I only go to “seen and be seen” kind of places, when the food is actually supposed to be REALLY good. This is one of those places. We went for brunch – and wow!

I had the tea-smoke salmon, spinach, and poached eggs on toasted sourdough with yusu hollandaise sauce.

Some readers may be sensing a trend here – I LOVE eggs benedict. And I’m very picky about it being done right. Public nails this dish. The eggs were poached to perfection, the salmon translucent and fresh, the hollandaise rich, creamy, and buttery, and the spinach was a fresh complement to the dish. To drink – one of the best Bloody Mary’s I’ve ever had. I am prone to thinking that New Orleans haunts do Bloody Mary’s right – and Public’s evoked that flavor.

A friend had the Irish Breakfast – and we were all wary- but this was also incredible!!

I imagine that every dish here at any time of day is absolutely fabulous. I’ll go back and post more soon…

Sevilla is the place to go for the most authentic Spanish food in New York City. Since 1941, I imagine it has been transporting palates back to Spain. It certainly does mine!

The decor is very old, and personally, evokes more 1940s America, than Seville to me. However, there is certainly an old charm to the place and it’s chock full of history. It’s very loud, very crowded, and there is always a wait. However, it is all worth it…

The food is very authentic. Try my absolute favorite: caldo gallego (a clear soup of smoked ham hok, white beans, and escarole or spinach or kale). This is one of the few places in New York City that can get this authentically spanish dish right.

Wait staff is attentive and friendly. Have a wonderful chat about Spain!

Decor*

Service***

Food****

Price***

The vanilla bean creme brulee french toast was another disappointment. Sickingly sweet it neither evoked the deliciousness of creme brulee, fresh vanilla bean, or french toast.

I almost don’t want to give this secret away. This wonderful neighborhood spot hosts great food amidst great decor, and even a contained quirky sport bar scene. Americana with a Tex-Mex & Cajun soul.

Price $$$

Decor***

Light and airy with gorgeous light wood floors, a serene small water feature by the bar, a huge greenhouse style windows at the front lets in wonderful sunlight during the day. Dim and candlelit at night.

At night, the restaurant is dim, candlelit and romantic – and then you hear these shouts and yells. There is an interesting neighborhood bar scene with some eccentric regulars. Occasionally, it does get a bit loud for my taste, but ultimately it is a part of the fabric of the restaurant and there is something endearing about it a

Food****

I’ve been coming here for years. Their brunch is wonderful. Delicious biscuits and muffins are served while you select brunch. I love their Scottish Eggs Benny (benedict): standard benedict of poached eggs on english muffin but with delicious smoked salmon. I am very picky when it comes to Eggs Benedict ( I will later review a few places I have gone to specifically for the raving reviews off their eggs benedict and hated it!). Here, the eggs are poached perfectly – soft yolk but not runny whites, the salmon arrives in perfect condition- smoked and translucently pink and not pale pink and overcooked (a mistep of this dish is allowing the salmon to cook from the heat of the eggs).

Lunch and Dinner

I have never had a bad dish. American classic, tex-mex, cajun creole, and pastas. They have a wonderful chicken sandwich. Also the black bean crab cake and maryland crabcakes are very good – lots of crab meat rather than all breading. Penne in spicy tomato sauce is a simple dish that is simply fabulous. And this is one of those places where the regular house salad is dressed wonderfully. I usually chalk it up to high quality olive oil. Regardless, it’s very tasty.

Service****

Service has always been wonderful. The waitstaff, hostess, and bartenders are always very nice and attentive. Most recently, there has been a new waiter this year – a sweet, soft spoken waiter who is so attentive and on point in this very sweet, quiet way. In some restaurants you have these wonderfully intentioned attentive waiters who are just very abrasive and you feel like your conversation is being interrupted or your vibe is disturbed. This is never something I would review in a negative light of course. One should certainly pause for that awkward interruption with appreciation because the waiter is simply doing his/her job and doing it well. However, in contrast, the waiter at 107 West that I speak of provides a wonderful service in a way that simply adds to your experience by not wanting to become the focus of your experience.

