Tara C.'s Profile

I like unique places, and this isn't extremely unique (so it's rated a little lower), but it's a nice restaurant with great service, good food and a wonderful location.

I had a half dozen PE Island oysters, smoked salmon and a yummy linguine dish (that tasted just as good the next morning for breakfast!).  If you're looking for something a little more formal & upscale (OK, and "older"), this is the place to go.

My friend is the current reigning FourSquare mayor, so of course I had to check it out!

I was visiting from Northern Virginia, where the pace is a little bit faster, so the wait time to order was a little long for me, but the personable, knowledgeable waitress more than made up for it.  I had the Udon noodles and a half salad of the Mediterranean Salad, both of which were quite delicious.  I was especially impressed by the space, the different dining/sitting areas and the range of the menu.

I hope to come back to try sitting in their outside area once it's warmer!

If I lived closer, I'd probably be broke because of this store!

Beautiful, spacious shop, with true gems (pun intended) of bejeweled items, different artwork and Threadless T-shirts.  I'm a huge fan of their rings, and especially their marcasite jewelry.   You can tell there's a lot of love & care that goes into this store...I'll definitely be back!

I've seen some reviews where people had issues with the hostess or with having to wait.  I used Open Table, so I'm not one of those people.  We arrived for our 7:30pm reservation at 7:34pm, were greeted enthusiastically and seated immediately.

Our server immediately came over and introduced herself, was very friendly and  within minutes, drinks were ordered.  I enjoyed the wine selection - having been to Proof and such places, it's not the best in the city, but it's great for a mall restaurant - and was able to pick out a glass of wine that was perfect.

Now.  My husband and I are both trying to eat more healthily.  If you are not, or if you are looking for a place to stuff your face, this is not going to be the place for you.  If, however, you are looking for food that's relatively guilt-free with excellent service, then give this place a try.

We started with the tuna avocado roll which was fresh and delicious, and then I had the rainbow trout while my husband had the filet mignon.  The trout was a HUGE portion, with sides of carrots, asparagus and quarters of roasted potatoes.  The filet came with mushrooms, carrots and asparagus.  Both were perfect portions and perfectly cooked.  We finished with a pecan pie mini-dessert for me, and a key lime pie mini-dessert for him.  It was just the right amount of sweet after the meal, without feeling obnoxiously overwhelming.

The ambiance was darker than some of the surrounding restaurants and, though loud, not so bad that I couldn't have a quiet conversation with the person next to me.  The spacing of the booths & tables helped.  In the background, you could hear the live pianist in the bar, which was a nice touch.  Throughout, the service was attentive but not intrusive.  Our server seemed to genuinely enjoy being there - her smile was contagious!  Her name was Amber.  You can request servers when you make reservations.  I highly recommend asking for her!   We will be doing so when we return.

How do I put this delicately?  

When you're hungover or looking for food after partying perhaps a bit too much, Juniors is the place to go.  My personal cure-all is their matzoh ball soup, with potato pancakes & sour cream on the side.  Maybe that's just me.  

Their grilled cheese and other sandwiches are pretty amazing as well, but skip the chocolate shake and go straight to the cheesecake if you're looking to boost your caloric intake.  

This is a must-go-to at least once if you're in that area of New York City.

Is it the greatest place in the world?  Probably not.  Is it the cleanest place in the world?  Not sure.  Does it have a great fireplace and comfy seats and attentive service?  Absolutely.

A bunch of us descended on this place right after eating at Hourglass Tavern.  We had a fabulous waitress whose name I sadly forget, and we sat just to the inside of the door on the right-hand side, which accommodated our horde perfectly.  We were a little loud, which suited the place just fine.  We were a little thirsty, which also suited the place just fine.  I'd go back just to hang out with some friends for a pint or two in a nice, friendly, casual setting.

I love this hotel.  This is the ONLY hotel I'll stay in in NYC.  

Why?

I love the ambiance, the darkness, the way the rooms are cleverly laid out, the beds that make you feel like you're the only person there in the world (even if you're sharing a room!), the rain shower heads that make you want to stay under them forever, the iPad ordering for room service & such, the cleanliness...but really?

I've traveled quite a bit in my time, and the customer service here is THE best I've ever experienced in any hotel.  

From the moment you walk in the door (which isn't easy to find, and I'm OK with that), you are treated like you're the only customer.  Everyone I encountered at my stay, from front desk to room service to the housekeepers made me feel special.  

Furthermore, I filled out a survey afterward and noted some minor details that would've made my stay perfect.  Not only did a receive a swift response detailing how those things would be addressed & rectified, the tone of the email made me feel like my comments were welcomed and appreciated by the General Manager.  

Due to my stay at the Royalton, I'll now be trying other Morgans Hotels in the future!

(This review also copied on my account on TripAdvisor.)

I know some people complain about the darkness, but that's one of the reasons I stay at the Royalton, and usually convene with friends at the bar before going out on the town.

My friend and I each tried one of their signature cocktails, which were delicious.  But what we were most impressed about were the oysters and the tuna tartare.  Seriously, if we could have the tuna tartare every night, we would.

We got there early, as they opened, so seating and service wasn't an issue.  It was actually perfect as it gave us the chance to watch everyone come in.  We didn't have dinner entrees, so I can't comment on that, but it was a great place to initially meet up with people before continuing on with our night elsewhere.

One of my new favorites in NYC, and if I were a local, I'd be here constantly.

I was here for a party thrown by a friend, and we PACKED the place.  I felt bad for anyone who was trying to get into the mid-level bar.  Charlie was our bartender, and he did a fantastic job of keeping everyone supplied and happy.  As people started to trickle out to dinner, there were about 8-10 of us still milling out and still hungry.  As we debated area restaurants to try out, Charlie kindly offered to set us up upstairs and take advantage of their restaurant.

I'm so glad he did that for us.

The service upstairs with Kelly (sp? sorry!) was fantastic, and the food was delivered with great timing and delicious to boot.  Everyone was helpful, accommodating (to a varied group of very loud people) and when were done, they pointed us to O'Flaherty's that also took great care of us.  Overall, a fantastic experience.

I stopped in here with a good friend of mine before we caught a train back to Washington, D.C.  It was on a Friday, around 1pm, and it wasn't busy at all.  

Of course, the view was SPECTACULAR.  One of the best places in the city to just sit and people-watch, which is exactly what we did.  I had a tall glass of cava, since they were out of one of their signature cocktails.  I also had the edamame and the shrimp caesar salad which, though overpriced, were worth it for the ambiance and the view.  My only complaint was that the waitstaff was fairly slow - it took them quite some time to even realize we were there, and then a very long time to get our bill (nearly missed our train!).

All that being said, it was one of the best ways I could have ever picked to end our time in NYC, and I'll definitely be back again.