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57th St-6th Ave (F)
5th Ave-60th St (N, R, W)
57th St-7th Ave (N, Q, R, W)
Mon. 11:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Tue-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
"awesome food...really filling and always hits the spot..only negative here is that the chicken is always cut into very large pieces so it's…" read more »
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My boyfriend and I recently ate at Shelly's for the first time. The food was delicious and our waiter was awesome. He had the perfect balance of chatting with us and leaving us alone. He was also quite funny.
From our calamari appetiser to our banana cream pie dessert (which came with a birthday sparkler), we wanted to lick our plates clean. My boyfriend had the shrimp fra diavolo over spaghetti for dinner. The sauce was perfectly seasoned and spicy, and the pasta was al dente done right. I had a special, rainbow trout wrapped in bacon topped with a lentil salad. It was divine. You could also have it without bacon, but I don't know why anyone in their right mind would do that!
As if we hadn't had enough to eat and drink, when we were through with our meal our waiter brought us over dessert wine and chocolate chip cookies on the house!
The following advice only applies to those dining with someone else-- all the solo diners need not worry about the moral dilemma I am about to present.
Only, and I repeat only, share the banana cream pie dessert with someone you are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for. (And ideally they share the sentiment). For you will be willingly giving up half of one of the tastiest treats ever encountered. Believe me, there were moments last night while sharing with my fiancee that had me contemplating gluttony, wanton acts of cream pie aggression and preemptive fork strikes on her side of the plate.
Instead, I respected the line of demarcation, as did she, and we both enjoyed our respective areas of the pie.
Shelly's banana cream pie totally wrecked my previous image of what BCP is. (Business continuity planning?) Bitter memories of pudding heavy mixtures always left me disappointed. Not so at Shelly's for their pie presents actual healthy slices of bananas. They have not been pureed or puddinfied but are as pure a source of potassium as can be. Add shavings of chocolate, a delicious graham cracker crust and the most gentle dollops of cream on top and call me in the morinng: this is a prescription for pure indulgence. Choose wisely who you share this with (or next time order individual servings)
I wish my praise of BCP could apply to the appetizer. Seeing as I started in medias res, allow me to back track to the appetizer.
Firstly, the appetizers were not printed on the menu. In fact, an appetizer section was lacking entirely. Granted, our waiter did share the appetizer selections with us but I'd prefer to read. (The more you know...)
Anyway, we shared an order of fried calamari. Thoughtfully presented atop a white napkin, the circles of squid were lightly breaded...but heavily greased. Too oily for my tastes and somewhat disappointing. If memory serves correct, another appetizer involving mushrooms is available.
Regarding the choice of entree, Shelly's has a tremendous selection of pizzas for one. Spying on my neighbor's table, the pizza looked appealing and may be sampled on future visits. Outside of pizza, there's a respectable steak and chops section but only four pasta selections.
One of those selections is pappardelle bolognese and this quickly made me forget the overly oily calamari. Here was wide ribbon pasta that deserves blue ribbon recognition. Not one, not two but three meat ragu was the sauce of choice. And unlike places that serve effectively sauce with pasta (as in, there are boatloads of the red stuff for your pasta to swim in), Shelly's offered a lighter coating that placed greater emphasis on the actual pasta itself. Good job!
With the exception of the appetizer, both taste and absence from the menu, I'd have easily given Shelly's the fourth star rating. The banana cream pie easily gets 5 stars and the Trattoria is worth a visit. Just make sure you pre-screen your dining companions to see if they are worth sharing with.
My girlfriend and I dined here Sunday night for her birthday after seeing the amazing show, "Memphis" http://www.newyorkcity...
We started off with 1/2 dozen oysters which were absolutely delicious. They were so delicious that we ordered another 1/2 dozen! We finally decided on what to eat. My girl ordered the Tuna, medium rare, accompanied with escarole, capers & olives and I had the Prime NY Sirloin (28 days dry aged) steak served with roasted parmesan potatoes.
