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Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Flatiron, Union Square14th St-6th Aves (F, V, L, 1, 2, 3)
Union Square (4, 5, 6, L, N, Q, R, W)
14th Street (PATH)
Mon-Thu. 12:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Mon-Thu. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Fri. 12:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Fri. 5:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Sun. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
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If you only read the first line of this review and wanted the overview,
I would say, EH... You could probably find somewhere better and less expensive to go.
Read on for my full review...
First off, I don't typically like to go to places owned by people who have their own TV show because I know that they will never live up to my expectations.
Regardless, I went here for a work dinner last night. To start, I had the cactus pear margarita. I would recommend getting it with Patron (BEWARE the margarita cost $14!). The service was attentive, the waitress made many recommendations that were either "to die for" or "Oh my GOD...GOOD". All these suggestions, I wasn't sure if she was trying to up sell us...
For an appetizer, we ordered the oysters fried in cornbread. These were good, but what I didn't get was why, after frying the oyster, did they choose to serve them over a bed of shaved ice? Seemed like an oxymoron.
Also had the cheese fundido ( a recommendation of the waitress). This was a heart attack dish waiting to happen. I like cheese, but when you can see the oil pooling at the top of the dish...Not good.
For dinner, I had the rib eye steak. What sold me was that it was encrusted in southwestern spices and topped with mango? The steak was just okay. Wasn't amazing, but definitely not bad. Cooked correctly (Kudos to Bobby (?) for teaching them proper cooking technique). I also ordered 3 sides. Brussels sprouts with Pomegranate seeds, mashed potatoes, and baby carrots with brown sugar. All were good, but my favorite was the sprouts' those were great. The texture of the Brussels sprouts coupled with juicy pomegranate seeds made the dish pop.
For dessert, we had the sampler dessert plate. This is charged per person, with a 4 person minimum. If you have 5 people in your party like we did, I would just recommend ordering for 4. Basically, you are only getting one of each individually prepared item and having one extra person doesn't really matter, you didnt get an extra mini pineapple cake or banana cream cake.
The desserts were great. My favorite was the pineapple cake, but that is because I like the sweet and sour combo that this mini delight brings. Overall, I would say go here, but if you are looking for a place to WOW you, this is not it.
Food is pretty good - different for sure - Southwestern type of brunch. However, the service is horrendous for the following reasons:
1. Waitress gave us a look because we didn't order drinks. Pretentious.
2. We couldn't order our appetizer first as we waited for our friend, both appetizers and entrees needed to be done at the same time, wtf?
3. Friend came late, but her brunch came 20 minutes before ours.
4. Our entrees took 20-25 minutes after we were done eating our appetizer.
5. I can't remember what else, but the experience overall? Pretentious unnecessarily for food that didn't make me go "wow" but made me go "hmm this is interesting, has a kick to it."
By the way, the damage on the bill was not too bad. Location is in superb shopping district of lower 5th Avenue, and hostess is also annoying and strict - about what?! Overrated, for shizzle.
Would I return? No. I like to be wowed when I go to places that apparently are this person's amazing restaurant you must try, blah blah blah. Eh no.
Honestly, if I had read the Yelp reviews of this place before I went, I would have vetoed this place so fast. Maybe this means that I should not rely on Yelp so much- but I digress. My fiancee and I were walking through the Flatiron area on our way to check out the Village and just saw this place and had no idea that this was affiliated with Bobby Flay and went in anyway. When I figured out this was a Bobby Flay restaurant, it only added to my excitement because I love how inventive some of his recipes can be. We sat at the bar and got great service, got a bunch of vegetarian food and it was one of the most sastifying experience in a city that seems to be anti-vegetarian. The bartender was even kind enough to inquire about our soup stock to make sure they did not use any animal products, which is very rare during such a busy time. I definitely recommend trying the pumpkin soup- it was perfection!
However, I took a star off because the place is slightly overpriced and I wish there was a better beer selection (how great would a Brooklyn Local 1 be with our soup?!?!)
I've been to Mesa Grill a bunch and always liked it. If you can, grab a seat up on the balcony as it is away from the hustle and bustle of the main room. I've been cooking from Bobby Flay's grilling cookbook all summer and love his cuisine. I do wish things were a bit spicier, but I still love it. The apps that we have liked are the duck pancakes, pork quesidillas, blue corn squid and apple salad. My wife had the mahi mahi and loved it. After grilling all summer I had to have a steak and got the Chipotle rib eye, which was fantastic. The corn side is not to be missed. The service could have been a little better. They spilled a bunch of our wine all over the table. I'd rather drink the wine I'm paying for thanks, maybe I should pour?
