A Cafe New York
“The owners are wonderfully nice and helpful, it's BYOB without a corking fee and the food is really outstanding.”
“Between everyone, we tried the mousse truffee, the pear, the avocado, and pheasant pate to start.”
“This quality of food for $25 prix fixe between prime dinner hours (6-8pm)??”
A Cafe New York
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Great to have a BYOB dining option with no corkage fee. But dont bring your good wine. The food here does not deserve it.
Especially not the grilled avocado, which was a grey, squishy, stringy mess.
The pheasant pate had the texture of ground turkey, and slightly better flavor.
The lamb merguez was good, but surprisingly gamey. The sausages and figs sat like sea cucumber squiggles in this thin white broth that was supposedly "coconut creme fraiche" but it just tasted like canned coconut milk. Still this was the best food of the night (also tried the duck confit, which was dry).
Lackluster food is no surprise. On your way to the (pretty clean) bathroom in the back, you will pass by a tiny kitchen, flameless by the looks of it, which suggests that everything is pretty much precooked and rewarmed.
Still, a decent option in the neighborhood if you are wine-centric and dont have space to entertain. Just be prepared to undress the ice cozy from your nice red wine after the server puts it on.
I booked dinner with my girlfriend for Valentines here as they weren't gouging like every other restaurant. It's also BYOB which is a huge plus. Service was slow as the staff is minimal but that's excusable with a restaurant like this. For apps I got the mousse truffee and my girlfriend got the grilled avocado. The truffee was delicious and very rich, I had a bit of the avocado and enjoyed it but my girlfriend seemed to really love it. For our mains we got the merguez sausage and the duck leg. Both were very good, the curry with the sausage was a bit too rich and I'm glad my girlfriend had it because I definitely couldn't eat an entire entree that rich. I devoured the duck leg and thoroughly enjoyed it, it wasn't too spicy, was fairly tender, and had a good flavor. They're not using top quality ingredients and the menu is quite limited, for for $25 for an app and an entree it's quite a deal, especially on Valentines.
Byob with no corkage fee. The minute we were seated the waiter asked if we bought wine. Didnt have to ask me twice. We walked over to Manhattan Valley right accross the street for a cold bottle.
They have a $25 prix fix deal for an entree including an appetizer. For apps, I had the stuffed hass avocado while my husband had the pheasant pâtés. I thought they were both adequate. The entrées went up a notch. The shrimp on a bed of curry/coconut quinoa was really good. My husband had a well executed roasted duck confit with a complimentary jerk spices.
One of the downside was the service. There is only one waiter and although he is good when it gets packed (which happens), it can be a while before dessert and eve the check comes.
Overall, it's a good pick for a cozy byob weekday dinner if you live in the area. The bargain is the no corkage fee. With the limited menu, we felt like we already tried their best hits. Wouldn't see myself revisiting again.
We have been here a few times now, and I have been repeatedly impressed. I'll keep this short/sweet and informative.
A few preliminary things to note:
– it is BYOB, and there is an amazing wine shop across the street
– there is a dinner pre fixe menu from 6p to 8p – $25 for an appetizer and main course
– service, especially when it is crowded, can be slow, so carve out time for a long dinner
– very small storefront so look hard because it can be easy to miss
Standout dishes:
– appetizer – the pear, the avocado, or the escargot
– main dish – the duck confit or the sausage
– dessert – creme brûlée (only available on certain nights so you'll have to ask when you go)
++
– Pheasant pate
– Duck confit was good
+
– Baked pear
– Grilled avocado is a meal by itself (It looks beautiful by theway)
– Gulf shrimp was enjoyed by the wife
– Chocolate cake was great, but not worth it for the half hour extra wait
– Good soundtrack
–
– Slow service due to the fact there is one waiter
TIPS:
– If you miss the dinner price fixe, you are going to miss it. The waiter is pretty delayed, so chances are a table won't be free by the time the price fixe is up
– The price fixe is a good deal, but you get a lot of food
4.5 stars hands down.
