Amongst the crowded city sidewalks in New York City’s Time Square, you will find an oasis known as New York Marriott Marquis. The Marriott Marquis soars 49 stories into the Manhattan skyline and offers a variety of amenities for it’s guests ranging from a Starbucks Coffee shop located within the hotel to the only revolving restaurant located in New York City giving dinners spectacular views as they enjoy their meal or drinks. Additionally, the Marriott Marquis offers spacious rooms, outstanding room views (especially from the higher floors of the hotel), excellent service, and, one of the best locations a leisure traveler could seek in a Times Square hotel.

Upon entering the hotel you will be greeted by a soaring atrium and glass elevators that are fast and efficient (simply enter your floor number and the automated system will assign you an elevator by letter). The main lobby is located on level 8, however, there are desks located on the ground level staffed with friendly, helpful employees to direct you in the right direction should you get lost or lose your sense of direction in this massive structure. Guests will find the location idea within walking distance to Radio City Musical Hall, Rockefeller Center, and, many other New York City landmarks. The Marriott Marquis is best suited for tourists, families, and couples who want the convenience of it’s Times Square location, and, are looking for a more upscale hotel. Marriott Marquis will not disappoint you!

REVIEW

St. Andrews is a pleasant steakhouse located on 46^th Street between 6^th and 7^th Avenues.  It is a Scottish place and has been in business for many years.  This restaurant has two floors with most of the seating being upstairs.  There are tables butted up to open windows on the 2^nd floor which allows one to dine and look out at the city at the same time.

The menu is very nice and they offer a wide variety of items.  They also have a “Raw Bar” and several Scottish favorites such as Haggis and Cock-A-Leek Soup.  While some of the menu is a-la-carte, they do offer a Prix-Fixe dinner meal which consists of your choice of an entrée, potatoes, a salad, and dessert.

I had the pleasure of dining here with a business associate and he opted for the New York steak (on the Prix-Fixe menu) and I ordered a Porterhouse steak.  Before I get to the actual meal review, I want to fully compliment this place on service.  Our waitress was pleasant, very knowledgeable, and checked on us periodically to see if we needed anything.  She was an ideal waitress.

The meal was delivered in a reasonable amount of time and presented very handsomely.  My first bite of Porterhouse was wonderful and the pleasure experience continued until I couldn’t stomach anymore (this cut was a 24-ounce steak served with scallion potatoes and spinach).  My co-worker had the New York steak and he said it was a bit overdone, but very good as well.

This place also has a full bar and full bar service along with offering many types of wine.  We did not partake in the wine, but reviewing the wine list, I noticed it was quite extensive.  The prices for our dinner were, by Manhattan standards, cheaper than one would expect to pay at a steakhouse.  Quality was certainly not overlooked for the price.

The restaurant, as previously noted, is two floors with the bar portion downstairs.  There is not much seating downstairs, but the upstairs portion can seat about 60 people.  The bathrooms were on the 2^nd floor and the men’s room was clean and tidy.  The location is ideal for theater-goers and would make a fine pre-show meal.

Overall, this place was very good and  both my co-worker and I agreed we would return again for another meal.

FINAL RATING:  8.5

(Scale of 1-10)

REVIEW

This is a quaint little bar/restaurant inside of Penn Station in New York. It offers mainly bar selections and bar-type food (Jalapeno poppers, Buffalo Wings, Mozzarella Sticks, etc.). But it does deserve a good review despite of its location. I had the chance to eat here as I picked up a co-worker and he was hungry. A lot of places inside NYP were closed, but this one was open. So we ventured in and sat down. I have to admit it was noisy. This was a Thursday evening and the place was packed at 10:00 PM. The ambiance was ordinary for any type of a bar. We ordered a plate of Buffalo Wings. He had a Margarita and I opted to go all out and order Sprite.

Our drinks came very quickly despite the fact there were many people in there. Then the wings came. They were spectacular. I mean excellent. We both talked about how good they were. I highly recommend them to anybody. The downfall was the price – expensive even by New York standards. His Margarita was $9.00 and the wings were $9.95. Very pricy yet the quality made up for the price so it is a wash. If you are in New York Penn and want a drink or a bite to eat that is real quality, this place gets high marks for its food quality and average marks for its price. Service was prompt and good and we left a nice tip to our waiter.

FINAL RATING: 7 (Scale of 1-10)

No posted reviews today.  We will resume on Monday.

REVIEW

This pizza place and Italian restaurant is located right near Penn Station in New York. They have been in business for over 40 ye ars. Personally, I don’t see how.

Now I have to admit that I am going “against the grain” if you will Swimming upstream. Going backwards up the stairs. Why? Because other people who have reviewed this place gave it high marks. I just cannot do that. When my friend and I started doing this, we made a promise to be matter-of-fact no matter what.

So why did I not like this place? First of all, very rushed service. Instead of “What would you like?” or “Can I help you?” They simply YELL “NEXT!” Like fast-food pizza. Yes they serve a lot of people this way, but with poor attitude.

