Sam "Thanks a Glatt" M.'s Profile

There was a storm a few weeks ago that shut down all the LIRR lines - so what better way to spend the night stuck in NYC than to check out New York City's newest Glatt Kosher Indian restaurant, Shalom Bombay under the hechsher of the Orthodox Union.  With much success in Teaneck they decided to try their chances in the more prestigious Manhattan market - and we think they are going to make it.

Located in midtown, the first impression you will have when you walk in is that you are in India.  From the hand painted walls and ceiling to the relaxing Indian music you will feel right at home as soon as you take your seat.  Fortunately this falls right in line with a new trend of  Kosher restaurants that are seeing where they are actually spending money on the decor - unlike the kosher offerings of the past where it was more of a "you want to eat kosher? deal with our crappy offering" mentality of the past (Kosher Delight I am looking in your direction).

The menu is full of authentic Indian dishes (and what a pleasant surprise - no sushi!) which includes a decent wine and beer selection.

The second impression you will notice about SB is their service which ranks amongst the best in New York City.  While I was there a patron asked for a bencher and rather than pointing to the stack of benchers the host actually brought it to them.  A lot of restaurants fail to realize that people go out to eat to be served - Shalom Bombay seems to realize this and makes sure you feel like a king.

Whether you are on a date or with a group I would highly recommend ordering a few dishes and sharing rather than each person ordering their for themselves.  With so many dishes to choose from I think it's too hard to pick just one so you might as well enjoy a few!

Every table gets started off with complimentary Papri Chaat which is crisp crackers served with chopped potatoes, onions, parve sour cream & tamarind sauce.  I had the mixed kabob appetizer also (it seems like it is their most popular appetizer) which is a must with a group.  They were spiced just right and will definitely open up your palette for your main course.  Also consider ordering some Naan or Roti (Indian bread) on the side to eat with your meal - they have multiple flavors so they are sure to have one you like.

For my main courses I went spice crazy and had the Curry Chicken (chicken cooked in freshly ground spices and light gravy), Lamb Vindaloo (spicy lamb with a splash of vinegar,  a Goan specialty), Dal Rajma (black lentils and kidney beans simmered with onions and spices), and on the more mild side I went with the Beef Korma (cubes of beef cooked in cashew paste and mild spices).  Being a huge fan of Indian food everything tasted authentic and delicious as expected.

The only downer I had here was the price - approximately $20 per dish, but that is on par with any kosher entrée you have in New York City.

I will definitely return to Shalom Bombay (perhaps for their all-you-can-eat lunch buffet?) and recommend you check them out too if you are in the mood for something other than a burger or schawarma.

They are open for lunch and dinner and do catering for whatever occasion you may have.

On Memorial Day we made the unfortunate decision to go to Coney Island to celebrate. As good as it was for our egos (we were better than everyone there) unfortunately the overall taste that it left with us was sour. We decided to cleanse that taste with the offerings of Subsational in Brooklyn.

If you haven't been here in over a year then you would be in for a surprise as they have done a total renovation on the place. They also made some adjustments to the menu. We assume this was because of the entrance of Carlos and Gabby's to the market - which has forced most Kosher restaurants to start acting like real restaurants.

My constant at a hamburger shop is the Pastrami burger, so naturally I ordered it.  I also ordered the buffalo wings chicken fingers.

One look at the buffalo wings and we returned them. The chickens must have been starved and anorexic because there was no sign of any kind of hormones - they were little and looked unapetizing.  We went to return these with the manager.    Naturally, he put up a fight "sorry, you should know what you are ordering" but after a few of my "can't you think outside of the box?" and "don't you guys know how to do customer service" and a "you are going to lose a customer" he quickly realized it was time to offer us a replacement item.  Enter the chicken fingers.

They were good considering they were made exactly how C&G's does theirs with corn flakes.  Maybe they all come from the distributor like this?  Does anyone know?

Now it was time for the main event - the pastrami burger.  Although the meat quality was bad the pastrami on top creates the most amazing/juicy flavor.  It was tasty and I would def recommend it if you want a good old fashioned not good for you good tasting hamburger.

