Pink Pony

01/09/08

My Treat

by firehat at Citysearch

The Pink Pony is cool. Around 10:30 we slipped into one of the semi-circular nauga hide booths and it just felt like the place to be to relax, enjoy conversation, and a late light meal. The service was slow, but what's the rush? Our waiter, Lydia, was covering the entire back room by herself. She arrived at our table with a gorgeous smile and was pleasant and knowledgeable about the dishes. To quote David Byrne, she has a face with a view.

I had the Eggplant Napoleon only because my friend, the musician Ryan Bair (of Rahu-Ketu---check their website) said to me "I don't even like eggplant and it was scrumptious." I give it 5 stars because the sauce was truly surprising, very subtle. We're not talking Le Bec Fin here, but for this type of joint, The Pink Pony is the place.

My friend Nicki Stager (photographer---check her website) insisted on paying for my birthday dinner with her Visa card. She became quite forceful (and even used some bad language) when I tried to go Dutch. She snapped her card down onto the bill when it arrived. Here's another great thing about The Pink Pony: You can make a big show of your generosity and wave around your platinum card and say "It's on me" or "My treat" with great panache, and then pretend to be surprised when Lydia smiles so big and says "Sorry, it's cash only." Very cool. And the prices are very reasonable, so you probably have enough loose change in your pockets to cover the check. Leave Lydia a good tip; she's covering the whole back room by herself.

• Pros: Great atmosphere
• Cons: slow service

10/10/07

Great atmosphere!

by shess06 at Citysearch

Ventured to the Pony w/a group of friends on a Saturday night after a show. Great food (turkey, brie and apple sandwich a favorite) cheap, refreshing glasses of wine and an overall laidback vibe. The food came out quickly and the wait staff very attentive. Only downside is cash-only requirement. Reminded me of Pastis with a hipster and pretentious-free flare!

07/31/07

Like terrible food and forgetful service? Have I got a place for you!

by chrysis_ignita at Citysearch

Went this past Sunday for brunch with two girlfriends. One asked for her omlette with tomatoes inside. She was told "No problem," and her omlette arrived with nary a tomato in sight. My friend and I ordered eggs nova. The eggs were HARD BOILED, not poached. The yolks were so overcooked that they were chalky. Gross. We'd also made sure our meals came with potatoes on the side, and were assured they did. We were served dishes with no potatoes. Instead of potatoes, we were preseneted with slimy black "greens" and a few pieces of brown fruit. Gross and GROSS. We asked our server if we could have fries instead, which she agreed to. The fries were hard and chewy--AWFUL. We were never offered refills on our coffee. Instead, when our server finally came to clear our plates, we asked for coffee and it was served to us--actually, that was the only highlight of the entire experience. I expected the coffee to be burnt--everything else had been bad--but the coffee was actually fresh and tasted fine. There were two servers on and the place was half-full. I think the guy that was also serving was probably picking up the slack for our server and was basically overworked because she was so flustered. I work in service and have for most of my life, so I feel somewhat qualified to make that assumption. My friends and I Ieft brunch hungry. And that's a real bad sign. I'll never go back.

• Pros: passable coffee, great decor.
• Cons: everything else.

02/22/07

Great atmosphere

by fosterc at Citysearch

A friend and I went there for dinner on a Wednesday night. It was not crowded, and we loved the French bistro/hipster atmosphere it offered. I ordered the Eggplant Napolean, which was two layers of crispy eggplant with zuccini and carrots in between layers, sitting on a bed of brown rice.

My friend ordered the lamb stew dish, which was better than mine since mine was a bit dry and bland. The bread basket was ok, although I hate it when they bring butter still wrapped in those square packs. Is it really that hard to get a little bit nicer butter, this isn't Luby's afterall, and the food isn't that cheap.

I would recommend sitting in the front of the restaurant too, just because it's a little more lively up front. There's a large movie screen in the back, I'm not sure if it's ever used or not, but that would be cool if it was!

Great place to take a date; especially if he or she is an artist living on the LES.

12/21/06

Quaint & Fabulous

by lau0143 at Citysearch

Pink Pony is SO nice. Especially if you're shopping downtown all day long and just want to sit and have a simple meal and a bottle of wine. The menu items are low key but classy - and so so yummy. Service is great. I'll definatly be back there soon

• Pros: Comfortable and casual
• Cons: Wine is a little pricey

06/11/06

Tuna melt much better than it sounds!

by lbaltimore at Citysearch

I see many terrible reviews on here but I disagree. I went on Sunday for brunch and the service wasn't anything special, but it wasn't bad at all. The tuna melt I had was great and the space is nice.

• Pros: cute space

04/26/06

Great Place to Feel Ignored

by marxmarvelous at Citysearch

I had been searching really hard for a restaurant in New York where I could really feel unwanted and ignored and I finally found it! Read all the other review, they'll confirm it. The staff ignored my friends and I the entire time we were there. It took half an hour to get our check, which was perfect since we could sit, have drinks and talk! Oh, but wait, we were out of drinks (which were also delightfully overpriced). It was like the servers forgot that they actually worked there and instead wanted to hang out and be cool. You guys are awesome!

02/20/06

If you want to be ignored this is your restaurant

by missb1 at Citysearch

It's a shame that a nice, convenient place like the Pink Pony can be so ruined by lousy service. The last time I went we were seated at a table in a corridor next to the kitchen. Every waitress and customer who passed by me bumped into my chair. We asked to be moved (which took half an hour), and then were seated in a high traffic area in the back, even though the rest of the room was practically empty. The pretentious waitstaff ignored us for the rest of the evening (except of of course when they were bumping into my chair.)

This place is actually cozy looking and has passable food, but it is so unpleasant because of the people who work there. My sister says it reminds her of a restaurant run by high-school students who don't know what they are doing. I agree.

• Pros: convenient location
• Cons: bad service, crowded seating

01/26/06

pink phony

by ebonylips at Citysearch

I mean urgh. The pink phony [a name I have recently adopted] is a pretentiously marketed restaurant/bar venue. The menu is written in one of those ways that dazzel and confuse the not so experienced consumer. To elaborate; the menu is written in French but the dishes themselves are something that your - enthusiastic yet talentless boyfriend - might muster up for you, leaving you looking concerned for his love for you.

Not only is the presentation poor, but the taste AND the service lack luster. Waitresses are more interested in their vintage tee's and when Vincent Gallo is coming in again than they are about the actual customers. Go for coffee and drinks at most. Pah about sums it up. Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Pink Phonies.

• Pros: saw rufus wainwright, jukebox, french wooden doors
• Cons: food, service, price

11/10/05

Giddy Up

by cagurl at Citysearch

Interesting reviews. This was the best food I had on my trip to New York. I ordered the Spicy Morrocan Chicken and my friend ordered the steak. I even tried escargot for the first time - tastes like chicken ;) haha Tasted like garlic, actually. I'm no food connoisseur, but I thought it was all very tasty. I loved it. I thought the place was warm and cozy, too. Had a really pleasant experience, and it's one of my nicest memories of the trip. It was a bit pricey, but worth it. Hmmm? Maybe I just got lucky. Man, that chicken (in some kind of spicy soup) was yummy!

• Pros: food, atomesphere