Edward O.'s Profile
Date
New York, NY 10024
(212) 496-2722
Fatty Crab
Categories:
Malaysian,
Asian Fusion
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
What are you waiting for? Just go.
The burgers are indeed awesome an executed skillfully with first-rate ingredients. And what better place to indulge in the shameful delight of something I have not had since the tortuous days of the school lunch room: tater-tots.
Great selection of beer and spirits. But here's the rub: the place is so popular getting a table for lunch is an ordeal. Arrange your trip in the off time and you'll fare slightly better.
Was pleased to see the recent addition of oysters with a classic presentation. Shucked well and served on ice with mignonette. Done right. Entrees continue to be solid, particularly the roast chicken.
Returned recently with some friends and had an excellent dinner. Service was prompt and attentive.
1 Previous Review:
-
9/17/2009
Excellent farm-to-table restaurant, with an eclectic menu and an admirable commitment to sticking it out in a somewhat tough neighborhood. A welcome alternative to the usual downtown Hartford suspects.
Chester, CT 06412
(860) 526-9347
The Wheat Market
Categories:
Specialty Food,
Coffee & Tea,
Caterers,
Delis
The village of Chester does not tolerate mediocrity and the Wheat Market delivers with a great selection of breakfast items and baked goods along with sandwiches and soups. The "Tuna Works" is a favorite with shredded carrot and bean sprouts. I consistently find excuses to have to make my way down.
Friendly, prompt service though they get understandably busy at lunch. Being cash only is an annoyance, but one I am more than willing to suffer.
At this point we have sampled a good portion of the regular items on the menu and there is rarely a miss. I have even tried the French 75 burger and can happily attest to its goodness. To my surprise, some time ago they adapted the menu to include full entree portions. Personally I never had an issue with the original concept, but it seemed some customers did (admittedly, when you see the 'tapas' concept showing up in chain hotels, it is a good bet it has jumped the shark). As a result you will see some entrees on the menu listed with prices for tasting and full portions.
The bar remains expertly staffed and I am particularly pleased to see there is now an impressive selection of gins and vermouths. Naturally the eponymous French 75 remains a sure bet, but one seeking a properly prepared Gibson with Plymouth or Hendricks will not be disappointed.
Linda and Everett Reid have rightfully earned a dedicated local following. The menu changes frequently and there are often special promotions that are only announced via email.
3 Previous Reviews:
-
6/29/2010
We've dined here 3 more times since my last update, and it has been consistently superb *every* time.
Accordingly, the menu has been shifting with the seasons. They are now offering a "barbecue" menu with 1/2 price cocktails exclusively on Mondays. They are also doing a current promotion with 1/2 price on their (very good) wine list on Wednesdays and Thursdays with their regular bar and tasting menu.
The new items we have sampled from the bar and tasting menu include a variation on a cuban sandwich (spicy, but excellent) a PEI mussel stew with leek, ham and potatoes, a take on the "iceberg salad" with a great tangy buttermilk-cilantro dressing, and a chicken "pot au feu" which is actually a lightly poached chicken served in broth with fennel and spring vegetables (sous vide, activate!). These were hits with us each time.
We sampled the barbecue last night, which included intelligent, modern takes on things like chicken fried steak, a fried oyster po' boy and braised beef. All were delicious, skillfully prepared and presented, and the portion sizes, in my opinion, are just right: not quite a full entree, but also not a diminutive sample. And the pricing is hard to beat: most of these were under $14! You would easily pay twice that at a comparable place in NYC or Boston.
A few words for my fellow yelpers: dudes, lighten up on the haterade. This place rates a solid overall 4 stars, but those 1-star takedowns (both from relatively inexperienced yelpers) are, in my opinion, undeserved.
I loved the previous tenant, Restaurant du Village, as much, if not more, than many of you. L & E has a whole different vibe, and should be judged in that context. And let's be clear: I have no horse in this race, I just happen to really like the place.
The detractors seem to fit into two categories:
1. people who pine for du Village (see above), and:
2. people who just don't get it (my portion was too small/price is too high, the presentation was weird, etc.).
The diatribe from Peter Y. about a braised beef dish being undercooked is almost a joke. It's a braised dish. It's been cooking for hours!
I realize, of course, that misfires can happen with service, and there a patron has a legitimate complaint. It's happened to me at other places, but I try to temper my criticism. Ultimately, I wasn't there. All I can say is that we've always had good (and often great) service at L & E. You might consider that how you treat your waitstaff has a lot to do with how you are treated. Golden Rule, anyone?
But don't take it from me. They were recently given a solid review ("Worth It") by Stephanie Lyness in the Times:
http://www.nytime...
If y'all still don't want to go back, that's fine with me. They seem to be doing quite well despite solid local competition. More seats for us! -
1/26/2010
Went here for the New Year's dinner (not always a smart move, I suppose, if one is looking to catch a place at its best) but despite this, L & E holds up. Service was again very good, and the preparations superb. I had the lamb, Susan the "surf and turf" which substituted pork belly for the typical filet. I ask, when is pork belly not awesome?
I am puzzling over trudy h.'s review. Maybe she caught them on an off night? And pardon me, I have been to plenty of great places in NYC (and elsewhere), but its a pretty empty comparison unless we know what you're comparing to. Are we talking Daniel Boulud, Gramercy Tavern, or the Olive Garden in Times Square?
L & E's courses are priced pretty moderately ($11 to $20, if I recall) for this type of food, in my opinion. If you go with the 3 suggested courses with wine pairings and dessert, you're fast approaching $100 per person, so trudy's $210 for a party of 4 seems pretty reasonable to me.
