Hacienda - You Have Served Before Right?

Date Dined: July 13, 2014

Rating: 2.5 Stars

On Manchester, past Maplewood, past the Canine Center, and into an area I rarely have reason to go is Hacienda, an expansive Mexican restaurant. Complete with outside cantina, a no children bar area, a small indoor patio, and an appropriately gaudily decorated interior, it’s a fun place to grab a drink and some food. Except apparently some of the servers have apparently never served before.

Décor Rating: 3.5 stars

Not bad for an Americanized Mexican restaurant. The outdoor seating area is great for those nice weather days, the bar had a salsa station, and everyone has room to breathe. I kind of wish that the bar wasn’t as segregated so you could buy a drink while you’re waiting, but eh. The indoor patio was muy cool though. A skylight lets sunlight shine down on the inside diners. It makes me wonder why the entire restaurant isn’t set up like that. Oh architects of the Manchester Mexican restaurant what were you thinking?

Price Rating: 2.0 stars

A little pricy for what it is. Still you would think for $16.00 plus tax for a combo fajita they would either give you more than 3 tortillas or they wouldn’t charge you $2.50 for another order. That pitcher of margaritas is going to cost you nearly $30.00 too. I can stumble down to Cherokee street and grab a couple quality tacos for $2.00 a piece.

Service Rating: 2 stars

Not the worst service we’ve experienced, not by far. It far surpassed that night at the moonrise where the server spilled a bunch of drinks on Jess and then gave her a dirty dishrag to clean herself. But still, this chica did not scream great server in the making. The restaurant was busy, but I wouldn’t say it was slammed.

After being seated they brought us out a basket of chips, a few small things of salsa, and took our drink orders. So far so good. Then about twenty-five minutes pass. Luckily a helpful bus boy brought us out more chips and salsa. Finally our server appears with our drinks! You’re still alive! So good to know.

Now normally when I order and appetizer I actually want it come out. Tonight was no exception. Another forty minutes passes by. Hey it’s our food! But where was our appetizer?

Me: Didn’t we order some queso?

Her: Oh… did you still want that?

The table: No, that’s okay.

Her: Oh, ha, ha. I didn’t even put it in.

Me: That’s better?

Seriously dude. Have you never heard of apologizing? Maybe a “I’m sorry” or surprise us later with a free side of queso. After we received our meals guess what? That’s right, no “how’s your meal?” Just gonna assume everything is okay I guess…

Again, keeping things in perspective, not the worse services I’ve had. But if you can avoid the chick pictured above then try your best!

Food Rating: 3.5 Stars

Despite the service, food was actually pretty good. The chips especially were light, not too greasy, and very crispy. The salsa tasted like Mexican spaghetti sauce, but I really liked it. If you’re a big fan of the chunky and spicy you won’t like it, but it’s a safe bet for the average Joe.

The margaritas are pretty average. You can taste the tequila, which I appreciate, but you could tell it was poured from some large machine somewhere. A little too evenly mixed. Being a sucker for watermelon, when I saw that flavoring on the menu I of course had to try it. Except it was more like, let’s take the traditional margarita, add in some gross, fake watermelon flavoring, and call it a day. Come on guys. It’s like 6 bucks for a large watermelon. Give me some of the real stuff.

The queso was… oh wait, that’s right. On to the entrees! Jess ordered her favorite, the chimichanga, and I ordered the chicken and steak fajitas. Jess’s chimi was pretty delish while it was warm, but I had a bite when it had cooled and the chicken had lost a lot of its tenderness. Maybe it could use a little of that queso sauce… (Okay I’m done now). When warm, it’s still a pretty good dish, crispy and not to greasy on the outside, and warm and  moist on the inside. The chicken was a little under seasoned, like they took a normal chicken breast, baked it, shredded it, and then poured some red sauce on it.

The fajitas were a mixed bag. No red peppers, which was a little disappointing. The portion was actually pretty generous, but I would have been fine with reducing the number of chunks of steak in lieu of some larger chunks. The rice tasted like it came from one of those 5 minute rice packets. The tomato, lettuce, and sour cream were all run of the mill. The dish could have used two more tortillas, and maybe some fresher ones. They were lukewarm, but still soft. The best part of the meal was the chicken, which was just as underseasoned, but extremely tender (even the day after).

