23rd Street between 7th & 8th Avenue
Reservations suggested
In the heart of Chelsea, East of Eighth is an eclectic blend of all cuisine types. They accept, embrace, and enjoy all foods equally here… the menu displaying a mish mash, tapas, entrees, what have you… we all took a long time to decide what to get because the menu was fairly large, with non-meat options, meat options, and just a lot of things to choose from. In the end, though, we all made our choices and ordered from the waiter, who was wearing one of the tightest shirts I’ve ever seen on a guy before. Second, really, only to the busboy’s shirt, which was so tight I swear I could count- if I wanted- the hairs on his chest.
When you first walk in, there’s a bar area, a narrow place to stand and wait for the host’s attention. This first section is very loud, and I found myself hoping that the dining area wasn’t quite as loud. On Tuesdays, there is an all-you-can-eat-BBQ special, held in the garden in the back, for $22.50 (including sides, appetizers, etc., according to the menu), if you want to do this, reservations are a must. Unfortunately, half of our party was too full from lunch to indulge in this, so we chose to continue upstairs to order from the regular menu. The noise level up here was a lot more tolerable, almost quiet even at first, but as the night wore on, I realized that sitting at one end of the long table as I was, I couldn’t hear a word the girl sitting on the other end of the table was saying. But she also speaks pretty quietly…
We opted to start off with the chips and guacamole, tired of our normal fried calamari fare. SB1’s first chip was stale, but the rest of us thought the chips were fine and she’d managed to get the only bad chip of the bunch. The guacamole itself was very oniony, fresh and yummy, a bit overpowering at times but good overall. Thoroughtly blended/mashed, though I do prefer my guacamole slightly harder than that, it was still very good.
knife & fork fried chicken with sweet potato fries and cole slaw // grilled porkchops with cranberry-apple relish cornbread pudding
sauteed shrimp with mango-peanut rice, snow peas and a hint of curry // sterling silver aged sirloin steak with hand cut fries and sauteed vegetables
chilled poached salmon with artichokes, roasted peppers spinach and pignoli nuts // pecan salmon with corn relish, sauteed vegetables and mashed potatoes
My fried chicken hit the spot exactly on the nose. There were no bones in it save the end piece of “mini-drumstick”, and it was good, not overly greasy nor dry at all. Though it appeared to be mostly white meat (I like dark meat), the whole thing was juicy and moist enough, even when I was nearing the end. Also, each time I cut a piece and lifted it, a little steam would curl up, even to the end, though it wasn’t so hot I was burning my face off. The sweet potato fries were crispy and yummy (though I avoided eating too many by offering them to everyone), and the cole slaw had markedly less mayo than most cole slaws, which was a good thing, as it offered a healthy, crispy alternative to the standard.
BB commented that her porkchop was bland without the sauce, but too sour with, and that she tasted no cranberry but instead only tomato. The whole dish, as you can see, arrived looking like one big mix/mess of stuff, so it was semi-amusing to hear, three-quarters of the way through the meal, “Oh, THERE’S my bread pudding!” from BB. I do not believe she enjoyed her dish all that much, overall.
HB said her sauteed shrimp dish was better than she expected and definitely filling. “I got a lot of pieces of shrimp, and the rice was really good with chunks of mango and a curry flavor to it.”
SB4’s enjoyed her steak, although later told me that it was a decent steak, neither good nor bad, though “it had a steak of sinew/gristle running through the middle, so I had to cut around it or spit it out.” That doesn’t sound too pleasant.
SB1’s poached salmon salad was pretty bland, though she noted that it tasted good if she covered it in guacamole left over from the appetizer.
SB2’s pecan salmon reminded her of when, in grade school, it was chicken nuggets day, and you’d get nuggets, mashed potatoes, and corn nibblets and everyone would mix everything together and eat it that way. “Except, you know, salmon instead of chicken. Very comfort foodie… I’d order it again.” Safe to say that she liked her dish.
Overall, everyone seemed okay with their food- midway through the meal, I asked if everyone was enjoying it, and the overall response was “It’s okay” which wasn’t very enthusiastic. Honestly, though the food was mostly not outstanding, I’d like to go back to try their all-you-can-eat-BBQ, and perhaps try some of their other dishes.
Yvo says: I liked the place and would recommend it for some eclectic choices of food. The service was good, friendly and fast (though be warned, if you’re male and go here, they MAY hit on you- this is the heart of Chelsea), and the food was definitely interesting enough for a repeat visit. Also, the prices were more than reasonable- our total came to $22/person. I wasn’t pleased with the fact that they added tip to our party of six, but that’s a small complaint.
Recommended
Leave a Reply