Jackie Gordon Singing Chef
Latest Reviews
Le Botaniste
I really wanted the food flavors to match the decor of this place. The design is beautiful. Everything looks well thought out from the food display area to the shelving and room decor. Even the food looks delicious, but I found it bland and boring which it shouldn't be since it's based upon food from places that have very tasty vegetarian food. I had some sort of Moroccan stew that could have been Campbell's soup based flavor wise.
The staff were gracious and swift.
I tasted my chef friends ( yes we're all in the food biz) dishes that all looked great, but reminded me of vegetarian dishes grub the 70s where not having meat in them was the goal and not the taste.
The staff were gracious and swift.
I tasted my chef friends ( yes we're all in the food biz) dishes that all looked great, but reminded me of vegetarian dishes grub the 70s where not having meat in them was the goal and not the taste.
Coming Soon
What a fun, well curated gift shop! We walked in because we were intrigued by the hand shaped coasters in the window. They had things I hadn't seen everywhere else which is refreshing. They had these super colorful heavy cutting boards. We loved the silver fortune cookie box. There was all sorts of gorgeous glassware. The torso plant pots are hilarious. I took some pics to add to my birthday gift file for friends.
Oasis Cafe
We had a fascinating meal with friends who are Ukrainian and Russian. They did all the ordering by text in Russian with instructions to show the text to the waiter, before they arrived so we didn't have much of idea of what we were getting.
We did put the text into Google translate, but that only provided a vague idea of what we were getting. I added cheese dumplings to their order because I was curious about them. They order two delicious soups for us to taste. One was a clear broth with lamb and veggies that was more tart.
The other was tomato base with noodles. I think that's the lagman.
They got they ordered steamed manti: four large lamb filled dumplings. Nice tender dough and tasty filling with lots of onions. Also a couple of baked meat pie in a laminated dough similar to an empanada. We had so much food that we took these home.
They ordered a pilaf with beef and a typical Uzbek bread that is cooked in a tandoor oven.
They ordered 3 kinds of shish-kabob: chicken, beef, and lamb. They were all good but my favorite was the seasoned ground lamb skinless sausage looking ones.
The restaurant doesn't serve alcohol. We had compote which is a drink that is made by boiling fruits with a bit of sugar and water. It was nice not too sweet.
The cottage cheese were sweet. They were the size of pelmeni but with a smooth cheese filling similar to a blintz. I also took these home and enjoyed them immensely with sour cream and poached cherries.
The staff was very hospitable and efficient. And they were very patient with us since we didn't speak Russian. It seemed that most of the other guests were.
We did put the text into Google translate, but that only provided a vague idea of what we were getting. I added cheese dumplings to their order because I was curious about them. They order two delicious soups for us to taste. One was a clear broth with lamb and veggies that was more tart.
The other was tomato base with noodles. I think that's the lagman.
They got they ordered steamed manti: four large lamb filled dumplings. Nice tender dough and tasty filling with lots of onions. Also a couple of baked meat pie in a laminated dough similar to an empanada. We had so much food that we took these home.
They ordered a pilaf with beef and a typical Uzbek bread that is cooked in a tandoor oven.
They ordered 3 kinds of shish-kabob: chicken, beef, and lamb. They were all good but my favorite was the seasoned ground lamb skinless sausage looking ones.
The restaurant doesn't serve alcohol. We had compote which is a drink that is made by boiling fruits with a bit of sugar and water. It was nice not too sweet.
The cottage cheese were sweet. They were the size of pelmeni but with a smooth cheese filling similar to a blintz. I also took these home and enjoyed them immensely with sour cream and poached cherries.
The staff was very hospitable and efficient. And they were very patient with us since we didn't speak Russian. It seemed that most of the other guests were.
Worthwild
We needed a brunch spot in Chelsea and find Worthwild on Google. The website and Google photos looked nice, but it was really hit and miss. The pork hash had great flavor but the artichokes were undercooked and super chewy.
My friend liked her fried green tomato sandwich.
The gem lettuce salad was the best dish.
Both our partners ordered the avocado bowl and we're shocked at how measly and sad looking it was. Can you really call it a "bowl" if there is barely enough food to cover the bottom of it? It's more of a demi-bowl.
They decided they were going to be starving after eating they their bowl so we ordered some fries and bread. The fries looked great but were not crispy.
The service was very efficient. The space looks nice.
No real reason to go back.
My friend liked her fried green tomato sandwich.
The gem lettuce salad was the best dish.
Both our partners ordered the avocado bowl and we're shocked at how measly and sad looking it was. Can you really call it a "bowl" if there is barely enough food to cover the bottom of it? It's more of a demi-bowl.
They decided they were going to be starving after eating they their bowl so we ordered some fries and bread. The fries looked great but were not crispy.
The service was very efficient. The space looks nice.
No real reason to go back.
Dumbo Market
Yay! A real supermarket on Smith Street Street after many years. It's similar to Key Food but new and spacious! They have a sushi section. So happy to not have to schlep six blocks when I run out of flour. It's a nice addition to the block. Some of the prices are a little ouchy, but things are getting more expensive everywhere.