This review is from January 2017.
We had been hoping to try Momosan since it's opening. We walked to the restaurant since it was close by and arrived a little before 8 p.m. We were seated right away at a communal style table. We opted to sit next to each other rather than across from one another. We ordered buta kimchi (fermented cabbage and pork jowls) and crispy mimiga (pigs ear) to start our meal. The buta kimchi was mild in spice but for my tastes it was a bit too sour. The crispy mimiga was crunchy, salted, and addictive! For our entrees Greg chose the tonkotsu ramen (pork) and I opted for the special duck ramen. Both ramens offered flavorful broths, slightly chewy noodles, and tender meat. We decided to splurge for our "dessert." We ordered two glasses of the Morimoto 10 year aged sake. It was delicious and the perfect end to our meal. Both of us can't wait to return!
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This review is from January 2017.
A couple of weeks before our trip I found that The Palm Court restaurant offers a vegan afternoon tea menu. I was thrilled that they would offer sandwiches, scones, and pastries that would be dairy free for me. We were greeted at the hostess station and the staff brought us a regular and vegan menu. We opted for some Lavender Oolong Tea and both of us chose the vegan option. In addition to this we decided to go for a glass of bubbly (my favorite just happened to be their offering of Veuve Clicquot). The sandwich offerings were a roasted tomato and basil, cucumber, asparagus, avocado, and a peanut butter and jelly. The tomato basil reminded me of summer and was my favorite item I ate at the tea. We received two scones each and they were fine but nothing memorable. The "pastries" portion was sadly lacking. One of the most frustrating things in fine dining is when you say you have a dairy allergy or are vegan and the options are a salad, fruit, or sorbet. At the tea we received dried fruits, caramelized bananas, pate de fruits, raspberry sauce, a dry cookie, piece of chocolate and a mini shell filled with fruit. None of these items are a truly a pastry nor worth mentioning when compared to the non vegan options. I bake all the time and can whip up cakes, cookies, biscuits, etc that are dairy free, vegan and/or gluten free so why can't The Plaza? I really found the value of the afternoon tea less than the vegan options delivered. I will say that other tables around us looked much more appetizing. This review is from January 2017.
Our preferred dining scenario is going to a restaurant with an Omakase menu. We have dined at O Ya in Boston, Morimoto in NYC, Oishii in Boston, and Zuma in Miami. Nobu Next Door sadly came in last place when comparing to these other establishments. Even though we arrived a little early the hostess seated us right away. Unfortunately, this was the first of several issues. The tables for 2 are literally inches apart. The table next to us had to move two tables for the customer to be able to be seated. Our waiter came over and knew about my dairy allergy and so that was lovely. We ordered the $150 Omakase menu but we were told that they aren't able to do a Sake pairing with our meal. Our waiter suggested a single Sake for the entirety of our meal. Our meal consisted of an amuse bouche which was a type of seaweed wrap, a salad, lightly broiled oysters, Salmon and Tuna Sushi, battered and fried lobster, miso cod, and ended with a chocolate cake for Greg and sorbet for myself. We had to struggle to remember what we ate because the meal was that forgettable. The Oysters were the highlight of the meal. They were simple and silky. The worst courses of the meal were the miso cod (overly sweet to where I couldn't finish it) and my sorbet (the clementine was inedible due to it's bitterness). For a $400 meal the courses we dined on could have been prepared by any above average Japanese restaurant. When we compare this meal to the other Omakase menu's we've dined on it seems like those other restaurants have gone above and beyond in innovation and in variety. This review is from January 2017
We are Hilton Diamond members and this was our first stay at this property. Unfortunately it will be our last. We pulled up to the 41st St entrance for valet service. The Bell service was friendly, helpful, and very fast. The first downside to this hotel is you have to take an elevator to the 15th floor for the lobby. We checked in and weren't welcomed as Diamond members until after we asked about upgrades. We were told we could upgrade to a Deluxe room - we were booked into a Corner Room which is a higher cost then a Deluxe but decided to ignore this fact since the room was ready at 10:30 a.m. We were also told this property only has 2 suites and no diamond lounge. We then took an elevator to the 41st floor. Not a big deal but it is a bit annoying ot have to wait for 2 different elevators when entering or exiting the hotel. First impressions were okay but it was strange that there were 2 tables with room service plates in the hallway. Our room 4117 was clean, had a king bed, and offered a view of Times