I am impressed.  This is the first time in a long time that I can say a restaurant really exceeded my expectations.

The building itself with its roundish atrium / entrance is a visual delight.  The restaurant’s decor is comfortable, a little quirky and inviting (if only they didn’t have stargazer lilies, but they were happy to seat me far away) and thankfully relatively quiet. As it filled up, the noise level reached a murmur, but never a din or roar.  

As for the service, I had actually shied away from the restaurant because I was under the impression that service was diffident except for the favored few.  That was so totally not the case. Service was welcoming and attentive and accommodating.  

Last but not least was the food.  We had the Restaurant Week dinners.  At some places, the menu is really limited.  Here there were many appealing choices.  My fluke appetizer was wonderful; my chicken fricassee was very nice; and my creme brulee was sublime.  They were even happy to bring Louis berries for dessert when he said he couldn’t have sugar.  

I look forward to going back (how often have I said that before), even at regular prices….

This is another urbane restaurant that I like, but this time it is Turkish.  There are a few things that are my favorites like kofte.  As for the rest, although good, I can take them or leave them.

Toku is a very urbane fusion restaurant with great food. As for the ambiance, it depends. Most of the time it’s a chi-chi mob scene - not my style. But when it’s not a zoo, it’s the best.

I had a lovely Restaurant Week lunch at Boulud Cafe, (which has been extended to Labor Day, here.) While the restaurant is a tad crowded, the service was wonderful and the food was superb.  The salmon tartare appetizer The lamb duo entree was a surprising combination of sliced rare lamb over lamb stew, and the apricot creme brûlée was a light but satisfying dessert.  All in all, this can’t be beat.

Well, we’ve always liked this lively brasserie, despite the deafening decibel level.  The good news is that it is very peaceful at breakfast.  The bad news is the food is mediocre and service is excruciatingly slow.  I’ll take my neighborhood diner any day!

Many plusses, Lovely room, very good food -salad, cavatelli and creme brulee.  But there are a couple of minuses - too many tables shoehorned into the lovely room and service was just right until it came time to get the check. It so happens I will be eating here again soon and will update this entry if the experience is different.

This restaurant is very attractive and certainly has lots of admirers. Perhaps my expectations were too high (seems to happen to me a lot), but I found my squab just good. I’d say maybe I ordered the wrong thing, but I had the same reaction when I’d eaten there before.  What’s all the fuss about?

This one is a winner.  The decor is open, bright, airy, and inviting.  The service was attentive. And everything we tried looked great and tasted even better.  There was a lettuce-less Greek salad with fresh red and yellow tomatoes, feta that was not too strong, with a smattering of olives and onions.  Our grilled fish (presented whole before cooking) was simply grilled with a topping of olive oil and lemon and simply wonderful.  The stewed green bean accompaniment was just right.

All in all it was one of the better meals, I have had in a long time.

Alas, I was so hoping for an appealing casual restaurant choice in the Penn Station vicinity.  After a promising start of taramosalata, it was all downhill.  The lamb kabob was tough, the rice was crunchy and the galaktabouriko was (as I believe Mimi Sheraton was prone to say) cloyingly sweet.  On the other hand, I was there with my relative in a handicapped scooter cart, and they were cheerfully accommodating.

East 60s - Interesting concept with many small dishes, most of which had figs and/or olives.  In execution, however, it was a little complicated.  The jambon appetizer was good, as were the skewered chicken and lamb and special salad.  On the other hand, the service was spotty and it was noisy (an all too frequent complaint of mine).

East 50s - Same as above, except service was excruciatingly slow.