Georgia’s Cafe: French in the Wrong Way

From a far Georgia’s Cafe appears to be a symbol of the new Broadway in the 80s and 90s. Its full service kitchen and waiter service tables signals the new type of cafe scene propping up in replace of the New York classic delis. The Columbia region always had its outdoor dining and so did the heart of the Upper West Side in the 60s and 70s. But poor old Broadway in the 80s and 90s throughout most of the 1990s was missing out (caution: don’t get confused between street references versus date references as I just did). That’s not to say that here and there there were restaurants without door seating (French Roast and the now deceased Time Cafe always did) but they remained full restaurants, they weren’t sit-and-have-a-cup-of-coffee places. Georgia’s Cafe is just that, you can sit for hours, undisturbed, and enjoy a decent (emphasis on decent) coffee.

Outside Facade View of Georgia's Cafe

When Georgia’s opened a few years back I really wanted it to succeed. I am one who fell in love with the cafe culture while studying abroad in Paris and was excited to see it migrate to the Upper West Side finally. As good as Starbucks “can” be, I would much rather be at a place where I am served coffee in a real cup, maybe have something to eat, and be able to work without interruption.

But as much as Georgia’s attempts to fulfill this void, it falls short. Arguably its biggest offense, and what makes it the least French, is that most of its food is premade. Now I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to be told you cannot get something without cheese because it has already been made, especially when you are on a diet. Second is the fact that these premade sandwiches cost more than the ones offered at Starbucks (and frankly I don’t really see a difference since they are both made not to order). Thirdly, though their coffee is decent (and by decent I mean acceptable but not sought after) their wine list is a joke. I dream of the day that a cafe can hold its own with both the morning and afternoon crowd, Georgia’s can’t.

Lastly, and here is what the title refers to, their service is utterly frustrating to deal with. Yes it is really nice to be left alone while reading or working, but not while trying to actually pay and leave. Their staff needs to be a lot more attentive of the needs of the diner. When I am looking up and around while holding my wallet that probably means I’m ready to go. This last comment also was inspired by the simple fact that I had to ask for water as well.

The first time I was there was at breakfast time, a time when Georgia’s provides nothing for the dieter except an extremely over priced fruit plate. But as I research now for this review I’ve noticed no fruit plate on the menu so perhaps they’ve removed their only dietetic option. The second and third time I visited I had lunch. The first time I ordered the special penne with tomato and mozzarella, as is (I wasn’t dieting then) and found it enjoyable. They didn’t over do the dish and kept it simple. The most recent visit however was when I discovered that their sandwiches were all premade (I tried to order the grilled chicken breast without feta cheese and was turned down). Thus I had to settle for the $13 Caesar salad with balsamic vinegar on the side. The salad was certainly an entree size if not too big (neither my friend nor I could finish our meals).

All in all it is a leg up from reading at a Starbucks but if I was looking to eat lunch while working I would choose Edgar’s Cafe instead.

The Ranking (for explanation, see “Review Key”):

Food: 2 straws (The special pasta was alright but they need to work on their sandwich options).

Price: $$$traws, Expensive price ($20 will cover the average lunch but $30 and over will have to cover an average dinner).

Atmosphere: Pleasant and cute. This part they have down. It is easy to work or read without getting distracted here. In the winter it’s soothing to walk in out of the cold and find a table with a warm cup of coffee while in the summer they have outdoor seating with enough space to enjoy an ice coffee.

Overall: 2 straws (The atmosphere does not make up for the frustrating staff and disappointing food. Georgia’s I challenge you to do better: increase your wine selection by adding more exotic (South African wines are really excellent these days, as our South American wines from Chile or Argentina) and local choices (since Vineyard closed we need a good place to get NY wines), make your sandwiches as they are ordered and increase your salad options (make some originals), greatly increase your tapas menu and avoid the boring typical choices (a cheese plate with parmesan, manchego, and brie, can you get more typical than that?), and after you do all that perhaps you can give Cleopatra’s Needle a run for their money with a better (and younger) evening scene.)

The Details:

Website: N/A

Location: 2418 Broadway (corner of 89th).

Phone: (212) 362-2000

Reservation: I have never needed one. But I have been there when it is full. Perhaps call ahead of time if you are going during peak dining hours.

Dress: Casual.

Hours:

Weekdays: 7:30am- 9:30pm

Weekends: 8:00am- 9:30pm

Belga Cafe

I went to Belga Cafe on 8th Street with a group in April.  We waited for about 30 minutes for the whole party to show up, but Belga didn’t mind and was nice enough to hold the table for us.   I didn’t get to try anyone else’s food, but I ordered the Mussels marinière — mussels in a white wine and garlic broth.

