10/10/08

Pricey but lives up to expectations

by oligray

I went here on a Friday night at 6.30pm at which time the place was very quiet but it didn't feel awkward and with our gracious waitress this meant that we had plenty of time to enjoy ourselves. The interior was stylish and certainly suited the well dressed, though it also succeeded in not being intimidating or stuffy. Following the suggestion of our server we ordered two mains and two side dishes to share between the three of us which was more than satisfying. The ribs were delectable, a successful fusion of tender BBQ pork with a coconut infusion and the claypot fish delicious. The large shrimp rice was full of tender meat and the mustard greens carried a tasty smoky flavour. Certainly a tad pricey but ultimately fulfilling if you're in the mood.

• Pros: Successful fusion flavours, Decor
• Cons: Bit Pricey

09/06/08

GREAT food and AMBIANCE

by tahitian11

My husband and dined at Mai House during Restaurant Week a while back and the food was wonderful. Very tasty, cooked really well, and the service was fast and courteous. The restaurant has great ambiance and is definitely romantic. One of the best Vietnamese restaurants I've been to in the city. It gets pretty packed and noisy by 7 PM, and reservations can be hard to get after this time. Other than that, it's a great place to go.

• Pros: GREAT food and AMBIANCE, good service
• Cons: prices reflect that of Manhattan; gets crowded and noisy pretty fast

07/26/08

Top Chef

by akoti

After watching the show Top Chef, my recent craving for Vietnamese and restaurant week prefix gave me a good reason to go. I had my doubts about the chef, hate her on the show...... but let me tell you that I was blown away. Had the coconut lemon grass soup w/ shrimp it was amazing. Main course we had the ribs and wild bass which we're both cooked and seasoned perfect. We also got sides of the duck fried rice and shrimp fried rice that we're the perfect side dish. Just when we though it couldn't get better they brought out the chocolate ganache which was to die for. The ambiance was perfect and the neighborhood has plenty of drink spots for afterwards.

• Pros: food menu, selection of drinks
• Cons: hard to get a table

05/20/08

great food

by sonny27

went on a tuesday night place was pretty slow due to downpour. food was great! had the pork spring rolls. shrimp fennel salad and for entrees we had sea bass and ribs... everything was delicious. pomegranate margaritas awesome. service was ok but overall good dining experience!

• Pros: close to train and nice area

04/18/08

Some hits some misses

by kingscounty23

Had the omakase here and the food was inconsistent. The scallop tasted purely of salt and was totally inedible. The pork belly had the worst consistency, gelatinous and hard. But the beef and pomelo was great, as was the duck breast, the cod and the flan for dessert. The cuttlefish appetizer was addictive! I didn't care for the Tiger Tail coctail, it reminded me of mango with chili pepper, but found the Red River very refreshing. The service was extremely warm and friendly but I did not like the fact the our Omakase dishes were repeatedly dropped without being described and the gaps between them were very long at times. The ambiance isn't the greatest, too large and empty feeling. There is an open kitchen but it's really not very attractive.

• Pros: friendly service, food
• Cons: food, ambiance, service could've been more knowledgable

02/21/08

PRICE IS FAIR BUT SERVICE NOT SO FAIR

by Z123451025

Price is fair, Service not so fair

Me and my fiance went to Mai house for a light dinner before heading to a special party on Valentine?s day. Me and my wife met on this day over 10 years ago in a little town out of the city. This was a very special occasion for the two of us.

We hear that ?Mai House? food was great and we decided to try it. We were hoping to get a lovely romantic night and a courteous greeting. Well, that was not the case, when we arrived; we were greeted by this Vietnamese guy or Asian male looking who was rude and inattentive. He seemed uneasy and edgy. He didn?t seem to have our reservation checked and kept us waiting on the bar for over 20 minutes (we didn?t want to drink just eat). Most importantly he didn?t show any sign or regret for the mistake Mai house has made. We paid for our drinks (which were not comp) and we ended up being late for our party.

Does my house boss screen properly their staff to give customers the ultimate satisfaction? We are not sure. This person seem unprepared, unorganized and very negligent. We love the food and the servers but that first impression counts forever. And certainly this will count forever

We won?t ever go back to this restaurant again.

• Pros: PRICE
• Cons: SERVICE

02/03/08

So yummy

by jblonde

Everything was so yummy. My friend and i shared the scallops (EXCELLENT), beef salad (excellent), the shittake spring rolls and the crab +shrimp spring rolls (very good), the Dungenous Crab (excellent), the short Ribs (very good), the Skate, and they sent over every dessert--all very good. The dolce ice cream on top of the banana bread cake was out of this world. Definitely worth checking out.

• Pros: Yummy
• Cons: ate way too much ;-)

12/28/07

Spicy, creative dishes and martinis, excellent service

by lindasluder

Loved the inventive martinis and attentive staff. Mixed and matched appetizers, entrees & desserts from the menu and found the dishes we tried consistently delicious, with a fun creative touch. None of us were disappointed. Felt pricing was fair for the high quality.

• Pros: Great food and service, v. close to subway

11/09/07

weird experience

by yumin

I went to Mai House one a weekend in late October with my friend. I am a business man from Korea who had traveled and dine all over the world. Mai House looked great, the music and the decor was inviting.

As soon as I walked in, a sharply dressed gentleman who looked like the Maitre D (nice suit and ties but with no manners) brought us to a table. When we requested a booth of which there were three empty he seemed to roll his eyes and told us there were all reserved. Please note that one of this ?reserve booths? remained empty and was not seated the whole time we were there. After sitting and waiting for water, this Asian man was laughing and joking with a coat check girl, we flagged a bus boy to get our water. After ordering, this bold man delivered us drinks and gave us an excellent recommendation for a high end Shiraz.

Meals were great, I have to admit; Chris our server was friendly and knew everything about the menu and was very attentive. When we get up to get our coats these two staff: the Maitre D and coat check girl were sitting, eating and joking in a corner; we had to interrupt. It seems they were having some friendly conversation. I thought that me, as a customer was intruding. The poor attitude of this Maitre D was disappointing. It felt like we had to shut up and wait for them to react.

It is a shame that a place like this with so much quality food and great reviews has some unprofessional manager or who ever that maitre D was.

It is funny I felt that the maitre D was prejudiced towards Asians. He was so unprofessional, inattentive and disrespectful to me and my friend. We will probably be back when this Asian fellow get the night off.

Thanks to all who gave us great service

Yunmio

08/30/07

Great customer service, fantastic drinks

by lizzyred8

A friend and I went for dinner this past Tuesday night. I had read the reviews and was quite intrigued, especially since the pre fixe menu had been extended through Labor Day. Upon arrival, I opted to stray from the fixed menu, my friend stuck to it. The drinks were great - I highly suggest the Saigon Sling - the mix of flavors blend perfectly. For my appetizer I went with the Pho Ga and I was not disappointed. The hot sauce added just the right amount of kick to the broth, and the chicken/noodles were very well seasoned. For the main course I had to try the Dungeness Crab with glass noodles, as all the reviews had suggested. Although the portion was decent, and so was the taste, I didn't find it worth the hype. My friend's dessert consisted of a small banana cake with black sesame ice cream. The cake was delicious, the ice cream was lacking in flavor. All in all, I would return, but would opt for a different main course. The staff was wonderful and very attentive. The decor is great.

• Pros: Pho Ga, staff, drinks
• Cons: dessert