averie "awells." w.'s Profile

I'm back !! Hello Yelpers, today's late night review is going to be a short one because so much has already been said about this place. I have just gone to this place today at around 3pm, (today is Friday) and there were 2 of us, my mother and I. We went in and gave our names, the lady told us it wold be a 35 minute wait, which was rather surprising considering the things I have heard about the wait of this place.
There were a couple of other parties waiting outside but once we were called in we were seated in the window table and right away we ordered our coffees w steamed milk and whipped out our own stevia in the raw(LOL).The coffee was solid nice and strong, but definitely not bitter. I needed no menu as I never go to a place without being prepared and before the lady began writing I knew what I wanted. I ordered the Southern Breakfast with a side biscuit and my mother ordered the Country Breakfast. I didn't come here to try pancakes, I mean of course they would get that right no biggie, so I had to really test their skills and see what else they could throw down.
Our food came out rather quickly and immediately I reached for the sugar coated bacon (which sounds like a sin in a third world country) and after two bites I was rather bored with it simply because I am not a sweet eater at all. Nonetheless it was a great compliment to the grits which were thick and cheesy, they got my eggs just right which I ordered scrambled, and the biscuit was AMAZING. There is NOTHING like a good old flaky southern biscuit. You think the Pillsbury Dough Boy has flakes? HA! However this biscuit is nothing without the jam they give you which takes so great its sweet and savory which is right up my alley.
Our waitress kept bringing us more coffee which just got  us high of the bean. I must say that I did love the ham in the Country Breakfast, I wasn't a big fan of the fried tomatoes a little too much batter for me, but everything else was seemingly ....solid. Now I know I said I did not come here for pancakes but what the heck? I had to throw it in, my mom and I shared a stack with the maple butter which you just want to bathe in, it was so good. And blueberries like you've never seen before. They were extremely good.
BOTTOM LINE: This place is great if you know what time to come. They give enough food, it is solid and quality, and not overpriced. And if you aren't a New Yorker get directions this place is deep in LES (Lower East Side) so please save your self the torture. Next time I go I will definitely be trying something new, did I hear someone say Huevos Rancheros?? Anyway that's all folks !

When I interned in a gastrointestinal office the drug reps would always order from Sophie's. That being said I always deemed the food mediocre because you will eat anything for lunch. But today I went to Sophie's for the first time in the flesh and I must say it was pretty good. I had the Steak and Onions with yellow rice and red beans. My mother ordered the Shrimp in Garlic Sauce with tostones and yellow rice. (We asked for Mohito (?), which is garlic sauce used to dip the tostones in.) As a Spanish food connoisseur I had to only give this place three stars. For being in Manhattan it is pretty cheap at $10 a plate, but I have definitely had better food at Brisas in the Bronx (previously reviewed) for $5.95 a plate and you get more than 2 sides to choose from!
Sophie's thrives because it is comfort food in Manhattan, a place where people eat sandwiches and yogurt for lunch. The rice was a little stale and I'm sorry to say this but I hate rice that has those pre cut veggies in it. (Seriously, did you really slice a corn on the cob and toss it into your rice?) The steak was OK but needed sauce and the onions were cut way to big or they weren't caramelized enough. The two things I really enjoyed about this place was the coffee and  the special Verde sauce. They don't have to make great food because that sauce really covers things up.
Bottom Line: Great prices for this type of food in Manhattan, a true New Yorker knows that this place is just OK. The prices and food quality have seen better days at other restaurants but it depends on where you go. Once again, I gave this place a  pretty high 3 star rating simply because it is cheap and good for being in Manhattan.

OK here's the low down this one will be short and sweet. I was introduced to Bon Chon over the summer and I just cannot get enough. If you are a beginner and not really sure what to get consider going for something safe. When i went to the Bon Chon on John Street here in the Financial District recently and had their boneless soy garlic chicken which is amazing. (They also have a lunch special that's the best time to go, its up until 5pm.) And of course I get a Side of white rice with my favorite the Kimichi Cole Slaw. There is NOTHING like the Cole slaw...I simply cannot live with out it. I find myself buying the large size and eating it for breakfast the next day its so good.
The only problem I have with Bon Chon is that you have to purchase everything separately. Shouldn't Chicken come with white rice at least? But nonetheless Bon Chon is decent and I love it because it has great prices for college kids who want fancy Japanese food.
(There is also Bon Chon Chicken on 33rd street which has great chicken salads and they're spicy chicken wings are REALLY spicy so beware!)

