Punch
913 Broadway (between 20th & 21st)
P: (212) 673-6333
website
Cuisine: American (Eclectic & Traditional)
Price: Entrees ran from $12 – 19… not pricey at all
The first thing I noticed was the freehanging metal work sign. Creative, which I liked; would the food inside prove to be the same? (I must note here that I’d been to Punch previously but only to the lounge upstairs; the restaurant’s entrance is directly to the right of the lounge entry, and opens up to the sidewalk- the entrance is as wide as the restaurant, which would later prove to be a negative).
We were seated promptly (the place was quite empty and remained so through our meal) by a polite hostess (we had reservations as well). The waitress was friendly, made suggestions but was not overbearing or annoying. The busboy/runner, however, was over attentive, which I had little experience with before (I’ve had waitstaff with poor timing who keep interrupting at the wrong moment, but not this): he came around to fill our glasses about 8 times between us getting our bread and appetizer, to us getting our entrees. Mind you, he was only “filling” it after one or two sips had been taken, so filling was unnecessary and obtrusive, especially since he would stand and wait if we were in the middle of drinking from our glasses. At one point he came by and took all of our butter knives and then returned with new ones, again while we were using them (he didn’t take it from our hands, but we were still eating bread when he did this). Completely unnecessary. (My theory is that he thought one of us was cute and/or he was trying to eavesdrop.)
While we were discussing the menu and our options, it was really loud in the restaurant and hard to hear each other, despite being in the very back (my back was to the kitchen, literally). The conclusion was that because the front of the restaurant was, in essence, wide open, all of the street noises were clearly heard from even back there.
We ordered an appetizer from the specials: Ale Steamed Manila Clams with a Miso Yuzu sauce and Sweet Pickles. The miso was thick and sweet; the pickles added a nice soft-crunch and the taste was very good. However, I felt the clams were sooo tiny (I guess I never had Manila clams before?) and was disappointed with the portion size. The sauce was great for dipping the bread in, though, so that was a plus.
For an entree, taking a suggestion from my brother (who looked at the menu only, had never been there), I ordered the “exotic” item of Grilled Hawaiian Spice-Rubbed Rib Eye with Chimichurri Sauce and Summer Potato Salad. It was disappointing, to say the least. While the steak was tender and cooked to my specifications, the chimichurri was spread on top, a big UGH because while I adore chimichurri, I do not like spicy chimichurri (and I’ve been to numerous places that have both spicy and not), and so I scraped it off. The salad was extremely strange: was I supposed to eat the greens? There wasn’t any dressing I could see, and when I began to eat it, it was shockingly bitter to the point where I couldn’t eat it (and instead ate only the tomatoes and cucumber slices). The potatoes on the side were also very weird; covered in a curry-looking sauce and very bland and tasteless. I was extremely disappointed with the whole affair.
I also had a taste of the Summer Risotto (green tea flavored bamboo rice, sauteed seasonal wild mushrooms, finished with yuzu caramel and toasted pine nuts), which was very yummy, though not my preferred risotto style (I prefer mine creamy). This was almost bitter (in a good way this time), and the rice was very puffy, almost barley in texture. The mushrooms were a good companion to this, and I did like this much more than I did my own dish.
Two of the girls ordered the Louisiana Style Lobster/Crawfish Roll (Maine lobster, Louisiana crawfish, bistro fries & slaw) and both seemed very pleased with their dishes. One of them said, “It’s good for what it is, though not how I like my lobster rolls.”
Another girl ordered the special whose name escapes me, but from my memory, was Grilled Cod with Black Thai Rice and some sort of salad. She said her cod was good, but didn’t feel the whole dish was that impressive or fantastic.
We also shared the Black and White Sesame Fried Calamari (caramelized banana, sweet chili sauce) which was actually pretty darn good. I liked the crispy texture on the outside and the dipping sauce was really, really good.
For dessert, nothing on the menu stood out for any of us, so we split a Fudge Brownie (no nuts!) with ice cream and fudge. This was very fudgy and delicious, actually, but also very standard fare. Though it was inexpensive at $6, it was also extremely small.
Yvo says: Overall, looking over this review, I’d say that it seems like the appetizers/smaller dishes are a much better bet than the entrees. It wasn’t expensive, which was nice, and while the dishes were creative, they weren’t mind blowing or fantastic in execution. If you must go here, stick to appetizers or the lounge upstairs which is nice for a few drinks before heading to a club.
***I feel I must also note that this is not my best effort at writing a restaurant review. I’m in a really shitty mood which has influenced the writing though not how I felt about the food!
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