11/28/07

I hope heaven has places like this

by sweet_tea

I'll say at the outset that this is my favorite restaurant in the city and that I am charmed by Alex, the admittedly grim chef. I have long been troubled by the reviews on this site about his refusing to make substitutions, but since I had never requested one until recently, I didn't say anything. However, I recently took my mother -- who cannot eat wheat -- here for a birthday dinner, and was more than pleased at the experience. When she asked whether the dish she wanted had wheat in it (it did), Alex immediately offered (without her asking) to substitute any of several other starches from other dishes. He then readily told me how to make the dessert of his I like best (lavender pannacotta-- wow!) He takes his work very seriously, but my impression is that he response well to people who treat him with respect. (If you want a conversation, ask him about the paintings on the wall.)

Even if he were less charming than I find him -- and his charm is certainly of the dour, Soviet variety -- I would love this place for its delicately crafted dishes and relaxed yet graceful atmosphere. The portions are not huge -- don't expect to leave stuffed -- but I've never felt less than full after the prix fixe (and I can eat). (In fact, it's lovely to leave a nice dinner not feeling that I've over-indulged.) I've yet to eat anywhere in the city that I like more than Sorrel.

• Pros: incredible food
• Cons: cash only

11/07/07

worst patronizing

by jearboleda

my worst case of patronizing happened a month ago at Sorrel. To start i have ordered a glass of the house red wine. when it was served, i noticed the glass was enourmously big and the wine very little. i called the attention of the waiter, and asked her that if i was to pay $10 for a glass of wine, at least it should a glass filled up to its tummy. she decided to call the chef/owner to discuss with me why the wine was so little. he said he was sure that he had poured 11 milimeters, and that four servings of his wine would make a full bottle.

having been a cafe owner myself, i knew he was lying. sadly, whe i was ready to challenge him to demonstrate his wrong, i was stopped by my wife.

Besides this, the hanger steak was not great. the green salad was ok.

09/13/07

Crazy, awful chef

by 1kena

Saturday night, neighborhood restaurant, sounds promising right? Unfortunately not. This was one of the worst, if not the worst dining experiences of my life. Ordered the sardine salad and the hanger steak medium rare off the menu. The sardine salad was mixed greens with a single sardine cut in half. That was fine, not great, but fine. Out comes the second course. The steak is not medium rare but well done. I never send food back, but I really hate well done meat, so I sent it back. Minutes later the chef came out shoving the plate in my face and pointing his finger at meat. I say meat because there was no way this was the plate I sent into the kitchen. The vegetables were not even the same. Some type of red substance had been poured over the now masticated meat to make it look less done. Never before have I had a chef shove food or point a finger in my face. Resisting the urge to flip the plate directly into his face I explained the problem. He continued to argue with me. The only reason I did not leave was that my dining companions were finishing their lamb course and I did not want to escalate a situation with an obviously unbalanced man. The waitress apologized for the chef calling him dramatic. Well, that's drama I think any patron can live without, no wonder he was fired from 360.

• Pros: nice neighbrohood
• Cons: screamed at by chef

07/06/07

Very limited menu

by katiacacia

My family and I went to Sorrel for Father's Day. The 3-course tasting menu for $25 drew me to this choice, but I was disappointed to see that it was (practically) the ONLY thing on the menu! There was a very limited a la carte menu available besides the 3-course - nothing eye popping though. Besides that, the food was very good, ingredients used were fresh. The portions was small for my father, but just enough for the rest of the women in our group. I'd recommend Sorrel for casual dinner with friends for a cozy night out.

• Pros: Ambience, 3-course tasting menu for $25
• Cons: Limited a la carte menu

03/14/07

Delicious and a good value

by threefour

Simple and delicious. I had the mackerel appetizer, duck confit, and the panna cotta for dessert. My wife had the asparagus, pork tenderloin, and mousse. We both had the suggested wine pairings. You know how when you eat something complex and succulent you must close your eyes to focus on the taste? The duck was like that.

With three glasses of wine and a coffee, our dinner for two came to $83 -- a good value for the quality.

03/02/07

A fine bargain

by mlschofi

I ate at this restaurant (right around the corner) last night. It was a thursday but I was surprised to find that we had the whole (small) dining room to ourselves. I thought that it was a great value: 3 generous courses for $25. The menu changes all the time, so I won't go too far into details on the food, but the duck breast was great, with a nice crispy skin, served with spicy vegies (just the right amount of heat) and an orange reduction. We had a bottle of wine that was recommended for the duck and they went very nicely together.

I'm shocked that this place wasn't packed with neighborhood types... I shall certainly return.

Beware: Cash Only!!

• Pros: cute setting, great value, good food
• Cons: cash only

11/03/06

High praise

by tondorf

One of the best restaurants in Prospect Heights. This cozy place goes out of its way to be anonymous (it has no sign, and it's the only restaurant or business, for that matter on a residential block), but fine by us. Prix-fixe menu was perfectly balanced and a steal at $25. Definitely worth a try if you're in the area.

07/23/06

the soup natzi's competitor

by kelljo

we came to the restaurant from manhatten..we found the resraurant overpriced and the meals undersized! when we got to the desert we didnt like it and wanted to replace it..the chef stormed out of the kitchen and started yelling at us...i ignored the bad reviews here because of the good ones! there are plenty good expensive restaurants in manhatten with no angry chefs! don't go unless you want dinner and a show:)

• Pros: none
• Cons: prices, size of meal, service

03/18/06

A Great Meal

by cornim

I went with a group of six, and we had a great time. The food was superb, the waitstaff friendly and helpful. I had the escargot with spaetzle, which was tasty if not as finished as some of the other plates. The beet salad was fantastic, and the duck was perfect. The staff recommended excellent wines that didn't break the bank, and they were very inclusive: I didn't feel like an idiot because I wasn't en expert. A new entry on my very short list of favorite restaurants.

• Pros: great food, great price

12/29/05

If You Don't Like It GET OUT

by junie

We went to Sorrel for dinner recently for a birthday celebration and was extremely disappointed. The birthday girl was unhappy with her order of the lamb shank and requested the fish dinner. The waiter took the order away and returned to the table with the same order of the lamb that was just recently refused advising that there was no more fish and said to her "YOU HAVE TO EAT IT". We decided to speak to the chef which was where it went further downhill, he was rude, unaccommodating and told us "IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT GET OUT". After such horrible treatment and still starving we did the best thing we could of done for the evening and went to Restaurant GIA's where the service and the food was delightful.

• Cons: service, food, service