Tag Archives: restaurant reviews

Market Cafe- Bumped Up

14 Oct

I wrote about Market Cafe previously, however, I have to update the review because I found a dish that is SO good that it makes me need to bump up the Nom Nom points.

To start, however, I must mention that while they say they open at noon, we literally stood outside the empty restaurant staring at them until about 5 after when they finally seated us.

So onto the food… The Seared Sea Scallops are SO. DAMN. GOOD. that I could make a whole meal out of it.  Unfortunately, I have now sung their praises so much when I’m there with others that I always wind up splitting it. 

The scallops are cooked so well to begin with… but then they’re on a bed of potato puree with brown butter that is TO. DIE. FOR.  Holy potatoes batman!  I am salivating just looking at that picture.  Just because it’s so good… here is another picture.

The rest of the items on the menu are just pretty much average.  Good but not great.

On this adventure, Lori and I got both the pork loin sandwich.  It comes with smoke mozzarella, arugula, and butter pickles on homemade bread.  I couldn’t have the pickles due to my allergy, and Lori thought they were way too sweet (since I love sweet with pork… I probably would have liked it).  I also noticed that Lori could not handle the fat on the meat, however, in my humble opinion, that’s the best part!  To each their own.

We were there with my Aunt Linda and she got the omelet of the day.

It was something along the lines of swiss and mushrooms (I think) and she said she enjoyed it.

HOWEVER… there was a salad problem.  The lettuce was VERY old, brown, wilted, and tasted funny.  It should never have left the kitchen.

To be fare, the waiter was very apologetic about it and brought us french fries.  Unfortunately, they didn’t make it to the table before I had to leave for a meeting.  Though I remember them being tasty.

So while the 6.5 stands on most of the food… and the service was lacking… the scallops get a solid 8!  I’m therefore changing my ranking…

Total Nom Points: 7 out of 10

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Stone Street Tavern

13 Oct

Mike and I love to dine on Stone Street.  It’s a (closed) cobble stone street Downtown near Wall Street that has a few restaurants with outdoor seating lined up.

We try a new place each time we are there, and this time, it was Stone Street Tavern.  

Unfortunately, this experience did not start off well.  There were some very rude tourists who were chain smoking at the table next to us.  Now…  it is 100% illegal for people to be smoking where food is served, even outside, unless in a designated area that is separate.  Stone Street Tavern’s waitress, however, denied this and offered for us to move tables.  We did… but it was still wafting.  Just what I want when I’m eating.

Thankfully… the food arrived soon after.  Both Mike and I must have been either hungover or recently drinking, because we both ordered their aptly named “Hangover Burger.”  Angus beef “loaded with cheese bacon, onion and fried egg.”  

My mouth is watering just thinking about this burger.  It was incredibly messy… but incredibly delicious.  That fried egg was fan-freakin-tastic.

And the fries were damn good too.  Usually steak fries are just too mushy for me, but these were perfectly crisped

My test of a friend egg is by how runny it is.  This, my friends, was a perfectly runny egg.

Nomilicious.

Total Nom Points:  7 out of 10 (0.5 points docked due to the smokers)

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Luke’s Lobster- East Village

13 Sep

After hearing about Luke’s Lobster (we went to the one on 7th Street near 1st Ave, however, one just opened up on 81st Street near 2nd Ave) for a long time, I finally made my way there as a “last meal” at my old job.

Staring at the menu, I was really stuck.  I wanted to try as much as possible, so I eventually decided on “A Taste of Maine” which included a small version of each of their rolls (crab, shrimp, and of course, Lobster) along with 2 Empress crab claws, chips, and soda. 

It was a bit more than I usually spend on lunch at $20, but fresh seafood ain’t cheap.  Oh wait… aren’t lobsters prices at all all-time low?  Ok… I guess we’ll forgive them for transportation costs, etc. Sort of…

I really enjoyed the Maine kitsch that decorated the small storefront. 

My soda pick was, of course, blueberry.  It was delicious, sweet, and tasted like dessert (definitely NOT on the diet plan).

The sandwiches came and they were certainly small, however, they were overflowing with meat.

Luke’s Lobster bills itself as being fresh from Maine, and I really value that, however, the lobster just wasn’t the same.  I can’t totally fault them, however, because I have had lobster at some of the finest restaurants in NYC and it just never compares to the lobster in Maine, right off the boat, and simply steamed.  Even when I buy LIVE lobsters to make myself, it just isn’t the same.  Is it the Maine water? Air? The 10 hours of transit?  I wish I knew… because it’s good, but it’s just never quite MAINE good.  The roll at Luke’s was exactly on these lines… good, but not the same.  And (I HATE to say it) it tasted almost frozen (perhaps their fridge was too cold?)

I actually wound up preferring the shrimp roll (shockingly), however, the highlight of the meal was the Empress Crab Claw.  HOLY SHIT!

This tiny little claw packed SO much flavor.

Overall, I’m glad a place like Luke’s Lobster exists since they are such Maine fans, however, they still haven’t solved the eternal “MAINE GOOD” problem.  Sad, but I’m glad I went.  And I would go out of my way for that Empress Crab.  Nom Nom Nom.

Total Nom Points: 6.5 out of 10

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