It came with fries and we had enough bread on the table that I was able to easily stuff myself with the broth and mussels.  The fries came with some Belgium mayo (really couldn’t tell you anything special about it — would have liked some other more interesting styles of mayo to go along with it, the plain mayo was, well, a little plain).

I would come back to try other things; everyone else’s food looked good; I do feel like it is difficult to mess up mussels, so I would want to come back to try something else.   Overall though, the service was good and they accomodated my group really easily.  I hear that they have a good brunch…

The Ranking (for explanation, see “Review Key”):

Food: 3 Straws (Everyone in my party liked their food…we haven’t had an urge to go back, but it’s not really in our neighborhood, so that might be why).

Price: $$traws, moderate in price (with a drink, app, and main course, it probably runs about $25-30).

Atmosphere: Bustling.  Their patio looked like a great place to eat, the tables were close together because the room wasn’t very big, but we could hear everyone at our 6 person table)

Overall: 3 Straws. (Though this cuisine might not turn its dishes into works of art, it does fulfill our hunger and satisfy our taste buds.)

The Details

Belga Cafe:

514, 8th Street, SE

Washington DC

(202) 544-0100

Lunch
Monday through Thursday from 11.30AM until 3.00PM
Friday from 11.30AM until 5.30PM

Brunch
Saturday from 9.00AM until 5.30PM
Sunday from 9.00AM until 5.00PM

Dinner
Monday through Thursday from 5.30PM until 10.00PM
Friday and Saturday from 5.30PM until 11.00PM
Sunday from 5.00PM until 9.30PM

Cowboy Ciao

This past weekend I went to Cowboy Ciao. Now, there is an interesting backstory here. Whenever I travel (out of Arizona), people always mention it as one of their favorite places in Phoenix. I was surprised when this happened over and over again, but it just seems as though anyone who visits Phoenix tries Cowboy Ciao (CC). Yet — and here’s where it gets interesting — no one I talked to in Phoenix really liked it that much or had been there. A couple people mentioned that it was “very creative food” when I told them I was going. Nevertheless, after checking out other restaurants’ menus online, I decided to book a reservation at CC.

The location was incredibly convenient, and the inside of the restaurant looked very much like many other nice little Old Town restaurants. It did seem to have a loyal following of large parties, and I had read a bunch about it online as well before going.  Upon arriving, we were promptly seated at a 4-top on the side of the room. Usually I like to have a little smaller table, but it was actually a nice amount of space. Once seated, we were given a binder of the wine selection and menus. I had looked at the wine list before online, and knew that without someone who really knew wine to a T I would be better off looking at the “top choices” sheet I was also given. I found a wine flight that looked really interesting, and ordered that. It was a selection of red South African wines, and included a pinotage, syrah, bordeaux blend. The Bordeaux blend was my favorite out of the three, but all of them were great. That was probably one of the highlights of the meal. 

I love mushrooms, so I was really excited to order their “signature dish”, the Exotic Mushroom Pan Fry. However, I also wanted to try their Stetson salad, which had rave reviews online, and their bread pudding, which is my favorite dessert item to get at any restaurant. So, I guess you can say I had pretty high expectations for this dinner. Here’s how it all went down…

After choosing my wine, I asked how big the mini mushroom panfry was, because I knew that I wanted the salad AND dessert. The waiter seemed well versed in the menu, and aptly described the dish, though, he recommended getting it as an appetizer, in addition to the salad, and getting another entree. This seemed like a lot of food to me, especially since my dining partner does not like mushrooms, but I decided that the waiter knew best. So, I did what he suggested, though I ordered an additional appetizer for my entree instead of a full entree. 

The mushroom pan fry and the Stetson salad were the first to arrive. The mushroom dish was composed of cremini, button, oyster, cepe, lobster, black trumpet, shiitake, morel, yellow foot, all of which was doused in ancho cream and served with polenta, grilled portabellini, avocado, tomato, and cotija cheese. It was very creamy and was a little heavy, but it had a good flavor. All of the mushrooms were perfectly cooked, and the polenta was a nice addition to the soft mushrooms. It was a lot of the same flavor, however, so after awhile it lost some of its excitement. The Stetson salad was absolutely fantastic — it was a mixture of tomatoes, trail mix (pumpkin seeds, etc.), cheese, Israeli couscous, corn, and smoked salmon. It was a great combination of salty and sweet, with crunchy and smooth. The dressing also nicely mixed, and I enjoyed the presentation. The salad came out with each ingredient separate, and it was mixed on the spot. 

