Date Dined: July 5, 2014
Overall Rating: 3.0 stars
I
saw the movie Serendipity, with the friend Shannon, in my dorm room, on my tiny
desktop screen, in college. And ever since then I’ve wanted to try this place
out. Needless to say the actual Serendipity is much smaller and busier than its
movie namesake. Still, it was only 10 p.m. and we were in New York on a
Saturday so tally-ho!
Décor Rating: 3.0 stars
Kitsch
as far as the eyes can see. You’ll find knickknacks from the 70s in the glass
cases, cupids inscribed on the walls, and old soda chairs everywhere. It was
charming at first, but almost a little thoughtless as you walked further into
the restaurant. If you want to see someone do it right, check out the Fountain,
in Saint Louis, on Locust. The
upstairs does have a cute little cafe area with large windows overlooking the street. If you're here alone then I suggest requesting this area.
Price Rating: 3.0 stars
This
place is expensive even for a tourist joint. Burgers start at $14.00, pasta
averages at $20.00, and the Chicken Pot Pie is almost $17.00. Mainly it’s the
quality of the food. Nothing here is mind-blowing so it just doesn’t justify
the prices. You’ll see what I mean.
Service Rating: 3.0 Stars
Hard
to rate… The hosts need to work on their timing. We arrived at 9:00 and were
told the wait was an hour and fifteen minutes. No problem. A few drinks later
and we arrived back at 10:05 and were told not to go anywhere that was would be
soon. That’s fine. At 10:45 we were finally shown our seats. Come on guys… Tell
me to come back in a half hour. And before people tell me I’m being too
critical, I used to host, bus, bartend, and serve at the sushi restaurant I
worked at and our time table was always within 10 minutes. It’s not that hard.
On
the other hand our server was wonderful. Attentive without being intrusive, he
greeted us pretty soon after we sat, checked back within five minutes, and
checked in on us twice despite being busy. Plus props for carrying those trays
upstairs all day.
Food Rating: 3.0 Stars
Do
not go here for regular food. Not because it’s not edible (it’s very average)
but because it’s just not worth the price. The cheese nachos are literally a
bed of blue tortilla chips with small dollops of slightly warm goat cheese.
Don’t call them nachos. Instead just serve them on a smaller plate, on a bed of
crackers. Just as good.
The
Cleopatra’s Barge is supposed to be a quartet of potato skins topped with sour
cream and caviar. Sounds wonderful yes? Eh. You’ll get potato skins, but that’s
about it. No cheese, just the sad hollowed out shells of potatoes. At least
they don’t skimp on the caviar.
Jess
ordered the shrimp stuffed avocado, a very confusing name for what it actually
is. A ton of shrimp, slathered in some sort of thin cream sauce, with half of
an avocado on the side. For all those delicious ingredients, it was
surprisingly bland. On the upside, our very knowledgeable server brought us out
an orange, ginger sauce which added some nice zing to the dish. I will say
this, they don’t skimp on the shrimp.
Finally,
the reason we walked two miles, the triumph of our meal, the frozen hot
chocolate. A dessert that is delicious when you start and becomes less
delicious as you sip. Let me explain. Served in a large, goblet type of dish,
this thing comes out with whip cream and a chocolate garnish. Your first sip is
deliciously sweet and chocolately. Unfortunately, the whip cream tastes like
it’s from a can and doesn’t add much to the dish. The longer we sipped the more
the wish separated from the chocolate until you were left with tasteless chunks
of cloudy chocolate ice. Still, it shouldn’t discourage you from trying this
thing, it’s delicious when you start.
In Conclusion
Put
your name in, check out Dylan’s candy bar, go across the street to the nice
Italian restaurant and grab a mixed drink, and then head back. The frozen hot
chocolate is worth it, and I bet the other deserts are equally worthy. So grab
your meal elsewhere, but this is the perfect place to end the night.
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