Kimmie "Kimmie" S.'s Profile

This restaurant is good; however, you need to be in the mind frame to come here. I'll admit that I had no idea what Dim Sum was and how it would be delivered to you; however, when I made my way to 20 Elizabeth and realized I would be going up a long escalator with nothing but chandeliers to look at - I knew I was in for an experience.

It was my friends brunch for her birthday and I didn't get there until a half hour later. After getting off the escalator, I thought I would walk around and find our group - bad idea! This place is huge with tons of tables people getting up from and finding their tables and did I forget to mention - lots of carts everywhere! It was overwhelming to see so much going on and thankfully I just texted that I was there.

With 8 people meeting for brunch, I'm glad most of us knew each other as I found myself looking at the carts as they came by. They didn't stop as they approached you, you had to let them know. I really felt that I was hunting for food and since I wasn't familiar with the items, I had no idea what I was asking for!

Although I was overwhelmed and out of my element - the food was good, they were efficient and there were people walking with jackets who were able to help you get extra napkins, a certain dish that you hadn't managed to flag down and more. It was a lot of fun once you realized that this was an interactive experience.

Is this first date material? Unless you know your date is ok with it, I would say no but is it fun when you're in that mindset and/or you have a large group - absolutely. 8 of us ate and we put in $16 a piece and we were so full - such a good value!

The Habibi Lounge was a lot of fun. Anytime I'm in the East Village, I'm bound to have a good time! I loved the Hookahs and he DJ (my issue was the random karaoke that was going on). Since I was there for my friend's birthday, I loved that we had a tent which is always fun. Lots of fun dancing and mingling with people and the staff were definitely attentive to ensue that everyone was having fun and had drinks. I would definitely come here for a night out with a bunch of friends. Note that it gets warm so you want to make sure that you have a tank or something that allows you to continue dancing!

First off, the website does not do the restaurant justice. I went last night for a friend's birthday and although the menu seemed ok the ambiance of the restaurant was not presented well - it looked more like a bar! When my friends and I entered the restaurant, we were actually in a rustic french bistro! I enjoyed the bread, my grilled salmon with long beans and mashed potatoes! The atmosphere was awesome and my drinks (Dark & Stormy and El Diablo) were really good. We were apart of a party of 21 people and we all had great service! I definitely want to go back to try brunch since dinner was so good!

This restaurant is one of my favorite ones to have if you're in an office all day. Whether you're waiting to get items delivered or if you're having a lunch in the restaurant, the lunch special is amazing and filling! This location has an amazing water motif that makes everyone feel relaxed and the service is efficient without feeling rushed. This is a must for the Mon - Fri lunch!

I love when foods are fresh - the Mediterranean Salad is one of my favorites as it has Falafel, Eggplant, Parmesean cheese and more! My favorite part is the fact that there is yummie pita bread that comes with everything. The tahini is amazing and if you ever think about having dessert, you'll want to have the Hazelnut Mousse! Note that it takes awhile for food to be delivered. My best tip (especially for those that work in the area) is to order about an hour before you even think about eating. This way your food will come on time!

Although I love living in Long Beach one of the things that makes it difficult is the lack of restaurants. After deciding that we weren't going to be in the city, we decided we would stay in Long Beach but were not in the mood for sushi (although we love Nagahama).

We came to the Coastal Grill as everyone talks about how great a George Martin restaurant is (he has a few in Long Island). I enjoyed the decor and the drinks. I love the nautical theme in there and the fact that is more seaside beach home if that makes sense. We started with appetizers - Paul had spinach dip which he thought was great and I loved the bites that I had.

I had the French Onion Soup which was apart of the Prix Fixe menu (starting in Nov they will offer this menu throughout the winter). I loved the cheese, pieces of bread - it was one of the best that I had had in a long time. For dinner I had a chicken that was wrapped in pisciotto. Asparagus, potatoes and pear came with it. It was so large that I ate one of the breasts and had enough for later on in the week.

Paul had a reinvented Shepard's Pie. Unlike the one that has a crust and is more of a pie this was more of a stew and it had seafood in it as well. I don't think that he was a fan. For dessert, we shared my brownie that came with my meal.

In the future, I know I would come back from drinks and a snack but I'm not sure if we will be back for dinner but it was nice to try something else new for a change.

I came here for my birthday last night and was SO disappointed. We had passed this place a million times and knew that one day we would love to go here. After realizing that we were going to a bar nearby, this seemed like a great place as I love Chinese food. I wish that we had gone somewhere else after the fiasco.

First off, know that if you're in a large group, you stand a better chance of being seated prior to parties of two. Once we got upstairs we saw that there were more tables for groups as opposed to "intimate groups". But I'm getting ahead of myself. We waited for an hour at the bar. It was a little annoying as I was hungry but my boyfriend and I planned what we would eat and the drinks were decent (pretty cheap). For all intensive purposes this restaurant is merely a large Chinese place that you would order from for takeout; however, if you eat there you can have this park like setting.

We arrived at 8:30 and were seated at 9:30 after watching large groups leave and being replaced by equally large groups. When we sat down, food did come out quickly; however, everything was either underseasoned or just underwhelming! I LOVE Singapore Mei Fun and order this everywhere and this was the worse. I had to have hot sauce to make it "decent". My boyfriend ordered the fried intestines and also the snails and was unhappy. I encouraged him to eat my food so that he would become full (and I hate sharing).

The only thing that tasted amazing - the Cognac and honey drinks. I was so unimpressed and will not be back! The other upside, it's not an expensive place and it's quite lively. I guess I just don't get why people like it - but then again it could have been an off night?

So for those that may not know, I had planned to spend my 30th birthday in South Beach but when the weather looked seriously questionable, I began asking myself how could I have a cabana and not be able to use it? Within a day I came up with the plan to go out to Sutra thanks to a friend of me telling me about it. I emailed and talked to someone from there and was secure with the fact that everything was buttoned up.

As I crossed the street I got a call from one of the members in my party and found out that they had booked parties that were coming and our group wasn't going to be able to go. Long story short, after talking with the manager (door staff was sweet) I explained that a conversation had taken place and I had 15 people that were supposed to come throughout the night and that I had never requested to have a table as I was told that that wouldn't happen.

Lets just say that we ended up getting a table, my friends had no issues getting in (yes women are free but guys pay $5) and the music was so much fun. I know that the place was sizeable and had various rooms but I stayed in the main room so that I could see my friends. They shouted my name out (lots of other birthday parties but I only remembered hearing my name) and I never saw all these parties that were supposed to be there.

The moral to this story is to definitely be nice when you find yourself in a predicament where you have a confirmation but then find yourself not on the list. My boyfriend went out later in the night and chatted with the manager casually and found that he was a nice guy but he was just trying to manage the overall flow. It was a great night and one that definitely made my night amazing!

I'm such a fan the decor is so upscale and reminds me of a speakesy as well. I enjoyed my glass of wine and had seitan for the first time! I enjoyed the veal seitan as well and although we ate at the bar, it was such a great experience so I definitely want to make sure that next time I can sit down at a table and to enjoy my team.

It's nice to see that there were a lot of options but I spent most of the time taking a bite of one item and moving on to the next. I don't think the pricepoint is bad but maybe they should rethink some of the options on the menu. I wish there were more fish options, that items were less greasy and that they had more options for the salad. The dessert was fabulous!