If we could have stopped here and had dessert, it would have been a perfect meal. However, there was more coming, and so for the entrees, my dining partner and I had the ahi tuna dish. The tuna was in a orange/soy/chile glaze and was served with sesame smashed fingerlings, cucumber/jicamint salsa, and mixed vegetables. I didn’t taste any of this one personally, but my dining partner liked it, although they were not able to finish it all. For my entree, I had the seared scallops and beet risotto, which was also incredibly creative and full of bold flavors, though it was just hard to taste all of it because I was so full from finishing the whole mushroom pan fry and stetson salad. After eating all we could, we had to pass on dessert, which was disappointing, but I just couldn’t have eaten any more!

After pondering this dinner and figuring out how I would blog about it, I came to a conclusion that I would have liked this meal a whole lot more if I had not ordered as much. I think that if we had just had the salad as an appetizer, then gotten the tuna and the mini mushroom pan fry for entrees, and then had dessert, I would have left the restaurant full, satisfied, and happy. Instead, I was just amazed with how much food we were told we could eat, even though it wasn’t an exorbitant amount, it was still more than I could eat in one sitting. I would go back to CC to try it again, because I think that this is a place I could really like. Look for an updated review if I do end up back at CC.

The Ranking (for explanation, see “Review Key”):

Food:  3.5 Straws (The food is very creative and fun to eat).

Price: $$$$traws, Expensive (minimum $50-$60 for a two course dinner and a drink — not including dessert).

Atmosphere: Casual, but with a bustling elegance

Overall: 3.5 Straws (Food was very good, though the ambiance was very typical)

The Details:

Website: http://www.cowboyciao.com

Location: 7133 E. Stetson Drive, Scottsdale AZ

Phone: (480) WINE – 1111

Reservation: Required on weekends, and during peek dining hours.

Dress: Casual/Business Casual.

Hours:

Sunday through Thursday: 11:30am to 2:30pm, 5pm to 10pm

Fridays and Saturdays: 11:30am to 2:30pm, 5pm to 11pm

Now Organizing Your Reservation Search: Welcome to Opentable.com

The tradition of eating out (a tradition of spending, service, social interaction, good and interesting food, special occasions, meetings, interviews, and of course eating what you can’t make at home) has been pretty consistent in how it is arranged and communicated. Now before someone out there corrects me on something I’m overlooking in regards to the procedure for creating and completing a reservation with a restaurant let me just say this: since as long as I can remember, the procedure for making a reservation mostly included the phone (there were even some restaurants who did not confirm reservations in the restaurant, ie you had to call some number to make it) and was always, in the process of calling, subject to the feared “we’re full” response. Now in a city like New York that response is not devastating as there are numerous other good places to make those special reservations with. But for those of us who spent the last four years of our lives in St. Louis, or more specifically Washington University, that response can lead to problematic situations. Take for example the dinner after graduation, when one is held responsible for calling different places looking for a reservation, one must call each place individually and hope there is room somewhere.

(my personal graduation evening story ended with all of us eating at an Ethiopian restaurant on Grand. I enjoyed the whole finger food experience, my group however, consisting of three families from the North East, were less optimistic towards the whole experience and concluded that a return visit was not necessary.)

So let’s go through the evolution of this somewhat complicated system.

In the beginning when you wanted to secure a reservation for an event you’d have to pick up the Yellow Pages and flip through all the restaurants, discarding those that were too far away, and call each one in turn until you found a reservation for the number of people in party at the time you wanted. Then came the first revolution, the Zagat restaurant guides. These guides offered for the first time a list of restaurants organized by neighborhood. Finally you wouldn’t have to search through all the restaurants in NYC when looking for a reservation. Even better than the neighborhood listing was that they started adding some reviews and perspective with each listing. This form of reservation culture lasted for a while until the advent of the internet. As is with almost everything else in our communication driven society, the internet redefined the reservation experience. Its redefinition is very specific however, it did not (at first) change the reservation procedure, you still needed to call, but it did allow for continually updated and user created Zagat guides. Users of the internet could use search engines (such as citysearch) to find restaurants in their neighborhood. What was greatly advanced by the internet was the reviewing system as well as the space for both reviews and more restaurants. Without the limitations of a physical book, websites could provide listings for as many restaurants as possible along with as many reviews as necessary.

