Christine "the food guru" J.'s Profile

Alouette is a quaint 2-floor restaurant and the decor is very inviting. Live music was playing on the main floor, which could be heard through the open 2nd floor balcony. That was nice. What was disappointing was the slow kitchen. It took just under 45 mins to get appetizers; thereafter the rest was more timely. Food itself was just okay. The warm calamari salad was too light on seasonings, and for the hangar steak, the sauce was more like gravy consistency (I'm big on consistency) with pomme frites that borderlined on boring long & tasting. Their creme caramel was overall the best tasting of the three, good consistency & flavors. For the prices, the food is overpriced in my opinion. Disappointing for such a cute place.

I went to try Harlem Mane out after seeing the many raving reviews on Yelp. While the people there were accommodating for a 6:30pm appointment and were very pleasant, the fact of the matter is that they didn't have the first clue about how to texturize black hair.

I understand it is a very specific procedure and is not easy-peasy like your standard straightening process. Other people I saw getting their hair done -- your standard straightening -- looked great. But there is a definite challenge for them working with natural, non-locked hair and with the in-between chemical processing for texturization.

They had to process me twice because the first time the curl was still too tight, then the second time it was a rush because it was almost closing time. The curl loosened a bit more, but there was no time to actually do any *styling* of my hair so I walked out the door looking a little like a raggamuffin, which I was not happy about.

Now I have to try and do a salvage job at home so I can go out today. I'll give them 3 stars for trying and giving me a late appt, but I wish they just told me they don't work with texturizing hair too often.

I took a visitor to my office to this place before a classical music concert downtown. Figured, hey, she loves French food and so do I. Le Bateau is very French -- the atmosphere, the haute, the décor.

The food selection is very traditional, with selections like moules frites and steak au poivre. We ordered the bass with mashed, leeks and a wonderful cream sauce. Granted the kitchen was super slow, but when the food came, we focused up. Bass was seared perfectly and cooked well (not overcooked), the mashed was flavorful and again, the sauce! What self-respecting French joint wouldn't have rockin sauces?

They have a great selection of French wines, of which we got the Cotes du Rhone. Lovely and light-bodied, it made a decent complement to the fish strangely. Apparently Norwegians pair reds with fish all the time (it's where my visitor is from).

All in all, aside from the kitchn being slow, it was a wonderful experience. The server was accessible but not in your face or -- as is typical of the French -- nowhere to be seen.

Prices are reasonable for this quality food, around $22 for the fish, and $48 for a bottle of wine. A definite keeper.

I stopped here basically between services (brunch and dinner), so all they had was their bar menu, which is sufficient for what  I was feeling. The waiter was really cool, nice dude. I asked for a glass of Sancerre, but it turned out to be a little vinegary. I noted it to him, and he apologized and asked if I would like something else. Wish most places hit that concept.

Anyway, the food; I got some mussels, which were just ok. They were a bit overcooked -- strange I know!! The sauce was too thick and was a touch too subtle in flavor. Then u had some raw oysters ($12), which were ok as well. The accompanying sauce was tangy and tasty with the oysters. Then I had some creme brûlée. I'm REALLY finicky about this dish, but they actually did it well. They torched it instead of popping it under a broiler. Nice creamy consistency if the custard.

It gets 4 stars, mostly because of the service. The folks working here are really personable. And yes, they take credit cards. ;)

For a Chinese joint it's not too bad! The prices are reasonable, although they raised the prices on their chicken wings because of the crazy prices all around. The one thing that would be nice is if they offered brown rice as an option. I guess there isn't much demand for it on this side of Dyckman. The folks there are pleasant enough and speak "street" Spanish. It's awesome to listen to. :)

Gotta say it's better than Panda House down the street on Nagle. That place gives me the creeps.

Mama Sushi gets three stars for effort. Listen, they have some good ideas in terms of their rolls -- creations involving bacon, plantains, avocado and fish are pretty off the wall, but work. Their ribeye was pretty good as well, done to temperature and seasoned well; the chofan (or the Japanese counterpart, chahan) was quite nice.

They are expensive, especially for the area which is surprising. Where they fall short is in the training of their wait staff; the biggest thing that fails in most restaurants is the service. They just didn't seem to understand some of the concepts of Japanese cuisine and tended to fall back into that "Dominican food" mentality of service (which as a general rule is not great to begin with).

The place is visually appealing, so is the food. But they've gotta pare things down a bit, particularly in the $$ department. And for heavens sake, get a bit more consistent. Look @ their website -- super Asian, but I don't see the fusion portrayed at all.

Yeah, they have some stuff to work on.

What keeps bringing me back to this particular PJ Clarke's are the oysters. The rest of the food is good, albeit a bit overpriced. Then again, it is Lincoln Center, so they can charge a premium. Try the crab cake -- it is well prepared and filled with crab. I do wish they made a proper remoulade for it though.

They have a decent selection of wines by the glass (priced around $9 to $13). Surprisingly, their creme brulee is good; no wacky alternative flavors like lime or some other citrus filtered into the pristineness of the creme.

Last time around I had the most awesome conversation with some guys at the bar and with the wait staff behind the bar. Great folks all around -- there are good times to be had at PJ Clarke's.

It goes without saying that I'll be back for my oyster sampler. :D

This is your run of the mill Dominican joint. Arroz con pollo, pollo al horno, etc etc. A few friends came in and ate here one night after work. The food was just okay. Beans were good, lots of rice (as is typical of these places), but the chicken varies way too much. One day it's tasty, the next day its ehh. There's no consistency.

One thing about the place that is bizarre is the intensely loud music they played when we visited that day. We could barely hear each other!! I don't mind the music to an extent, but do you really need bachata blowing out our eardrums?

They do deliver too, btw. Prices are reasonable. $10 for chix, rice/beans and a soda. I suppose you can't go too wrong with that.

I don't have the patience to do my own laundry anymore, so I just have it dropped off (note the way I wrote that -- I don't drop it off anymore, that's what the BF does ^_^).

This place is the classic cost of gentrification of this neighborhood. The ladies that work there generally don't say much to you other than "Name... Number" as they point to the ticket you're supposed to write on. They feel much more at home speaking Spanish. So many non-Spanish speakers are moving in that the level of comfort is gone. Hey, not my problem. You know the saying, this is America... speak English.

They get 2 stars because they once messed up our clothes with another batch, which resulted in me losing a brand new Gap shirt ($40), a pair of slacks ($35) and one of my favorite pairs of jeans (priceless). I was NOT happy after that -- they didn't charge us for that order, nor where they getting anything from us for it either.

I've only lived in this neighborhood for almost 4 years and I'm JUST getting around to checking out Mamajuana. Shameful, I know.

I'd heard good things about it, so a random stop on a Sunday evening was the thing to do for me and the BF. The food was very well prepared and flavorful. It's what I call "elite" Dominican food. There is a heavier focus on seafood items (there's only one beef dish and one lamb). The ceviche is very refreshing, with a slight sweetness that was welcome. The crab cakes are just okay; they could use more of their avocado aioli. The churrasco is marinated and seared, producing a wonderful flavor.

The food overall was very very good. The place itself looks like that modern mix with rustic qualities...rather on the darker side of ambient. It can get quite loud and crazy around the bar, but its pretty spacious. GET THE SANGRIA. That thing is hella tasty.

For the neighborhood, it's on the higher end of pricey. $30 sangria pitchers (but they're big pitchers), app averages between $10 and $15, entrees in the $18+ range. Our bill for 2 ended up around $115.

I would go back for sure.