Review: Tabla (NYC)

Note: I'm writing this three months after my stay. My posting activities fell off drastically in November and December. So, take this more as directional recollections than a highly focused critique.

The wife and I watch our fair share of Iron Chef America. And a few weeks before we were going to be in NY visiting family, we saw the battle pitting Bobby Flay against Floyd Cardoz of Tabla. That particular episode wasn't especially appealing to us since we aren't big snail eaters. But the description of Tabla sounded interesting so we wanted to give it a shot.



We aren't normally 'fine diners' (one exception being our anniversary dinner @ Arun's), and this wound up being a touch fancier, more formal and sophisticated than we expected. If we had known exactly what we were getting into we might not have followed through with our reservation. But I'm glad we did because it was quite good.

If I could do anything differently, the one thing that was a bit disappointing was our table placement. It might seem odd to complain about having too much space between tables at a restaurant (especially if you know me), but we were on kind of an isolated island, tucked into a nook at the top of the stairs.



If it were a corner with walls you might be able to construe it as private and romantic. But in their wide open layout it was more like being in no man's land. Unfortunately this vibe didn't hit me right away so we didn't request a move. And I got over it. A small-ish issue really. On to the food ...

... and we're off to a slow start because I can't really remember what this was. I grabbed a copy of their seasonal menu from the web site after we at there, but it didn't include this little starter soup. I'm sure it was nice ...



The naan was quite nice. Fresh out of the oven, cheesy, comforting.



This next one was a surprise. I ordered the vegetarian tasting menu, which was going to take me out of my comfort zone a bit. I'm an on / off vegetarian, and when I'm on I am the world's worst vegetarian because I like about 4 vegetables and two types of fish. So 'salad of baby beets' was something I just hoped to get through. Didn't expect to enjoy it. But with the Roquefort cheese and ginger, I have to say it was pretty tasty.



I did hit a little speed bump with the Stuffed Jack-B-Little Pumpkin, featuring "early fall root vegetables". Let's say some root vegetables were tougher on my palate than others. But nice presentation.



Another semi-surprise was the Chantrelle & Potato "Risotto". To say I don't enjoy mushrooms is an understatement (like I said, I'm not a great vegetarian). But I was able to work around the biggest pieces and did enjoy the overall taste of the dish, including the coconut broth.



Our desserts were the stand outs.

First, the Tahitian Vanilla Bean Cheesecake (with 'graham crumble, concord grape sauce and lemon eucalyptus sorbet). I thought this was great. Judy wasn't thrilled, but I loved it.



But she did like her white chocolate mousse. (Sorry, can't find the full detailed description on any menu.)



Finally, always a crowd favorite, the mignardises.



All in all, it was a nice night out. I am sure people with more sophisticated palates and fewer self-imposed dietary restrictions would enjoy it much more than I did. (And you can check out a pdf of their menu here to judge whether it's right for you.) Given my own limitations and our relatively isolated table, it wasn't great value in my mind. But the service was very good, the presentation was terrific and the overall vibe was very nice. Just not in my personal sweet spot when it comes to dining options.

Review: Le Parker Meridien (NYC)

Note: I'm writing this three months after my stay. My posting activities fell off drastically in November and December. So, take this more as directional recollections than a highly focused critique.



I loved this hotel. I traveled to New York a decent amount in 2007-2008, staying in a variety of hotels at a variety of prices. Without question, this one night at Le Parker Meridien was the coolest experience and maybe the best overall value.

* The London was pretty sweet, but also pretty expensive and not really designed to get any work done.

* The Westin Times Square is solid, but doesn't possess the same cool factor as Le Parker Meridien.

* The Embassy Suites near the financial district provided great space and had the best gym (though I didn't use the one at the Meridien, which looked excellent, too), but that part of town isn't convenient for much (for me, anyway).

* And the Roger Williams can be a great deal, but the room doesn't come close to what I had at the Meridien.

