01/04/09

Cosy, Great food!

by deannaip

My husband & met a friend at Barmarche last night. We had an 8:30 reservation and were seated promptly. The bartender made us some great drinks: nigroni & Vesper. The atmosphere was cosy and hip. Service was great too. The food was delicious. The rissoto was delicious. My husband had the scallops. Great dish, but not substantial. I'd suggest ordering an app if you choose the scallops as your main. Our friend had the duck and he really liked it. We will go back.

• Pros: Atmosphere, Food, price, drinks
• Cons: None that I can think of

12/18/08

Good place to go for Food and Conversation

by dwong7178

Been here a couple times and each time, I was satisfied. The menu is creative and I felt like I wanted to try almost all of it. The fish tacquitos and shredded pork were tasty. The place is cozy and its easy to carry a conversation at the table. Then again, I have not been there during their busy dinner rush. I would definitely go back.

• Pros: creative menu, quiet atmosphere
• Cons: a little pricey

10/01/08

Why can't I give zero stars?

by huqleberryDOTcom

Adventure, a word I always refer to when trying a new restaurant. A perfect synthesis of culinary vision, service, and atmosphere is tough to find in a city with a myriad of dining choices. New Yorkers know that Saturday's are synonymous with brunch and a cure for the previous nights festivities.

So, as I made my way through NoLita searching for that perfect place to eat brunch with a friend, we decided to forgo a trusty standby in favor for Barmarche. It was voted Best of Citysearch's 2006 for brunch and late night dining. I guess a lot can change over 2 years because after leaving this place I felt like it belonged in New York Magazine's Openings and Closings... Filed under the latter.

We were promptly seated at a small table next to the window. I was a bit fond of the birch tree trunks running from the floor to windows and the gold trimmed mirrors. After looking over the menu I settled on Monterrey Eggs (I guess they thought they were too fancy to call them Huevos Rancheros) and my friend chose the standard Eggs Benedict. That is when the flaws of this place started to expose themselves.

The atmosphere was awkward. There was a strange aura in the place and it wasn't a good feeling. It was like the NoHo Star which I feel is equally uncomfortable. Except the Star is noisier which makes it slightly more bearable. At one point I was so thrown off by the forced behavior of the other patrons that I told my friend I was going to look for a Village Voice bin outside. Hey, we all act on a stage there is no reason to make it obvious. Escape sadly was my only way out, I left her to fend for herself in the ring.

I walked around for ten minutes around and couldn't find a f**king bin for the VV. What is wrong with this neighborhood? I returned empty handed and found out that our order was just placed. It took long enough...

We received our food, mine was mediocre... you can read my blog for the rest of my rant...