Mushroom Tart
Dudley's Bistro

Dudley's Bistro

4904 Courthouse St, Williamsburg, United States

Meat • Bistro • Coffee • Cheese


"After reading many reviews here and on Trip Advisor I wasn't 100% sure I wanted to eat here as anytime anything critical was said the Chef/Owner seemed to respond very defensively and aggressively.. What that ultimately meant to me though was that the Chef/Owner is passionate about what he is doing and takes pride in the product they put out. Our server did an excellent job and was very attentive yet not smothering. He was knowledgeable about the food. He explained the specials very well and it was a long list of them! For an appetizer we had the mushroom tart and it was excellent! My wife and I shared a wedge salad and the blue cheese dressing was what made that so good! Unfortunately as soon as we finished our salad, the entrees arrived. Way too early. For entrees my wife had the crab cakes which was one of the specials. The flavor was very good although being from Maryland we are used to jumbo lump crabmeat and while it was very good it didn't seem to be jumbo lump. I asked the waiter whether he recommended the venison chops or the rack of lamb and he said he would check with the chef. I said bring me whatever the chef recommends. He brought me the rack of lamb and just like the menu says it was a full 18 oz rack of lamb! I have never had that much lamb served in one dish. It was cooked perfectly and presented beautifully. A couple of minor issues the vegetables (carrots in particular) were not cooked enough for my liking. Doesn't mean they were bad they weren't. They were just harder than I would have preferred. A bigger issue was the table we sat at (a two top) had one chair and the other seat was on an upholstered bench with cute pillows in an alcove. The seat was too high for the table and my wife was uncomfortable after a few minutes as she had to lean over. You expect a lot when you dine at a place like this and for the most part they more than live up to that expectation. I would definitely go again when in Williamsburg."

Plado Tasting Bar

Plado Tasting Bar

192 East 2nd StreetNY 10009, New York, United States

Wine • Tapas • Cocktail • Vegetarian


"We were a party of 4 and wanted to try restaurant week before it ended for the summer. After doing some researching and looking through the menus, the food on this one looked really interesting. After calculating how much of a deal we would be getting for food not including drinks) it was just $3 dollars cheaper. However, we thought maybe the portion size would be a little more than the regular menu to justify the tiny deal for restaurant week. Food review: Garden Salad $15): It was a great salad and was really flavorful. The ingredients mixed together complimented each other well. However, the portion size was the same as the regular menu. Cavoletti $13): I love brussel sprouts and thought they did a great job on make them crispy and flavorful. However, it was a bit oily. Portion size was same as regular menu. Millefeuille of Aubergine $16): This dish was good too. It was cheesy and the tomato sauce was good as well, reminded me a little of eggplant parmesan. It was a bit oily, and portion size was same as regular menu. Chorizo Wild Mushroom $17): This one was a bit too salty, but if I ignored the saltiness it was good. It was cheesy and the mushrooms enhanced the cheese and bread flavor. This was also the first dish where I felt like the size did justify the price. Brisket Croquette $16): The taste of the crispy outside with the shredded beef inside was good, and the cream complemented the dish. There was no difference in the portion size. Veg Medi Paella $22): This one was not worth the price. It was not flavorful and it was even saltier than the Chorizo Wild Mushroom flatbread. I was hoping that someone would have came to check up on us which most of the restaurants i've been to they always do ask) so i could have said that the flatbread and the paella was salty, but unfortunately that did not happen Chef Daily Selection I think it's $12 based on the dessert menu): It was a tiny piece of cake that I don't think was worth the price, but the taste was good. It was warm and the fruits and sweet sauce complemented the cake. Gelato Tasting $12): This was 2 scoops of ice cream of 4 people, so I guess it would have been $24? I have never paid $24 dollars in my life for 2 scoops of ice cream. There wasn't anything special about the taste. I couldn't even remember the flavor. Service: The restaurant week menu had a mandatory 20% tip, which I am okay with. However, the same way that 20% tip was mandatory, the same way I expected good service. The waiters did not come check on us throughout the course of the meal, which I have never experienced before in other restaurants if it was a multi-course meal. I would have said something about the saltiness if they had asked. Also, they forgot the limoncello/coffee which we would have totally missed out on if my friend did not browse through the menu again. Atmosphere: It was hot. nuff said. Overall: So the portion size was not bigger, it was the same as the regular menu. So to me, restaurant week was not worth it as there was not a huge discount compared to other restaurants I have got to over the past few years. The mandatory 20% tip would have been fine if we were checked up on and the drink was not forgotten i know people make mistakes however given that we were not able to change the tip, the service quality should not change either). The whole meal for 4 came out to be $318 for 2 plates of the each item above, the ice cream was only one bowl though for 4 of us."

Embermill

Embermill

1031 State St, Santa Barbara, United States

Salad • Coffee • Chicken • Cocktail


"We decided to try Embermill for lunch downtown on a busy Saturday. Upon walking into the restaurant, we found it nearly deserted, which should have tipped us off. I thought it must be very new, though, and my family has lived in the Caribbean and loves the cuisine, so we decided to give it a try. The space has been extensively remodeled and is airy and pleasant. The server, who was kind and enthusiastic and seemed as if she had possibly been hired half and hour before and put to work without any kind of orientation, informed us they were out of anything containing avocado or soft shell crab, which eliminated about half the menu. I asked for beer, which apparently they have, but it wasn’t on tap, so I couldn’t have any. There were no kids options so I ordered bread for my 4 year old and also requested butter. The server then informed me the restaurant was dairy free. Okay...Neither the signage nor the menu said anything about dairy free and, in fact, the breakfast menu (as it appears on open table lists butter and cream cheese. At this point, though, we had realized this was perhaps not entirely a real restaurant so I didn’t press the point. Then the food came. My artichoke toast was basically a salad sandwich (see photos. Not bad but not good and certainly not like artichoke toast. My father’s chicken, fish, and shrimp gumbo was, according to him, “okay,” but contained no shrimp and there were large chunks of tentacle in it. My mom declined to eat the pumpkin soup. The coconut shake we’d ordered shortly after being seated arrived toward the end of the meal and was largely tasteless. I still feel guilty I convinced my family to try this place."