My stay got off on the right foot when the agent at the front desk informed me I had been upgraded to a "tower suite". This was my first and remains my only stay at Le Parker Meridien, so I cannot compare the 'tower suite' with anything else. But if you're offered an upgrade to a 'tower suite', take it.



I liked the room as soon as I walked in. It's not the most luxurious room you'll ever stay in, or even the largest. But the smart design touches really impressed me.



The living room / work area is well laid out. The desk design is just smart - one area for your laptop and a separate area (the rounded table in the photos) to spread out some paperwork. Maybe a little detail, but just very smart.



The bathroom was beautiful, simple and sleek. If you appreciate this kind of modern ascetic, this place is for you.





And, bonus for me, no 'rainforest' or 'waterfall' or whatever shower head (I hate those).



But the pièce de résistance was the way they incorporated the entertainment center into a swiveling half-wall that could be configured to either face the bedroom or face the living room. As you see in the photos below, I really enjoyed this feature.

Living room mode







Bedroom mode



Mid-swivel mode





Okay, so I really liked the whole TV thing. The room also had some great closet space (you'll have to trust me on this, as I was so caught up with taking pictures of the TV that I failed to grab any of the closets).

Net: Depending upon where prices are, I'll be seeking out Le Parker Meridien whenever I can. (This night the price was $557 tax included and was competitive with similar class rooms given the timing I needed. Not sure what the 'tower suite' might cost without the benefit of a free upgrade.)

Mini-Review: Empanada Mama (NYC)

Note: I'm writing this three months after my stay. My posting activities fell off drastically in November and December. So, take this more as directional recollections than a highly focused critique.



I first learned about Empanada Mama via an article in the NYTimes. Sounded interesting, so I flagged it for future reference. That came in handy last October when my wife and I were in NY visiting family.



I liked the place right off the bat. Great colors, nice little design, good use of a small space.



And the menu does the trick for me. Nice balance of keeping it simple - offering empanadas, arepas mainly - but still offering great variety.





We tried a few different things on this initial trip (I've since made two return runs during subsequent business trips). The Cubana arepa was pretty good. But for me, I could eat the Hawaiian empanadas all day (ham, sauteed pineapple pieces, mozzarella cheese). Good god, they are freaking tasty.





We also had a nice little view out to the sights of this stretch of 9th Ave. (between 51st and 52nd, which, by the way, seems to offer a phenomenal variety of food options from around the world all within a 2 block radius).



Bottom line: I wish lived next to Empanada Mama's. Or, maybe that there were an Empanada Mama's right next to where I live. Either way - I wish I could include their Hawaiian empanadas in my diet more regularly.

Review: Affinia Dumont (NYC)

Note: I'm writing this three months after my stay. My posting activities fell off drastically in November and December. So, take this more as directional recollections than a highly focused critique.



I am a big fan of 'apartment hotels', where you get a kitchen or kitchenette in room. I'm not sure exactly why. Grabbing some groceries locally and stuffing them in the fridge works for me on a couple of levels. One, it's more economical than either the mini bar or the hotel restaurant/room service options. Two, it gives you at least some small sense of 'living like a local' (admittedly, sometimes a very, very small sense -- I don't think the Affinia Dumont's lobby amenities are commonly found in your average Manhattan apartment building, but then again, I really don't know).





So when the wife and I were planning a quick trip to New York for some family activities, I checked out the various Affinia locations looking for the best overall deal I could find. It was far from 'cheap', but it's New York. Prices are high across the board, so the question is more about the value you're getting. After all was said and done, the Affinia Dumont ended up being ~$500/night and the value was just okay. There were some highs and some lows that balanced each other out.

One of the highs was the view. We had room 3402, so we were decently high up and the view was pretty cool. I won't go all the way to 'spectacular', but it was pretty cool.



This night shot from my Helio doesn't do it justice, but I'm including anyway. Use your imagination to picture what the real effect was.



The space was good. The room is unquestionably big. But the furnishings are also unquestionably a bit dated.

Yes, that is a 29" (maybe a 32"?) old school TV.