Given the style of L & E, if it were me I would try something more adventurous than Daube. Don't get me wrong, it's a solid "boeuf" option, a provencal-style beef stew, comparable to the ubiquitous braised short ribs appearing on upscale dining menus everywhere.
Its just that Daube is something I make at home, not a small plate item. Still, if the other dishes we have tried here are any indication, I'm willing to bet their Daube is very, very good. I know the croquettes are excellent.
L & E seems to be experimenting with a certain dining philosophy, if I can use such a term, to set themselves apart from the other nearby competing restaurants. Creative, perhaps even occasionally challenging presentations, all skillfully executed, not unlike what one might encounter on a tasting menu. The difference being at L & E that one is ordering a la carte, as opposed to signing up for an arduous 5 or 7 course affair.
Personally I think its a cool idea, but admittedly it's not for everyone. I'll take quality over quantity at this type of place every time.
And when I go back, I'm trying the Daube. -
11/21/2009 First to Review
I have to admit being skeptical; while the new owner's restaurant pedigree, offered in the local press, seemed sound, the name "Restaurant L & E and French 75 Bar" (the latter an allusion to the cocktail of the same name and/or perhaps the first two digits of the Parisian postal code) broadcasted to me a personality conflict in the making.
Chester and the area offer serious competition (River Tavern, Cafe Routier, the Copper Beech, to name a few). Would L & E hold up compared to the former tenant, the reliable Restaurant du VIllage? I could not help but wonder. Obviously if these entrants to the local scene want to make it, they need to bring their A game. Thankfully, they seem to.
Their idea is "two under one roof": Brasserie with casual bar menu in back and fine dining from an al la carte tasting menu out front.
Gone is du Village's formal dining space, replaced with an eclectic, European influenced decor. I amuse Susan by trying to properly identify columns (usually an outdoor activity). The fact that the Doric columns in the center of the room don't actually meet the ceiling bothers me (plinth, anyone?) then I look behind me and see Corinthian-hybrid, and I'm just like, ok, dudes, someone's been shopping at Columns-R-Us. Whatever, I'm here for the food.
Their concept is a do-it-yourself tasting menu. It features small portioned plates, suitably priced and organized into suggested courses with suggested wine pairings. There is an extensive wine list and a series of house cocktails, two with absinthe, a pleasant surprise. Cocktails were generously sized: after ordering a "One and Done" I asked if their bartender was familiar with the Sazerac, which he was not, but we had a friendly chat. Overall, service is formal and affable.
We stuck to two courses each (they suggest 3): I had the beet salad with scallops and braised pork cheek, Susan the cauliflower soup with oysters and salmon roe, then the lamb. All were superb.
For dessert, Susan had the passion fruit sorbet with grilled pineapple, and I a fresh ginger bread ice cream combination. Also excellent.
Guys, keep it up. We're pulling for you. We'll be back, for certain.
The menu is kept deliberately simple and stocked with French staples: escargot, sweetbreads, duck confit, steak frites, fish (fluke rather than sole) almandine and roast chicken, to name a few. All are prepared with a high level of skill, and there is also a rotation of popular "New American" items such as raw hamachi with avocado, grapefruit, sesame and shiso.
For more than a year now they have been offering house made charcuterie and fresh oysters on the half shell, expertly shucked and classically presented (on ice, with mignonette and lemon wedges). Bar service is superb and the wine list is very good (if not intimidatingly exhaustive as some places can be). Wine service is good, with decent selections by the glass in the usual categories.
Listed in: Brasseries I have known.
1 Previous Review:
-
1/31/2010 First to Review
Brasserie Pip is the Copper Beech's less formal dining space, though it shares their formidable wine list and talented kitchen staff headed up by Tyler Anderson.
The menu is typical simple French fare, which is well executed and consistent. At a recent visit the service seemed considerably improved since opening 2 years ago.
I can't believe I have lived in Connecticut for 15 years and never checked the place out. How often have I lamented the lack of decent salumeria in the nutmeg state, and here it was all along.
Nardelli's delivers on the staples of a good Italian deli: excellent bread, roast beef, cappicola, prosciutto, eggplant and various breaded cutlets. There is also their famous "mix" which is an analogue to mufaletta topping without the green olives. And don't forget the polpette.
Yes, the logo hasn't been updated since the 1970s, and the cheesecake burrito is a total gimmick. Who cares?
Glastonbury, CT 06033
(860) 657-3500
The Spicy Green Bean Deli and Catering
Categories:
Sandwiches,
Delis,
American (New)
2 Lists
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"Unrepentant gastronome and obsessive home cook."
- 19 Friends
- 117 Reviews
- 10 Review Updates
- 11 Firsts
- 1 Quick Tip
- 3 Fans
- 2 Lists
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Review votes:
71 Useful, 26 Funny, and 27 Cool
Moodus, CT
Yelping SinceSeptember 2009
Things I LoveVeal, shallots, raw oysters, my own boeuf bourguignon, Madelines, tart tatin, farmer's markets
Find Me InAll over the tri-state area. I travel a lot.
My HometownYonkers, NY
When I'm Not Yelping...I am making things with wood.
Why You Should Read My ReviewsI avoid establishments overly supplied by Sysco, and thus mediocrity.
The Last Great Book I ReadQuotable Hitchens. Though I would not call it great. Take that, sir!
My First ConcertInexplicably, Kiss. Give me a break, I was, what, 9?
My Favorite Movie"Big Night" is the appropriate answer here.
My Last Meal On EarthShort ribs and the most expensive bottle of red wine available.
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...I am a pipe organ builder.
Most Recent DiscoverySilicone molds for madeleines.