Everything i ate here was good, especially the pecan crusted tamale that came on the side of my entree. That was actually the best part of my meal, actually... It can get expensive after appetizers, wine and dessert.
Friendly staff, fun decor, was packed on the Saturday night I was there, but that's expected on a Saturday night at any decent restaurant.
Everything I had was perfection. Here's the rundown:
Starters:
Fried squid: lightly fried, not chewy, golden brown and served with several delicious chili sauces that are flavorful, but don't burn. If you only order one thing while you are here, make sure the fried squid is the dish.
Entree:
Spice rubbed pork tenderloin: I was speechless as I devoured this deliciously cut, seasoned, cooked and presented piece of pork. There was absolutely no spillage of juices which tells me the chefs know how to let meat properly rest.
Maple corn tamale: This tamale didn't have a chance. Once I had a bite I couldn't help but continue to finish it while doing my best to take breaths in between bites.
Dessert:
Toasted coconut layered cake. I'll say that again: toasted coconut layered cake. It was the best slice of cake I've eaten. I'm a dessert guy, but not the typical chocolate make it as strong as you possibly can kind of a guy. The cake was fluffy, light and the frosting had a good toasted flavor to it. The size was enough to share with 3, but I was lucky enough to be with 2 friends who weren't fans of coconut!
Drinks:
Forget the house margarita, the beers or anything else, order the 'Mesa Fresca'. As the waiter told me, it's fresh grapefruit juice, top shelf anejo tequila and a little bit of sprinkled amazing on top.
If I get to go back to the NYC Mesa Grill, I'm pretty sure I'll order Mesa Frescas and fried squid until they kick me out!
If Bobby Flay tended to his restaurants more instead of bullshitting on the Food Network, getting his ass kicked all the time in his OWN shows, then maybe his restaurant wouldn't be half as bad.
First time I came here, it wasn't bad. Second time I came, I realized this place is way too overrated.
I can certainly appreciate the Southwestern flavors that he's trying to accomplish. There are some days that I like to eat foods with bold flavors. But even with his failed attempts for a "Wow" factor, the pairing of certain sauces and spice rubs with his proteins just doesn't do it for me. One dish in particular was the Chipotle Glazed Rib Eye.
All-in-all, the overall experience doesn't justify the price tag.
Watching Bobby Flay cook on Food Network makes my mouth water. His food always sounds delicious with all the different spices and fire he utilizes. Imagine my disappointment when my experience at Mesa Grill was bland, bland, bland. Bobby, what happened?
I was really looking forward to Mesa Grill for a client lunch. We came a bit late in the afternoon so the restaurant was fairly empty and quiet. I was starving by the time we were seated so I was super eager to dive into the cornbread basket-- those little muffins smelled so good but had no real flavor and frustratingly fell apart as I took each bite. The little studs of corn kernels in the muffins brought nothing to the table.
My grilled mahi mahi was beautiful plated but again, sadly lacking in flavor. The pineapple green onion salsa atop the fish was the only thing on my plate with a real burst of flavor. I wish there had been more of that to spread around and liven up the food some more. The creamy risotto that came with the fish was cooked well, but again was lacking the spice and flavor that Bobby always touts on TV.
I'm not sure if I just ordered the wrong dish, but Mesa Grill was not what I expected from a chef like Flay. Everything sounded good on the menu so I actually would like to come back and try something else and give Bob-o another chance-- hopefully with more flavor this time. Bobby,, don't disappoint this fan!
C'mon Bobby!! I'll start this out by saying I am a big fan of Bobby Flay. I watch him on TV, I have the cookbooks, and I think Bar Americain is a great restaurant. Mesa Grill is up the street from my apartment and I've wanted to try it for awhile so we stopped in for brunch. What a disappointment! I'll start by saying that service was so-so. We started brunch with Bloody Mary's that were passable at best. I expect a Bloody Mary to have some body to it and these were just super spicy tomato juice. We had:
Queso Fundito: This was the best thing we had, I was suffering a bit from the night before and the gooey cheese with chips hit the spot. Kind of sad though that glorified nacho dip was the best dish.
Spicy Tuna and Salmon Tartar: This dish was so bland! Both fish lacked seasoning and acid. The only flavor was from Bobby's "signature" red and green oils and they didn't deliver much.
Sweet Potato and Chicken Hash with Poached Eggs: DISGUSTING! This is supposed to be the signature brunch dish and sounded enticing but was, on several levels, awful. The sweet potatoes were mush, the chicken was mush, it was like baby food. No texture on the plate and no flavor. I was starving and ate about 1/4 of my food. God did this dish suck. I honestly don't know how the hell it came out of the kitchen. As a side note they served it with home fries?!!? That's correct, home fries with a potato hash as a side, and they were ice cold.