Now we are up to where we were about ten years ago. This is when the next evolution in the reservation experience came…Open Table! According to Wikipedia, Open Table began in 1998 in San Fransisco as it is today, an online reservation service. I did not discover Open Table until much later and in New York City, I would say that I started using it around 2005 and within a year of my signing on it expanded in to St. Louis allowing me to access the same account in two states. What is completely new about the service is that it allows you to look at all the participating restaurants in any given neighborhood as well as their availability. With Open Table there is no more need to call each place down a list as you try and find one for your special occasion, they are all listed right in front of your eyes. Secondly what seals the deal is that with every free reservation you make you receive 100 points (100 points = $1.00). Eventually you can translate those points into a gift certificate at any Open Table restaurant. They have even started doing some promotional deals with restaurant to provide 1000 point reservations at less popular places or less popular times.

Now I know that there are those that I am sure have had troubles with this site or have desired restaurants or locations not supported by Open Table, but it has started something and the culture of reservations has forever been changed by it.

Regional: When the weekend brunch carries the weekly dinners

Regional Restaurant is the most recent tenant in a slew of failed restaurants to occupy the location of a once proud Famous Original Rays. In my estimation (and it is not a well researched one), Regional has lasted the longest of all the attempts save the original Rays Pizza. In its current form this restaurant offers a casual Italian experience with a touch of tapas style appetizers and a bunch of well designed pasta dishes. The menu is well thought out and designed to accommodate both the large portion of families in the Upper West Side who seek the traditional three course meal and the many students and young adults who venture south from Columbia University and other points, seeking more of a tapas experience. The atmosphere created in this Italian restaurant is similar to that of the previously reviewed restaurants on the Upper West Side, an neighborhood atmosphere. The staff is very friendly and the restaurant even boasts a communal table where groups of varying sizes can all share in a larger table while enjoying their dinner. In general the dinner is an enjoyable but not memorable experience. In fact what is memorable is that this is an Italian restaurant that doesn’t serve pizza. Perhaps to some that signifies a type of defiance that appears refreshing and new in the face of conformity. To me it reflects an undersized kitchen that is not well equiped for the needs of a true Italian restaurant. I’ve been to many parts of Italy and though the New York style of pizza is American, pizza (in its wonderful thin crust version) is definitively Italian.

Now this restaurant is more than just a dinner place however, they do a weekend brunch that in my observation draws a far larger crowd than the dinner does. Their brunch is nothing special and in fact comes with numerous frustrations due to cost cuts, but it has one saving grace that brings people (even me) back over and over again, unlimited mimosas! Once you order one ($6.00) mimosa, the staff will continually refill it as many times as you want. And I will be honest, you’d expect with a deal like that that the mimosas would be extremely watered down, and yet it is not the case with these at all. These mimosas are certainly well balanced. But on the other hand, many aspects of the brunch leave you unfulfilled. For example a table of two and a table of four both receive the same number (4) of mini-muffins when seated. I personally believe that when providing a sample a muffins there should be at least two of every flavor and at least two for each person. Worse than that, when my table ordered a second serving of muffins (to allow everyone to sample each flavor), we were charged ($6.00) and received the same number. Beyond these side notes, the food itself is not bad but is over priced for the quantity. In reality it is a breakfast/lunch masquerading as a brunch. The last problem with the brunch stems from the flexibility of the menu to accommodate different types of patrons. When the college kids come down to enjoy unlimited mimosas, they establish an environment that annoys and disrupts the families who are presumably there for the food. I have been a member of both types and over the past year have noticed a decrease in families there for brunch versus dinner.

Before getting into the ranking I will conclude by saying that despite my criticism I am a return visitor (I mean you can’t argue with unlimited mimosas) but I only go for dinner when the weather is too rough to make it the extra distance to Acqua on Amsterdam and 95th (to be reviewed, check back soon).

The Ranking (for explanation, see “Review Key”):

Food: 2 Straws (nothing special for dinner and its brunch items are disappointing).

Price: $$$traws, Expensive (minimum $30-$35 for a two course dinner and a drink).

Atmosphere: Casual and welcoming (but very noisy during brunch).

Overall: 2 Straws (the food is good and the brunch has its moments but overall there are better places to go).

The Details:

Website: http://www.regionalnyc.com/

Location: 2607 Broadway, between 99th & 98th street, Manhattan, New York.

Phone: (212) 666-1915

Reservation: No need. Open Table

Dress: Casual.

Hours:

Monday- Wednesday: 5:00pm- 11:00pm

Thursday & Friday: 5:00pm- 11:30pm

Saturday: 11:00am- 4:00pm Brunch, 5:00pm- 11:30pm Dinner

Sunday: 11:00am- 4:00pm Brunch, 5:00pm- 10:30pm Dinner