Giorgio’s of Gramercy – Modern Italian Cuisine
Giorgio’s of Gramercy
27 East 21st Street (between Broadway and Park Avenue South)
New York, NY
(6 Train to 23rd Street, exit station via 21st side)
212-444-0007
*Reservation is necessary so make sure you call in advance to reserve your seat!
Ever wanted to eat out at a fancy restaurant but not having to compromise the money in your wallet? Well one solution to that is Restaurant.com. On this website, you can choose a restaurant on their list and buy a certificate for a fraction of the actual face value and use it at the restaurant! How neat is that. For example, you can buy a $25 restaurant certificate for Giorgio’s of Gramercy which can be found by clicking here that only cost you $15. Now if you are a Fatwallet.com member you can get 24% cash back! And for now there is a 40% instant discount if you visit the following link: Restaurant.com Coupons. So after the coupon and receiving the cash back, you will spend only $6.84 for a certificate that is worth $25! Now the catch is that each restaurant will have their own restriction in regards to the maximum amount you can purpose the certificate, the day and time to use it, a minimum that you will have to spend, and used only certificate per table/party.
Having said that, my friend and I decided to try Giorgio’s of Gramercy since they had such great reviews on Yelp, NY Mag and Zagat.
Devi Indian Restaurant, NY
Devi Restaurant
(Btw 5th Ave & Broadway)
New York, NY
212-691-1300
Reservation available on Opentable.com
Hours of Operation:
Dinner (Monday – Saturday): 5:30pm – 11:00pm
(Sunday): 5:00pm – 10:00pm
Lunch (Monday – Friday): 12:00pm – 2:30pm
Devi Restaurant
Please forgive me for the graininess of the photos. I did not have my camera and I had to borrow my cousin’s Sony point and shoot camera. I have no idea what the model is, but I do know that it is an old camera (3-4 yrs old) and it does not take good pictures in in low-lighting scenarios as compared to the Canon ones. It’s not me being bias, it’s just in my personal experience.
My three co-workers and I have planned this unique experience to go dine at Devi for quite sometime now. After reading an article on the New York Times I was suddenly interested to go and suggested to my co-workers to go. To my advantage, two of my co-workers are Indian and one of them had been there before. The one who has dined at this restaurant agreed that this is a great restaurant and that the food is phenomenon even for a person like me who isn’t really a fan of Indian cuisine.
Did I mention that this restaurant received a Michelin Star? For those of you that don’t know, Michelin Guide [Travel Publications], hire a team of professional food critics who goes to restaurants as an undercover and review restaurants based on a set of criteria that they have. Now according to the Michelin Guide:
The star symbols judge only what’s on the plate, meaning the quality of products, the mastering of flavors, mastering of cooking, personality of the cuisine, value for the money and the consistency of what the restaurant offers to its customers both throughout the menu and the year.
- One star indicates a very good restaurant in its category, a good place to stop on your journey.
- Two stars denote excellent cuisine, worth a detour, with specialties and wines of first-class quality.
- Three stars reward exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey, where diners eat extremely well, often superbly. The wine list features generally outstanding vintages and the surroundings and service are part of this unique experience, which is priced accordingly.
In addition to the awarding of stars, the Michelin Guide provides a written description of each locale and a variety of other symbols to give readers further insight into an establishment’s ambiance, type of cuisine and specialties, and wine list, among other factors. In addition, the guide provides a comfort rating represented by the use of one to five forks and spoons for restaurants and one to five pavilions for hotels. These symbols take into consideration the decor, service, cleanliness and upkeep of the surroundings.
Now enough of that, let me show you my dining experience at Devi.
Please click on the following link to read more.
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Craftsteak, Las Vegas @ MGM Grand Hotel
Craftsteak
@ The MGM Grand Hotel
Las Vegas, NV
(702) 891-7318
Please make reservations prior to coming here because they might not let you in.
Operations (like every gourmet restaurant here): 5:30pm – 10:30pm
MGM Grand Hotel @ Las Vegas
Finechinaguy and I visited Las Vegas in November of 2007. After nearly two years of hiatus, I finally can write about this post! Of course there are just so many more posts to cover, but I will cover what time will allow! So please be patience and stay tune for more posts, and many of them are from Vegas!
Craftsteak Restaurant
When you come to Las Vegas, you have to at least try one of the “brand name” restaurants! Sure there are lots of affordable buffets, but let your tastebuds indulge in deliciously crafted gourmet food! Yes it can be expensive, but you pay for what you get.
MGM Grand was the hotel that we stayed at and fortunately for us Craftsteak was conveninetly located here! The only reason I know about Craftsteak is because of Top Chef. Tom Colicchio, who is a familiar face on that show, is the owner of this restaurant. After watching many episodes of Top Chef and having great respect for Chef Colicchio, I knew I had to try this restaurant. It’s funny how this restaurant is also located in New York City, but I never really bother to go because of time or because I never think it’s in my budget. But since I’m on vacation, I might as well splurge a little!
To read more, please click on the following link!
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Nico at the Gatsby Mansion – Islip, New York
Nico at The Gatsby Mansion
712 Main Street Islip, NY 11751
631-581-1900
Nico Restaurant at The Gatsby Mansion
For Valentine’s Day, Finechinaguy brought me on a surprised visit to The Gatsby Mansion for dinner. Prior to this, all I know was that I needed to wear a dress, I was going to Long Island, and that it would be at an Italian restaurant. I have never been to Long Island for dinner before so I was excited!
When we arrived there was free valet parking. The parking lot looked full, but luckily we did not have to deal it. We walked over to the front door of the restaurant and saw people coming out. As we stepped inside, there was a long queue of people waiting to be seated! We approach the receptionist who was frantic because of the number of customers who complained about the long wait, and told her that we arrived for our 8:15 reservation. She tells us that there will be an half-hour wait because they were completely overbooked. There was not anything we can do at that moment so we waited.
Guests who were waiting had the choice of going to the bar/lounge that was right next to the main waiting room, which was very small. There was loud club music playing in there and some of the older guests asked the receptionist if the restaurant would have the same atmosphere. She assured him that it did not, which made me feel great. It would definitely not be romantic at all if you hear loud techno club music pounding into your head as you’re eating with your significant other.
After waiting for 40 minutes, we finally got a seat! There were people who waited for over an hour and a half before us that were still unseated. Finechinaguy and I definitely could not complain and were excited to go in through the big wooden doors that led into the main restaurant.
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