Early Responders File on Pre-Dinner Meals at M. Wells

Early last month, M. Wells opened up in an old chrome-sided diner situated in Long Island City. Hugue Dufour, formerly of Montreal's unabashedly carnivorous Au Pied de Cochon, seeks to fuse his Québécois origins with local NYC fare. Currently open only for breakfast and lunch - they're waiting for a liquor license before dinner service but hope to have that done in two weeks - that hasn't stopped folks from stopping by and chiming in with their opinions. To the early word:

The "Ridiculously Good" News: Yelper ciprian t. has already visited twice and isn't shy about how much he liked it, awarding them 5 out of 5 each time. He reserves his highest praise for the desserts, proclaiming the raspberry pie of the day to be "a must try for everyone" and the panna cotta the best he's tried in a long time. He leaves us with one final exhortation "people, you need to move your bellies to M Wells ! the place is still quiet and undiscovered...." [Yelp]

The "Disappointed About Everything" News: Yelper Judy K. doesn't sound like she'll be making a repeat visit, essentially laying waste to the place. She states that "the food is mediocre, the portions small, the service abysmal, and the place is a dump." But she doesn't stop there! She even takes the time to review their restroom saying that the water was "lukewarm, not hot" and that "the toilet didn't flush properly." She doesn't like their chances of making it, going so far as to say that she'd be "shocked if they last a year." [Yelp]

The Great News: New York Times Magazine food editor Christine Muhlke tweets: "M wowed by M. Wells. Lunch: crisp hash browns w/ crab hollandaise, hot dog w/ crisp slaw, banana cream pie, $1 cookie. Not even sleepy!" [Twitter]

The "Good But Not THAT Good" News: An anonymous Eater commenter reports: "Went for breakfast this morning - very good food, good prices, and very friendly service. Honestly, it's not travel-from-Manhattan groundbreaking....yet, but it's still damn tasty food." The commenter looks forward to what lunch and dinner will have to offer so maybe then they'll think it's worthy of traveling to from Manhattan. [Eater Comments]

The Egg-cellent News: The World's Fare blog over at Edible Queens likes their eggs saying that "rarely have I seen someone take such great care with eggs. Those for the sandwich are first microwaved and then finished on the griddle resulting in a wonderfully light texture." [World's Fare]

The "All Folks Equal" News: Chowhounder jeremyhfisher liked the food but really appreciates the lack of pretension. "The crowd was composed of construction workers, retirees, a family (they looked like tourists), and some neighborhood office workers. In other words, the same crowd you'd expect to find at a typical neighborhood diner. I suppose that's what you get when your whole menu is priced

The Way Too Hot News: Several Chowhounders chimed in about their visits during July's brutal string of 90+ degree days and it doesn't sound pretty. jaingmaster says that "there were definitely AC vents in the ceiling, but as far as I could tell they weren't working. There was a large fan near the entrance that wasn't helping much. Maybe this is one of the kinks to be worked out before they expand to full service, or maybe I just picked a bad day/time." ChiefHDB shares perhaps a bit too much information, replying in the same thread that "I was dripping sweat. I didn't feel any ac at all."
—Gary Wong
[photo credit]