by Matthew C. on Came in with high expectations. Wonderful surroundings, I love the New York concept here. And the area attracts a higher quality of person, which appeals to me. Place was packed on a Friday night of course , drinks were good, lots of attractive people, and a FABULOUS band playing. However, the energy/vibe in the room didn't match the band's energy. There were many 40+ something men going after early to mid 20s girls/women. That resonated throughout the place. I actually walked around the entire venue to see if I "felt" differently, but nope it was all over. Not only that but people were indifferent about dancing in groups with strangers. I was there with my wife and she doesn't really dance so I tried to casually get into a group of 3 or 4 and there was no welcoming. I was disappointed. So we left after maybe 30-45 minutes, probably never to return, unless people start raving about the venue, which will mean either the people changed or new people have discovered it.
by Dollie Franqui on One word- pretentious! Last night we entered to be greeted by the server who told us that we were not allowed to just order a drink at the bar but were required to sit at at a table. Fine. We were escorted into a quaint back patio where the waitress proceeded us to review the list of menu items that were no longer available. Great. As a vegetarian, I did not find many menu options but I am used to it. I ordered the fromage du jour (cheese, fruit and baguettes) and the autumn salad. My companions ordered a cup of soup and a lamp burger. 45 minutes later- our order was no where in sight. In fact my friend remarked that we would never see our food since we spied our waitress sitting in a chair smoking a cigarette with a drink. Twenty minutes later, our order was delivered. My fromage did not include fresh fruit. My baguettes were sloppily sliced and my salad was basically lettuce and sauteed onions minus the pears. I guess our waitress forgot to mention that they were out of fruit too. My companion remarked that his lamp burger was particularly small and devoid of any condiments or ruffage. In all, we were disappointed in our food. The service was aloof and at times absent. I find it rude that the waitress would leave in the middle of a shift and not check in with her customers and take a smoking break within vicinity of her customers. The fastest service we saw that night came when we asked for the check which was delivered in 2 minutes and credit card picked up in 5 minutes. The best part of the evening was when we sauntered out through the main room to stop and watch the cooks in the kitchen. One cook actually took a bite of something, chewed, glowered at us, and continued chewing his food as he swung a dish around to the stove. He probably was eating the fruit that was supposed to be in my dinner. Nice.
by Jeannetta Groton on Just like it's kissing cousin, El Chille, the food is just OK. I love thin crust pizza and thin it is, but something is REALLY lacking in flavor. And they certainly do not put enough of the toppings on to justify a charge of $2.25 for each one. Don't ever order the pancetta. It's diced-not sliced, greasy, and chewy from being over cooked. The outdoor seating is great though, and that makes it worth it if you just can't make up your mind as to where to go for drinks, food, AND sun. Sometimes it's ok to sacrifice food for a kick-ass patio. Anyways, I'll be back, but not for the pizza. Home Slice and East Side pies totally win the Austin Pizza Challenge.
