Restaurant Information:
254 5th Ave
(212) 213-4999
Map:
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Service 11/20 or 55%
- Hostess(3/5 points)
The hostess was friendly and promptly sat me at a two person table. Her service was what I would expect but nothing more.
- Promptness(3/5 points)
The food didn’t take too long to get to us nor did we wait forever to order. Everything was about average timing wise. Alertness was more of an issue, though.
- Alertness(2/5 points)
The waiter was fairly cognizant of our need for water, which I appreciated, but other than that he was kind of oblivious. We asked for more milk for our coffee twice and it never got refilled. Also, we asked for more coffee and each of us got only half a cup. The next time I asked for coffee I got three fourths of a cup.
- Friendliness(3/5 points)
The people there seemed to have good intentions just did a poor job of much of anything else. I don’t really see them as going out of their way for any customer in the near future as our service was barely acceptable when the restaurant wasn’t that busy.
Food and Drink 9/20 or 45%
- Price(1/5 points)
I was going to give this a two, but then I remembered I was charged six dollars for the bacon that was advertised as being five dollars. Coffee was three dollars and worth maybe one. My “french toast” was ridiculously priced at twelve dollars. I left this place feeling like I was ripped off completely.
- Quality of Food(2/5 points)
At no time during a brunching experience should I ever think, “I should have just paid five dollars at Dunkin Donuts,” but I did. My “french toast”—I’m using quotes because no part of it tasted/resembled french toast—really tasted like a icing filled donut. Also, there was really only one square of it. My bacon was slim, crumbly, and otherwise unremarkable. It’s truly sad when the best part of my dish was the fruit that garnished it. On the other hand, my friend’s Madison galette was a surprising mixture of flavors; I’d order one of their galettes if you find yourself stuck here in the future. Although I found it odd that a dessert menu was offered, the Nutella crepe was fairly tasty.
- Quality of Beverage(2/5 points)
The coffee was kind of bad, which I’d normally just write off as having a bad cup. But then I had another cup and got coffee grounds at the bottom of my cup. Gross. It really wasn’t that good.
- Presentation(4/5 points)
Everything did look quite wonderful when it was presented to us. However, I think only the Nutella crepe lived up to expectations; the rest was a total wash. Each piece of our meal was presented on an adequately sized dish, some more decorated than others.
Decor and Space 11/20 or 55%
- Cleanliness(3/5 points)
All the tables, flatware, dishware, and glassware look as clean as I would expect, nothing out of the ordinary in either direction.
- Theme(3/5 points)
I can’t really say this place had a theme. Maybe it was a wine bar, maybe it was a restaurant; I couldn’t tell. I liked the use of color but not the bench seating. It really felt like they had two totally different interior designers come in to work on the place: one for the walls and ceilings, etc. and the other for the tables and chairs.
- Adequate Seating(2/5 points)
I’m 6’5” and my friend is 5’8” yet our knees kept bumping into one another at the incredibly uncomfortable booth we were seated in for our meal. I think they probably could have lost a table or two and easily made the seating far more enjoyable. By the end of the meal both of us had just swung our legs out to the aisle and leaned back against the wall as we talked.
- Location(3/5 points)
It’s a very short walk from the subway in a very odd part of Manhattan. The neighborhood makes me feel like Chinatown tried to open a second section of town on 28th street, but made it even shadier.
Bonus(5 points)
No bonus points could be awarded.
Total score 31/60 or 51.67%
