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"I eat therefore I am"
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Review votes:
2166 Useful, 976 Funny, and 1896 Cool
Champaign, IL
Yelping SinceJanuary 2007
Find Me Ina state of perpetual periphescence
My HometownPoitiers, France
When I'm Not Yelping...I speak in tongues
My Second Favorite Website The Last Great Book I ReadKafka On The Shore
Current CrushSean K!
Date
New York, NY 10128
(212) 831-1402
Sfoglia Restaurant
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
The food is still quite good, though the one-star I'm giving it is for the outstanding service and waitstaff who bust their asses off to make Sfoglia what it is (you could say I'm biased as I know several of them personally).
Then why no more than one star? Because a restaurant whose owner simply abuses and has no respect whatsoever for his staff (or clientele) and so much more does not deserve my business. I won't be giving my money to Sfoglia anymore.
By the way, the recent closure because of health violations was deserved (severe rodent infestation).
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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8/20/2007
Dinner at Sfoglia was without doubt the best dining experience I've had in New York. The restaurant opened about a year ago, though its sister location on Nantucket has been open for longer than that. It's a little gem on the Upper East Side, and I can't recommend it too strongly. The place has become quite popular, and getting a reservation for dinner can be difficult as it is often booked six weeks out, but it's certainly worth a try. My friend and I were lucky enough to get a table last Saturday night, and I enjoyed every bit of the experience.
The place itself is beautiful. Don't be misled by the simple appearance of the foyer: the dining room, which only sits about 40 people, is gorgeous. The decoration is simple and homely (communal tables, baskets of fruit and vegetables, wine shelves), though quite sophisticated. With dim candle lighting in the evening, this makes the perfect spot for a romantic date.
Where to even start about the food? The cuisine is rustic Italian, but don't let that deceive you: every dish we ordered had clearly been precisely designed with each ingredient carefully chosen. The menu changes every other two months or so, so I suggest asking the wait staff for recommendations. Everything I tried was delicious. My friend and I started with an appetizer of wild mussels, which come in a tomato, garlic and fennel sauce with slivers of salami... and not to forget: homemade sourdough bread (amazing), which will come in handy as you won't want to waste a drop from the sauce. We then moved on to the lobster risotto, with corn, peppers and mint: lobster... enough said. For our main course, we ordered the fish of the day: ahi tuna steak, with a side of sauteed greens and beans, and we also shared a side of tomato and watermelon salad in a pesto sauce. The tuna was tender and perfectly cooked (rare): delicious. Finally our dessert, a mixed berry tart topped with gelato, was equally impressive. I left quite full and more than satisfied.
They also have a fairly large wine selection. They only carry Italian wines, but also have a full bar. Having grown up in France, I am not familiar with Italian wines but was pleasantly surprised with everything we had. We started with a bottle of rose di pinot, and then moved on to a bottle of negroamaro "Alberto Longo", which was recommended to us by the manager and couldn't have been a better choice.
And last but not least, the service was impeccable: the wait staff and the manager clearly went out of their way to make our evening as enjoyable as possible. I had a wonderful time at Sfoglia, and can't wait to go again in the future!
Tip: getting a reservation for dinner can be an ordeal, but lunches are typically less busy. Also, after discussing this with one of the waiters, I hear getting a table for a late dinner (after 9:30pm) is sometimes possible when a reservation gets canceled (call the day of to check).
Wilton Manors, FL 33305
(954) 565-7577
Galanga Thai Kitchen & Sushi
Categories: Thai, Sushi Bars
The food is Thai, though probably not authentic Thai. The restaurant is quite nice, and conveniently located next to the gay bars (more on that later...). My boyfriend and I shared a few things:
- Appetizer sampler, which is pretty big and includes all kinds of dumplings and other bite-sized "things". I wish I could be more explicit, but remember... I was blazed.
- The tuna: that was my boyfriend's idea (I wanted the crispy duck), but I didn't resist too hard since I usually love tuna. This one was a bit too much for me... a giant slab of tuna cooked rare, with ponzu sauce. I wasn't a huge fan. Not sure if it was the tuna that wasn't the best or if it was lacking a better sauce, but I could only have a few bites. Then again, it might just have been because I was blazed.
- Some ridiculous chocolate cake for dessert, which was for two persons and was completely decadent... just amazing, which again isn't too surprising considering I was ahem blazed.
Good overall, even though I was a bit disappointed by the tuna. Great service (and VERY hot waitstaff). I'd definitely go again.
After doing a little bit of internet research, we came to the conclusion that a lot of the resorts there cater to the "lemon party" crowd (and if you don't know what that is... just google it and you won't be disappointed), so we decided to be safe and go for a nice place.
We chose the Grand Resort after reading some good reviews, and I have to say that was a good choice. Apparently they require a three night stay during the high season (winter and spring), but we got lucky as they had a "suite" (no less) available for just two days the weekend we wanted to do. So we ended up booking the suite, which was a bit more pricey than I hoped but eh...
Fast forward a couple of months...
The Grand Resort is located just a couple of blocks from the beach. On our arrival we were greeted by one of the owners (or managers?) who was very friendly and checked us in quickly. The resort is pretty... very clean, and they're clearly making an effort with the gardens etc. There's one pool area, and another "tropical courtyard" which has a hot tub and is supposed to be clothing optional (though very few people actually were naked). Our suite was essentially a small apartment, with living room, bedroom, and separate kitchen: it was definitely nice, though I still think it was a tad bit pricey.
As for the crowd (since after all we went through all this trouble to go to a gay resort...), it was mostly guys in their 30s and early 40s... not too "lemony", thankfully.
Anyway... the verdict: we had a good time there, and this is definitely a nice place, and it looked quite a bit nicer than the other resorts around. I'd probably consider going back if I could get a cheaper room.
Seriously... I've stayed at nicer Best Western or La Quinta locations for almost half the price. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone, and there are plenty of other options just a few blocks away.
The verdict: I actually liked it!
I'd never been to a Brazilian steakhouse before, so I really have no point of comparison. Fogo de Chao is a nice place. The meal started with a salad bar (which was pretty good I must say...), followed by... well... meat. All sorts of meat, unlimited. Many many types of beef, some pork and chicken. I tried a lot of things and remarkably I thought the beef was the best. The highlights: the garlic beef, the tenderloin, and another special kind of beef, the name of which I can't remember. In terms of sides, there really isn't much to say: meager plates of polenta, mashed potatoes, and fried bananas (all of which were good, but not that impressive). So overall: great food (by which I mean meat).
A few (minor) complaints:
- the price! I guess that was to be expected, but the flat price for the meal is $46... not included drinks, dessert, and tip. I ended up paying $80 total... a little more than I was hoping.
- the service was a bit oppressing...
- the waiters really tried a little bit too hard to sell us drinks (including bottled water and wine...).
Would I go again? Probably (which is a lot to say considering I usually avoid beef at all cost)...
Oh... and in case you're wondering, we also ate there. We went for breakfast after checking out on our last day. They have a "make your own breakfast" formula for about $8: pick ingredients (veggies, meats...) and they make an omelette for you. It comes with either house potatoes or cornmeal or toast. Not the best breakfast I've had, but it was decent for the price and very convenient. Our waiter was very friendly, and even forgot to charge for our yogurt. Apparently you can also "make your own sandwich" for lunch: same idea, pick your ingredients and they make it for you.
I probably wouldn't go out of my way to come here, but it's definitely not a bad spot if you're staying at the hotel next door.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33310
(954) 537-1722
Deck Restaurant at the Sea Club
Category: Restaurants
27 Lists