A couple of weeks ago my fiancé threw a surprise birthday party for me here, and everything was awesome. The place is small, so a reservation – especially on weekend evenings – is essential. The service is outstanding, and the food – the result of a highly skilled and wonderfully organized one-man show – is terrific. In addition, you simply cannot beat their $25 price fix from 6-8pm, and their no-corkage fee BYOB policy. The few slight imperfections in a couple of dishes were fully out shadowed by the whole experience, which was unforgettable.
There were a dozen people at our table, so I had the opportunity to taste quite a few dishes, all well prepared and beautifully presented. Some were flat out fantastic.
Pheasant pate': very original, and very good; a sizable portion of an exotic concoction of flavors. Get it.
Grilled avocado: tasty; definitely a great choice for vegans.
Escargots: as good as they get; loved them.
Chicken liver mousse truffee': first, I wasn't so hot about ordering this appetizer, but it caught my attention; it was absolutely delicious! I kept asking for more bread (also delicious) to spread it.
Duck leg confit: tender, rich, juicy, sizable… a great duck in a great sauce; however, I think the dish could have come with more flavorful sides… something that would have better complemented the meat, instead of disappearing in the sauce.
Chicken breast: another great option for birds lovers; nevertheless, same issue with the above dish… I know, these sauces are very delicate, so you can't mix them with strong flavors… but I still think they should be combined with more interesting sides.
Lamb sausages: I liked the sauce, but was overwhelmed by the richness of the flavor of the sausages; I love lamb, but wouldn't have been able to finish both sausages.
Shrimp saute': I only tasted a small piece, but enjoyed every bit of it; very delicate and mouthwatering.
Seitan "meatloaf": I'm usually not a fan of vegan "meatless" options, but this "meatloaf" was yummy.
Overall, I had a memorable time, here. They even allowed us to bring our own birthday cake, which added to their professionalism and kindness.
Yes, I'm definitely a fan, and will soon be back for more! 🙂
Cute little place tucked away uptown.
Came by last Friday for my birthday. It was absolutely lovely.
Excellent choice for a BYOB dinner in a very cozy place. The wine glasses are large, which encourages drinking so it will also encourage regrets if you forget to bring booze. haha
I was late although, I was the first one there for a reservation for 5. I went in and awkwardly stood by the entrance looking for a hostess lol There is one server and someone working in the tiny kitchen. The server was very accommodating, patient and busy. The service was excellent.
The restaurant was full. The pre-fix ends at 8 but he took our orders in, which is highly appreciated. $25 for an appetizer and a an entree. Food was excellent. We shared everything. For the entrees we had the duck leg confit & the lamb merguez sausages. The duck confit is delicious and cooked to perfection! I would definitely order that again. The pheasant pate was definitely the best appetizer – loved the brie and pate combination. I ordered the escargot and the jerk seasoning was interestingly delicious. We were confused about the grilled avocado – but inhaled it regardless.
Great place in a weird location. Awesome food and service.
I can see why this place has good reviews. At first I went here, a small restaurant that looks tad on the fancy side. The presentation of food was great and the initial first bites was tasty. BUT… after eating more and more, the food turned out to be not as great as it appeared.
We got the shrimp curry, avocado appetizer, pheasant pate appetizer and the lamb sausage dish. All 4 dishes were crazy salty that after we left, both my friend and I felt the after effects of just saltiness. The shrimp was good but the curry sauce was rich, it was kind of gross. My friend disliked her lamb dish and couldn't finish it. The avocado was decent, and the pate appetizer was really salty.
We noticed that the place doesn't really have a real kitchen too, so all the food is not cooked but likely baked in same small toaster oven (i'm not kidding).
The only thing good about this place is that its BYOB and the prix fixe menu is a good deal. Good to try once, but not really going back again.