The tuna, although sushi-grade, was a bit fatty on one edge but other than that it was cooked and tasted great. My sirloin was medium rare and was absolutely delicious.
Being that it was Sunday evening, there weren't many diners in the restaurant. We were seated in a secluded little corner in the back of the restaurant which added to our romantic evening.
Our server, Alton, was very knowledgeable and nice to us. He didn't bother us too much, but came around just when we needed him to be there. The manager stopped over once to ask how we were and then again later in the evening to offer us a chocolate chip cookie that was just baked in the kitchen, it was still on the cookie sheet! I later told him that although it was just a cookie, it meant a lot to us. We are fans and would go back again.
I guess I'll start with the positive(s). My server (the bartender) was very friendly without being intrusive. Also, the macaroni and cheese was unique. It wasn't great, but it was OK, and it was interesting.
I had to go to the Apple store, and whenever I'm in an area that I don't get to very often, I try to check out a new restaurant. I love macaroni and cheese. So when I saw that Shelly's had it on their menu, I knew that I was going to try it. Since I wasn't dining with anyone, however, I knew that I wasn't going to be able to order the mac and cheese and still have room for a large entree. So I ordered the sliced steak sandwich. Now, I know that this is one of the cheapest items on the menu, but I am a firm believer that a restaurant shouldn't serve anything that is not worth their effort to prepare properly. I felt like no effort was put into my sandwich, which is odd, given that the restaurant didn't exactly have a packed house.
The sandwich was open faced, with slices of steak lined across the bread. I felt like the bread was toasted for too long, which lent a burnt taste to the meal. The cut of steak was a little chewy, but given that it was one of the cheapest menu items, I guess that can be expected. What I was especially unhappy about was the way the steak was cooked, however. I ordered it medium rare. The slices on one side of the bread seemed to be medium, while the slices on the other side of the bread seemed to be medium rare. I like for a restaurant to be consistent from meal to meal, but I insist on a restaurant being consistent from one half of a sandwich to the other.
I just feel like the chef didn't think that my meal was worth the time it would have taken to prepare it properly.
This is a good spot, it's in the same family as Redeye Grill, Bond 45, & Brooklyn Diner.
Service is impeccable and food is good. It's basically the higher end of the restaurant family but I prefer Bond 45 and Redeye for their food. I had the Clay Pot Black Cod Livornese which was good but nothing like the Red Snapper version at Bond 45!
It's a good spot to stop for drinks and dinner before you enjoy the evening.
I have not eaten here. The five stars was for the customer service I received TWICE today.
My wife had surgery on her vascular malformation that included laser surgery in her mouth and her diet needed to consist of soft foods.
We didn't have the money to order the $28 Mac and Cheese from room service, so my friend Dave Cruz (who walked my wife down the aisle at our wedding) and I walked down the street from our hotel and went to Shelly's for some mashed potatoes. They were very accommodating and made some mashed p's with garlic for my wife.
Then we called ahead and ordered her some mac and cheese for dinner. They were kind enough to make a smaller portion for Heidi as she can't eat alot at this time.
I will return to Shelly's for dinner one day soon, just based on the excellent customer service they gave me.
Watch out this is a tourist trap and the prices are so expensive you'll die when the bill comes. The food is so/so with nothing as a standout but the specials are so expensive and the portions nothing to write home about. There are much better places for you to spend money at.
I stuck to a simple salad and margherita pizza for lunch, but it was all perfectly crisp(y). The quaint outdoor area is great, even though I was skeptical about sitting outside on such a busy street and the weekday lunch crowd isn't really a 'crowd' so you can rest assured that you'll get a table inside or outside. I wouldn't let the lack of a crowd deter you... it's just because it's a little on the pricier side for a weekday work lunch. I'd revisit Shelly's again for sit-down lunch or to try a full dinner meal. It's not a bad place to stuff yourself with bread either (delicious!).
Seafood -
What a great place to get some excellent fresh seafood.
