Shelly's Big City

What did I learn from eating at Shelly's Big City? If the restaurant doesn't put prices on their on-line menu, chances are they are more than the food is worth.

Now I know when you go to NYC everything costs more. It's just part of the deal. If you look through all of my reviews you can see how many times I have complained about NYC restaurant prices...I'll save you the time...NEVER!

I have to today. I spent $40 for eight sodas at Shelly's the other day.
No, not artisanal, handcrafted sodas...Coca Cola products...No, I didn't buy ten, 12 packs of cans, just 8 sodas at $4.95 a piece...$5 for a soft drink!!! That's just the beginning.

Spaghetti Bolognese (pasta with meat sauce )--$26.50--This is the price I would expect to pay at Alto or Marea as it's similarly priced for a
comparable dish. It's more than is charged for a comparable dish at
Scarpetta and even the new Lincoln Restaurant at Lincoln Center....Again, all restaurants where you wouldn't be surprised to pay
that much for such a dish (and the prices are on their on-line menus).

Fish and Chips (batter dipped fried fish and fries)--$26.50--I couldn't
find another menu at a restaurant in NYC with fish and chips for over
$20 (see my pasta comparison above, I do my homework).

Steaks are steakhouse prices. These are just a few examples, but pretty par for the course.

The food was 3 star across the board...service 3 star as well. At the end of the day it was good enough...but not good enough to warrant the prices. If the food blew my mind, I probably wouldn't even be going on this rant...

They have a great menu, with tremendous variety and perfect for
a group that likes a little bit of everything...thus why I chose it.
Truthfully the atmosphere is terrific, they play great music... I really
wanted to like the place.

If the on-line menu had prices, and I saw them and still chose to dine at Shelly's then I would be disappointed. By not offering up the prices,
it's not only disappointment in the overall experience, but anger at the
establishment. It makes you feel exploited.

Its the end of an era...my waitress told me today that Shelly's on 57th is closing. A decade of special occasions, birthdays & pre-theater dinner w/my husband. It was the place I liked to show out-of-towners a taste of New York. I remember going to the Blue Lady Lounge & Saturday Night Jazz before I knew the difference between a pinot & a cabernet. The moscato & summers drinking sambuca, people watching and good conversation.

This has been my favorite Manhattan restaurant for years. The service is always, always good. I enjoy the conversations with the waitstaff...they know the food and know how to do their job well. Shelly's serves a filet mignon that puts other steak-houses to shame and their homemade chocolate mousse is enough for 5 but doesn't compromise richness or taste.

My suggestion is to run, run to Shelly's as fast as you can in the next two weeks, know the taste of a good steak and a bottle of wine from their extensive cellar before they close. Good-bye to an Upper East Side Classic.

I arrived here without a reservation on a Thursday night with some friends and was astounded by the lack of service provided to us. Waiting for a table took only a minute or two, which was not a big deal. However, how they treated us as we were brought to our table was atrocious.

Of all the tables available, we were brought to a spot right next to the noisy kitchen. The noise wasn't a big deal, but having the waiters and waitresses whizzing by constantly with other people's orders was annoying. As we were waiting to order we were unceremoniously given a basket full of bread (not fresh).

A few moments later, another group of people sat in a nice cushy spot two tables from us. Interestingly, a waiter came by with a basket full of steaming hot bread and gave them a selection on their plates. At the time, I thought nothing of it.

As the night progressed, the service became stranger and stranger. My female friend ordered a Diet Coke and received what looked to be a flat soda. She claimed that it tasted horrible. I didn't even see any presence of carbonation bubbling in her soda, which I thought was odd for a place that looked so fancy (any fast food joint like Burger King, McDonalds, or even Wendy's has carbonation in their fountain drinks). I was about to ask for a canned soda, when she promptly stopped me, because she figured these people would spit in our food out of retaliation (which is highly consistent with the way they treated us). Later on, a waiter came by to refill her drink (which was nice of him) but poured more Diet Coke from a flask that he was carrying. A flask that also didn't have any sign of carbonation. And just for the record, I thought flasks belonged in high school science classes, not in a restaurant such as this.

