Sarah L.'s Profile

Service: Beyond excellent. Attentive, knowledgeable, and kind.
Atmosphere: Unhurried, spacious, beautiful view of Columbus Circle and the park, lots of natural light pouring in.
Appetizer: Tuna tar tar. By gosh, I still dream about it.
Main course: Cod, medium cooked per chef's rec. Good, but prefer my fish more thoroughly heated. The salmon, which I sampled, was great.
Dessert: Chocolate volcano and vanilla bean ice cream. Simple, warm, cold, wonderful.

I will be back.

I recently stumbled across this great cafe while looking for the YMCA, and man... It's great. Not only is there a decent selection of meal/snack/dessert food, but the coffee is stumptown (and who doesn't love stumptown?).

some huge perks: they take credit card without a minimum charge, the seating area is VERY spacious, the internet free and fast, gorgeous ac in this ridiculous heat, and catchy and nostalgia inducing music.

come, friends. card-internet-easy seating-cold. need i say more? i've found my new out of office office.

Delicious happy hour drinks, and small dishes that left my friends and I tickled. Sauced calamari, fresh dollar-oysters, chicken lollipops, and some of the better sushi I've had in this city (salmon and avocado). The ambiance is upbeat but not overwhelming for a night on the town with friends. A good place in Soho that doesn't feel like it. I mean that in a good way.

Overall, the food is mediocre but acceptable. My friend and I made it just in time for happy hour (50% off drinks, $2 off most food items) and grubbed to our hearts content on spider and rainbow rolls, chicken-everything, pomegranate wine, and what I call blue drink. There were a couple things that compensated for the so-so eats:

1) Decor & Ambiance: Clean, aesthetically pleasing, and a non-overbearing crowd (if any).

2) Service: SONNY! Our waiter. Man, a guy who truly cares about your dining experience. He's full of wise and not so wise menu-advice, urges you to order all you can before the early bird time, and brings samples of wines he advises against. A character, endearing... Would go again for that kind of attention and service.

Ask for Sonny!

Went again, tried the chicken eschiladas and famous cuban sandwich. Goodness, both were fantabulous and far exceeded my expectations. Easily one of my favorite grubs in the city, can't wait to go back and try the rest of their dishes!

Lunch was both delicious and a letdown. I'm thankful they served their famous porkbuns first, because my appetite was not wasted. Though there's only two, they're decently portioned and the meat hangs out like a tantalizing invite. Thin cucumber slices and a delish sauce add a nice detail but don't compete with the meat.

The Momofuku ramen was disgraceful. I was warned and didn't listen. Go to Ippudo, or open a package of Shin Ramen and blindly throw it in some boiling water. But do not order their tasteless noodle water.

Fingerling potatoes (bacon, poached eggs, scallion) were... Well. What it sounds like. I felt like I was at Wendy's with a baked potato.

Dessert consisted of cherry and olive oil (yup, olive oil) soft serve. What can I say? It tasted like olive oil. I do not like olive oil melting in my mouth, but the name should have been a fair warning. The only consolation was the graham cracker lining the bottom of the cup (who doesn't love a good graham cracker crust?)

Caviat: This is a lunch review. I had a full and varied dinner a year or two back and remember being delighted by the buns, kimchee stew, and mix of others. As other reviews show, there's ample room for both improvement and showing off their worthy items.

esperanto cafe....why?

initially i thought they were just remodeling, but closed for good?

i will miss the tuna salad. the strong espresso. the greasy grilled cheese. the interesting characters that showed up literally every night for the past 10+ years or so (where will they go now?). the nice waiter that sits down next to you to take your order, as if he were some childhood friend. the charmingly old and tiny tables. the phone booth? i think. the bike mounted on the wall.

alright, i could go on forever  but i'll refrain. a piece of my new york-life just died a little. esperanto cafe, you were one of the good guys.

What I love about Zushi Puzzle is that it caters to everyone. Whether you feel like dropping a pretty penny on a sashimi plate or playing frugal with some rolls, their fish is unfailingly good stuff.

My sister and I started off with the Best Hand Roll (fried crab and salmon), which tasted like nothing I had experienced before. There was almost a south-west flavoring, with a satisfying center of raw fish waiting in the middle. The crunch and tenderness of the crab finished off the experience wonderfully.

The Salmon Lover Roll (salmon, avocado, and cucumber) and the Spicy Tuna Roll (tuna and cucumber) did not disappoint. Not only was the fish great, but the avocado from the salmon roll had a superior buttery quality to it.  The Maguro (salmon and rice) in its delicious simplicity fit the bill as well.

We ended with two spoonfuls of strawberry sorbet with a hint of alcohol-I could not have imagined a more flavorful, lighter, tastier way to end the happy mouth-party.

The staff is friendly, the prices manageable, and the area spacious. Just make sure you make a reservation the day before!

For those who find themselves in a happier, kinder dimension when consuming raw fish-make the trip.

As a two-timer to Alice's Tea Cup, I've left the ambiguously located restaurant both 1) pleasantly surprised and 2) mildly satisfied.

My first brunch consisted of poached eggs over ham & cheese scones, drizzled with hollandaise sauce and a side of potato and chicken hash. For lovers of a delicious, heavy, satisfying brunch, be assured that after my meal I was stuffed, greasy-faced, and smiling in brunch heaven. Afterwards, a large mug of rich hot chocolate with colorful sprinkles downed and polished off the meal perfectly.

My second trip was during lunch, where I ordered 2 scones (pumpkin and ham & cheese), preserves and cream, and a pot of mint chocolate tea. The scones, even for a non-scone lover, were pretty good. The outsides were crusty and firm, the insides soft and flavorful. The glaze on the pumpkin scones is an extra plus. The tea, however, was an ironic let-down. After sampling both the mint chocolate and genmai green, my friend and I determined both were weak in flavor and fell short of a satisfying brew.  

The environment alone is a completely separate element. Charmingly mismatched platter, small children walking around with fairy wings, wall-paintings to immortalize the famous children's story... Goodness, my table was even designed to look like it was being propped up by an antique Singer sewing machine. For lovers of the charming and homey, this will definitely do it for you.

There is a bit of a waiting time, but overall I would say the experience is worth it. A great place for girlfriends to catch up. And guys-take your girl. She will love you. And if anything, you'll like the food.

For lovers of opera music, clean coffee in sturdy mugs, and speck drenched in truffle oil, V-Bar is one of Greenwich's day-time gems.

The quaintly decorated environment can range from serene to light chatter-but never ever meets the hectic nature of a bustling Starbucks. People come to type away on their glow-boxes in peace, or  chat with friends in duos or trios. A long, asymmetrical table seats the majority of customers on stool-chairs.

As for the edibles, their regular coffee has a clean taste and is more than affordable. The speck sandwich, however, is what keeps my stomach going back. A simple yet brilliant combination of speck meat, truffle oil and fontina cheese... Just thinking about it makes me salivate. The PB & Nutella sandwich also works for a sweet-fix.

Finally, the ever-important customer service is great. With 1-2 consistent staff hands, they're always prompt, kind, and maintain the place wonderfully.

Leave your desk, and get your work done here. A great atmosphere and tasty morsels can do wonders.