The service was totally outstanding - we hit the bar - (not quite a bar in the traditional sense, maybe more of an upscale counter?). We decided on some oysters but there were too many types available so we told the bartender to surprise us- and he did. They brought out a sweet arrangement of every type of oyster they had, laid out from smallest to largest. I couldn't have asked for more. The oysters were super fresh too I might add.
A couple of drinks, basket of bread and a big bowl of olives (if you like olives) and you are pretty much set unless you want to hit the main dining area and have more of a traditional dinner.
The whole place is very nice, atmosphere wise and it looks bigger than it is due to the mirrors behind the bar area.
Bathrooms were immaculate.
Best burger I have had on NYC.
I have been here a handful of times. They have a great raw bar and their seafood is super fresh. Most notably, I went here for New Year's Eve ('09) with another couple and we had an amazing time. Our waiter was awesome.. he kept the drinks coming and even snuck us an extra bottle of champagne or two for nothing. By the end of the dinner (somewhere right before midnight) we were all ridiculously wasted and full. On another note, I will be coming back again for the oysters.. they are delicious and always fresh!
My boss took me here for dinner tonight. He raved about the Sea Food. I am from the San Francisco Bay Area so getting good Sea Food is not that much of a challenge, So when I ordered the double pepperoni pizza he gave me a puzzled look. The menu said it was "The best Pizza in NYC". So I had to try it.
I must say I have never had a pizza like this anywhere on earth. The dough was very thin, no thicker than a saltine. The texture was crisp. The sauce was painted liberally on the crust, just the right amount. It had fresh herbs and the cheese and pepperoni were also in the right proportions. It was excellent! I love the fact that it wasn't the run of the mill pizza.
The staff was very friendly and attentive. A good time was had by all. I would not hesitate recommending this place to a friend.
Was here for my aunt's birthday party in January in the cozy downstairs party room. 3 cousins paid for everything, baby, yeah! Had the steak. It was cooked and seasoned just right. Good potatoes too. Normally I don't eat at this "type" of restaurant, which, imho, is big on style, and "roll the dice" on quality. I mean, look at the address. I could've drank alcohol on my cousins' dime, but chose not to. Didn't wanna overindulge that day or that week - I don't remember - I'm weird like that. The party room comfortably accommodated 30 people. Bottom line, I had a nice time here, but consider the context!
Moved into a smaller space on the other side of 6th Avenue --
New address:
41 W 57th St
New York, NY, 10019
Reservations: (212) 245-2422
Love the service, the atmosphere, everything.
Went here and had the "Business Lunch Prixe Fix": tube pasta w/ ragu, scallops, sorbet. Absolutely DELICIOUS!
The service is wonderfully attentive and it's a little under the usual radar so I don't feel like I'm walking into my office cafeteria.
My father took me to Shelly's on a Friday night at around 7-8pm or so. We were tired and it was a decent place to eat at in New York. The kind of place where, on a Friday night, you wouldn't have to worry about waiting 2 hours to get a seat. There was no wait.
With a bright Red Neon Light exterior, the interior is dim and cool. It is the exact opposite of the facade that screams for attention. Inside, Shelly's is a calm but not overly quiet place. The atmosphere is sociable but not exhibitionist. The service is sincere and although posh, not snobby.
All in all, I think the place was a fun experience despite being a tad overpriced. For two people a few beers, an appetizer of good raw oysters, a steak entree and a seafood entree, it will set you back $100-$120. I had only one gripe about this place: it was a steakhouse yet they did not offer steak sauce or horse radish! That kind of bummed me out.
Other than that, the quality was good and the service reliable. Although I'm not going to give Shelly's stellar ratings, I will tell you that I'd go there again and do recommend you check it out if you are looking for a satisfying dining experience and you're hovering about lower Central Park and decide to grab dinner.
You'll have fun here if you don't want to deal with lines and loud crowds.
There's probably a lot of reasons to go to this restaurant. The food is absolutely awesome, and the service was possibly the best I've ever had. In retrospect, this may actually be the nicest restaurant I've ever been to. That's not to say it's the nicest in NY, but I can only go off what I know.
