Good News/Bad News: Restaurant Week

Dining Room at Eleven Madison Park [Photo Credit]

We all know that Restaurant Week experiences can range from fantastic to downright shitshow, and lord knows dinner never comes out to only $35. With the current Restaurant Week(s) wrapping up in two days, there’s some serious dishing going on in one particular Chowhound thread, featuring a wide array of restaurants. Many of these RW deals will be extended through February, March, and even the end of the year (sweet, sad Matsugen), so it's never too late to capitalize on these difficult times. Without any further ado, here's the news as it stands today: good, bad, and otherwise.

The Good News: Leading off is one thumbs-up review of lunch at Convivio: “Just got back from lunch at Convivio. The dishes I really wanted to try weren't on the RW menu, unfortunately (I was hoping for the tortelli amatrice!), but what I did have - duck sausage with lentils, a bite of my friend's pane cotta soup, orichette, and cannolli - was excellent.”

Another happy Chowhounder raves about dinner at the Bar Room at the Modern: “I did The Modern last night, it was great. They have 10 options each for the 1st and 2nd courses, and 7 options for dessert. Most of these dishes are off their regular menu..”

And some big ups to RW lunch at Eleven Madison Park: “I was also at EMP today for lunch! It was fantastic! We got a chestnut soup as complimentary amuse bouche (not included in RW) as returning guests (as we went to EMP probably too often...).”

The Bad News: An unhappy diner bemoans RW dinner at Anthos: “Went to Anthos on Tuesday. Sadly, everyone in my party of 4 was supremely disappointed. I'm a fan of Kefi & Mia Dona, and I had heard good things about Anthos, which is why we decided to give it a try. I had the fluke raw meze, the arctic char and the pumpkin karidopita - only the arctic char was decent, but it was definitely nothing special.”

Another diner has some harsh words about din din at Il Cantinori: “Absolutely hated it. Quite possibly one of the worst meals ive had in this fair city, RW or not. The minestrone soup tasted like it was weeks old, the 'pollo milanese' was soggy on the outside, dry on the inside and just insipid all around. Tiramisu wasn't bad, but it's hard to screw that up. Overpriced wines, douche-y service. I'd never set foot in this place again.”

And some high-priced mediocrity abounded at Dos Caminos: "Went to Dos Caminos on Houston last night which was disappointing for the price. I even had a free $100 certificate from my AMEX credit card and was still disappointed. The best things that we ate both included short ribs, but everything else was basically under-seasoned. They even managed to mess up empanadas."

The OK News: "Another Chowhounder is feeling a bit meh about dinner at Megu midtown: “I agree about Megu (i went to midtown) , the eel was delicious and sashimi salad, but it was it. Kobe beef we ordered was not even a kobe. it was too chewy and i wouldn't not recommend to order it?They only had one desert on the menu (dry chocolate cake which i didn't even eat), so it was very disappointing.”

One diner had a so-so lunch experience at DB Bistro Moderne: "Was ok...For app, my friend had the salad and thought it was overtly bland. I had the beef consume and thought that it was very warming (it was snowing that day). For entrees, we both had the fish course. Bad mistake on my part...I guess I really can't handle all the cream in that french food."

And finally one restaurant-goer had some ups and downs at Quality Meats: “I went yesterday. Got the scallops, which were ok, not great, and a very small serving. Others in my party got the Steak Tartare, which was excellent. Large serving, quality meat (no pun intended), and served nicely with mix-ins on the side so you can make it fit your taste."