Steak and Eggs: Both of my dining companions had this and they said it was ok. It was basically a plate of steak fajitas with scrambled eggs, hard to mess up.
I only gave two stars because its Bobby and the Queso was good. You won't see me back here.
I expected MUCH better out out of Mesa Grill. I love the Food Network and Bobby Flay on it, so this was really disappointing. My little bro was visiting and it was my boyfriend's bday, so I thought Mesa Grill would be the perfect place to take them both. I ordered the only vegetarian entree, the chile relleno. It was served with a creamy pepper + balsamic vinegar sauce. The vinegar completely overpowered the entire dish, and Mexican + balsamic for sure do not go well together. My bro ordered a habanero-flavored pork dish. If you're gonna use habanero in a dish, it better have a kick, but my bro found the dish to be bland (and he's not hard to please). Even the southwest fries were lacking in flavor. The best part of the meal was our shrimp tamale appetizer. It was sweet and creamy, but really tiny. The tamales that came with the meat entrees were really unappetizing- full of oil.
Anyway, on top of the food, the service kind of sucked. I asked the waiter whether they did anything for bdays. He said yes, but then completely neglected to bring anything out even though we had a late reservation and were one of the few tables left. Decor = tacky (vinyl booths with pictures of cowboys; not what you expect for a place with $30 entrees).
If you're looking for a nice, quiet dinner spot that will impress guests, head elsewhere. There's a reason why 50% of the diners here are tourists.
3.5 stars...
I am in love with the Food Network so of course I had to try out Bobby Flay's restaurant! It took us two tries to finally dine here. The first time we came around 2pm and they were closed for the afternoon and will reopen at 5pm. I was annoyed because when we walked into the restaurant, the hostess just looked at us for a good minute before my boyfriend said um...table for two? Then she goes, oh we are closed and will reopen at 5pm. Dude, couldn't you have said that right when we walked in. That was so dumb! Anyway, I didn't let it get to me and we came back another day for brunch. We had a better experience. My boyfriend ordered the spicy chicken and sweet potato hash and that was really good. It was so good that I don't even remember what I ordered. It was a bit pricy though, but that's ok. It was really good! Very different and has a pretty unique taste. I would totally come back for this dish alone. Everything else seems ok, nothing else I really want to try.
Had dinner at Mesa Grill on 5th ave and was not disappointed!
My boyfriend and I had reservations and were greeted kindly and seated right away. The decor is lovely, colorful but also subdued.
The staff was wonderful, overall. Every person was lovely and attentive throughout the entire evening. We never felt rushed, even though we spend a little over 2 hrs in there. Our waiter Michael, however, was the BEST. He was so knowledgeable about the food they were serving as well as the wines. Very honest about what's good and what isn't.
Now on to the food. We had the Gala Apples salad which was wonderful. The apples were very, very fresh, crisp and plentiful. The blue cheese was perfect and the toasted pecans were a great touch. The spicy orange vinaigrette was great too, not overwhelming at all.
I decided to order the sixteen spice duck breast and it was fabulous. Mike (our waiter) recommended it to be cooked medium well and he was right on the money. The duck meat was tender, juicy, cooked through but not dry. The 16-spice rub was yummy but not overwhelming. However, the star of the show on my plate was the Chorizo-Goat Cheese Tamale. I couldn't stop eating it.
The BF had a new york strip and mashed potatoes, both were great. The meat was a generous size, the pesto mashed potatoes were really delicious.
Kudos to Mesa Grill for serving fresh, delicious, honest food without any pretensions. The service was great, the food was on point and the entire experience was well worth the money.
I went here once for a drink and an app, and then today for lunch.
The first time was on a Friday night, and it was too crowded to bother really eating. The drink I think was a prickly pear margarita. I really can't remember that much because it was STRONG! We had the Spicy Tuna and Salmon Tartar which seems to have gotten mixed reviews ranging from horrible to amazing. It was better than I thought it would be. I liked the blue corn muffins from this trip the best.
Today we had the barbecued pork quesadilla which didn't have a whole lot of pork until the last bite, but I liked the oaxaca cheese. We ordered the shrimp tacos which was pretty skimpy. The sweet potato and chicken hash was interesting. I actually wanted to take a picture of how it was plated because it was darn right pretty. I agree with someone that it was like a mush, and the flavors were unexpected but pretty good. The poached eggs were overcooked, but I really enjoyed the hollandaise sauce. I don't know, it's a mixed bag. I don't need to be here for dinner, but I am glad I went.
So I came here during Restaurant Week a long time ago with my sister, and she had the restaurant week menu, and I had a steak. We were really happy.