My girlfriend actually took me here to celebrate Valentines Day. We accidentally passed it one day while walking around Manhattan, and one thing in the window caught my eye: Joe's Stone Crabs. A lot of people I know have never even heard of stone crabs. If you're among that group, let me be the first to tell you that if you love crab, you haven't had anything until you try stone crab from Miami. Shelly's gets shipments everyday from Joe's, which if you ever go to Miami, is THE spot to get stone crab from. Shelly's gets daily shipments from Joe's, and they're as good as I remember them from a few years ago.
We ordered the Tier 1 Raw Bar Platter with a pound of large stone crabs (4 large arms). Oysters and Clams weren't our thing, and the seafood salad was only OK (tasted like it had a bit of curry in it). However, the shrimp cocktail and that mussels were absolutely amazing, and there was enough for us to be plenty full.
The desert was also very good. We had a tiramisu gelato dish. Everything on it looked like art. However, the dessert was overshadowed by the free chocolate cookies in the front of the restaurant.
Atmosphere is lively without being loud. There were two jazz musicians playing on a balcony near the 20 foot ceiling, right in front of their wine storage. We got there at 5:30 on a Friday, and were seated right away, however it filled up pretty quickly after that. I would recommend getting there on a weekend no later than 5:30pm.
That's pretty much it. This definitely is not cheap enough to be an "any day of the week restaurant", but if you've got a special occasion to celebrate, make this one of your top options.
Part of the restaurant collection that includes Brooklyn Diner and Redeye Grill, this place was pretty fantastic for a couple of things. My co-workers informed me that their menu has changed, but I ended up with some really good items (we're cool in that everyone shares their leftovers with me, my stomach is like a black hole). The pictures currently for Shelly's didn't look like the one I went to (they call it Shelly's Trattoria La Tradizionale now).
The place itself is kind of cutely small for power lunches, a change of pace from something like Redeye, with it's lower ceilings and much smaller and simpler two levels; there's no flashy huge-ness.
Our waiter was insanely professional, although the food itself took a bit long to come to us. The pepper/cheese dude was hilariously stiff though, he seemed very strict.
Now for the food. I automatically went for the steak. I was not disappointed at all. The aged sirloin was snappy and tender, but the real star of that dish was the mushrooms, they were incredibly sumptuous.
Another highlight was the Italian potato pie. It was cripsy hashbrowny goodness. The tuna tartar(e) was mouth watering to look at, and the prosciutto/melon combo was interesting.
I wasn't a fan of the bolognese-ish pasta dish, it was lacking seasoning and was underwhelming. The veal was okay, I'm not a parmigiana fan (I know I'm butchering these italian words, sorry!) so that was to be expected.
The clam dishes were quite good though, I had the pugliese which was okay, but birthday girl's escargo/butter clams were really tasty.
I think that rounds out what I had. I think.
I took my daughter to NYC for her 21 st birthday. She wanted to go to Shelly's for dinner. So per her request I made reservations for us to dine there before seeing a broadway show. My husband and I have eaten at Shelly's a few times at the other location just up the street from where it is located now. The food there was really great and the service was impecable. However, we have since dined at the new location and have found the food just wasn't as good and the service was very poor. My husband and I decided we would never come to Shelly's after the past two experiences. But dispite my better judgement and my daughters birthday request to eat there. I thought this time would be better. And actually looked forward to eating there again.
When we arrived the maitre d' was overly nice, to the point where he was becoming quickly annoying. He kept commenting my daughter and I on our southern accent and how I reminded him of someone he used to know.
The waiter was nice. He took our order and after what seemed to be an eternity, finally brought our drinks. We had to ask him for water and for a bread tray to be brought around. We were beginning to feel as if we were being treated unfairly. We didn't expect to be treated like royalty. We just wanted the same service other customers sitting around us were recieving.
