Pylos

September 26, 2008

Pylos Restaurant                                    

128 E. 7th Street        

New York, NY 10009

The Setup: Greg and I are always in search of great Greek food. On our first trip together to New York City 2 years ago, we found a place called Pylos and we loved it! Boasting a consulting chef who divides her time between New York City and her own cooking school in Greece, this restaurant has a lot to live up to! On our most recent trip to NYC last weekend, we found ourselves once again in the mood for Greek food and decided to revisit Pylos.

The Experience: Pylos is an authentic yet modern Greek restaurant located in the heart of the East Village. We arrived around 6:00 PM and even though there were only 4 other people in the restaurant, we were told that we could have a table as long as were done by 7:30. Although I understand that they have previous reservations, the way it was put to us was a little rude. Once we were seated, the waiter brought us out pita bread and hummus which we ate up pretty quickly without remembering we still had 2 appetizers plus dinner coming! My only gripe about the service was that the man refilling the water hardly let you take 2 sips of your drink before he was back at your side, jug in hand. In the hour we were at the restaurant I would guess he filled our water 7 to 8 times - and each time our glasses were never under half full. Some call this efficient - I call it obsessive. 

The Food: After the complimentary pita bread and hummus, Greg and I decided on 2 appetizers: Anginares Moussaka (artichoke moussaka) - $11 and Kalamarakia Tyganita (lightly breaded and fried calamari) - $10. We also ordered 2 glasses of a Greek cabernet called Vatistas - $9 per glass. For our main dishes, Greg went with "Garides Kai Hteniame Saltsa Ouzo Serverismena Me Hilopites" - or - shrimp and scallops in an ouzo tomato sauce with pasta ($25) and I went with my all time favorite food - Greek or otherwise - Pastitsio, which is a baked pasta dish layered with ground beef and spices, and then topped with a bechamel sauce ($17).

The Verdict: A+ With food this good, I can definitely overlook a slightly rude hostess and way overzealous water replenisher! Pylos offers authentic Greek cooking at its best, along with a few modern takes on Greek classics such as the artichoke moussaka, which is normally made with eggplant. The calamari could have used some kind of sauce, but that's a minor criticism when you take the caliber of the rest of the meal into consideration. **Insider's Tip** - No matter how many cars are parked on the street directly across from the restaurant - it's still NOT o.k. to park there! (Unless you're willing to pay the $65 parking ticket) 

(photo courtesy of www.pylosrestaurant.com)

Maggie Brown

September 26, 2008

Maggie Brown Restaurant

455 Myrtle Ave.                  

Brooklyn, NY 11205

The Setup: It was a rainy Saturday morning and Greg and I were in the city to check out an apartment. We had a 1:00 appointment time (supposedly) which gave us just enough time to stop for brunch before heading to Bushwick Ave. After driving through Brooklyn for a little while, Greg remembered a place called Maggie Brown which he had been to once before for breakfast. Having decided against taking the train for the day, we somehow lucked out and found a parking space directly across the street from the restaurant.

The Experience: Maggie Brown is a quaint restaurant in the Clinton Hill area of Brooklyn. At 12:30 on a Saturday afternoon, the place was packed with hipsters! Instead of waiting on a table we decided to have a seat at the bar since we were super hungry. The bartender (and possibly owner?) was both attentive and efficient. She took our order promptly and we waited happily with our coffee and tea.

The Food: Although Maggie Brown has a varied menu ranging from burgers that looked delicious to salads that would please vegetarians and carnivores alike, Greg and I both opted for breakfast. Greg decided on The Maggie Brown ($8) which is scrambled eggs with cheddar, horseradish and chives, while I went for the Buttermilk Pancakes ($8.50). The portions on both dishes were very generous -- 3 huge pancakes with mine, and with Greg's - hash browns, toast and even a small salad along with his eggs. Neither of us could quite clean our plates, but I did help out by stealing some of Greg's hash browns!

The Verdict: B  Maggie Brown is a place I would definitely visit again, although next time I would opt for something more special than just pancakes. Greg really enjoyed his breakfast, but I have to say that I've had better pancakes. Also - at least 4 other people who arrived and ordered after we did seemed to get their food before us. All in all though, I did enjoy the atmosphere of the restaurant and would probably make Maggie Brown a staple if I lived in the neighborhood. **Insider's Tip** - ask for a side of raspberry butter with your toast or pancakes. They don't bring it to you automatically but it was definitely worth asking for!

Giordano's Pizza

September 13 2007 

Giordano's

Prudential Plaza

135 E. Lake St.

Chicago, IL 

The Setup: It's impossible to visit Chicago without stopping for a slice or four of famous Chicago pizza. (Ok, I'm sure it's possible for some people but for me, a trip to Chicago means a trip to the pizza parlor!) Up until this past weekend the only Chicago pizza I'd had the privilege of trying was Uno's. Although my first experience with Uno's was at the original restaurant in Chicago (and was mighty tasty), knowing that I can now go to Cleveland and get the same thing has taken a certain something away from the Chicago deep-dish experience that Uno provides. 

The Experience: My most recent trip to Chicago was for my friend's bachelorette party. It gave me the opportunity to hang out with a true Chicagoan and experience a brand new (to me) pizza sensation: Giordano's stuffed pizza! Giordano's has been a Chicago staple since 1974. Myself, along with the Bride-to-be, M.O.H and another fellow bridesmaid made our way to the Giordano's at Prudential Plaza. We arrived around 6:00 PM and although the restaurant was crowded, once we put our name in our wait was no more than 15 minutes. Perfect timing actually, as it gave us just enough time to look over the menu and decide on our meal. 

The Food: Between the four of us, we ordered one large Stuffed Pizza with pepperoni and mushrooms ($21.75). We also ordered a Greek Salad ($7.75), a Chopped Salad ($7.75) and washed it all down with a bottle of Pinot Grigio (you'll have to give me a pass on this one - I can't remember the name of the bottle but I believe it was around $25.00).

The Verdict: A+  Our food arrived in about 45 minutes which was exactly what we were told to anticipate (you can't rush great food)! Plus, 45 minutes gave us just enough time to catch up on some wedding plan finalizations! The salads were delicious and each came with 4 pieces of seasoned, crunchy on the outside-soft in the center bread (Yum)! My only gripe about the Greek salad were the anchovies. Being Greek myself, that was the first time I've had anchovies in my Greek salad and I have to say it was not a nice addition. That's not to say that other Greek restaurants don't use anchovies - just none that I have experienced. But they were easy to eat around and didn't really create a problem. 

As for the pizza - delicious! The slices were so big that we each were only able to polish off one slice which left exactly one more piece for each of us to devour later, after a few hours of bachelorette fun! (And devour them we did)! All in all, Giordano's was great. Not only did it taste great, it was also filling and very affordable for the portions you get. I would definitely recommend Giordano's to anyone visiting Chicago (If you haven't already beat me there)!