I went there again, but this time for brunch. I took my friend out for a bday lunch, and he wanted to try Mesa Grill. I was happy to oblige him, because I do love Bobby Flay with a true passionate appreciative love only a Throwdown lover and an adorer of spice could fathom.
The bread basket was divine. Hate to post this, but there was a hair in one of our bread things. But I pointed it out to the waiter and he replaced the bread. Then our food took forever to arrive for some reason. The people next to us sat after we had ordered already, and they were ready to pay by the time we got food. It's not that we ordered anything complicated...
The brunch menu is reasonable for such a nice restaurant, most things are around 14 or 15 dollars. My friend had coffee and a bloody mary, as well. I just drank water.
He had the spicy eggs with ham steak and biscuits and grits. He loved his dish. The biscuits were black pepper heavy. I love Bobby Flay and his love of spice. Though even I was surprised at the amount of black pepper in the biscuits.
I had the burger with grilled vidalia onion and cheese and tomato and lettuce, and spicy southwestern fries.
I only had half my burger, and like 1/3 of the fries. It was a lot of food. I asked to wrap the rest of it all up, but the waiter wrapped only the burger and tossed the fries, to my annoyance. Maybe fries aren't as good not fresh, but it's my choice whether to eat them soggy later or not. Because our service took forever the front of the house woman came and told us the drinks were on the house, which was nice. Overall the service was actually not great, we had to nudge them and my friend had to keep asking for coffee refills instead of like at other nice restaurants where the service is super attentive and intuitive. But the food was good, and it ended up at around 40 with tip for brunch at an Iron Chef's restaurant which is not bad at all.
Being Food Network whores, my friend and I tried to secure a reservation here during Labor Day weekend. Unfortunately, so did everyone else visiting the city, so we had to settle for drinks and apps at the bar before moving on to another restaurant for dinner. We both had the signature cactus pear margarita and shared the goat cheese queso fundido and blue corn pancake with duck. The margaritas are a beautiful hot pink color and taste pretty good, though I've had better margaritas elsewhere. The goat cheese queso was forgettable, but the blue corn pancake with duck was amazing! It was the perfect combination of spicy and sweet with the richness of the duck. I browsed the selection of entrees on the menu and there are things I would like to try, but there are probably other restaurants I will visit before coming back here.
2.5 stars.
Meh. That pretty much sums it up. For the amount that we spent, we were seriously underwhelmed. I'm normally pretty patient with servers...it's not an easy job, but ours was a pretentious jerk. We started with margaritas and the tuna tartare appetizer, which were the highlights of our meal. For our entrees we had the pork tenderloin and the salmon. Neither was particularly exciting. The tamale side dish with the pork was good...probably the best part of the entrees. After watching Bobby Flay cook, I was expecting a flavorful meal, but was disappointed.
The food isn't bad, but we've had better, much more exciting and creative meals for half the price, which is why mesa gets such a low rating.
I must agree with Steven W. in that Mesa Grill's food misses on what I was expecting the most: flavor. Do not get me wrong, the food was well prepared and tasted good but it did not pack the flavors I was hoping. The pork tenderloin was perfectly cooked but bland. The sweet potato tamale that accompanied it stole the show. It was simple and yet very tasty. The sweet from the potatoes with the crunch of the pecans and saltiness of the butter made it irresistible. The chorizo and goat cheese tamale was also very good. A savory counterpart to the sweet potato one.
All in all, the food was good but did not come close to my expectation. Being a huge fan of chef Bobby Flay, I was disappointed. Try it if you are curious, otherwise, skip it. There are plenty of other places in NYC where the food will blow you away for a lot less money.
I had a seafood platter when I went to Mesa Grill, the restaurant for my quarter century birthday bash. I've never had such bad seafood before. What I did like was the thin sauce that coveted the seafood, but what I didn't like was how the seafood was cooked. The lobster was half raw! The scallops were not fresh, the mussels were raw as well (the shell could not be opened even with force) and so I asked the waitress to take it back. It was kind of her to bring me a new plate full of food. However, the scallops didn't taste any better.. the lobsters were overcooked this time. Needless to say, I will never ever go back to this or any other Bobby Flay's restaurants again.
Upside: The desserts were WONDERFUL!! Made to perfection =) You can consider this when coming to this restaurant...
The flavors at this restaurant were not my cup of tea, that being said, this is a spectacular restaurant. Great food and service, I didn't care for the decor. My experience though is unique I'm sure, it just didn't rock my world, but I expect it to hit most people's though.
I've been to Mesa Grill perhaps two times before the other day's encounter as a friend of mine loves Bobby Flay. Each time I have left happy and this particular lunch experience provided similar feelings. Mesa Grill is a fairly open space, and while it does appear they have some tables on a second level, I've never actually sat up there, nor seen anyone else up there. Maybe they don't have it open for lunch.