After sitting there for awhile we began to notice that some of the other customers that had came in some time after us were already eating and we were wondering what was taking so long with our order. Then finally another waiter brought out our food and I ask him where our waiter was and he informed me that the other waiter had been moved upstairs and that I will be taking care of you from this point on. I told him it would have been nice to have been notified by other waiter, as we were beginning to feel deserted. By this time I was becoming upset. I wanted to show my daughter a nice time for her 21 st birthday and this is the treatment we get from a so called fine eating establishment. Wanting to make the best of her birthday I take a deep breath, bite my lip. Not wanting to make a scene and proceed with our meal.
After we finished with our entrees. We sit there another 20 to 30 minutes waiting for our new waiter to clear the plates and bring our desserts out. Meanwhile, several waiters are walking by, taking table orders for other customers and bringing out food, but none for ours.
Next the maitre d' presents us with our check and says. "There's no hurry". He turns and walks away. I'm totally shocked. I look over at my daughter and she's looking at me in total disbelief. I say to her I guess we don't get the dessert we ordered. By this time, I had held back enough I was totally pissed. I immediately asked for our new waiter, told him how mad I was and I would never be back at this restaurant. I told him from start to finish what had happened to us since we had sat down. How upset we were and how poorly we were treated. He began to apolojize and summoned the maitre d'. whom also apolojized. Needless to say we had our dessert to go and I will never go back to that establishment again. Even if they offered it free of charge.
I have never had such poor service. Even though we are not well known, politicians, socialites or celebrities our money is just as green as the next persons. And I will not allow myself nor my loved ones be treated so unfairly.
It really was the worst wait service I have ever encountered in New York over the past 10 years that I have been visiting the city.
One thing to know about restaurant week is that when you get a selection of multiple things on a menu, there's always a good menu item and a bad menu item. So when you have a choice in appetizer between a shellfish sampler and an iceberg wedge with thousand island dressing with crumbled bacon, you better ask what the hell an iceberg wedge is. Cause when they cut a head of lettuce in half, chop the half into eights, and then drizzle some dressing on top, no matter how good the rest of your meal tastes, you're still going to feel ripped off.
Fantastic steakhouse -- with great seafood, too! If you can tear yourself away from the regular menu, the specials are usually divine. Comfortable booth seating around the perimeter are the choice seats. Save room for some heavenly dessert such as creme brulee -- it may seem like a no brainer, but there is no better way to end a meal here!
Straight to the point on this one. Walked in here on whim one week night. Were pleasantly greeted and seated. The lights not too bright for a romantic look and the decor to match. There was however a bit of noise in the air as it is with a full dining room, but unexpected for a restaurant this size. The food was on the very good to excellent end of the spectrum. very tasty, nicely prepared and presented.
The 1st time I was in Manhattan 4 years ago I stumbled upon Shelly's. I came back to California proclaiming it the best, absolute BEST filet mignon I've ever had. Honestly, the other details of my trip... the Empire State Building and other touristy-stuff... have since faded from memory. But over the past 4 years I've dreamed of that steak. The creamed spinach. The tiramisu.
I was really excited to be going back to NY and I was anxious to repeat my experience at Shelly's. I am really happy to report that although they are in a smaller space across the street from where I remembered, even though they lost the cool Jazz vibe they had, and they focus on more pasta then steak, it was still fantastic!
We had: Shrimp cocktail with gimormous shrimp, a porterhouse-for-two cooked perfectly in a sauce from heaven, asparagus with parmesan, and finished off with a slice of banana cream pie that was home made and fantastic. I wish I had a larger tummy or more time to spend in the City because the table on the right of us got lobster, while the table on the left got a trough of oysters and some amazing looking fish I have no idea what it was... that both my husband and I couldn't help but to stare at because it looked so good!
Service was top notch, we were actually tag-teamed by two different guys making sure my wine glass was filled, my Husband's coke never ran out, our food came straight from the oven, and they even kept putting meat on our plates from the massive porterhouse sitting on a cool special little tray next to our table!
It may look like and Italian joint, but it's one heck of a steakhouse!
$18.95 Price fix
Neighborhood: Williamsburg - South…
Valentine's Day 2010
Neighborhood: East Village
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Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Theater District
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Theater District
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Theater District
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Midtown East
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