Restaurant Information:
577 Union Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 218-7174
Service 9/15 or 60%
- Hostess(N/A)
There wasn’t a hostess.
- Promptness(3/5 points)
This is the kind of place that is quick to take your order once you get a seat, but after that, it’s a toss up in the air. My coffee came in a normal amount of time. My food was on the late side. A woman sitting next to me must have waited ten minutes longer than her friends for her food, which shouldn’t happen.
- Alertness(3/5 points)
I would have given this a lower score, but it was clear what had happened: one guy made it to work on time and two stayed out late partying then stumbled in hungover. They became more alert as time passed, but it was bleak at the beginning.
- Friendliness(3/5 points)
The people here were pretty friendly, but not overly so. Also, it seemed they were more engaged simply due to their own inability to handle more than one thing at a time. “Sorry, I’ll be right with you,” was muttered at least five times; it helped. I don’t know how long this place has been in business, but it’s still going through some growing pains.
Food and Drink 11/20 or 55%
- Price(4/5 points)
You get a lot of food for your buck. The only thing that keeps this from getting a five is that the drinks weren’t worth half of what I paid.
- Quality of Food(3/5 points)
The meal was started with a complimentary homemade donut. Unfortunately, my waiter had dropped the ball and served it the same time as my food. I ordered the “Big Boy” platter which consists of: two eggs, two pancakes, home fries or grits, bacon or sausage & cornbread. I ordered the eggs scrambled, grits, bacon. The eggs were served scrambled like real eggs, but with bits of charred food from whatever was previously in the pan. The bacon was rubbery. The grits had great consistency and flavor, but came off a little drier than I like. The cornbread was probably the best part of the meal and it was served in a triangle, a welcomed change of pace. They have some other promising dishes on the menu that I’d like to try if I ever return.
- Quality of Beverage(1/5 points)
The coffee was okay at best. It wasn’t served with either milk or sugar, so I had to scavenge for those elsewhere in the restaurant. The woman next to me ordered orange juice and they handed her a small bottle of orange juice you’d get from any corner store and a glass. What taunts me is that one of their kitschy ads/decorations was for coffee that was probably much better than what was served.
- Presentation(3/5 points)
They really didn’t try on the presentation. Everything was kind of where it should be with enough room here and there to maneuver your food. It didn’t look pretty, but then again I didn’t expect it.
Decor and Space 9/20 or 45%
- Cleanliness(3/5 points)
Everything was about as clean as I would expect.
- Theme(2/5 points)
This place kind of has a NYC kitch theme to it, but it’s very slapdash. A lot could be added to make this place more interesting visually.
- Adequate Seating(2/5 points)
They used their table seating well and I’ll give them that. But, I sat at the bar and there were absolutely too many stools and not nearly enough room for all of them. A guy actually sat next to me, then promptly got back up and left the restaurant because he couldn’t fit in the open seat and he wasn’t going to wait for a table for one.
- Location(2/5 points)
This place is about six blocks from both the Lorimer and Bedford stops on the L. It’s also across the street from a lovely unfinished condo building.
Bonus(5 points)
1 point for serving a donut as a appetizer.
Overall Score: 29/55, with bonus 30/55 or 54.54%