For starters, my friend and I split the Spicy Tuna + Salmon Tartares, which were delicious. A nice spin on this dish is that it comes served with chip-like crispy plantains. For the main entrée, I was hemming and hawing between the Smoked Shrimp tacos and Ancho Chile Rubbed Chicken. After hearing the beer choices and settling on Corona, I thought it only fitting that I go with the Smoked Shrimp Tacos. What? I still want to believe I'm on vacation; if only there were some Jimmy Buffet playing in the background... The tacos definitely did not disappoint, but be warned that it is a lighter/smaller dish. They were accompanied by some delicious salsas, of which I have no idea what they consisted of. However there were enough salsas and slaw for at least 3 tacos, but even with my 2 I felt the need to fill those grilled tortillas to the brim. Oh yeah, there was avocado too!
Other dishes ordered by our party were the Grilled Mahi Mahi, Sweet Potato Ravioli and Spicy Chicken + Sweet Potato Hash. Everyone seemed happy and I am definitely trying the Spicy Chicken next go round. It actually came with a Hollandaise sauce, and as some may know, I'm a sucker for Hollandaise (almost as much as goat cheese). Deserts were had and I indulged in sharing the Pineapple Buttermilk Upside Down Cake and the Toasted Coconut Layer Cake. Both were delicious, but nothing too extraordinary.
Overall, I have been and will be coming back to Mesa Grill. Perhaps next time it will be for dinner as I've yet to explore that menu.
So this place is owned by celebrity chef Bobby Flay. I've talked to a few people that have been here and they weren't impressed by the place. I'm thinking maybe their expectations are too high, or they just want to hate it because Mr. Flay is such a A-hole on his TV shows. I came here with my parents when I was interviewing for dental school in New York. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, was good. I know it was good, cause my mom doesn't really like American food, nor does she like eating anywhere that costs more than McDonalds (even thats too expensive for her), but I could see the look in her eyes that she really enjoyed it. We had the steak, pork chops, and a squid salad. I've cooked enough pork chops in my day to know when it is superbly done, and this was excellent, the sauce was excellent, everything was excellent.
Tip: The sweet potato tamale with pecan butter... FTW!
First day of Restaurant Week (which is really several weeks, and lasted for MONTHS last time around, but whatever) and I was very excited. My boyfriend and I met for a late lunch at Mesa Grill, Bobby Flay's Southwestern restaurant. That's three strikes against it, by the way: I could pass on lunch; I am not a fan of Bobby Flay; I do not like Southwestern food. But my boyfriend loves it, and the restaurant is just a few blocks from his office, so that's where we went.
And I liked the food, which (in light of the above disclaimers) is saying something. The "bread bowl" even included a great half-and-half muffin; blue corn on one side, cornbread and jalapeno on the other.
I had the roasted corn soup (with crispy okra), the blue corn crusted red snapper (with stewed grape tomatoes), and the chocolate layer cake (covered in chocolate ganache with a side of cherry compote). The soup was great: sweet but complex, complimented by the texture of the okra. The snapper was just okay (maybe a bit bland and vaguely overcooked); boyfriend liked the blue corn crust very much. The chocolate cake was very good and very rich; I couldn't finish it. I also had coffee (good), and a mediocre margarita that cost half as much as my lunch (full disclosure: I don't like margaritas).
He had the fry bread taquitos (with jerk chicken and cabbage-jicama slaw), the goat cheese quesadilla (with grilled asparagus, tomato jam, cilantro yogurt, and some kind of chipotle sauce), as well as the roasted peach cheesecake. His taquitos were way too spicy for me, but he enjoyed them. His quesadilla was perfect, wonderful, and amazing. Crispy, but soft, with gooey cheese and burnt cheese, mild cheese and goat cheese, covered in clever condiments. Amazing. However, I only took one bite of his dessert, and that was plenty.
The decor is bizarre. Giant industrial fans, yellow walls, red cowboy print seats, and weird posters (dice, a globe, Audrey Hepburn's eyes). The service was not bad, but I didn't like my waitress (and isn't that kind of their job? to be likeable, I mean).
Love this place. The menu is identical or near identical to the menu that I had in Las Vegas. I really love the southwestern flavors that Chef Flay uses. I enjoyed the signature Pork Tenderloin and it was amazing, cooked and seasoned to perfection. The wine list was pretty good, nothing amazing. I had a signature mixed drink there it was good so don't be afraid to try their own cocktails. The tamale appetizer was also very good and a good item to share with someone. The one thing that was noticeably different than my Las Vegas experience was the service. The service at this location was overly pushy. The waitress did not have good timing during the whole meal and she was clearly trying to get us to buy more appetizers, wine, and desserts during the whole evening. I understand that all service staff are trying to do this but she was clearly doing this to get a bigger tip rather than enhance our dining experience. Overall this eatery has nice bold flavors and is actually reasonable price wise for what you get.