Overall****

I love 107 West. A great neighborhood spot for brunch, lunch, or dinner – even a place to go for drink and settle in for a nice comfortable evening. Again, the bar gets a little rowdy at times, and the bar is not my personal taste, but I don’t feel it really detracts, but rather adds to the flavor of the place.
Added note: They have another location in Inwood which I have not been to yet.

Located in my neighborhood of Morningside Heights, we get really excited when a place like this opens up. This, I predict, will be exactly one of those neighborhood gems – where locals frequent and foodies travel all the way up here. Located on a nondescript stretch of Amsterdam Avenue between 107th street and 108th streets, amongst 4 floor walk-ups and neighborhood bodegas, Thai Market is a lovely suprise.

Price $$$

Decor ***

The decor is striking. Industrial meets trendy depiction of the east. Red umbrellas suspended over the contemporary bar, large brightly lit photos of Thai markets on the walls, and exposed red brick in this brightly lit open space. Approaching for the first time is a wonderfully pleasant surprise!

Food ***

I sampled the following:

Lemongrass Shrimp Soup

Steamed dumplings

Shrimp Pad Thai

Red Snapper in tamarind sauce

Tapioca Pearls in Coconut Pudding

Everything was absolutely delicious. The red snapper was particularly wonderful. Pan seared, it was not greasy or heavy. The tamarind sauce was a wonderful balance of sweet and spicy. This dish was not something I’ve had before.

The portions are right on . I did not receive a massive bowl of pad thai as in many other Thai restaurants, nor were the portions too small or overpriced.

The tapioca pearl dessert was light, refreshing, and tasty.

Service *

Service is definitely leaving something to be desired. The waitstaff is not very attentive at all and the manager/owner seems a bit rude. The tables are small and I felt a bit crammed in. The first night we went, they sat us at a tiny table by the window where the wall jutted out causing my chair to be at an angle, awkwardly seating me. I was uncomfortable. The place was pretty full except for a 4 person table directly behind us. I did not ask to sit there, as I knew they were saving that for a larger party and it was prime dinner time (I used to be a restaurant hostess as a teenager). However, as the night progressed, no one ever sat there and the place began to clear. An attentive waiter would have offered to move us (especially as I was visibly uncomfortable with my awkward seating arrangement). Additioanlly, our table was small – that kind of small where you barely have room for anything, you know what I’m talking about. And as the waiter brought our food, drink, caddy of hot sauces, he just dropped them in with little care to try to make space. We eventually resorted to putting our cups of water on the floor!

Lunch Special

They have an awesome lunch special! Two courses for about $8. Again, food was great, and this time we had a better placed table, although still very small. Again, service — the food took forever to come and the waitstaff is just not helpful.

Overall ***

I will definitely return. It’s in my neighborhood, the decor is really lovely, the food is very good, and the price of dinner does not exceed our standard $40 range for typical not-a-special-occasion dinner (ordering takeout or sit-down dining). However, I really do not enjoy those tiny tables or the waitstaff. Let’s see if that improves. The good outweighs that bad so that’s why I give this one three stars.

$ cheapo

$$ a pretty great deal

$$$ average price

$$$$ I got a promotion, let’s celebrate

$$$$$ Birthday dinners only

Star Rating

*  ugh.

** so-so

***  yum!

****  I love this place!

*****   yowza!!!!

A dark, candlelit Spanish restaurant with my husband on a wintery, snowy NYC night where we cuddle up in a booth of dark mahogany and warm up over a steaming bowl of caldo gallego, talking quietly as we are transported back to our favorite basement bar in Madrid. A sidewalk cafe on a bright summer day, chatting and people-watching with a girlfriend over a glass of pinot grigio and a goat cheese salad as I feel the warmth of the bright summer sunshine color my face. Both are very different experiences – different seasons, different food, different company. Both evoke the joy of sharing my time with people I care about, laughing, talking, eating, and just living life in the moment without stress or worry or thinking of deadlines or tomorrow.

These reviews will reflect my love of simplicity; my love of a casual and mellow way of being that is so hard to live in New York. Any time that I can have even just two hours of forgetting the time, not rushing, taking it slow, tasting it slow, sipping a glass of wine and talking about life in a cozy corner booth, I take it.