Unfortunately not every restaurant I eat at is always a success. Went to iCi last night in Fort Greene and left very disappointed! I've been to ici before during restaurant week, and it was ok, but being that it was restaurant week, it was very busy, they ran out of a few things and it was just a lil chaotic. The place was charming tho and I wanted to give it another try. Plus I like places that serve seasonal, organic, new American fare.
So there were about 4 other tables occupied besides ours, but the lights were up so high that it felt more empty than it needed to. The music was also really low so I could hear other tables talk. The room itself is really nice, but these minor adjustments would've really improved the ambiance.
So we ordered a dandelion salad with a poached egg, bacon and an anchovy dressing. It was ok, had too much going on and it was kind of difficult to eat. There was also an arugula and beet salad with blue cheese that was also ok, just unimaginative and something you see on every other menu in town. We got a potato/leek soup as well that was simply bland and might as well have come out of a can.
As we're waiting for our entrees, the two servers start unsetting the room! I hate this, it's rude and i feel rushed. And it's not like we were there a long time keeping them! Infact, another table was just seated! The servers were just not using their brains and were obviously unsupervised, which I guess they needed to be!So all I hear is glasses lanking and silverware clinking and it was just annoying.
Then our entrees come. The chicken that was supposed to be served with spatzle and fall vegetables was just wrong! First of all, it looked like a half portion, the chicken was just dry, the veggies just slopped on a plate and no frigging spatzle!! So we tell the waitress, and she was very confused, didn't know what to do, didn't offer us anything else, had to double check with the kitchen cause on her own she didn't see if there was spatzle or not. Whatever, not the biggest deal, but she handled the situation poorly, obviously not the brightest crayon in the box. The striped bass I got was just ok with cabbage or something. The food wasn't terrible, but the service was. It just really pisses me off to go out to eat, pay for mediocre food that I could've done a better job with and bad service!
They did send out a chocoalte dessert thingy with the bill which was awkward because the waitress just put it down and in a heavy asian accent said "dis fo chicken". What?! Ok, so ur apologizing or just putting this down with our bill so it ups your tip lady?! Seriously, at this point it was just funny and I felt embarrassed for the place. Seems that ici has just simply given up.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Chestnut on Smith
I first heard about this place a few years back, read about it in TONY, passed by it dozens of times and kept telling myself I need to try it and eventually forgot. So they recently opened a bar and that's been getting a lot of buzz and reminded me that the place exixted. So I grab my accomplice on some random wednesday night and off we go to Smith St! It really is the kind of place that you could pass by so many times without even knowing it's there, unless you're looking for it, which I like. We go in, the first thing we see is this big, mahogony, cozy bar which we have to pass through to get to the dining room, cause we're here to eat, not drink, right?
So the dining room is very simple, cozy, wooden tables, exposed brick. The room could use a fireplace or something, being that the back of the room has a lil bit of a vacant feel to it, but these are minor things.
So we're seated, intimate table, dark room, windows to watch the passerbys on smith-I'm happy. Our server comes over and tells us about their tues-wed $30 3 course prix-fixe dinner which surprisingly wasn't a special limited menu as it usually is in most places. It excluded a couple of appetizers, but even then, you could order those as a main course and have it be part of the prix-fixe. Very reasonable & accomadating, I think. A few things on the menu we were unfamiliar with, the server was very knowledgeable and helpful without being annoying and overwhelming.
So first course we get potato gnocchi with prociutto and oyster mushrooms-it was great! The gnocchi was crispy and chewey, the mushrooms and prociutto went perfectly and we practically licked the plate! We also got grilled calamari with romseco quinoa, which was pretty tasty as well. The quinoa(very healthy grain similar to cous-cous) was stuffed inside the calamari which made the dish a lil unique, and the calamari had a nice texture and wasn't overcharred, which I always fear when ordering something grilled.
Main course, I got sriped bass with sauteed squash and a chorizo and lovage puree. The bass was cooked perfect, it was a nice and airy, delicate fish. I honestly didn't love the other components, and didn't feel any chorizo come through on the dish which i was looking foward to, but still a good dish. My other half got rabbit cannelloni, chard, ricotta & chive jus. We didn't exactly know what cannelloni, but it's like a crepe shapped pasta that is stuffed. So the rabbit, chard and ricotta were stuffed inside this pasta and I loved it! It was certainly different from any type of pasta dish I've ever had, but in some way it was nostaligic, like something my grandmothers made before. It was hearty and warming, but not heavy. Mish wasn't too wild about it, but we both agreed it was good.
So we're stuffed and we still get a dessert?! Ok, we can't pass it up, it's included people!! So we got a chocolate & peanut butter mousse that was ok and a poached pear with a ginger tuille and pistachio ice cream that was also ok. I mean- we were force feeding ourselves at this point. We definitely could've done without the dessert, but like I said it was included in what I think is a great deal! $30 for 3 courses of good quality, well made, yummy food is a steal! I would even go back if there wasn't a prix-fixe.
Oh, and I have to mention, I did notice a lot of people ordered a juicy looking pork chop. What's up with the pork chops?! Well, there will a be a next time!
So the dining room is very simple, cozy, wooden tables, exposed brick. The room could use a fireplace or something, being that the back of the room has a lil bit of a vacant feel to it, but these are minor things.
So we're seated, intimate table, dark room, windows to watch the passerbys on smith-I'm happy. Our server comes over and tells us about their tues-wed $30 3 course prix-fixe dinner which surprisingly wasn't a special limited menu as it usually is in most places. It excluded a couple of appetizers, but even then, you could order those as a main course and have it be part of the prix-fixe. Very reasonable & accomadating, I think. A few things on the menu we were unfamiliar with, the server was very knowledgeable and helpful without being annoying and overwhelming.
So first course we get potato gnocchi with prociutto and oyster mushrooms-it was great! The gnocchi was crispy and chewey, the mushrooms and prociutto went perfectly and we practically licked the plate! We also got grilled calamari with romseco quinoa, which was pretty tasty as well. The quinoa(very healthy grain similar to cous-cous) was stuffed inside the calamari which made the dish a lil unique, and the calamari had a nice texture and wasn't overcharred, which I always fear when ordering something grilled.
Main course, I got sriped bass with sauteed squash and a chorizo and lovage puree. The bass was cooked perfect, it was a nice and airy, delicate fish. I honestly didn't love the other components, and didn't feel any chorizo come through on the dish which i was looking foward to, but still a good dish. My other half got rabbit cannelloni, chard, ricotta & chive jus. We didn't exactly know what cannelloni, but it's like a crepe shapped pasta that is stuffed. So the rabbit, chard and ricotta were stuffed inside this pasta and I loved it! It was certainly different from any type of pasta dish I've ever had, but in some way it was nostaligic, like something my grandmothers made before. It was hearty and warming, but not heavy. Mish wasn't too wild about it, but we both agreed it was good.
So we're stuffed and we still get a dessert?! Ok, we can't pass it up, it's included people!! So we got a chocolate & peanut butter mousse that was ok and a poached pear with a ginger tuille and pistachio ice cream that was also ok. I mean- we were force feeding ourselves at this point. We definitely could've done without the dessert, but like I said it was included in what I think is a great deal! $30 for 3 courses of good quality, well made, yummy food is a steal! I would even go back if there wasn't a prix-fixe.
Oh, and I have to mention, I did notice a lot of people ordered a juicy looking pork chop. What's up with the pork chops?! Well, there will a be a next time!
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