I do have to mention the corn cake (or corn tamalito). Think corn cake, but with the consistency of thick mashed potatoes, with a stick of butter, and a pound of sugar. Served in a fun little blue tortilla, this thing was addictive. I’d suggest forgoing desert and just ordering a couple of these.

In Conclusion

Hacienda was a mixed bag. If you go in with low expectations you’ll enjoy yourself. I actually enjoyed the food which is saying a lot since I’m not a huge fan of restaurant Mexican. With a good server it might really swing my opinion of this place. But last night was… wow…

Still, I would go back and give it another shot. The place has good bones, and if you find yourself in that area I’d give it a try. Just don’t be surprised when your bill is a little higher than you expected.

Serendipity – Fun if You Have Time to Kill

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.

Dominique Ansel – Delicious and Expensive!

Date Dined: July 5, 2014

Overall Rating: 3.0 stars

In New York all by ourselves… let’s do the most touristy things possible! Long has the television touted the cronut, that magical blend of delicate French pastry and artery clogging American. So of course we had to try and get one.

Shockingly they were out by the time we strolled in. But other wonders awaited us!

Décor Rating: 4 stars

The bakery itself is very New York. You’ve got the counter, the wall and a very small amount of space in between. However if you can make your way to the back of the shop then you’ll find two wondrous dining spaces. The first, where we dined, is what a greenhouse might look like if you filled it with pastries. Through those doors is an outdoor seating area, also very nice, but a little too warm for me in the summer. Nicely spacious for a small Manhattan bakery.

Service Rating: 2.0 stars

We weren’t there during a major rush, but they seemed a little disjointed. We had to state our order to the person behind the baked goods counter, then repeat our order to the person behind the cash register, and finally repeat our order a third time when the cashier finally asked if I was paying in cash or credit. Granted this might have been an isolated incident, but I have nothing else to base my rating off of except this one visit.

Price Rating:  3.0 stars

Expensive, but that was to be expected. The frozen smores at $8.00, the giant peaches $7.50, and the DKAs around $5.00. If I actually lived there I don’t think I would stop by more than once or twice a year, but for a tourist trap it wasn’t too bad.

Food Rating: 3.5 stars

Some interesting dishes that don’t quite meet the hype. (If you want to taste something that does try the chocolate mousse cheesecake at Ryeridge Deli in Stamford). Still, nothing stopped Jess and I from pigging out to our hearts content.

First up, the Giant Peach. A Champagne poached yellow peach with a lychee cream center on top of a moist lemon financier base. Basically a very fancy way to say peach stuffed with lychee jam on top of a sponge cake. The peach was unexpectedly cake-like (I was expecting more juice). The lychee chunks inside were good, but almost indistinguishable from a normal chunky jam. The sponge cake was a disappointment and didn’t add much to the dish other than a pedestal for it to sit on.

Next, up the Frozen Smore. The very very tiny and expensive frozen smore. Take a marshmallow approximately one and a half times the size of a smore mallow, stuff it with ice cream, graham cracker crumbs, and chocolate. Then toast the outside and let the ice cream melt just a little bit. Sounds delicious right? And it was! Just waaay too expensive. But it’s given me the inspiration to try it at home.

We followed that up with the Magic Souffle. Described as a Grand Marnier chocolate soufflé inside an orange blossom brioche. Apparently, it was quite a feat of baking to figure out how to make it and a closely guarded trade secret. Out of everything that I had tasted thus far it was my favorite. The crust was light and fluffy, reminiscent of a soft shortbread. The filling was rich, not too sweat, warm, and chocolaty. One of the few dishes was worth the price for me.

Finally, my substitute to the cronut, the DKA short for Dominique’s Kouign Amann. The KA is a bread, similar to a puff pastry, but a little denser. It reminded me of a cross between the layers of a croissant and the density of a french loaf. The outside was sprinkled in sugar and the entire thing was made muffin sized. Delicious and the cheapest thing we ordered. Definitely grab one if you stop by. I very begrudgingly gave one to some of our best friends and I was surprised to see that they had maintained most of their deliciousness even after 3 days.

In Conclusion

If you’re in town for the weekend, go ahead and try it out. The bakery is close to NYU campus so there’s an assortment of fun shops on the way. Be prepared to shell out a pretty penny if you want to sample a few items, but hey you’re on vacation! Still overall, most dishes are average at best.