We got the spicy fries as a side, quite expensive for $4.99 (how does Mcdonalds sell fries for 99 cents??) But they were on par.

We didn't order anything from the Mexican side of their menu but will definitely have a fiesta the next time we eat there.

If u want a guaranteed fast food meal with a solid taste, I would definitely recommend checking out Subsational.

I had to head up to this part of town tonight because I had a meeting so I figured out I would check out Hanna's Pizza. The funny thing is as I was thinking about it about earlier today ten minutes later I got a text from the person I last went there with about a year and a half ago, and I hadn't heard from them in months - ironic.

The first thing I noticed when I entered was that the place has gone under renovation since I was last there.  It's up to par with any other pizzeria in NY, nothing too fancy but nice, clean, and new.

The second thing I noticed was that it was quite empty. This was 6:30 on a week night?  One would think they should have more customers at this time.  By the time I got my food I was the only one in the store for a good 15 minutes.

I ordered two cheese slices (@ $3 each) - I have decided that the best way to review a pizzeria is to only go with the cheese (unless they have some amazing speciality slice).  On a side note I have also decided that I personally need at least two slices of pizza a week in order to survive/function in life.

The slices were good. They make them more on the crispy side which is not my favorite but still tasty.  The cheese was also "harder" and not the kind of cheese that is gooey. Again, not my favorite but still succifienct.  The sauce is also kind of sweet.   I'd say that it falls in line as being a good, typical slice of new york pizza. Nothing special, but still good if you are in the neighborhood.

The variety of other slices on the counter is pretty good.  If I recall correctly I remember seeing a green olive, veggie, white, and Sicilian.  The last time I was here I got a veggie slice and it really hit the spot.

Their menu is pretty basic in that they offer a few salads/pasta.   Thank Hashem that they do not throw a sushi restaurant into the corner like most kosher places will try to do.  The salads are all pre made and looked kind of old/lame. They should make fresh salads - people like that and it isn't that much more work.
It was a decent meal on a regular night and I was happy until I went to pay.

Me - 2 cheese slices.
Cashier - 6.54
Me- what???
Cashier - with sales tax
Me - dissapointed look
Cashier - is that ok? (Where I realized it was a gouge)
Me - its pretty annoying.
C - well its kosher

This really annoyed me.  No where on the menu, either the take out one or on the wall, did it state that sales tax was additional.  I would go as far to guess that in 99% of pizzerias, when the price is $2, that's it, two bucks, no more, no less. The ST is included, none of this extra BS. And if it was extra they at least have the courtesy of writing it somewhere.   I think was a total gouge to get an extra 50 cents out of me and I would guess this is a reason people do not come here. At $6.50 for average pizza plus around 1.50 for a coke you are looking at around 8 dollars for a pizza dinner, which is too much even if you are on the upper east side.

Overall like I said average.   If you are hungry and in the hood check it out, but be wary of the extra sales tax they might throw in.

With all the holidays the past few weeks we haven't had so much time lately to go out to dinner alone so last night we decided to grab a quick bite to eat.  After careful deliberation (actually, first we wanted Grill Point, then Benny's, then Cafe Muscat) we finally we decided to go to Carlos & Gabby's in Queens on Main Street.  We have been here before so we knew we would be satisfied.

If you have a big appetite you should start off with an order of their chicken zingers.  Breaded with what I believe to be corn flakes these tasty pre-dinner snacks will definately get your palete going.

My wife ordered the Texas Wrangler Burger which is a definite must if you have never had their burgers.  It combines onion rings, BBQ sauce, 6 ounce of meat and veggies.  When these flavors come together it creates a great taste and for $8.95 its hard to find a better deal.  Which brings me to what I had - the double burger.  It has 2 four ounce patties with all the regular fixings.

If you have never had Kosher mexican food then I would also highly recommend it as this is the best place to try it.  Their burritos and tacos are spiced just right to give that spanish flavor and I recommend trying any one of their tacos or burritos.

