Nizza

Hello againnn!!

So a good friend of mine and I went to Nizza on 9th ave last night for dinner. I've been there a few times and have NEVER had a bad experience there. Let's go through dinner shall we?

First, the hostess seated us on a street side table for 2 in their outdoor cafe. It was so nice outside last night it was hard NOT to get a table outside. I needed a coffee because I had been up since 4:45 in the morning for work. They don't serve regular coffee, they bring it out in a french press. It's incredible. The flavor of the coffee is rich and bold and it's pretty strong so it was nice to wake up with that before I got my dinner.

Now the whole "Nizza" name is a combo of Nice, France, and Pizza. The food is a brilliant blend of street food from Nice and some Italian comfort food. So first they bring out this season bread with an olive oil and goat cheese blend. We ordered the Socca, which is a chickpea pancake seasoned with sage, grated cheese, and it's baked in an oven. Delicious. Perfect start for a meal.

Next I had their Farfalle dish, which is basically a bolognese but it's pancetta instead of ground beef, and cherry tomatoes with a light tomato sauce as opposed to a hearty sauce. My friend had linguine that had arugula, jalapeno, and something else that I can't remember, but it was great. The pasta had a nice infusion of the arugula flavor. We both had a glass of Cote-du-Rhone which was really nice and round and a perfect glass of wine for a cool summer night.

For dessert, we got their warm chocolate cake and since I'm a chocoholic I got a side of chocolate gelato to have with the cake. Decadent and just plain old delicious. The server was SUCH a sweet girl and we had an amazing time.

Nizza is a part of the same restaurant group as Five Napkin Burger and Marseille, all on the same block which I think is so funny. It's located on 9th avenue between 44th and 45th. This place is honestly ... BANGIN! So good. I'll go back again and again.

-Ian

Pastis

Alrighty people. So here's the first review!

Today me and a good friend went to Pastis for lunch. I hadn't been here in 2 years so I didn't quite remember much about it except all the rave reviews from people who had gone there and celeb spottings. Honestly, I was MAJORLY less than impressed.

First, the host stand is halfway through the restaurant leading unaware guests to stand in the doorway and block the entrance. A hostess comes to the people waiting, then walks back to the host stand and checks for available tables ... major waste of time. Luckily me and my friend were seated immediately outside.

We sat down and the warm water was poured into our glasses as it is just being chilled in a bucket of melted ice. My friend had just gotten off of work from being there since 5am, so she just wanted a glass of wine. I was craving a good old fashioned Croque Monsieur (open faced grilled ham and cheese sandwich).

The menu is not at all user friendly unless you are very familiar with French bistro cuisine. My friend couldn't pronounce her wine, and could not for the life of her map her way around the menu. My sandwich didn't come with anything. A $13 dollar ham and cheese sandwich ... with no sides. Just a small garnish of a green. So I ordered fries. $8 fries to be exact that were VERY greasy and soggy and not at ALL salty. The sandwich was good. Normal for a Croque Monsieur. But the fact that my bill was already $21 from a sandwich and fries was just ridonk. I ordered an iced coffee. I forget the price now, but I wanna say $3ishh. It was taken away before I was finished with it leading me to believe that they took it back to refill it. After asking my server if it was refills on coffee, she replied that it was only free refill on iced tea, not iced coffee. I have never EVER been to a restaurant that didn't refill a regular coffee. Espresso of course has no free refills, but coffee always does.

The place was overly pretentious, a bit of a language barrier with the server, and just plain over priced. I'm surprised that this place is as busy as it is and as well known. If you go out to dinner or lunch to try and spot a celebrity, I feel kinda bad for you.

Overall, I will most likely never return to Pastis unless someone was definitely paying for my meal, and I was getting some form of compensation. Perhaps a menu in English would be good too.

Thumbs down!!!!

-Ian

NYC Restaurant Guide

Hello everyone!!

So here's the deal. After working in restaurants I've discovered a love and passion for food, wine and service. After reading reviews on other sites, I've determined that not a lot of people know what they are talking about when it comes to restaurants and someone who has worked around the house should maybe give a review so that all possible things are witnessed in the restaurant. Basically, I'll be eating at a bunch of restaurants, reviewing the food, drinks, and service, and giving some recommendations for everyone else. This includes restaurants that lots of people have been to or lots of people know and are thinking about going to. Hope my blog helps you guys decide on where to go for your lunch dates, nights out for dinner, and Sunday brunch clubs!

-Ian