Let me know where you guys think I should visit next !

Now I have been craving hibachi since last summer when I went to my favorite hibachi place Edo's. (I will write a review on this soon.) I have  not have sushi at this place only hibachi, just as a disclaimer, I DO NOT get my sushi from every Japanese stop I see. Anyway, I walked into this place on a Friday evening around 6 with my boyfriend and mom and to my surprise there was no wait. We were seated immediately then they bought a family to sit at my table. (For those who have never been to hibachi, yes they do seat  you with other people its like a family style dinner show.) Let's just say the family would make things interesting to say the least. In my opinion, hibachi is not for children under 10 and that's even pushing it. I mean your dealing with fire here and IF you wanted to you could reach out and touch it. That being said of course we had a 12 month old and a 5 year old at our table. (This place does have high chairs.) Now every hibachi restaurant that I have been to and I have been to at least 15, they all have the same food layout and AROUND the same prices. At this place once we were seated they bought out edamame, and asked what drinks we wanted. Then they brought out soup or salad (your choice).
Then the chef came out. (Now I am not a racist or anything BUT I prefer that I have an Asian cook when I go to hibachi, it just adds to the experience and I adore their accents.) To my liking I got my chef of choice but I broke out in laughter when I saw the chef next to us was Italian...he had a "I hate my job, I'm so hungover" approach. Hilarious to say the least. Anyway it took about 15 minutes for our chef to come out which was new for me because usually your chef is there while you have your soup but I liked it this way.
The chef just began cooking he did his knife show, which I have seen thousands of times, but it was still amusing. As a hibachi veteran I rarely pay attention to the tricks but what matters is the quality of the chicken and steak, the amount of rice and noodles you receive and how many free bees you manage to get. For ladies, the more jokes you make with the chef the more rice he gives you, and maybe he'll even give you the extra vegetables. The point here is that your experience at hibachi is entirely up to you, it's what you make it. For me its fun whenever I go EVEN THOUGH I know all the tricks! That, my friends, is how you measure the quality of a good hibachi restaurant. I got hibachi chicken, my mom got shrimp and my boyfriend got steak, we also had California rolls which are fool proof to make. Everything was of course delicious. The steak was even cooked to my boyfriend's liking of a medium.
The bottom line here is that hibachi food must be compared to its competitors and this one certainly ranks high, Perhaps #2 on my food chain. It comes after Edos and before Benihanas.
****Side note: I do not like the take out Teppans sorry. Its OK but you do not get near as much food and it seems like the chicken/ steak is drenched in sauce rather that cooked into it. All in All i love this place.

Let me start off by saying that my name isn't Mary !! LOL. Just had to put that out there. But anyway let's get to business with Patsy's. Now I don't know if it is just me but Patsy's borders on being an Italian restaurant in my opinion. (The fact that they do not have Chicken Parm KILLS me.) I love this place don't get me wrong, every time I go I have to order my two staple items. The Rigatoni Bolognese and the Cesar Salad are my favs. Usually I do the salad family style so I'm forced to eat more of it.
Everyone goes to Patsy's for the pizza, I mean its great pizza, but I  prefer Pizza & Vino which literally makes your pizza right in front of your face. (Its just a great place to eat pizza at, not to mention you can have your vino too.) But let's look into the decor of Patsy's I mean its great, because its not one of those Italian restaurants where you feel bad if you walk in and you have jeans on. I love it because its very casual and they don't look at you cross eyed when you ask for more bread. (That bread is from heaven, just saying!)  
My FAVORITE thing about Patsy's are the people that work there. These people man ! Let me tell you, I LOVE when I go to a restaurant and I see employees eating their own food. Its the best feeling in the world. And they LOVE doing that here. They don't hide in the back like a pack of indentured servants, these people are legit and it makes me feel that much better about eating the food.
There are Patsy's all over but I love this one because I've been here so many times, they  know my face already so its like what the heck why switch it up.
Bottom line: Service is great, pizza is good, pasta is great, salad is fresh, the employees eat their own food, and for 2 people its about $45 for a pasta dish and a salad (drinks not included), and you must get the bread to sap up the delish sauce.

