Restaurant Review: Poke Sushi

B and I met some friends here for dinner on a Saturday night.


Things I enjoyed:

1. Love that it's BYOB. You can bring 1 bottle for 1-3 people or 2 bottles for 4-6 people. If you bring more, they charge you $20. We had 5 people and 2 bottles, so it was perfect.

2. Edamame to start, then miso soup. Thank you for having miso soup with some flavor. And by flavor, I do not mean overwhelming saltiness. Nice bits of tofu & seaweed too.

3. The the volcano roll (fried calamari, with spicy sauce and avocado). Really reasonably priced and pretty tasty. I obviously ordered a sushi that did not involve fresh fish, but the others said theirs was good. Next time I might skip the miso soup and order 2 rolls.



Things I did not like:


1. Started to get reaaaaally packed around 7:30. So come early or be prepared to wait!


2. We told the waitress we needed another minute or two..and she gave us like 10+. I know she was busy, but kind of a long time to abandon your table when they're starving but a little slow!


3. It's really far away from Brooklyn!! Ok, not really that far..but sure seems that way.

But worth the shlep and potential wait it if you need a BYOB sushi fix in a pretty nice sit-down setting



Overall: 4 stars

Restaurant Review: Butter

B and I debated for ages after we left dinner during NYC restaurant week!

Here's our reasoning:

1. Service: 3.5

The staff was pleasant, but just not what you would expect at the type of upscale restaurant that Butter would like to be..no bread plate and had to ask. Server forgot the lemon I asked for, and never remembered (despite a pleasant reminder). Again, didn't ask if we needed anything the entire meal. The only time he came to check on us was right at the end. I don't need someone to hover, but an occasional check in is appreciated. Not sure if they thought we'd be bad tippers because we came during restaurant week..but I hope that's not their usual attitude.

2. Food: 4

The charcuterie plate was filled with deliciousness. The chicken liver was especially amazing. The first course squid was also tasty.B ordered the short ribs and I had the duck. I forgot how much I LOVE lentils. Yum. I could have literally dumped anything in the duck confit sauce and just devoured it. A little salty towards the end, but just so savory and good. It would have been a 5..except dessert was 'eh.' The chocolate sour cream cake was just OK. A little dry and nothing special. Same for the beignets. They were tasty. Nothing more.

Ambiance: 3

Kind of a personal thing I guess..but we were a little underwhelmed. Looked like they hired the same guy who did Craft and then added a little random tree background. Too pretentious for us!

Overall: 3.5

ps. Does anyone watch Chopped? Fun fact: Alex Guarnaschelli is one of the judges..and the chef/owner of Butter!

Restaurant Review: Magnolia Bakery

I'm so torn.

The banana pudding B brought home for me a few weeks ago was like a 4++! But the cupcakes I've tried have all been solid 3 star quality.

The cupcakes were too dry and the buttercream frosting was just OK. I like my cupcakes to taste really dense and moist. And the buttercream should be rich but not too fatty or sugary tasting. Magnolia cupcakes just didn't do it for me.

I wish I could give a separate rating for just the banana pudding.

Light, fluffy and yet still rich and creamy.

I would probably eat this every single day if I could.

But it's a bakery, not a banana pudding boutique!

Overall: 3 stars

Restaurant Review: Convivium Osteria

Poked around on yelp to find this restaurant.
Mix of Spanish and Italian?
Yes, please!

Since it's in nearby Park Slope I thought it might make the perfect place for a date with B.
After a long-ish wait (with a reservation!) I ended up feeling rather torn about the review!

Food:
B's cinnamon and apple ravioli w/ duck ragu was incredibly good.
My pork ribs with polenta was also very tasty.I noticed that a few people on yelp complained about the polenta being watery, but I found that it was light and delicious. True, the polenta wasn't loaded down with cream and butter like it is at some places but that just makes for a different and equally delicious eating experience!We also shared the grilled octopus salad as an appetizer. I thought it was beautifully grilled, but a little bland.


So why the internal debate and ultimate 3 stars?
THE SERVICE WAS REALLY BAD.
They were paradoxically slow and rushed.
Slow to get to us for anything (order, meal, drinks, check) but rushing around like maniacs at a full but not overly so restaurant.
We felt kind of abandoned our entire meal..and we didn't even order dessert (my FAVORITE course!) because we simply did not want to wait another 30 minutes for it to arrive. I'd be willing to overlook the rustic overload for the food if the service weren't so darn bad!

Overall: 3 stars