So I am cannot add any more than has been said a couple hundred times already. The food is super, accessible, full of flavor - and frankly is the sort of food that makes you feel happy.
The Tomato-Tortilla Soup with white cheddar cheese and cilantro was awesome. We all know tomato soup, but this was beautiful and evoked memories of granny in the kitchen (albeit a southern kitchen with chillies in it!). Nice little kick of heat, cooling slice of avocado in the middle. Mmmmm.
The Green Chile Cioppino with lobster, scallop and mussels was equally mouth-filling and utterly satisfying. These are comfort foods made very well.
The downside, the room is tired - and service feels like a cattle herding experience, even though the prodding was down with smiles and respect. Clearly this is more about the Celebrity Chef experience, rather than somewhere you come to enjoy the environment and food.
For the price, overall I don't know that the experience is worth a return, which is a grand shame given that the menu was so satisfying.
After a recent visit for brunch I have to congratulate Mr. Flay. I was half expecting to be disappointed but Mesa Grill offers up some very tasty south western dishes. Added to that the service is prompt and knowledgeable. The only thing that disappointed was the overcooked home fries that came with my main meal but that was more than made up for by the complimentary spicy corn muffins. From a price perspective it is also surprisingly affordable considering the 5th Avenue location. (You can't beat refreshing rum concoctions for only $8!)
I went to try the restaurant week menu, it was a very disappointing experience. I had the fry bread toquitos, chicken, and peach cheesecake. The portions were small and the choices were limited.
The chicken entree came with runny mashed potatoes and the chicken breast had a plain BBQ sauce on it. I've had better at cheap BBQ joints. I would have liked a BBQ style potato side instead of something I could have made myself out of potato flakes.
I sort of lost respect for him as a chef.
nothing special, expected the food to be better, my sixteen spice duck breast was suppose to be medium raw, but it was almost well done, so the meat was a tad dry.
The dessert was good tho :)
food - ehh...
Since Pierre Loti ran out of Creme Brulee and Casa Mono turned as away claiming they were 'full meal service only'... we came to Mesa Grill to have Bobby grill us up some dessert for Rae Rae's bday. A hostess tried to turn us away with full-service shpiel, but a suit quickly intervened. Wow...no restaurant or bar should be turning away patrons in a recession.that's straight up foolish. [Bobby, keep this guy around...he's got the smarts.]
Rae Rae ordered a white peach margarita and Travis ordered the hot pink cactus pear margarita...and this little piggy had water... again. [Sidenote to fellas: Encourage your date to order that cactus pear margarita... there's a reason we nicknamed it the pink panty dropper. trust us.]
Me: Guys, are you sure we can finish 3 desserts?
Rae Rae and Travis (without hesitation): YES!
Me: Ok then.
1. Coconut cake (beyond heaven)
2. Churros with chocolate sauce (melts in your mouth)
3. Strawberry-gooseberry shortcake (tasted even cuter than it looked)
Man were those kats right... plates were nothing short of licked clean. And, yes.. I am aware that stuffing my face with 3 desserts is completely counterproductive to detox efforts.thank you. goodnite.
I went for brunch over the weekend and had the Blue Corn Waffle... this was the most delicious… Read more »
I wanna love this place and give it 5 stars, but I can't. I'm a big Flay fan, grew up on "Chillin and Grillin" and still watch "Throwdown" all the time. What can I say, he is a cheeseball, but I love him and have learned a bunch about grilling and some great recipes from him along the way.
When I started working in Union Sq a few yrs ago, I was pumped that this place was a so close to my office. I'm a big fan of the pressed Cuban burger that has ham, swiss, and pickles and is juicy as hell. The cornmeal crusted chile relleno is also worth the trip. I've gone for dinner and was disappointed with the grilled rib-eye. After watching him for years, point out how to buy a nice chop, with the marbled fat on it, I was let down by the cut of meat that was served to me. The food is very good, the quality and ambience are nice, but I think he gets away with charging a bit more then what it's worth because of his celebrity chef status. I think this is a place that I would bring an out of town guest to, but there are just better spots to get a steak in this price range.
I think that maybe Bobby Flay's TV persona sets expectations a bit high, because I really disagree with all the negative comments about Mesa. I've been slowly making the rounds to all my old favorite NY eateries, and finally got to Mesa last night. And I still love it. The white peach margarita was as yummy as I remembered, and I also tried a Mesa Fresca while we waited for our table and it was refreshing and equally delicious. We shared Sophie's chopped salad and the queso fundido, and neither disappointed, and of course for my entree I had the chile relleno. Spicy, cheesy goodness.
