maisondesreveries g.'s Profile

Fresh market vegetables is the thing to order here! You can't really beat 4 for $14 a plate and with a list this long, you're going to have a hard time narrowing it down to just four!

I love the casual, slow-paced vibe here. The service is a little slow but very friendly. The food is healthy, fresh, well-priced, and there's always a great mix of people dining here. Be ready for a long wait if you come during peak rush hour! Even at 5:30pm on a weekend this place is packed.

Read more about it and see photos here: http://www.maisondesre...

Review for brunch: I came here during the late afternoon for Sunday brunch and was very happy with everything I ordered. The eggs rubirosa (poached eggs with smashed meatballs) are delicious as was the braised beef braciole sandwich and nutella bruschetta.

I wanted to really love this place but the service was very disappointing. The waiter for my table changed 3 times and 2 out of 3 of them had a grumpy attitude, which was challenging to deal with when all I wanted to do was order food, get a refill on my water, and get the check.

I would revisit at some point for dinner to check out their pizza. Hopefully the dinner service is more upbeat!

See photos and read more about it here: http://www.maisondesre...

This is a great place to go on a date or for a night out with a group of girl friends when you want to choose a spot that is visually stunning. Not many restaurants in the city can compare to their ambience.

That said, this isn't the best spot to take foodies who care more about the food than the ambience. The food is good but there are much better options if it's amazing food you're looking for, especially at these price points.

I would suggest going a little early before you dinner reservation, telling the host that you'd like to wait for a table in the main dining room, and hang out at the bar and take advantage of the beautiful space.

Read more about it and see more photos here: http://www.maisondesre...

I was introduced to this restaurant several years ago by a regular and I have to say, I was a little skeptical when I first walked in. After waiting for a table by the bar and seeing how busy this place was (busy!!) and that everyone who was waiting was a regular, I knew the food was going to be good.

I almost always order the pollo a la brasa, because you just can't get this taste anywhere else, but other highlights on the menu are the lomo saltado, chicharrones de pollo, and shrimp with watercress. Everything is so well-seasoned, full of so much flavor, and the prices are really great.  

I also love how the owner is always walking around the restaurant chatting up his regulars. The service can be a little abrasive and quick so be sure to know what you want to order when the waiter comes around!

See pictures of Flor de Mayo here: http://www.maisondesre...

I just went here last night for an early dinner for three - it wasn't very busy when we went in so we got a great seat near the back. The restaurant itself is fairly small so I can imagine when it's packed it can be a little tight on space.

The decor is really cute and has somewhat of a nautical feel. Everyone on the waitstaff seemed to be wearing nautical striped tops, which also added to the overall ambience

We were greeted by a man who seemed to be the owner (maybe Dean?) who was very nice and friendly. Our waitress, although polite and friendly, seemed a bit timid during the whole dinner and had a little difficulty giving us good direction when we were asking for suggestions. They just started serving dinner so maybe that's why she didn't seem so confident in her suggestions.

The food overall was good and well cooked. We had the zucchini chips, burger, bloody mary moules frites, and vegetable curry bowl. I enjoyed how thick the hand cut fries were that came with the burger and that they salted liberally. Nothing worse than an under salted french fry. The moules frites were not as amazing as I had hoped but again, well cooked. There was something missing in it I couldn't quite place. A lot of diners around me seemed to be ordering the vegetable curry bowl - it's hearty and filling.

I think I would like this place better during the day, their breakfast menu looks great and I can imagine how cute the space looks in the daylight. I'm planning on going back on a weekend to try brunch!

See photos of Jack's Wife Freda here: http://www.maisondesre...

Just have to start off by saying the Banana Cream Dream is amazing. If you're a banana pudding lover like me, this is THE thing to order. I went here at 4pm on a weekend right when they started serving their pudding (pretty late in the day...) and it was even better than I had imagined. I also ordered a small Stumptown coffee to go along with the pudding, which was perfect to drink alongside the pudding since it was very sweet. Even with my sweet tooth, I only got about 1/3 of the way through and ended up taking it back home.

Even though the pudding is amazing, I do think it will take them a little while longer to iron out some of their logistical kinks. It is a little unrealistic in Manhattan to start serving pudding so late in the day (on a weekend!!), especially when you're running a quick drop-by, pick-up my pudding and get going kind of business where reservations and routine checking of schedule are not involved.

I really wish this place great success though and love living so close by! Definitely will be a place I'll be frequenting when I'm in the mood for a sweet treat.

See more photos here: http://www.maisondesre...

One of my absolute favorite places in the lower east side - this place really is an institution. Living dangerously just a few blocks away, I always end up stopping by at least once a week.

The bagels are INSANELY delicious. Everything bagel with caviar cream cheese... could it get any better? If you're a lover of smoked salmon, everyone I know who has eaten it here raves about it. Be careful when ordering your bagels though - you can rack up quite a hefty price tag before you know it! Although I will tell you - you might be paying $8 for a bagel but man o' man will it be delicious.

Not in a bagel mood? Go for a slice of chocolate or cinnamon babka (or the whole loaf if you're feeling festive!). The cinnamon babka is so good it tastes even better than a cinnamon roll without all of that gooey sugary mess.

If you only have a few days to be in Manhattan and are in search of the best bagel of your life, this is really the only place to go.

See more photos of R&D's bagels and babkas here:
http://www.maisondesre...
http://www.maisondesre...

Adorable new bakery on East 9th. Not your typical bakery fare, you'll find really interesting pastries here like alfajhores, dulce de leche filled cookies dipped in coconut flakes and mini crescent-shaped rugelachs with clove and date filling. They also serve Stumptown coffee - can't think of anything to go better with these little treats.

The service is very friendly and the staff is eager to tell you all about what's available to purchase in the case, so don't be intimidated to ask! All of the treats I bought were also $1, which is a great deal for the quality.

Definitely would recommend stopping by!

See more pictures of Zucker Bakery here: http://www.maisondesre...

I had a very late lunch here a few weeks back on a beautiful sunny day to make most of the great weather LA was having. We were seated in the outdoor section of the Restaurant and were the only table to be seated at the time. It felt quite luxurious to have the whole space to ourselves, extremely quiet, which was a great escape from the hustle/bustle of LA street traffic.

The service was extremely attentive but they left us alone to have our own conversation, which doesn't always happen at restaurants (bonus thumbs up!).

We had the burger and the tuna/yellowtail nicoise salad. Both were delicious - very fresh and well-seasoned. The warm pretzel bread in the bread basket is a must!

I'm definitely planning on going back, hopefully for the legendary Sunday Brunch buffet!

read more about it and see more photos here: http://www.blogger.com...

I came here for brunch a few weekends ago and was first off impressed with the space. Not your usual lower east side decor, this place definitely stands out.

They serve a $10 cava sangria open bar from 11-4 on weekends so this is a great place to go when you want to have a long brunch with your girlfriends.

I ordered a basket of pan for two (order this, it's so delicious and chewy!), homemade granola with yogurt and berries, and the arepa con huevo. Everything was delicious.

see more pictures and read more about it here: http://www.maisondesre...