Moustache (Middle Eastern)

265 e. 10th st @ Ave A, NY

1. the service was terrible.  this really seems to be such a huge sticking point with me.  in an almost completely empty restaurant, the waiter ignored me until I was comfortable at a table, with my jacket off, my magazine out, etc, etc, and then demanded I move to a far smaller table in a large puddle of water.  almost every table was empty!  I balked, so he moved me to another table the same size as the first, but with coats strung on all of the chairs.  instead of moving them, he wandered off, leaving me to approach the people at the other two tables, asking them to move their coats.  he then proceeded to ignored us for the bulk of the meal.  we had to walk into another section of the restaurant (quite literally two rooms away) twice -- once to ask for the bill, and then again to ask for change.  with three waiters, and only four tables of customers, in a huge restaurant, you might expect slightly, or far, better service.

2. the food was not worth it.  bonnie's soup was fine; her salad was passable; my middle-eastern lamb pizza, however, was such a thin layer of what I can only describe as lamb spread (the same consistency and amount as a "buttery spread," or a "cream cheese spread") on a cracker-thin layer of baked pita, that I left wanting a second supper.  had it tasted interesting, or exciting, or even good, that would have made it worth while.  instead, it really didn't taste like much at all.

instead of a second supper, I went out for a glass of whisky.  which suited me far more.

Roomali (Indian lunch)

27th Street, just east of Lexington Ave. NY.

 

Best. Roti. Ever.

Sorry, couldn't resist. The roti was so buttery and gorgeous and melted in my mouth like nothing ever before. It was like a perfect but soft croissant
rolled flat. Then wrapped around a buttery well-fried egg, and a cluster of Chicken Tikka that would make any yob cry for joy. And the aloo roti, against all odds, was perfect as well. Spicy as hell, and tastily perfect. I can't wait to go back to this place... I've been thinking of it every meal since. (And sadly, comparing every meal since to it.) 

Daltons Bar & Grill

611 9th Ave @ 43rd, NY

Worst.  Burger.  Ever.

Inedible.  I wish I'd paid them the $25 and then gone somewhere else for dinner.

Bar BQ (ummm... bbq)

689 6th Ave @ 20th, Brooklyn, (718) 499-4872

okay, I know there are those who would say "what do you expect from barbeque in park slope?", but then again, there are others (like me) who sometimes have a need... an emptiness that needs filling... no matter the consequences. And so a chowhound search for bbq in brooklyn led to Bar BQ, 9 blocks due south of here. The place itself is great -- a small local bar, a couple at the counter doing the crossword, a quartet of old guys laughing it up in the back. Pity the food just wasn't all that great. The mac & cheese was real dry. (Most of the food felt as if it'd been sitting under a hot lamp for hours.) The beans seemed completely free of any pork. The ribs were dry, but tasty. And the pulled pork, for me the most important ingredient, was just okay. Again, dry. But okay. Doused in bbq sauce, it was tasty. I'd go back, but I definitely wouldn't take any NC relatives there. (Unless it was for bourbon sampling - the bar boasts the best bourbon collection in all of NY, I recall.) 

Shake Shack (burgers)

Madison Sq Park, NY. shakeshacknyc.com






One double hamburger (rare), shack burger (medium), cheese fries, and regular fries. and a bud and a glass of riesling. Hong-An was horrified that I'd never even heard of the Shake Shack. "It's an institution!" she cried. "Every New Yorker has been there at least once!" Well, I guess I'm finally a new yorker. And wow, it feels good. Moist, amazing burgers. I wish I'd ordered my Shake Shack burger rare, but it was still gorgeous to the mouth. Even though crinkle-fries make me think of british school lunches and frozen birds-eye fries, these were perfect. the burgers ranked with In&Out, the fries surpassed. And beer and wine in the park? Made for a delicious meal. Apparently lines get crazy sometimes, but we didn't have to wait. 

Cocotte

337 5th Ave, at 4th St, Park Slope

  
Such a cute inside...  exposed brick walls with crummy (but wonderfully appealing) coffee-shop style art on the walls.  Mason jars for tap water.  Old reggae albums playing quietly.  Perfect lighting.  I wanted so much to adore the place, and yet everything else was just terrible.  The service was friendly but completely absent -- five or ten minutes to get menus, longer to get the check.  (I actually had to walk to the back to ask for it.)  The food, as well, awful.  Dense, mostly flavorless, complimentary banana bread.  Brioche that I ordered was also dense, also flavorless.  I feel like scambled eggs with salmon should arrive mixed, cooked into a harmony, but here it was served as an ugly, tasteless omelette with salmon carelessly layered on top.  However it's supposed to be served, this didn't work.  When we did finally get the bill, with tip, it ended up being $40.  Far too much for a meal I really didn't enjoy.