Three Kings – It’s Like You’re Eating Nothing!

Date Dined: June 20, 2014

Overall Rating: 3 stars

My little brother was in town, he was in the mood for pub food, and I had a $75.00 gift card burning a hole in my pocket so we decided to hit up Three Kings. After taking a look at the menu online, I was excited to try this place out. Little did I know what was awaiting me.

Décor Rating: 3.5 Stars

They really nailed the pub theme with this place. As you can see you’ve got the booths, the bar seats, an extra dining area in back (not pictured), and a few T.V.s. What I appreciated was that the televisions were situated in a place where almost everyone could see them, but they wouldn’t distract if you didn’t want to look at them. I really enjoyed how spacious the booths were. You could easily have fit four people in there, and five people that aren’t my size would have plenty of space as well. Good job Three Kings!

Service Rating: 3.5 Stars

When we entered we were seated promptly and a large empty bottle of water was instantly brought out for us. I will say that I wish that the water had been chilled or our glasses had been filled with ice since the inside of the restaurant was a little warm, but it wasn’t a deal breaker. In fact, everything up to when the food was served was pretty fantastic. I think the only criticism I had was that no one ever came by to ask us how the food was. Now I’ll never complain if the food isn’t what I expected it to be, but I still appreciate the obligatory, how are things? We were just never asked, which is kind of weird. Otherwise, no complaints. Not fine dining, but what you expect from a pub.

Price Rating: 3 Stars

Average pricing, wings are about $10.00, burgers range from $9.00 to $13.00, and entrees are $12.00 or more. On first glance, I’d probably give the prices a higher rating, but when compared with the food I think some things are overpriced. I’ll get into it below, but yeah, just a little expensive for what the meal ended up being. Our three top with a round of drinks, two entrees, and two appetizers spent close to $100.00 with tip.

Food Rating: 2 Stars

From my experience I will say this. If you go, get the appetizers and just the appetizers. Granted we obviously didn’t try ever entrée on the menu, but the ones we did try were just tasteless. Not completely, but enough so that after the appetizers we kept on joking that it was like solid water. I’ll explain below.

We started the night out with the mussels and wings. The wings are a solid choice at this place. They’re thickly breaded kind of in the style of Chinese hot braised wings. Between the Three Kings’ signature sauce and the Spicy Thai I’d have to say the Thai won out. It was just a more complex sauce with both sweet and spicy tones. The mussels were okay, but the garlic was kind of mild. Still, each mussel had meat inside of it which is more than I can say for a lot of places, and there was a full bowl of them served up to us. If we had ended the meal here I’d probably give this place at least one extra star.

As an avid lover of all things meat patty, I of course ordered the burger. But not just any burger, the Pogue Mahone. A hamburger covered with a fried egg, bacon, carmelized onions, sautéed shrooms, swiss and cheddar cheese on a pretzel bun. Sounds delicious right? Well it would have been if there had been some more taste to it. Imagine that everything comes out with the mouthfeel and texture you expect, but when you bite into it, it tastes like it was boiled first. That’s how all our dishes tasted! When you bit into it there was a faint taste of egg, meat, and bacon, but that was it. Even the pretzel bun and sweet potato fries lacked a strong distinctive taste.

My brother’s gyro sliders and Jess’s shrimp po’boy were much the same. The gyro meat was a little dry, like it had been baked, but there was just no taste to the damn thing. None of the signature creamy cucumber and yogurt goodness of the tzatziki or of the slightly sweet taste of feta cheese. The po’boy tasted like batter without any salt, plus there was just too much batter and too little shrimp for my tastes. They weren’t inedible, they just didn’t really appeal.

Now, a rationale person might think, Chris, couldn’t it have been that the wings just overpowered your sense of taste? Well no person. In fact, I took a few bites of each dish home with me and ate them first thing in the morning and they still didn’t have any taste to them. In fact, one of the neighbors was over and had a small bite and he said the same thing. “It tastes like meat with no seasoning whatsoever.” IT’S WEIRD!

In Conclusion

Three Kings has some pretty tasty wings, and a nice beer selection. If you’re looking for a place in the loop to just hang out then it’s not a bad choice. Plus it’s right next door to a Rocket Fizz shop! But stay away from the entrees. One day I might return and give it another try, but I just can’t see that day in my near future.