Listen, Bobby himself isn't in the kitchen cooking. The food at Mesa is reasonably priced for an upscale Manhattan restaurant, the service is friendly, and the flavors [at least in my opinion] are totally there.
Mesa is my favorite place to eat in Union Square, and that is saying a lot, as fantastic eateries… Read more »
Went there for my boyfriend's birthday during Restaurant Week. We had a reservation for 7 people on a Friday night, and were immediately seated at a nice table, with several attentive waitstaff taking care of us. The food from the set menu was amazing (spicy corn soup, encrusted chile relleno, peach cheesecake) and the drinks were superb if not a bit pricey (cactus pear margarita, white peach margarita).
the restaurant is bustling, busy and a little bit crowded, but the refined decor and subtle elegance (white linens, waiter refolding napkin when guest gets up) made it a perfect evening.
overall a wonderful experience.
My girlfriend and I hate here a few weeks ago for restaurant week and despite many of the reviews claiming that the restaurant has gone down hill, we were quite pleased with our experience.
We had a 7:30 reservation and arrived at 7:20 and were seated promptly. My girlfriend asked if we could have a different table (she didn't like the location) and after checking with the Maitre D', we were directed to a different table.
The wait staff as well as the hosting staff were very pleasant. I started off with a glass of their Zinfandel which was quite good. Very fruity with a mild sweetness and subtle spice notes. Not the best red wine I've ever had, but definitely not bad.
We decided to order off the restaurant week menu and we coincidentally both ordered the same appetizer and entree.
As a side note before I mention the appetizer, I would like to make a note that the bread they deliver is great. I have never had a jalapeno stuffed corn muffin before, but would absolutely have one again. Also, their sweet potato roll had an amazing seasoning on it and was very light.
We started with the Fry-Bread Taquitos with the Jicama Slaw and it was amazing! The chicken was cooked just right and the slaw added a bit of sweetness to the dish which had a very string kick to it. As many have said in previous reviews, the highlight of Bobby Flay's dishes tend to be his sauces. This dish was no exception. The two sauces on this dish were to die for.
We then moved on to the Cornmeal Crusted Chile Relleno which I was very impressed with. I have had chile rellenos before and have even made them before and was very pleased with this dish. The chile was roasted perfectly and had no remaining skin on it. The cornmeal was fried just right and wasn't oily and none of the oil mixed in with the cheese so the cheese was the correct consistency. The sauteed eggplant was a nice addition and added a little more body to the dish.
We finished off the meal with the cheesecake and the chocolate cake, both of which were very tasty. The cheese cake was dense but not overly rich where the chocolate cake was light and fluffy but was very rich.
Overall I would say it was a very good meal. Not the best I've ever had and I would have expected just a little more from a renowned celebrity chef, but a good meal nonetheless. If you're going to spend that much money, though, I would probably suggest other places first.
I've always had mixed feelings about Throw Down with Bobby Flay. Seems a little pretentious for him to go around challenging everyone at what they're best at, but I have to admit he does seem like a good chef.
So I went to Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill for a Sunday brunch expecting to be thrown down. The bread that they served with our meal was amazing. There was a corn bread which was buttery and delicious and a coffee cake that was also very tasty. The best part about the bread though was the jam that came with it. I'm not sure exactly what was in it but I swear I could put that jam on rice and it'd still taste amazing. We had the shredded pork quesadillas as an appetizer which was awesome, but the entrees were only so-so. I got the pork sandwich and my gf got the chile reillanos. The pork was dry and small and the chile didn't have much of a crust. They were good but nothing to write home about. So overall I was satisfied but not impressed. Sorry Bobby.
Let's get to the real deal here, I was expecting MUCH more from Bobby Flay. The drinks were boring and no real fruit puree as claimed on the margarita menu, They were out of 3 of the main entrees and 2 of the appetizers at only 8pm. The corn muffins were dry, the duck was raw, my rack of pork special was nothing special and my $7 potato side dish was barely a half a skin. Dessert was dry and boring. The best thing of the night was the coffee. Bobby- i expected much much more. I challenge YOU to a show down, in your own restaurant. I'll cook your menu and take you down easily based on what i tasted tonight :( very disappointing.
PS - my husband chipped his tooth on your bland apple chutney. Apparently you didnt wash your cilantro, there was sand in the dish. Again- VERY DISAPPOINTING!
The food here is good but nothing out of the ordinary. I've eaten in dives and 5 star-first class restaurants and this place takes the cake in BAD service. One of the servers dropped my daughters food and it was never cleaned up! The server knew we needed to make a show and he was as slow as could be. He was then talking with his bud's while he was supposed to be preparing our check. I went over to shake the bill lose (politely) and the server was as rude a street punk. I told the mgr and nothing was done. Living in a city (not NYC) that has plenty of top notch dining I find it hard to believe I'll return to NYC for a visit.
