reviews

Looking for a hot new restaurant to go to for a birthday dinner, or a swanky downtown joint to grab dinner and drinks with friends? Search my reviews below, or email me if you can't find what you're looking for. Wanna get the low-down on the newest restaurants going up? Get the strong buzz. (Please note: You can freely link to my restaurant reviews, but republishing any part of them without written permission is expressly prohibited. For information and syndication details please email syndication@thestrongbuzz.com).

“Alto”
Italian food has never really been one for frilly garnishes or the fussy preciousness of haute cuisine. Rather, it is food that speaks to your gut, to your innermost hunger, to deep hollow pangs that can only be sated by ...
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Posted: May 29, 2005

“The Stanton Social”
One of my favorite things about going to weddings…well, wait, let me rephrase. One of the ONLY things I like about going to weddings (other than witnessing the joyful bliss known as wedlock) is the cocktail hour. (Especially weddings at Th ...
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Posted: May 15, 2005

“Bar Americain”
The Location: 6:30pm on a Tuesday night at the three-deep zinc bar at Bobby Flay’s newly opened Bar Americain. The Scene: A couple—a man and women, in their late forties, early fifties—are seated next to (practically on top of) ...
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Posted: May 9, 2005

“Yumcha-- CLOSED”
There is just one thing I didn’t like about Yumcha. But aside from this singular issue, the rest of the dining experience—from the magnificent “Modern Chinese” cuisine, to the fine service, to the serene and elegant space desi ...
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Posted: April 24, 2005

“Bellavitae”
Based on aesthetics alone—the warmth of the wood-burning oven, the saffron-colored walls, the rustic country tables, the pine floors, the long and inviting bar, and the French doors flung open to Minetta Lane—I would dine at B ...
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Posted: April 18, 2005

“Turks and Frogs”
On a dark, sleepy block of West 11th Street, just past the mile-long line to get into the Spotted Pig for April’s Gnudi, you’ll spy a glass storefront with a red sign hanging above, reading “Turks and Frogs, Wine Bar and An ...
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Posted: April 17, 2005

“The Modern”
Expectations are tough to manage. And when you are Danny Meyer—the beloved restaurateur behind Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, and Tabla—they can be a nightmare. Meyer is an exceptional restaurateur and citizen—he is smart, soci ...
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Posted: April 3, 2005

“Metropol--Closed”
After dining at Metropol the other week, one fact was crystal clear. There are some people who open restaurants simply because their apartments are too small to accommodate all of their friends. Christiano Jannou, a music industry producer (who has w ...
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Posted: March 27, 2005

“Xing”
When you get a craving for Chinese food, it is usually a ravenous need for the take-out stuff, not the fusion-laced plates of frizzle-topped fare of China Grill, Asia de Cuba, or Tao. Sure, they all do a nice job, but they dress it up too much, flour ...
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Posted: March 20, 2005

“Geisha”
My first visit to Geisha, shortly after it opened in December 2003, did not go well. Quite frankly, I was horrified by the service and the nightmarish logistics of the narrow, yet beautifully decorated, second floor dining room. Coat check, bathrooms ...
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Posted: March 13, 2005