The atmosphere is very mediocre, but then again, I can forgive that because it is just a pizza joint. They have seating for about 30 people. T here is reall y no ambiance or table service if you were to order a meal. But I can let that go too.

What I cannot let go is the quality. The slice that I got was overcooked o n the bottom, had very little cheese, and the sauce was runny. It just goes to figurer I was wearing a white shirt so you do the math. The slice had very little flavor, the sauce was nothing to write home about, and overall it was just OK at best. It was something to fill an empty stomach, that’s the best way to describe it. Oh and the price? $3.00 for a slice of pepperoni. Add in the root bear I had and it came to $4.50. Too much money for the quality of food.

So against the grain I go when I give this place its final rating.

FINAL RATING: 3.5
(Scale of 1- 10)

Basilica is a fine Italian restaurant located on 9th Avenue between 46th and 47th Streets. It has a small awning in front and if you are not watching for it, you can easily pass it by. The interior is set up with tables on both sides of a main pathway; each table is butted up against a wall. It is not a large restaurant but size in this case means very little. It is a bit dark inside so if one is hard of seeing, you may wish to have someone with you to look over the menu.

We had a reservation for 5:45 and arrived a bit early, but were seated immediately. At this hour of the day, there were not too many people in there at all. My friend ordered Spaghetti Bolognese and I braved it and ordered the Veal Parmigiana. We both were surprised at the speed of delivery of our meals. Equally (and more importantly) surprising was how great the meals were. My veal was cooked to perfection; not chewy, and not dried out. It came with a side of pasta. White the veal was exceptional; the pasta was, well, pasta. Something was lacking in the sauce. So I tried putting a little parmesan cheese on it with very little difference. Not the answer. After discussing it with my friend, we came to the conclusion that it needed Italian spices (Rosemary and Oregano immediately came to mind). But this was a side dish, not the main meal. My friend raved about here Spaghetti Bolognese and she polished most of it off, no problem. We were both too full to sample the dessert menu, but I am sure they would be equally as good.

The menu consists of traditional Italian dishes, appetizers such as Mozzarella Caprese and Mussels Fra Diavolo. There is also a Caesar Salad available. All in all, not an extensive menu, but definitely one that has everything you would need for a fine Italian dinner.

The location is pretty good as well, subway friendly although you do have to walk a little. Both my friend and I agreed we would definitely go back sand eat here again, and with that, we give it the following final rating.

FINAL RATING: 8 (Based on a scale of 1-10)

151 East 43^rd St; New York, NY

This is a very small pizza shop in Midtown East.  Let me warn you that first of all, there is no seating available in the place.  People line up outside, come in and place their order.  Then they leave to roam about the streets of Manhattan, pizza in hand.   First of all the positive – it really is $.99 a slice.  They have a special where one can get two slices and a soda (or water) for under $3.00.  They also make pies in 14, 16, and 18-inch.  Their prices for these are quite reasonable as well and they do deliver.  Of course, the original price if for plain cheese and additional toppings are $2.00 more each.   So what do you get for this?  One step ahead of over cooked cardboard.

The slices I got were burnt on the bottom, they had no taste whatsoever, and little ingredients.  No wonder it is only $.99.  For me, I would pay a little extra and get something that tastes good; after all, isn’t that why we like to eat in the first place?  I am sorry, but won’t be going back here anytime soon.  The menu only consists of pizza and a meat patty if you dare try one.  

FINAL RATING:  3.5 (Scale of 1-10)

Venue:
Barrymore Theatre
243 West 47th Street (Between Broadway and 8th Avenue)
New York NY 10036

Running Time:
2 hours and 15 minutes, including one 15 minute intermission

Overview and Plot:

Exit the King has been a limited engagement play on Broadway in 2009.   This show is a mix of comedy and drama with a wonderful cast of six performers:  Geoffery Rush; Susan Sarandon; Lauren Ambrose;  Andrea Martin; William Sadler and Brian Hutchison

The story is about a monarch whose kingdom and life are in ruins after his 400 year old life. His wife and his doctor remind the audience throughout the show that the king will be dead by the time the play ends, in 90 minutes (and yes it does happen in real time.)

Review:

This is a wonderful show for the true theater buff, and, it’s a shame it closes on June 14, 2009, however, as stated this show was a limited engagement.  There are many laughs throughout the show, and, it is no surprise that Geoffery Rush won a Tony for his role as King Berenger.  However, the supporting cast should not be overlooked, and, each actor should be recognized for their outstanding work on this play.

Exit the King is not for children, and, I really wouldn’t recommend it for any children under 12, however, for adults and young adults, it is an excellent night’s entertainment.  The Barrymore Theatre offers an intimate setting, and, I recommend this show to those who enjoy a mix of comedy and drama.

Overall Rating: 9

1= avoid at all costs  10= must see