11/15/07

Mediocre at Best

by damamacd

I've only eaten at Fairway Cafe twice, the first time a year or so ago, the 2nd time today and was very disappointed both times. The menu is a typical cafe fare with breakfast dishes, soups, sandwiches and other entres with higher prices than most diners but the quality was poor. First of all, our table was tilted. I immediately ordered coffee which took a long time to arrive. I had vegetable soup that had little flavor and was lukewarm. My sandwich was a Croque Madame, dry with little egg or flavor. There was a tiny mesclun salad that was wilted and 4 cornichon pickles that were dried out. Dessert was carrot cake, which the waitor served with a spoon. Overall the waiting staff was unattentive. This is not a cafe I will ever go to again.

• Pros: Convenient to shopping
• Cons: Mediocre food, unattentive service, poorly trained staff, overpriced.

04/07/04

The fresh food of Fairway Market--without any of that bothersome cooking.

by Contributor

The Scene
Nestled next to organic foods on the second floor of the wondrous but chaotic Fairway Market, this casual, gourmet cafe serves breakfast all day, as well as a hearty selection of sandwiches, burgers and salads. Its lofty ceilings, exposed brick walls and huge windows (kept open in nice weather) create a placid alternative to the traffic jam of shoppers below. Service is spotty, but you can amuse yourself while you wait by reading the witty signs on the walls, including one that bans Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson from the premises.

The Food
The miscellany of fresh food here is prepared with a flourish. The fresh fruit plate becomes an architectural arrangement with powdered sugar lovingly sprinkled around the rim. Pancakes and crullers are habit-forming, and the popular Mediterranean plate offers a mini-buffet of four vegetable sides topped by salmon, tuna or chicken.

10/22/03

Overrated

by swang21

I heard that this was a very reasonable priced steakhouse. I ordered the filet medium and it came out well done. I would rather go to Angelo Maxie's for steak for the price I paid. It was pricey for the quality. The only redeeming part was the side items.

10/07/03

A hidden treat

by aes37

It's hard to find (up the stairs of the grocery store), but for brunch Fairway Cafe can't be beat. I hate to say this because it might spoil it, but it's line free, with delicious food. All of the fresh ingredients from downstairs turn up incredible upstairs. Sure, the ambiance is lacking and the service can be spotty, but at these prices for this food, you can overlook it. The egg dishes are perfect - the brioche toast melts in your mouth. The pancakes are more a mix of crepe and pancake and are incredible. The meditterranean plate is healthy food at its best. I haven't been for the BYOB steakhouse at night, but if the burger is an indication, we should all hurry!

• Pros: prices, fresh food, pancakes
• Cons: spotty service

09/02/03

Passable Neighborhood Steakhouse

by Omnivore

The space and furnishings are too spartan and the service amateur and scattershot (no smiles offered here - busboy serves mains with "who gets the...?"). Further staff training is a must, as what might be a nicely relaxed atmosphere rapidly deteriorates into the sense that one has been abandoned at table.

That said, for steak on the Upper West Side and considering there is no corkage fee, one can enjoy a passable meal for a very low price. The bread is very good; shame it takes four pleas to enjoy more than one small slice per person. The strip steak is decent, but lacks entirely the mineral undertones of the properly dry-aged offerings at Sparks, Peter Luger, or NY Strip House (on its good days). The ubiquitous molten chocolate cake (billed incorrectly as a Galette) is fine.

• Pros: Steak on UWS, No Corkage Fee, Price
• Cons: Service, Atmosphere