Square. The room does need some updating though. There was chipped paint, rusty shower drain, etc. We frequented the hotel bar a few times over the weekend. The bar service was polite and offered food and good drinks. Now to the completely unacceptable portion to my review. Those 2 tables with room service plates remained in the same place from Friday at 10:30 am until we checked out on Sunday at 11 a.m. When we complained about this we were told that it's basically an ongoing fight with Hilton Corporate. Hilton wanted to do away with room service all together and then at the last minute changed it to Sunday - Thursday from 3:00 pm to 11 pm. There is no room service staff there on the weekends hence the disgusting leftovers and plates in our hallway all weekend. The problem I have with this statement is that this shows the Hilton Times Square staff isn't a team and won't go the extra step for the comfort of their guests. When we received our car from the valet I got the pleasure of opening my passenger side door to a cake wrapper, crumbs, and powdered sugar all over my car. I asked for a manager to come over. The gentleman I spoke with was from the valet service. He was rude, and removed all blame from himself or his drivers. I have a dairy and gluten allergy and can't eat snacks like that so it sure wasn't me! When I stated that I will have Hilton get involved he walked away. Luckily a Hilton manager happened to be out front of the hotel. Oscar was polite, apologetic, and offered to take one night of valet off of our bill. Sadly between the lack of room service, the disgusting policy of leaving plates near rooms all weekend, and the irresponsible 3rd party valet company we will not return to this location nor do we recommend it to others. We entered through the Gelato area and came across a two Caffe’s, the Gelato shop, Venchi Chocolates (one of my favorites), the Pasticceria (bakery – which included gluten and dairy free choices), and the Panini (sandwiches) area. We then walked through the salumi, cheese, dairy, produce, meat, seafood, bread, pasta and beer areas. The restaurants in the middle of Eataly weren’t open yet but we did get to experience the chefs prepping for the day.
After visiting every nook and cranny of Eataly we settled on purchasing porchetta (roasted pork sliced thinly), red wine salami, chocolates from Venchi, flourless hazelnut cakes (gluten and dairy free), and an imported beer (to be reviewed later). For lunch Greg and I ordered Porchetta Panini’s with Giardiniera (pickled cauliflower, celery, carrots, and bell pepper), our friend Tom ordered a Proscuitto Panini. All three were completely satisfying! My friend Robyn has a gluten intolerance and therefore couldn’t order a Panini. She went to the Salumi counter and ordered some Proscuitto. Next she went and talked to the people at the Mozzarella counter. Unfortunately, they only sell 2 or more balls of Mozzarella and since we were leaving soon it would go to waste. One of the workers had a soft spot for Robyn when he heard she couldn’t eat bread. He gave her a small ball of mozzarella with a plate and a knife for free. Needless to say Robyn thoroughly enjoyed her lunch. If you are Italian, love Italian food, or adore different shopping and dining experiences you must visit Eataly! Eataly 200 5th Avenue New York, NY 10010 For those who love food and gourmet gifts Chelsea Market is a great place to visit when in New York City. It is also home to the Food Network Studios although they do not allow tours as my friend found out.
On this trip we stopped at a few of the shops but decided against eating at restaurant there since we knew it would be too busy. At the Filling Station you will find various salts, oils, vinegars, and beers. I purchased the Dark Balsamic Strawberry Vinegar; perfect for salads, over fruit, or in a dessert. I also love their White Balsamic Coconut Vinegar during the summer months! I did try their Honey Ginger Vinegar and wasn't as impressed. Nearby, is Jacques Torres Chocolates. I purchased a variety of chocolates in a 12 piece box. We haven't tried them all yet but so far our we loved the Love Bug Chocolate (Key lime ganache kissed with white chocolate), Alize Hearts of Passion (Fresh passion fruit and Alize liquor), and the Liquid Caramel (a unique caramel with a rum twist. We didn't like the Pineapple Pastis (Pineapple pate de fruit and Pastis licorice liquor with milk chocolate ganach). The Pastis overpowered the Pineapple. For a snack we walked to One Lucky Duck for juice. Greg ordered the Fruit Spice (pineapple, pear, and ginger) and he enjoyed it. I ordered the Thai Green (greens, pineapple, cilantro, and lime). What I was given was a mean greens and a response of would it be okay if we just added pineapple to it. When I said no they agreed to make me the correct drink. In the end the Thai Green drink wasn't sweet enough. We also stopped in at Buon Italia and purchased some Pan Forte imported from Siena. Unfortunately, we were unable to find any breads or baked goods that were Gluten or Dairy Free. |
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