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Sunday, May 2, 2010

Better brunch blog: uptown lounge

Hello readers, what kind of food critic would I be if I didn’t blog about my latest restaurant adventure? (that’s rhetorical by the way, no answers please) All jokes aside, I have decided to share with you my excellent experience at brunch today. This is a fairly new restaurant, it was my first time there and I was quite impressed. (As the picky or “selective” eater that my faithful readers know I am, it sometimes takes a lot to impress me) Therefore, here is my food critic review:
Uptown Lounge
1578 3rd Avenue
New York NY
4 stars
Brunch can be the most important meal of the day for me, so I was preparing to lower my expectations today, just in case. (I was hoping that this place was not going to choke like A-rod does with the bases loaded, that’s not an insult, it actually happened as I was eating, true story!). At the uptown lounge, you can choose from a wide array of dishes, from omelets to sandwiches to even fish. Your entree is accompanied with your choice of two drinks, alcoholic or not (can you guess which one I chose? Just kidding). The staff was friendly, actually going over the top to accommodate me. I selected the delicious-sounding uptown omelet: filled with ham, mushrooms, onions, and Swiss cheese.
There was no disappointment to be found at this restaurant. The omelet was expertly prepared and the flavors seamlessly blended together to create quite a tasty dish. The zest of the ham, combined with the mushrooms and sweet onions, and mild but flavorful Swiss cheese, were more than enough to satisfy my brunch craving. The better than average bacon, salty but authentic home fries, (both of which I asked for as extra crispy and were served that way), and whole wheat toast on the side only added to my terrific time.
Before I finish my review and make the decision whether or not to recommend a restaurant, I like to end with a few points just so that you are fully informed. First, the brunch costs $16, which might sound pricy to some. However, it does include the two drinks, the staff is very good with helping out with substitutions or changes in your order, and this price is actually reasonable in my opinion compared to what some other restaurants charge. In addition, my review is only based on brunch, I cannot vouch for any other meals at this establishment. Therefore, now that we have that out of the way…..
I would like to wholeheartedly recommend the Uptown Lounge. I hope all of my readers have the chance to check out the brunch for themselves. Until my next food adventure, take care and stay positive!
Dan

Welcome to the updated restaurant awards!

Hello everyone, before I dive in to my food reviews, I thought I would take a quick look at some of the best restaurants around, in my opinion of course! (Sorry McDonald’s, you didn’t make the cut this year despite all of your mcnugget goodness and crunchy French fries). I will be referring once in a while to the Zagat’s food guide, in particular their 2010 ratings
I believe that it is time to review my gourmet adventures in a numerical way. The Zagat guide rates their restaurants in three important ways: food, décor, and service.
Now, we all know that only one of those numbers matter. I’m talking, of course, about food! (no offense to fans of service, and décor: I can take it or leave it, as long as the food is top-notch). However, I strive to be as official as possible, so the following list contains all three ratings:
(All of these restaurant ratings are out of a maximum of 30 points, and they rarely get beyond 27 or 28).
Restaurant name: food décor service
The winner for barbecue food (envelope please): dinosaur's (One of the top two barbecue restaurants in New York City, my apologies to Blue Smoke, you are number two): 22 15 17
The winner for Italian food (although this restaurant technically serves Roman food: sandro's (scrumptious cuisine featuring an incredible bucatini amatriciana): 25 15 20
Best hamburger (readers of my blind blog should not be surprised by this): primehouse (Go for the outstanding brunch, they use a combination of rib eye and ground beef in their burgers and don’t forget to try the steakhouse burger with sautéed mushrooms and onions): 24 23 23
Honorable mention: union square café (On one hand it’s a bit touristy, and is one of the most popular restaurants in the city, but has a very nice hamburger and fried (I know) calamari): 27 23 26
Winner of best paella: socarrat (I am proud to be one of the first bloggers to write about this outstanding Spanish restaurant, their paella is only ahead of Malaga’s by a little, long waits so get there early and enjoy!): 24 17 20
Winner for best muscles: flex mussels (A fabulous restaurant offering big mussels with 23 different sauces, by the way, if you don’t like mussels maybe this is not the right restaurant for you): 22 17 19
Winner for best pizza (I’m sure I will get in trouble for saying this):lucali's (This excellent restaurant is top two for pizza just ahead of Difara’s, great calzone!): 26 16 19

I feel extremely fortunate to have tried out the excellent cuisine from all of these establishments, in my quest to find the best in every category of food. I guess that readers of my blind blog can finally understand why I am always complaining about the scale and how much I weigh! (Don’t worry, it’s actually alright, I am on a health kick and plan to continuously work out until I work off all of the bad calories).
I want to thank all of my readers for this opportunity, thanks to my great family, outstanding friends, and anyone who is reading my blog.
Dan