by Isreal Youssefi on Rolled in here at about 1am last Friday - place was just getting going. Nice crowd, pretty much everything we expected but it just wasn't "rockin" yet and we were in the mood to dance, etc - so we headed to Lavo. (check review there) .... I'd definitely come back to Avenue - the staff (esp Andrew who took care of us at the door and the bartender - Garrett? Graham? was very friendly and accomodating)
by Joe L. on The food here is alright. It's expensive but the entrees are friggen huge. In fact, this is literally the first time in a few years where I've taken leftovers home. If you come here, get the spanikopita, Moussaka and keftedes. Get the gyro if you're feeling super hungry. DO NOT get the Greek potatoes. And enjoy the free bread. Kevin C. and I got a Keftedes appetizer to start. For entrees, we got the special Horiatiki Platter (which included the Pastitsio, Moussaka, Spanakopita, greek potatoes, gyro meat and gyro meat) and a gyro entree. For dessert we got a baklava. In addition, we also got the complementary cheese wrapped in phylo dough as well a giant loaf of bread (which comes complementary with every entree). I also got the Avgolemono (chicken and lemon soup). Avgolemono - Traditional Greek egg and lemon soup with shredded chicken and rice. - We thought it was really lemony, but it paired really well with the fresh bread, which btw was delicious. And it was filled with rice and chicken. Just too sour to be totally enjoyable by itself though. Keftedes - Fresh ground beef pan fried with white onion, parsley and garlic, served with Tzatziki sauce.- Delicious. Lots of lemon grass in it, pan fried, big and juicy balls of meat. What more could a guy ask for? Definitely get this as an appetizer when you come here. Pastitsio - Layers of pasta and ground beef, topped with bechamel cream. - basically a greek version of lasagna. The ground beef is flavored very uniquely with cinnamon. The bechemel sauce was basically a layer of super thick custard on top. They could have lightened up on it - kind of made the dish too heavy. I liked it. BUT, not as much as the... Moussaka - Layers of eggplant, potatoes, and ground beef, topped with bechamel cream. Exactly like the Pastitsio, but instead of layers of noodles, it was layers of eggplant and potatoes. I loved the differing textures. And it's healthier to boot. How often does a food taste better and is healthier? I would get this again. Spanakopita - Spinach pie with scallions, Feta cheese and dill, freshly baked in phyllo dough.Well made. Phyllo dough was crisp throughout, and on top and bottom, with plenty of feta cheese and spinach to go along with it. I would also get this again. Better than average for sure. Baklava - about average. The pistachios were absolutely covered with brown sugar and cinnamon. So much so that I couldn't even tell if they were pistachios. They might have been ground up almonds for all I know. Disappointing. Overall, this place was alright. Average in my book. And AVOID THE GREEK POTATOES. DO NOT GET THEM. they are baked, but seriously, with the consistency that they had, they could definitely be mistaken for being boiled in straight up lemon juice. Sour and just generally not pleasant to eat.
by Quinton Bohr on Not a great venue to see a DJ show... A friend of mine was visiting NYC and insisted on seeing one of his favorite DJs here. I'd only come back if a friend really wanted to see a specific DJ again, but otherwise it's not really worth the cover/ticket price. I'd rate Cielo 2 1/2 stars since it's not quite as bad as a 2-star review in my opinion, but not good enough to be rated with 3 stars either. I don't regret going since we had an alright time, but compared to the venues that I've been to in the past, Cielo just didn't draw a crowd. On the other hand, it wasn't too packed and sweaty and drinks were not too difficult to obtain. As the night went on it got more crowded but it was never too crazy. The patio out back was great for a breather and my buddy was very happy to have a chance to smoke a cig out there. Be prepared for quite a few party people riding the white superhighway in the bathroom.