I am a huge Bobby Flay fan and love watching him cook. I wanted to go to one of his restaurants so bad but supper was out of the question. I am glad fine dining restaurants serve lunch that way more people can afford them. We started with our waitress asking us if we wanted "Tap, Flat, or Sparkling water" feeling rich we said sparkling(later receiving the bill, 1 bottle was $8). So for lunch we had the Ancho Honey glazed Salmon. Now bobby is known for his sauces, and for being a simple piece of fish, there were probably 8 sauces, so good. my sis had the soft shell crab on a sammy, she really liked it. They also have a great dessert menu. I had the smoked vanilla ice cream and dulce de leche crepes. My sis had the autumn cobbler with figs pear and apple, with this amazing concord grape ice cream which i could have had a bowl just of that. cannot wait to go back.
Bobby Flay...how I love thee & thou southwestern flavor combos that POP in your mouth.
I really enjoyed my experience at his NYC location of Mesa Grill.
The BFF & I had dinner here on a Saturday night. We had reservations, but still had to wait about 15-20 minutes for our table. When we were finally seated, we were pretty much elbow to elbow with our neighbors to the left & to the right. They really pack it in. The good thing about being seated so close to other parties is that you get to scope out their dishes before ordering. By the end of the night, we knew the life stories of two other couples! That's what I call dinner & a show!
Appetizer: Creamy wild mushroom grits (So spicy & delicious. That poached egg goodness with the grits & cojita cheese is a winning combination.)
Entrees: Cornmeal crusted chile relleno for me (very substantial & hearty for a meatless dish due to "meaty" roasted eggplant filling.) And spiced pork tenderloin for the BFF.
Dessert: We shared churros & a coconut layer slice of cake (the perfect ending to any meal.)
Prices were surprisingly reasonable (our bill was $90 without tip.) I thought the prices would be outrageous, given that we were eating at the famed Bobby Flay's restaurant, but that wasn't the case at all. We were happy with the prices.
Service was not great, but what do you expect on a Saturday night? Our waiter could barely keep up with all his tables. I felt it took a tad long for our meals to come out. Eat at this restaurant, just don't expect to be treated like the most important customers on Earth. It's busy, it's kind of loud, the energy is great & the food is fantastic.
3.5 I'll go with actually.
Went for Restaurant Week at lunch today. Had made a reservation, arrived a few minutes early but was seated promptly at our reservation time.
App- Fry Bread Taquito. I asked the waitress if they were very spicy and she said they weren't very spicy but they did have some heat to them. I'm can't handle too spicy food but I decided to give them a try. They definitely had some heat to them, in my opinion, but they were very good. I wish they had been slightly warmer though.
Entree- Cojita Crusted Quesadilla. The quesadilla itself was very good. How can you go wrong with goat cheese? However I wasn't a fan of one of the sauces on top. That's a personal opinion, because my friend had the same and loved it.
Dessert- Chocolate Cherry Layer Cake. Good. Not amazing, and nothing original, but still good. Good sized serving too, I was so full from the rest I couldn't get through it. Cappucino was very good.
Service was good. Waitress was friendly. I didn't feel snubbed for ordering off the Restaurant Week menu. Courses weren't rushed and they didn't rush us out after dessert. Decor was "eh" in my opinion. We were seated against the wall upstairs so we didn't really have much view of the place.
Would I go back? Yes I'd go back to try the regular menu sometime, however there are many other places in the city that I'd want to try first before I make a return trip here.
For an Iron Chef... his food was not worth the $80 we spent each. His food lacked flavor... totally relied on the sauces. Had the steak... asked for medium rare... came out medium well... over cooked! Thought I had mis-spoken but remembered the waiter asked if "pink-centered was ok?" Figured his steaks would be good since he also has a show about grilling food... The only thing good was the corn thing on the side.. but other than that... nothing... Our waiter sucked too... Other tables had their waiter come every few mins to check on them... ours came out the 3 times to bring our food and never saw him again until it was time to ask for the bill.... Never going back... and probably never going to any of his other restaurants either...
This isn't the greatest place if you're looking for a quiet, romantic dinner. It's a big, open space and it can get pretty loud. I know some have said that this restaurant is getting long in the tooth, but I thought it was just fine. Prices are a little high, in my opinion. Favorite thing on the menu: the blue corn pancake with BBQ duck.
Neighborhood: Theater District
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Flatiron
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Flatiron
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Flatiron
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Flatiron
Category: Seafood
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