Restaurant Information:
42 E 1st St
New York, NY 10003-9345
(212) 777-5617
Map:
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Service (10/15) or 67%
- Hostess(N/A)
There really isn’t a hostess, nor are you really designated a waiter or waitress. They just kind of hover between working behind the bar and waiting on you.
- Promptness(3/5 points)
They were very good at getting us seated—there was no one there—and at getting our drinks back to us. However, our food took a while to get there so they end up settles in the middle. I really think the people working there were more interested in the guys they were dating or what happened last night or, well you get the drift.
- Alertness(5/5 points)
They filled up my coffee and water like there was no tomorrow. I really was surprised at how good they were at it.
- Friendliness(2/5 points)
I wanted to give this a one because the waitresses/bartenders were talking about how a regular comes in, just hangs out/reads/eats/drinks, and they find it creepy. There is no place in service for talking bad about your regulars while you’re on the job and in ear shot of other customers. Besides that, they were pretty friendly; I just couldn’t get over that initial bad impression though.
Food and Drink (14/20) or 70%
- Price(5/5 points)
This place is cheap, really cheap. The two of us ate brunch for $30 including tip. There is a trade off to all of this though.
- Quality of Food(2/5 points)
The food was decent. I had the French toast with caramelized bananas on top which was tasty, but didn’t really do much more than what was stated. My guest had the eggs scramble with chorizo, which was the better call of the two. I kind of felt mislead when I looked at the menu: there were seven items including the soup du jour of melon squash and a special of chicken carbonara. It’s a half-ass attempt at brunch more than anything else.
- Quality of Beverage(4/5 points)
The coffee was really good. I’d come back here for coffee. The orange juice was so so. I think this is a place really more focused on being a bar than anything else and it shows.
- Presentation(3/5 points)
I liked that they served both dishes on completely different plates, but past that there really was no extra effort.
Decor and Space (10/20) or 50%
- Cleanliness(2/5 points)
There were giant clumps of dust on the shelves lining the walls used to light the wall. The dishes, etc. were all clean as I would expect. They really didn’t help themselves by sticking to a very white themed room.
- Theme(3/5 points)
It’s a basic drink, coffee bar kind of place. This would have gotten a much higher rating but when i went downstairs to the bathroom, I felt like I’d walked into a date rapist’s grotto. The brunch is only served upstairs, but the stark contrast made me think twice about ever meeting someone here at night. Also, the upstairs has some photography that decorates the wall nicely; it gave me something to look at while I waited.
- Adequate Seating(3/5 points)
This place was DEAD at 1pm on Saturday. The tables were massively spaced out and they could easily fit one or two more tables in there.
- Location(2/5 points)
I would rate this higher, as it is really easy to get to from the 2nd avenue stop, but you have to pass Prune and Joe Doe before you get to this place. I can see it being a great place to bring a drink date, but other than that there are better brunch places in the area.
Bonus(5 points)
None.
Total score 34/55, or 62%