If you want to go on the light side, although largely portioned, get one of their salads.  Half the restaurant seemed to have ordered one so they must be good.

The service here is pretty friendly and quite fast, which are all rare atributes as we know in the Kosher world.  Although CG falls under the "new age" generation of Kosher restaurants unlike the lame offerings we had in the past.

Overall I highly recommend checking out C&G at anyone of their locations.

In continuation of my boycott of La Pizzeria (horrible service, overpriced menu, sub-par food), I decided to grab a quick bite to eat tonight at Roya Kosher Pizza in Great Neck.  This hole in the wall pizzeria somehow continues to survive however anyone's guess as to how is still a mystery.  With the except of Saturday Night and after Yom Tov's (when they are smart enough to open) this place is usually pretty dead.  Being tucked in the back of an outdated shopping center doesn't help their case either.

The service is always slow.  The guy working here (he looks like Ray Romano) somehow happens to always be there also, either by himself or on the rare occasion he has some help.  Tonight he was alone.  There were two people in front of us and we still stood there for about ten minutes while he scrambled around to complete their orders before taking ours.

The place is pretty dirty and could use some new paint, a floor polishing, and to have the guy from hoarders come and trash half the old crap they have around the store.

The pizza ($2 a slice) from here is hit or miss.  Depending on what time of day you come and which day of the week will determine it's age.  Tonight we were lucky.  When he first said the slice didn't need to be heated up I was reluctant to take it however it was the perfect temperature and came out quite good.  The dough has just the right thickness and has that almost laffa-e kind of taste.  The sauce is OK.  Not too powering but tomato enough.  The only thing lacking is the cheese.  It didn't really have any flavor but I have come to realize this is the standard for Kosher Mozz.

The best thing to get at Roya's isn't the Pizza though.  It's the Veggie burger.  I am not sure what it's made of (maybe mushrooms?) but it's the closest thing to meat in a veggie burger that I have seen.  Often times when you get a burger you feel like you are eating a potato and corn sandwich but these are far from that.  It's the best veggie burger I have ever had and I highly recommend them.  The $4 price tag also makes it amazing.  They put a whole slice of tomato and onion on it and it comes out so juicy after eating it it leaves you wanting another more.

We asked for falafel tonight but they didn't have any so I can't tell you how it was however I have had the spicy fries here before and they are also good if you want a side to go with your meal.

The mozzarella sticks are kind of weird here (they look like corn dogs but with cheese inside them instead of meat) but they taste alright.

Overall a nice cheap meal if you are in Great Neck and don't want to take a mortgage out just to have some pizza (La Pizzeria I am talking about you).

I definitely recommend this place if you are in the neighborhood!

This is my wives favorite place to get sushi.  Always fresh, always tasty and the presentation is excellent.

I wasn't so hungry this time (it was after Shabbat) so we only got two rolls - the Mexican($8.95) and the Ninja($7.95) roll.
For specialty rolls this is a great deal as most places charge $10+ for the same thing (and it doesn't even taste as good!)  The Mexican roll has fresh jalapeño on top which gives it an amazing spicy taste and their avacados are unbelievably fresh which makes Ninja roll is remarkable.  If you have a bigger appetite try the Leo roll and it was great as well.  They put fried onions on top and we all know fried onions make everything better!

They have the spicy mayo and eel sauce (it's kosher, duh!!) self serve so you can get as much as you want.

Open Saturday nights and they have three chefs so u don't have to wait long to get your food.

Great place for a casual date or if u want to chill with some of your girlfriends and as you can see the place is nice and clean.

It's a keeper!

The worst almost happened.  Here we were on a Saturday night, tired of eating meat for shabbat and then for lunch today and looking for somewhere dairy to go for dinner.  What is our best location option? Ugh, Cafe Muscat.  After about ten minutes I finally convince my fiance to go there.  We arrive at around 10:00pm and what a surprise - the line is out the door.  Did I forget to mention that it's raining?  So we make a reservation "it will only take twenty minutes" and coincidentally park the car in the same spot we sat last week - and we wait.  Twenty minutes passes by and we decide to go in and see if our table is ready.  It's not.  We float around and wait and finally decide to go down the street to Benny's Pizza.  A place that my fiance claimed had the best kosher pizza around.  We leave and then we notice some people outside mentioning that they do not want to wait and leave themselves.  The girls jump at this opportunity and start calculating if we can get in any faster.  After hearing "they told us it would only be 20 minutes an hour ago" from some others waiting outside, I finally convince everyone to go to Benny's.