Yes, that desk looks a little bit like something from the Hardcastle & McCormick era.



The bathroom was decent, though the folks who designed it look like they borrowed some inspiration from the closets of the Hotel Monaco in San Francisco.



And the kitchen was serviceable. Not ideal for entertaining, perhaps, but it suited our needs.





Additionally, they do have a pretty good gym, which you can check out on their web site. Small but nice space with a good mix of modern equipment.

My two biggest gripes with the Dumont would be (1) you could hear a lot between the walls, and (2) they negged my request for a late check out.

Regarding the walls, maybe it varies by room, but we heard screaming kids in the morning. Part of this is the hotel's issue (some insulation please?) and part of it is the parents/nanny issue (really? screaming/shrieking for 45 minutes? a little exuberance is understandable, but how about some consideration of your neighbors? 45 minutes of shrieking before 10am in a hotel isn't cool).

While the acoustics were annoying, my biggest gripe with the Affinia was that they would not accommodate us even a little bit regarding our request for a late check out. I'm not the biggest road warrior in the world, but over the years I've probably racked up a few hundred nights in hotels and I have had my late check out request declined only once. By the Affinia Dumont. Extremely aggravating. Especially because we were requesting it on a Sunday, which is not the busiest check-in day in the hotel biz (someone by all means correct me if I'm mistaken). But worse, I was able to check their web site for reservation avails that day and there were multiple rooms available for booking (i.e., they weren't full - not close). So why the flat decline of a late check out? It's too bad, too, because the Affinia chain does try hard in other ways to tailor their service to your needs and desires. After you've booked they reach out to you via email asking what kind of pillows you'd prefer, whether any of their spa packages are of interest, whether you could use any complimentary toiletries, etc. Some nice touches. But for me, all that goodwill was undone by what I perceived to be an unnecessary rejection of my request for a late check out.

Net: it was decent for this trip, but not a delight by any means, and I'll be looking for alternatives on my next trip to NY.

Review: Flatotel (NYC)

Note: this also appears with my reviews over on Yelp.

Some rooms here might merit a 4-star rating, but room 910 gets 3.

I wanted to like this place more, but it fell short on a couple of fundamental things.

On the positive side:

- the room was huge





- the bed was huge and comfortable



- you can open the window a little bit (I love fresh air, so this is great for me)

- the bathroom is big and modern




- they have a nice little flat screen tv in the lobby near the elevators, which does help distract you during what can be kind of a long wait for the car to arrive



- there is an mini fridge and microwave in the room (and the brilliant, well stocked Cafe Duke is a 1 minute walk away, so giddy-up)



On the negative side:

- there is no mini bar in the room (I prefer the fridge anyway, but it's worth mentioning since some people need the mini bar)

- the TV is dated and the reception is rough on a few channels

- the temperature control in the shower stinks out loud

- there is no wireless internet and room 910 did not have an ethernet jack, even though the front desk and the guy who trucked up a cable to my room tried telling me it did. There were a couple of dial up jacks, but really? 2008? $535 room? Dial up? No.

Add an internet connection and this is easily 4-star for me. A colleague I was traveling with had a better experience, getting an enormous room with a full kitchen and living room (and a working internet connection). So, check out your room carefully before unpacking and maybe request an upgrade or something.

Micro Review: Cafe Duke (51st St., NYC)

Note: This also appears with my reviews over on Yelp.

Brilliant. I was staying at Flatotel, which provides a mini fridge and mini microwave in the room, but no mini bar. I checked in at 11:15 pm and I wanted to get some water, maybe a juice, something small to eat in the morning. Nothing big. I ask the front desk guy where I might find a little store. He directs me to Cafe Duke. I was hoping for at least a hole in the wall to buy a bottle of water, but I found an oasis of variety in a clean, well lit place. Belgian beers. Fine cheeses. At least 5 different kinds of refrigerated Starbucks drinks. Genius. I might even elect to stay at Flatotel again (really just a 3 star experience) just so I could make another run to Cafe Duke.