B "Little Bit" K.'s Profile

This is the place my unadventurous, out-of-town parents always want to eat when the come to visit me and I am always trying to talk them out of it.
The food here is just OK. There's nothing really exciting or creative on the menu. It's your generic Italian place. The quality is a little higher than you would expect at Olive Garden. The portions are huge. Everything is served family style. A single entree can easily feed three people - which is kind of a bargain for NYC, I suppose.
The space is really large and can fit large groups and there are always a lot of families. But, it gets super loud so if you're looking for something more intimate, look elsewhere.

I went a few days after they launched after the buzz machine had worn down. There was no wait at all at noon. Just walked right up and placed my order.

You can tell the meat is really high quality. Super tender and juicy. And the burgers are quite large really. I do think they could use a bit more seasoning. I LOVE the caramelized onions. But, I'm a sucker for caramelized onions. You could put a piece of cardboard under delicious onions and cheese and I would probably eat it. Pickles are really good too, but cost extra. I wish they had fries. I like fries with my burger.

I had the best meal I've ever had in NYC at Annisa. OK, granted, I just moved here a few months ago so the sample size is small. But, it really was awesome.
We started with the tuna with mint prepared three ways and the spicy grilled eggplant with lentils and yogurt. The eggplant was definitely a standout. While the tuna, while fun, was probably my least favorite dish of the night. For an entree, I had the miso-marinated sable with lightly fried tofu in broth. It's a signature dish and for good reason. It was so amazing. For dessert, I had the lemon and poppy seed bread pudding. It was the perfect blend of crispy top, rich custard and bright lemon flavor. I would definitely get it again. Although one of my friends had apple tart with caramel sauce which she claims was even better. But I can't confirm - she literally would not let me take a bite.
The restaurant itself is small. Everyone on staff was helpful and welcoming. It would be a great place to take a date. Though slightly less romantic if you're sitting next to the three loud women exclaiming "oh my god, this is sooo good" all the time I suppose.

Cucina has a largish selection for different lunch food. There's the pasta section, the salad bar, the entree section plus all the pastries and coffee and such. It's a bit expensive. But if you get the Cucina card, you get $25 bucks for every $20 you spend. I think you can put on any amount, so really there's no reason not to get it.
The best thing about Cucina though is the daily "Chef's Table" special which is offered from 11:30 to about noon. My personal favorite is the lobster quesadilla which, sadly, seems to have dropped out of steady rotation. Judging by the lines though, the most popular is the sliders which are served every Friday.

Everything I had last week at Esca tasted delicious...at first. After that, I began to get overwhelmed by the salt. I don't think I have ever been so thirsty as I was that night. It was so bad I woke up several times that night wanting water. And I'm like a champion sleeper.
On the plus side, the entire staff was helpful and friendly. The drinks were great. The bar is small but I wouldn't have minded spending more time there. Why was my table ready so soon??
The restaurant was jam packed when we got there at 7ish but pretty dead when we left. I suppose they get a lot of pre-theater diners. If I ever go back, I'd get a later reservation...and stick to the pasta.

My sister and I had dinner here the other night and really enjoyed it. They started out with an amuse which was tasty though I don't remember exactly what was in it now. After that for appetizers, I had onion soup which warmed me up on a cold night. Sis had frisee salad which seemed OK. For mains, I had artic char which was a little bland and she had duck which she said was good. Then came the sorbet trio which was excellent. For dessert I had creme brulee - not particularly innovative but delicious. Finally, we our waiter brought our check he also gave us two cinnamon rolls "compliments of the pasty department." I was of course too stuffed to eat mine that night, but I had it the next morning. It may have been my favorite part of the meal - extremely flaky and oh so good.

Overall I'd say the meal was solid but not spectacular - sometimes on the boring side. But, hey, $42 for 3 courses plus a bonus next morning breakfast? Can't beat that.

I am sooo excited that a Crumbs has opened so close to my apartment. Crumbs makes my favorite (so far ) cupcakes in the city. The cake part is moist and, well, cakey. A lot of those other cupcakes (ahem, Magnolia) are dry dry dry. I also love the fun flavors like cookie dough and cappuccino. I like to get a little taste of each with their sampler - 12 different mini cupcakes so I don't have to decide which to get.

Dayton Street is my favorite pizza place in New Haven. The pizza is just as good as the "famous" pizza places in city without having to wait in line.

OK I'll admit it: I originally wanted to go to Perilla because I'm a dorky Top Chef fangirl. But now that I've been I want to go back not because of my love for cheesy reality TV but for the food! Literally, everything that we had was delicious. Solid, unpretentious and well-cooked food.The highlight was the vanilla scented doughnuts. Seriously, if you go, get the doughnuts.

I've been to Les Halles twice now - once with friends for a birthday dinner and once with a large group of coworkers. I was impressed neither time. To be fair though, I never had a meat dish which I'm told is their specialty.
I did have the escargot (delicious) the foie gras (too greasy) the mussels and scallops (both forgettable). The frites, as mentioned by other reviewers, are very good too.
For the birthday, we had "Bananes Flambées" which are made table side - a nice touch when you're celebrating. Our poor waitress actually cut her finger while making it but gamely soldiered on anyway (and, bonus! didn't bleed in our food)
I think Les Halles is a good place for a group. It's got a vibrant, party atmosphere and it large enough that you don't feel cramped. You can certainly find better French food in the city though. And I certainly wouldn't go there hoping to see Tony Bourdain. Our waitress (she of the sliced finger) told us she's worked there for over a year and had only seen him once.