When we get there it is my kind of place.  No line to order! Yes! We quickly grabbed a table and went up to the counter to order.  I ordered a veggie burrito, spinach slice, and a order of spicy curly fries for the table.  The burrito was not so great - it needed more cheese and beans.  It was basically just some white rice with veggies, I would definately not get it again.  Next time I will go with the cheese quesadilla to fill the mexican food void in my life.  (PS.  can someone PLEASE open up a kosher dairy mexican food place? Bravo to C's and G's for opening a meat place but I would do anything for some queso dip and a beany cheesy burrito.)  The spinach slice was excellent - although I wish I would have ordered a regular slice because that is the only way you can gage and compare one pizzeria to another - although now I have a great reason to go back!  My fiance got the Eggplant slice which was HUGE and tasted great as well as a falafel which was pretty good.  My friend and his wife with us both got the thin crust personal pizzas which looked great and at $4 each they can't be beat.  They also got a caeser salad which looked kind of lame - this place doesn't seem much like a salad place at all.

The employees were all nice and helpful and were pretty patient with our ordering.  Something I really liked unlike some kosher pizza places - I won't name names this time.

Right around when we finished eating we got a call - it was Cafe Muscat, our table was ready (lol).

We didn't pay until we left which was the best part - only $32 for everything! I like pizzerias that let you order like a king, eat, and then go up and pay at the end

I definitely see myself back here again! Great place!

If I could summarize this restaurant down in 10 words it would be: The worst experience at a restaurant I have ever had.

It was my friends birthday last night and we wanted to try something new in the kosher restaurant world instead of going to the usual Clubhouse Cafe or Estihana so we decided to check out the Hibachi Steakhouse in Brooklyn.

There were 12 of us so once again the less than par service (see my review on Betty's in Great Neck) was expected because of our big group but there was no way to guess it would go this bad.

What may at first look like the place was letting us wash with water bottles instead of tap water this wasn't a show of luxury rather than the fact that they had no running water. At all. Anywhere.  That was the first sign that we should get out of there, but the geniuses dumb people were were we decided to stay.

The second sign that we should leave was the banging.  Every few minutes it would come and go from behind an oddly placed curtain in the restaurant.

They decided that instead of closing the restaurant for repairs they would keep it open - perhaps because they wanted me to write a bad review?  Probz!!  We begged the hibachi chef to tell them to stop working while we were eating, he went, and came back and said "two minutes".  Nice.  A few minutes passed and they stopped the banging.  The good news was they honored the "two minutes" that they told us.  The bad news was that this was when they started drilling.  As you can see this just wasn't our night.

The layout is pretty simple, a bunch of grills setup hibachi style.  The ambience was dead (they decided to supplement the silence by playing some traditional Japanese Kenny G over the speakers.

Considering it was a Sunday night I expected there to be a larger crowd of people there however there was just us and two other groups eating there.  Pretty sad.  With the lack of a crowd, the Chef's doing their thing sounded more like a bunch of pans clanking around instead of genuine hibachi style show.

Speaking of the "show", the Chef was more like a Benihana drop out (he dropped his tools a few times) instead of a top grade Hibachi Chef.

For our meal we ordered two of each of the entré that they had for everyone at the table.  The steak was rubbery, too salty, and looked more like liver than a $40 dollar steak.  The chicken was also dry and didn't have anything to necessitate it as a $30 piece of chicken.  To me the best part was the rice mixed with margarine.

The prices were all very high but I understand why - they make ZERO from take-out and at this kind of place, even if the food is good it is more of a once a year place to go to so they have to charge more for the lack of regular customers.

