but my understanding is that it’s pretty good for Queens.
Rating: 5.5 / 10
Our cost: $340 (6 people)
Noise level: raucous
Chance of walking in: very low. But it’s kosher, so if you’re Orthodox and hungry for Japanese in Flushing, there you go.
Permalink
05.18.08
Posted in American, Lower East Side, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 4 to 5.5, seafood at 18:27 by Dominique
102 Norfolk & Delancey/Rivington Sts., 212-254-8855
Great for: an intimate date spot, calamari
Tides has been on my list for a long time. I figured now that I live a few blocks away, it’s high time I tried it. It had really good reviews online, in particular something about “the best lobster roll south of Maine.” Unfortunately I cannot agree with that recommendation. The food’s not bad. That’s about as highly as I can praise it.
The fried calamari was probably the best part of the meal. It was tender and we liked the creamy remoulade. The fried clams and oysters were good, not too rubbery or squishy. It came with a vegetable remoulade.
My lobster roll was drowned in mayonnaise and inexplicably inflicted with chopped-up cucumber. That’s fine when it’s celery (also present), but the cucumber plus the abundance of mayo made it taste weird. And I hate cucumbers anyway. I wish they’d said something on the menu about them. The sauce was a bit vinegary as well. The roll was so tiny, it probably would have dropped half the insides out if I’d picked it up to eat it. I was, though, pleasantly surprised to like the sweet potato chips that came with it. Considering everything it had going against it, the dish as a whole was decent, but mainly tasted of mayo.
The pan-fried crab cakes were very good for the first few bites. Then they started tasting like stuffing. The crispy outside was good but somewhat dry and too bready. The chickpea salad was bland and didn’t really go with anything else. I’m not sure why the chef put those two things together.
The ceiling’s pretty cool. It’s made out of satay sticks and reminds me of the ocean floor covered in sea grass. The place is tiny, with two cozy booths and five tables. We came in at just the right time to get the last table. Though it’s small, I never saw people waiting – I suppose the location is kind of out of the way. I liked our really hot male model-looking waiter. He was so friendly and competent. Plus he looked like he’d taste better than the food. I made sure to get my fill of staring at him, because I don’t think this restaurant is worth coming back to.
Rating: 5.5 / 10
Our cost: $90 (teetotaling)
Noise level: quiet
Chance of walking in: medium.
Permalink
Posted in American, brunch, East Village, New York City, New York City Reviews, rated 4 to 5.5 at 16:01 by Dominique
55 3rd Ave. & 11th St., 212-420-9800
Great for: not waiting for brunch, fast service
I hate waiting. It drives me crazy and I won’t do it for more than 10 minutes. This is why I have not yet been to Clinton Street Baking, despite living pretty close by. So I was well pleased to discover The Smith from the New York Magazine Best of 2008 article. They take reservations for brunch! And the space is huge.
My country breakfast of fluffy cheddar grits, ham steak, biscuit and gravy was decent. There were too many green peppers, though, and the meal was too heavy to finish. The Boyfriend, on the other hand, hated his eggs Benedict with home fries and applewood bacon. The eggs themselves were ok but the bread/muffin was a rock-hard brick, the bacon was far too fatty, the sauce was just all right, and B said the potatoes tasted sweet and reheated “six times.” After reluctantly tasting them, I had to agree. It was so bad he actually got pissed off eating it. This is a guy who loves to eat and is usually only cranky when he’s hungry.
On the plus side, we both got a free bellini with our brunch items. The food came out lightning quick and our waitress was hot and friendly, but that paled in comparison with the infernal din of stupid people and the abysmal food. For such a big room to have all tiled walls is just a terribly dumb idea – it aggravated the noise problem. I didn’t like the bizarre selection of old nude photos that made a mosaic on the upper part of the back wall either. I’m really puzzled as to why Adam Platt loves this place. I don’t care if they do take reservations, I’m never eating here again.
Rating: 4 / 10
Our cost: $36
Noise level: everyone shouting to be (mis)heard
Chance of walking in: medium, but they take brunch reservations.
Permalink
04.20.08
Posted in Asian, French, Las Vegas, rated 4 to 5.5 at 12:57 by Dominique
in the Palms Casino Resort, 702-942-7777
Great for: people-watching, chocolate cake, getting drunk on sophisticated cocktails, scoping out high rollers
February is not only my birthday month, it’s my friend S’s as well. She decided we needed to celebrate in style, so we planned a Vegas trip with our boyfriends and two other friends L and K. This place is the giant Vegas sister of Buddha Bar Paris. We definitely liked the music and the drinks.
My shrimp and scallop dumplings with spicy dipping sauce were pretty good. The Boyfriend’s jalapeño yellowtail with tosazu sauce and yellow tobiko was better. He let me chase the last few bits of tobiko around in the delicious sauce. S’s spicy lettuce wrap had spicy tuna, crab, salmon and yellowtail with fresh endive, which was tasty. Basically it’s a hobby kit of fish plus leaves you can spread them on; a good dish for sharing.
My entrée of crispy skin-on opakapaka came in sizzled chile pepper tosazu over bok choy with Chinese broccoli and an enormous baby carrot. It was too salty, the fish was a bit chewy, and the carrot was raw. It was the strangest thing – clearly a baby carrot by the shape of the leaves and the smoothness of the carrot, it looked and tasted disconcerting. Other than that the dish was OK. The Boyfriend’s Maui onion-crusted mahi mahi in lobster red miso cream with another giant baby carrot, a potato and Chinese broccoli was not very good. I am sorry to report that the onions were the best part. The fish was eh. L and K shared the special of Kobe steak with shiitake mushroom & gai-lan, which tasted all right but was way too chewy for something calling itself Kobe. In fact, it was too chewy for any medium-cooked steak.
Discouraged by the quality of the other food, I opted to drink dessert instead. My Little Buddha coffee with Stoli Razberi, crème de cacao, Bailey’s and cream on top was delicious. And the Boyfriend’s liquid center chocolate cake with Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream was probably the best food we had all night
The drinks, on the other hand, were uniformly recommendable. I tried the China Girl, Sweet Buddha Love, and Mighty Joe Yang, which were all good, though perhaps too sweet for male tastes. At least that’s what the boyfriends complained. This is the kind of place you’d come with a big group of raucous partygoers who are less concerned with quality of cuisine and more with getting wasted on good cocktails without spending too much money. The décor is classic faux-Asian, with giant Buddhas everywhere and a lot of different cultural artifacts all happily coexisting. The service was not bad. If I ever come back here it will be for drinks at the bar before a party upstairs in one of the crazy luxury suites.
Rating: 4 / 10
Our cost: $430 for 6 people (2 cocktails per person)
Noise level: high
Chance of walking in: low.
The bars upstairs: Moon, Ghostbar and the Playboy Club are OK. Not really worth waiting in line with a bunch of yobs from Jersey (or losers who look like them), and the Playboy “Bunnies” are nothing special. I’ve seen much hotter girls dancing at the other, better clubs on the Strip. In fact, even the regular waitresses at the Wynn are better-looking. The good thing about Rain and Moon, though, is that you can go out on the balconies and get a panoramic view of the Strip, with all the lights and everything.
Permalink
« Previous entries Next Page » Next Page »