I went here recently, and boy was it a surprise. Let me say that the decor is a little old school Italian mob like, but I absolutely loved it. I felt like I was in a scene from the Godfather, it was great. The atmosphere is very calm, people whisper and use their "inside voices" even when ordering. Now onto the food ! I ordered the Chicken which was filled with some type of cheese, my boyfriend got the Steak and Shrimp. (His Steak was medium.) Now let me tell you the reason why I LOVE this place. For all the non foodies in your life, this is the place to go ! For all those people who know NOTHING about steak this is the place to go. Everything is explained right from the start so there's no confusion and you meal comes out simply perfect.
We began our meal with a salad, my Cesar salad was great, and my boyfriend's house salad was fresh. And might I add that it was the perfect portion. After this our waitress came by and she was very very nice, she quickly but meticulously gave us the run down on steaks:
1) All steaks at Ruth's Chris are seasoned with only salt, pepper, and a touch of butter
2) DO NOT touch your plate when it comes because it is VERY hot.
3) Enjoy.
Now, this information being given to us I thought in the silence of my tummy, "Now I'm excited." We placed out orders and got Mashed potatoes, string beans, and creamed spinach as our sides. The entrees came out so piping hot. ONE WORD: PERFECTION. NEVER has a piece of meat melted on my tongue. NEVER has a piece of Chicken cut so tenderly a knife was of no use. (The Steak also came with a side of shrimp, which was okay.)
The Bottom Line: Ruth's is great for dinner, but know that you need to make reservations before you go. I did not have to wait because I know a few people here and there, but just a heads up. Also it would be in your interest to skip the dessert, the cheesecake was okay. They have a apple type dessert that is really good though. Be advised that on some nights the crowd can be a little...rowdy. I usually go on a week day because that the best time to test a restaurant's food. All said and done, I will be returning again, considering that I like to give restaurants 3 chances before I make a final verdict.

Ah yes, i am updating this review because i went here very recently for a birthday dinner. I actually also went here during lunch the other day and it was not as good. Southern food is always better when its being rushed out of the kitchen, its much fresher. In my last review i forgot to mention the desserts. The Key Lime Pie is a nice touch, its refreshing and cleanses the palette. The Peach Cobbler is a killer because, for a southern girl like myself, it definitely tastes home made, like grandma slaved over it for hours. The pulled pork has allot of flavor under its belt and its great if your feeling for a Cuban Pulled Pork sandwich, its lovely. I recently had the collard green side which taste more like kale or broccoli rob, its a bit more bitter than the regular old collards but its still good all the same. And lastly allow me to make way for the SWEET POTATO FRIES which everyone talks about (my table ordered 3 servings) absolutely amazing, because sweet potatoes are a STAPLE in the southern kitchen. Very well done Blue Smoke, thanks for delivering once again. xoxo

let me begin by saying that i have been to this place about 4 times, and the main issue here is the terrible service. Sadly, the food is great but I've had better at Cubana's. The first time i went to Hard Grove, it was late night around 10pm and it was rather busy..our food came out in record time. However, the times i went after were sheer disaster. In essence, i had steak with white rice and black beans (all very good) while my company had this appetizer which was shrimp in plantain bowls which was also very delicious.
A great thing about this place is that there are a great number of vegetarian options which is rather shocking in a culture where meat is king.
Here are some dishes that really stand out on the menu..the monfongo is pretty good and strikes close to being home made. Grandma's Chicken Soup is wonderful an the portion is great too. I also had the Crab Bris which i was not a fan of. The plantain chips are have a really nice crunch on them and aren't greasy at all. as far as desserts go, their Bread Pudding would do so much better if it was warm but it is served dead cold. There is another dessert that consists of sweet plantains in a hot rum sauce served with vanilla ice cream. It is a wonderful dessert but only for the first few bites..after that it becomes like food from Red Lobster..nausiating. Being a coffee consiouer, the Cuban Cafe con Leche is great. Its strong but not overpowering and it compliments the sweetness of any dessert.
--in general this place is good for a basic cuban restaurant. Aside form the blaring music and the dramatic waits this place is great to impress your first date..if their Amish. Not bad grub but I've had better. Also prices are down to earth.

i lean toward japfood, but i figure i'd give this a try. first off, the decor of the place is quite nice, and it can be a perfect date spot. ive been the precious about 6 times already and i order out ALL the time. their chicken and broccoili is good as well as thier shrimp and brocoli. general tso's is fine too, i must say thou, that the one reason i come here is for their fried rice...its simply amazing. and i do adore it.

okay okay, so this place has definately come to thier senses and has rearranged ther prices. and they now offer a wider selection of spa goods. you can now ejoy coffee or tea and cookies while under the drier..i think im becoming a fan!