Maybe the Hibachi Steakhouse fools others for being Hibachi but it didn't fool me.  I just don't think the kosher world is ready for hibachi and wouldn't recommend going here.  But I will try it again within the next few months (if it's still open)  and give them a chance to redeem themselves.

After arguing with the owner we got him to remove the 18% group service charge so there was something positive to come from the night.

All the buzz in Great Neck lately is to go try the Persian  food at Betty's.  After years of Colbeh I would have to agree with everyone that someone has to be able to make Persian food better so this time it's Betty's turn.

Located in Great Neck off of Middle Neck Road Betty's is a totally new restaurant.  The decor is typical of a Persian restaurant with its Persian tapestries and paintings around the place.   We happened to go on a Tuesday night with a large crowd (approximately 20 people - it was my wedding "rehearsal" dinner).

With the size of our crowd being said, and them probably not being ready to accommodate for us (although they should be able to get it done - no excuses!)

There was a small Persian band playing, I am not sure if they have these guys regularly however the acoustics were not so good in the room which caused our ears to hurt while the played because the music was so quiet loud.  Funny though that no one asked them to turn it down.  Some of our group got up and danced around which drew stares from the other patrons but we did not mind because of the occasion.

Like most new restaurants they tend to lack in some areas (hence the negative review, see below) - especially for large crowds and Betty's was no different in terms of service and food.

We started off with some beers which WE had to ask for.  I don't get why kosher restaurants don't put more emphasis on beverage purchases and be more pro-active in getting people to order them because that is where your biggest profits are in the food industry. The guy was slow to bring the drinks out and didn't push us to get drinks like they should be doing.

We ordered combination's (if you don't know, a combination at a Persian restaurant usually consists of a few different types of rice, Persian salad, and a few types of kebabs) for everyone to ease the ordering process.  Although the waiters service was good they were understaffed and one side of our group would get food while the other would have to wait a few minutes till they got theirs which is not fun.  While the portions were good the kebabs were all just OK (too salty) and nothing special.  I actually think Colbeh is better and that is not saying much.

Yes, it's a new restaurant and yes we had a large crowd and some new restaurants cannot cook to par for large groups.  But that is part of the food business and I hope they can get their act together in these areas of they plan to last, especially since they are trying to do catering as well.

Overall, I wasn't satisfied with eating here, however I will try to make it back again (if they are still around) with a small group to see if they can do any better.

via http://thanksaglatt.com ... your source for Kosher Restaurant News!

Best Kosher Pizza. Period.  We'll, it comes in a close second to Pizza Sababa on Emek Rafaim in Jerusalem.  But as far as the USA is concerned however it is #1.

Situated on the first floor of the empire state building (easiest access is from 33rd street) you can expect to see a diverse crowd of patrons at this pizzeria at all business hours.

Their variety rivals that of non-kosher restaurants (minus the meat of course). At any given time you can also expect to see about 10 different kinds of pizzas on the table.  Today I went with two regular slices which were fresh from the oven and did not need reheating.  They were amazing!! The taste of the dough/sauce/cheese just has its own kind of flavor and doesn't taste generic like most all other kosher pizzerias.  At $2.50 a slice its a much better deal than Jerusalem 2 also so why not eat better pizza and save money at the same time.  The fresh mozzarella slice however is the best slice they offer and it is amazing, I highly recommend going with it and a regular slice if it's your first time there.  Get a side of ranch from the salad bar and dip your pizza in it - you won't be let down at the awesomeness that will enter your mouth.

Some downsides of this place was that the counter guy was kind of a jerk and impatient with peoples ordering.  It also took a few minutes to pay which in the world of hot pizza every minute counts towards freshness.

Still - the pizza is amazing and you should definitely go there if you are ever in midtown!

PS. Like most kosher places, a dairy restaurant would not be complete with a sushi and salad bar tucked away in the corner and Rosas is no exception to the rule.  I have had a salmon avocado roll as well as a regular salad and they were both up to par and definitely a viable option if you do not feel like having pizza.