Jessica R.'s Profile

What a huge disappointment. I so wanted to love this place. The menu sounds so good but, as other reviewers have pointed out, Grace Kitchen is incapable of delivering. I believe it all comes down to the staffing. I've been there three times and every time some item was terribly prepared. Once a child's hamburger arrived a charred puck of beef. Once a poached egg on my frisee salad arrived nearly raw with a runny white as well as yolk. And the last time my steak I ordered medium came to the table completely blue in the center. The waitstaff is bumbling, nervous, inept and just generally give off a vibe that they have no freaking clue what they are doing. Every visit I scan the dining room wondering, "Who is in charge of this staff?" Because whoever you are, you are doing a terrible job.

I tried out Blind Pig Bistro last week with my family. We were able to try several menu items, sea bream, gravlax, oysters, clams, skirt steak. Everything we had was completely delicious and we ended up fighting over a few items. The portions are small and are priced accordingly so order at least a few items per person for a good sized meal. The service was really excellent. It's a small space but was very well-staffed.

My husband and I went to Cantinetta's for their opening night tonight. The setting is warm and inviting with lots of dark wood and soft light. We ordered two starters--beets, farro and fennel pollen and avocado, grapefruit, olives with chilies. The avocado was a very unexpected combination of flavors that were bright and delicious. The beets were perfect cold weather comfort. For our main courses we had  squash mezzaluna with oxtails and pasta with hedgehog mushrooms and chestnuts. The dumplings were very light and delicate and the meat was amazingly rich. The second pasta was also very good. We then splurged and got two desserts--zeppolini and a pear tart. The tart was nice, served up with a scoop of sorbet. But the zeppolini. Oh my god. Delicious fried polenta fritters in a coffee-flavored cream. Insanely good, served up hot and steamy.

The service was quite nice too. Very unobtrusive but attentive.

This is a fantastic addition to Wallingford.

They must have a vat in the back labeled "Sonrisa Sauce" that they use to make all the food. This would explain why everything I ordered (enchilada, soup, even the salsa) tasted exactly the same--too smoky, too salty, too sweet.

Avoid.

I got a pedicure at the new Gene Juarez at U Village this week. The salon is lovely. It's bright, spacious and funky. The support staff was friendly and welcoming offering coffee, tea, iced tea or lemon water on arrival. The waiting area is large and very comfortable. My "nail technician," Olga, arrived precisely on time and ushered me into the nail salon. It's in a small, quiet room out of the bustle and noise of the hair salon. They have the most tricked out chairs you have ever seen. Somewhere between a massage table and a dentist's chair. Once I was reclining comfortably and I lifted up so that Olga could work on my toes at  a comfortable height. She then had to ferry pitchers of water over from the sink to fill a giant bowl for my foot soak. This seemed kind of like a huge error in the planning of this spa. Anyway, she was very friendly, attentive and very in tune with what I liked or disliked. Unfortunately when I got home and had a good look at my toes I didn't feel she had done the greatest job on them. But for a relaxing, spa treat it was a very nice time.

Bring cash for tips because you can't add it to your credit card charge.

I went for my first facial at Calidora today.

Pros: Very good facial with peels and micro-dermabrasion included
Very professional aesthetician (Amanda) who explained what she was doing at all times (no sneaking up and slapping something ice cold on my face)
Clean, comfortable treatment rooms

Cons: Much more expensive than any previous facial
Staff speak only in breathy whispers as if this conveys a sense of class
Forced to sit and listen to a lengthy sales spiel before going in for my treatment
Forced to sit and wait for 15 minutes beyond scheduled appointment

I think I would like this place more if I could skip all the crap and just get a facial. I'll have to see if I like the results in a few days.

Bring cash for tips because you can't add it to your credit card charge.

ETA 2011: While Issian has been a favorite for delicious food my family, I can not get past how bad the kitchen is at getting food out in a timely fashion and how slow/awkward the service is. The last at least half dozen times we've been there has been a single item that never arrives. We wait and wait. Nothing. We try to flag down a server. Nothing. We finally ask a server and are told that it will be ready right away and then we wait and wait and wait. A few times we gave up and just asked for our check. If interminable and shoddy service don't bother you then it's fine. But we just can't take it anymore and have vowed to never go back.

I tried out Issian for the first time last night with my family. The restaurant, in the old Chinoise space, is large and bright and bustling with staff. The staff are universally friendly and attentive--my tea cup was never empty. The menu is long and includes many small plates (they refer to some as "tapas"). We tried chicken kushikatsu, grilled duck, fried squid, drunk clams and hamburger balls. Everything was very fresh and delicious. The kitchen's timing was not great though as we had to wait about 15 minutes for our last dish. On the whole is was a very good meal. We only spent about $40 before tax and tip (beverages were a soda, a tea and a beer) but it would be very easy for the tab to start to add up with all those little dishes.

This open, clean, modern spacious new outpost of Sip & Ship on Greenwood immediately made me feel calm and refreshed. They definitely don't have their groove at this location just yet. Simple things, like making photocopies, seemed to create confusion. The two people working when I got there were deeply engrossed in something and I had a hard time getting their attention--repeatedly. The other customers who came in also had a very hard time getting the attention of the staff. They ignored or didn't hear about 90% of what was said to them while I was there.

I got a very good cup of coffee and an incredibly flaky and delicious dill biscuit while I waited forever for my copies. The small selection of gift items and paper products was really lovely.

We hit the grand opening today. I got Maple Walnut and my husband got Salted Caramel. The kids stuck with the classic chocolate. The kids' cones were free today so I didn't think anything of it when they were tiny. But my cone and my husband's were both teeny-weeny, itty-bitty and we got charged $3 a pop for them! I hope this is an opening day thing and not the usual size of their scoops. Looking forward to visiting again as the menu expands. So happy to have an ice cream parlor in the neighborhood again.

Burger lovers paradise, I have found you. Pick beef, buffalo, lamb, falafel-quinoa, "juicy Lucy" (beef stuffed with American cheese) then pick one of dozens of cheeses, sauces and toppings. Fries, sweet potato fries, tater tots served with bacon salt (Oh. My. God.), regular s & p, or some other seasoned salts. Just amazing, fresh and delicious. The staff could not have been friendlier. I would not take kids here as the burgers are HUGE and the toppings are not aimed at the school-aged set. It is, as other people have already pointed out,  very small and it was really, really cold inside today.