had a kati roll, solo one was 5 dollars which is a bit high.
chicken was a bit gummy, it didn't come with a salad, and it was put in a grilled pita instead of a proper grilled bread which didnt have the satisfactory crunch/egginess of a good kati roll. guy was nice..
Not the first time a Halal cart has knocked my socks off. An absolutely beautiful $4.00 lamb gyro for us each around 10:30 at night. Stunningly wonderful. Moist, flavorful meat, packed with heat from the sauce, great crunch from the lettuce, the sweetness of the onions, the warmth of the pita and the meat. Flavor bomb! $8.00 for the food, $3 tip. He smiles, we smile and leave with our food, destined for our hotel.
Skip everything between the dotted lines if you don't want to hear how we ended up here.
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Backtrack two hours earlier. Wife and I are beat from a long day of tromping around Queens eating great Cuban. We decide we'd like some oysters, flavorable white wine, good conversation, small bites. And to be fair, we found those. But, we were also looking for entrees and a pleasant atmosphere. Gets worse.
We select –restaurant name not included in my review– on 26th with a 3.5 Yelp rating (first sign of trouble). We arrive (looks great!) and notice whoever designed the place didn't consider acoustics. It's loud here. No, REALLY LOUD. We're ignored for the first 10 minutes after being seated yet wait staff is visiting tables next to both sides. We're seated next to two married couples drunk out of their minds making total a$$es out of themselves. Mannerless, gross. The wait staff is annoyed. People in all directions are looking in disgust. 30 minutes of this and we ask we be moved. We are not having fun. We're taken to a private dining room and are promptly forgotten. No one approaches us for 45 minutes as we await entrees. FInally, we find a manager and ask to leave and offer to pay the full bill (probably around $200). Discussion ensues. They try to get us to stay. "We are NOT having fun here. We wish to pay our bill and LEAVE." Long story short, they offer to let us leave minus about $120 of drinks, appetizers (received) and entrees (not received), which we think appropriate given the total breakdown. We leave a $20 tip for our waitress. This is clearly no way to run a restaurant. There is a serious management issue at that place.
That I don't rate and name this place, they should be very thankful. End of story.
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We arrive slightly tipsy at Mia Zee, order, and take off hiking. A half block later we take our first bite, look at each other, spin around and walk back and compliment the guy running the cart. We return home and savor how good food can be without spending a lot of money. We're adventure diners not afraid to spend good money. We're also not afraid to go for dives and joints or food carts with good reputations. This cart was a classy experience.
I'll always love a great world meal that requires good money, but readily admit to missing those days of far less money when you HAD to seek out and find a great meal for two for around $10-12. That and a 6-pack or bottle of affordable wine and life was fine. Tonight started out like crap but ended fine. Maybe it's time to rethink dining choices on occasion. A mix of high and more low might be in our future.
had a kati roll, solo one was 5 dollars which is a bit high.
chicken was a bit gummy, it didn't come with a salad, and it was put in a grilled pita instead of a proper grilled bread which didnt have the satisfactory crunch/egginess of a good kati roll. guy was nice..
Not the first time a Halal cart has knocked my socks off. An absolutely beautiful $4.00 lamb gyro for us each around 10:30 at night. Stunningly wonderful. Moist, flavorful meat, packed with heat from the sauce, great crunch from the lettuce, the sweetness of the onions, the warmth of the pita and the meat. Flavor bomb! $8.00 for the food, $3 tip. He smiles, we smile and leave with our food, destined for our hotel.
Skip everything between the dotted lines if you don't want to hear how we ended up here.
————————–
Backtrack two hours earlier. Wife and I are beat from a long day of tromping around Queens eating great Cuban. We decide we'd like some oysters, flavorable white wine, good conversation, small bites. And to be fair, we found those. But, we were also looking for entrees and a pleasant atmosphere. Gets worse.
We select –restaurant name not included in my review– on 26th with a 3.5 Yelp rating (first sign of trouble). We arrive (looks great!) and notice whoever designed the place didn't consider acoustics. It's loud here. No, REALLY LOUD. We're ignored for the first 10 minutes after being seated yet wait staff is visiting tables next to both sides. We're seated next to two married couples drunk out of their minds making total a$$es out of themselves. Mannerless, gross. The wait staff is annoyed. People in all directions are looking in disgust. 30 minutes of this and we ask we be moved. We are not having fun. We're taken to a private dining room and are promptly forgotten. No one approaches us for 45 minutes as we await entrees. FInally, we find a manager and ask to leave and offer to pay the full bill (probably around $200). Discussion ensues. They try to get us to stay. "We are NOT having fun here. We wish to pay our bill and LEAVE." Long story short, they offer to let us leave minus about $120 of drinks, appetizers (received) and entrees (not received), which we think appropriate given the total breakdown. We leave a $20 tip for our waitress. This is clearly no way to run a restaurant. There is a serious management issue at that place.
That I don't rate and name this place, they should be very thankful. End of story.
————————–
We arrive slightly tipsy at Mia Zee, order, and take off hiking. A half block later we take our first bite, look at each other, spin around and walk back and compliment the guy running the cart. We return home and savor how good food can be without spending a lot of money. We're adventure diners not afraid to spend good money. We're also not afraid to go for dives and joints or food carts with good reputations. This cart was a classy experience.
I'll always love a great world meal that requires good money, but readily admit to missing those days of far less money when you HAD to seek out and find a great meal for two for around $10-12. That and a 6-pack or bottle of affordable wine and life was fine. Tonight started out like crap but ended fine. Maybe it's time to rethink dining choices on occasion. A mix of high and more low might be in our future.