The food arrived within a reasonable amount of time (I gave them the benefit of the doubt mainly because I was with pleasant company). The food was nothing too fancy, but cost a bit much for something so mundane.

As we left, my company noticed that other guests were given coat checks because one couple was leaving while the staff brought over their coats. I looked around and realized that none of the customers had their coats hanging on their chairs. Imagine that. All the while we were left to hang our coats on the back of our seats. There was no mention of this service from anyone from the staff.

While we were dressed in business appropriate attire, their lack of good graces gave me the impression that they didn't want us in their restaurant to begin with. Let's just say that all the customers were from one nicely homogenous group of "well off" people with their mink coats. I guess we should have done our research before stepping foot into this "elitist" restaurant.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said in his famous speech "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Clearly, someone didn't get the message.

Stopped in after a concert recital at Steinway Hall. Seemed cozy and inviting. They seem to specialize in coffee and wine. My stomach was a little upset so I asked for something on the lighter side. The waiter suggested the Chicken Paillard, which was like jerk chicken with a spring vegetable salad. it was pretty good. The menu includes steaks, burgers and seafood, but it was all kind of pricey. All in all pretty good. Tuesday nights are kind of slow, as was the service.

Some pals and I tried out Shelly's for Restaurant Week. One of my pals picked the place, I would have chosen another place.

I must have walked or drove by this place a million times and never noticed it!

I was surprised as I walked in. I like the warm, inviting French Bistro feel to the place.

I was also surprised to find the place almost empty the entire time we were there. How do they stay in business? Every restaurant during RW is completely packed this week...why are they empty?

The service of the host and the waiter was very good. Very friendly, helpful. The one odd thing is that one of the chefs kept coming out the kitchen to stare at our table. Very odd.

Also odd was that there was a strange chap that kept walking by our table. I only note this because I was told he is a regular. He kept going to the restroom. Why is that odd? Over 10 times? How big is this guy's bladder? Seriously? Once again, very odd.

The crowd seemed quite old and perhaps touristy. If you are looking for a hip crowd to hang out with, this is not the place.

On to the food. The food was fine, but not great. I hate to say it, but it tasted like diner food. I agree with the other reviews that there are so many other great places to eat in NY. Dependable, fine.

I also agree the prices on their regular menu are way too expensive for the quality of food. They seriously should consider lowering their prices. Then maybe they wouldn't be empty. I had hoped to order a wine with my steak frites...but surely wasn't going to fork over $17 for a glass of wine! I liked their bar area, and surely would have returned for an occasional glass of wine after work (I work near here often)....but at those prices, I really don't think so.

The salmon was good. It was presented nicely with a swirl of basil potatoes on top...very attractive. We couldn't taste the basil at all though. The steak frites was cooked exactly to order, just as I like it....but it didn't taste great. The cut of meat was not great, there was a lot of grisle, and there was a strange taste of the spices on top. Like I said, the food was fine, but certainly nothing to return for.

I was not surprised this place closed up - you couldnt even get a cup of coffee in there without an attitude and waiting a ridiculous amount of time (because you weren't spending more)
good riddens!!

I miss the old Shelly's that was more west on 57th Street. This place was dreadful. I mean, the menu was limited, boring and the food pretty bland. My scallops were gritty. My waiter was more concerned with his friends having a party at a nearby table than providing me and my husband, on our anniversary, with a dessert menu (or a bread basket during dinner). I mean, come on. He was a little nasty too. I asked him what the fish of the day was, and he said - trout and how it was cooked - then I asked him what the specials were, and he said - that is the special but in a kind of nasty way. On top of that, he had absolutely no recommendations for a champagne cocktail when I asked him. Come ON! This place was known for its martini bar and its fantastic drinks. It sucks now. Sorry to be blunt, but I will never go back there and will warn people never ever to go there. If I could've, I would've given it no stars, but I don't think it's an option on Yelp. The star is for actually letting me sit down and bring my own, wonderful company.