by Deann M. on Obnoxious neon lighting, over-priced subpar cheesesteaks, miniscule portions, blatant racism, and rude employees. Could it get any worse? Let's put aside that I used to live in the neighborhood and deal with the all-night drunk and loud litterers leaving their Geno's trash (Pat's also, to be fair) but did I ask for a political agenda with my cheesesteak? Please do yourself a favor and go to Ishkabibble's where your cheesesteak is made to order and there are more toppings available. (Chicken cheesesteaks, broccoli, mushrooms, etc) You may have to wait a little longer but it's definitely worth it.
by Mike B. on Circle near Times Square comes with all of the stereotypes (both good and bad) of a Korean nightclub. Being one of the only true Korean nightclubs in the city, it has a tendency to attract a very fobby Korean crowd. The women here dress to impress and a lot of the girls look like they just graduated from college. Short and slinky dresses are the norm, and for the most part the men dress well. The space is dominated by a large dance floor with two opposing bars above which hang wall-to-wall projection screens playing music videos. On either side of the dance floor are split levels of seating where patrons can reserve tables with bottles. The club gets crowded on weekends and a long wait out front is usually to be expected. As is common at most NY clubs, large groups of men without ladies will have a tougher time gaining entrance. The Thursday night crowd is fairly large with a noticeably younger clientele. The music is good and the DJ usually mixes a wide range of top 40 to Korean pop songs. Drinks are pricey, although I have heard of drink specials early on Thursday evenings. If you are in the mood to dance with friends in a large club environment than Circle is a good option for a weekend night. If you are a woman, be prepared to be ogled by the many eager men roaming the confines of this space. The club tends to attract a lot of very attractive Asian women, so if you are in the mood to meet some new ladies and dance the night away this is a good option.
by Dorian Do on Expensive American Chinese food, some of it comically bad. Among Brookline's many Chinese restaurants, Golden Temple might be the glossiest. A multimillion-dollar renovation some years ago turned its big bar into the "E Room", a nightclub complete with DJ booth and dance floor, and gave the dining rooms a modern sheen. It's the type of good-looking, unapologetically retro American-Chinese restaurant in which my parents feel comfortable (whereas Chinatown frightens them). The menu showcases brimming platters of Fifties-vintage American Chinese food: chicken chow mein ($12.95) with good crunchy noodles, thick-battered fried scallops ($9.95), and an assortment of potstickers, boneless pork ribs, teriyaki beef and chicken skewers, and chicken fingers with gloopy duck sauce ($16.95). Bartenders pour similar-tasting, rum-heavy Tiki drinks like Zombies and Suffering Bastards. A few dishes support the restaurant's "Healthy, Fresh Food" motto, like the sort-of-Chinese Szechuan eggplant ($9.95), rice vermicelli with pork ($12.95), and a chicken soong dish ($9.95) which P.F. Chang's fans will recognize as minced chicken in lettuce cups. Golden Temple wanders comically afield of the American Chinese idiom with its E Room Tenderloin of Beef, presumably named for bar patrons who wanted something even less Chinese than chop suey to fuel their dancing. The medium size ($28.95), billed as serving 1-2 people, is generous, a good 20 ounces of quality tenderloin, properly pan-seared to order. The accompaniments look like nervous refugees from an American steakhouse: wok-charred red onion, underdone asparagus and mashed potatoes. A fork and serrated knife are helpfully provided, as chopsticks might fumble those four big fillets. The mashed potatoes are an especially pathetic sight in a Chinese restaurant: flecked with basil, thin yet gluey from overprocessing, and bizarrely sweetened, they're just dreadful. "Instant are better," one companion opines. The tenderloin is worthy and fairly priced, but next time I'll get rice as my starch. And in the end, who cares if I snicker at faux-Chinese restaurants with grand decor? Grandma loved it, especially after a couple of big Mai Tais.
