Aly V.'s Profile

Impressive.  From an excellent crisp Ligurian white to yet another crunchy, tasty octopus, yummy branzino to a luscious Campari/grapefruit sorbet, nothing disappointed and much delighted on my visit on their first official night open.  

While they're still working out the kinks in terms of decor and layout (read: add a vestibule to keep the cold, chilly air from deep freezing tables on entry), these folks know what they're doing and I'm sure A&O will soon rank amongst my favourite must-go restaurants in Seattle (currently Tavolata, Cremant, Monsoon).

Great food, good service.  I was particularly impressed with how inventive they were with their seafood, particularly the cod and mackerel.  Generally, Spanish isn't my favourite, but Saba impressed.  Thanks Maya!

Simply lovely. From the wine (refreshing lambrusco) to the daily special (veal ragu)  to the sophisticated yet relaxed atmosphere, Paprika has definitely made my safe list of fall back restaurants in the evillage.

I rarely give such poor reviews, but in this case, I felt compelled to share.  The salon really doesn't live up to the image they present on their site.  They employed some pretty hard sell tactics to move their product and the service lacked any evidence of care or interest in the customer.  The stylist bordered on being rude, settling on blunt and matter-of-fact for the rest of the session.  I was just glad to have left when I did.

More good coffee (a la Seattle) in NYC -- and not a moment too soon.

I just love the look and feel of their brand (great name, good execution), though the cafe itself is pretty tight.  It can be difficult to get in and out, but its worth it for a good latte.

The folks behind the counter seem to really know their coffee.  Best of luck to them.

I love this place.  Having recently moved to NYC for Seattle, I've been sadly dismayed at the state of coffee in the city -- even at well-known places like Mud.  I almost driven to Starbucks, until I came across this place -- and I haven't stopped going ever since.

Tip:  Try the Mezzo -- its a pleasingly lighter version of a latte.

Love this place.  Not a visit to NYC goes by without at least one visit to this small cafe.  Situated on a very quaint bit of Nolita, Cafe Gitane never fails to satiate my need for strong coffee, delicious french/moroccan dishes and good people watching.  I'm hopelessly addicted to the avocado on seven grain toast.  For breakfast, you can't go wrong with the baked eggs (either salmon or tomatoes + basil).

Adorable yet practical hotel in midtown.  The rooms are tiny but very well thoughtout:  think EasyJet meets Royalton without the cheesy nightclub and designer lobby.

I can't believe we went this long without something as great as Quinn's in the neighbourhood.  I've been twice (once on opening night) and have been consistently pleased.  Best of luck to the owners.

Inventive, generally successful menu of small plates and accessible dinners coupled nicely by a broad selection of drinks particularly good beers both on tap and in bottles.  All this plus attentive, reasonably knowledgeable service (especially considering that they've just opened).

Impressively unwelcoming.

I've been twice.  Each time with a separate companion.  Sadly, both times, we just felt compelled to leave within ten minutes.

With little privacy (or even the sense that you're not sitting in the lap of the person next to you) and perhaps the most uncomfortable stools (tiny, awkward) and tables (low, small) I've ever seen in a cafe, it appears that their designer got a bit carried away with designer fixtures and forgot to create a welcoming, comfortable space for folks to enjoy their coffee and, perhaps, the company of friends.

Their coffee is good, but its not good enough to suffer through a conversation in that space.  If you want a coffee to go, this is a great place.  If you want a place to work or chat with a friend go elsewhere:  go next door to Cafe Presse or down to Caffe Vita.

I'd suggest they:
- fire/prosecute their retail designer
- replace their ridiculous stools and mini tables with regular, cafe-sized tables and chairs to bring some modicum of comfort and separate between patrons
- reorient the ordering line so that patrons can order and pay right as they walk in and then head-in to the left to wait for their coffee and admire the espresso machine
- invest in sound dampening fixtures