01/15/09

Not so friendly bartenders

by Quipsmom

Really unfriendly bartender. . . somehow, when you sit at a bar, order a few drinks, order some food, you would expect that the bartender would actually try to be friendly - not so the case here where the bartender appeared to be personally insulted when a comment about the menu descriptions was discussed. Admittedly, when this place was known as ?ix, we were extremely spoiled by the wonderful bartenders, but still, this is a neighborhood place, and one would expect to be treated like a neighbor. In the future, I'll go to the other neighborhood spots where the folks behind the bar are more friendly. Perhaps dinner in the dining room is a better experience?

12/22/08

Embarrassing

by SuzieT

My husband and I went for brunch and they served his eggs benedict without the eggs! Eggs were promptly brought to our table without an apology or any explanation from our server, or god forbid, a complimentary drink. The servers seem to be really trying to improve the customer service but it appears forced and awkward. My BBQ chicken sliders were a little dry but I liked the concept. Spoons were not on the table when we sat down for brunch (hello--coffee?) and no matter how many times they filled my cup the coffee still tasted cold. All in all, Bloomingdale Road seems like a good idea but the staff needs some serious retraining and the menu is overpriced. Judging by the huge space, it cannot last long if it continues this type of service at those prices.

• Pros: creative menu
• Cons: overpriced, service is horrible, decor is confused

11/02/08

Embarrasing

by LittleChefnyc

The food is terrible. My girlfirend and I sat at the bar and ordered a couple of different things. We ate nothing. The chicken lolipops were horrible and came with a very strange sauce. There version isn't what a foody would think: a 'frenched" chicken wing, the bone scraped down so that meat forms a wonderfully, gelatinous, plump ball of tender meat. Their's instead is basically a terribly dry chicken meatball on a stick with some very odd spices that we could not identify. The twice baked potato tasted sour and was so old a stale it reminded us of a large burnt potato skin one would fine at a sports bar. My girlfriends salad had grocery-store, boxed croutons and so much Ranch dressing it was soup- it was soup I tell you. And worse, the bartender just removed our plates and said nothing. The gut-fest a few blocks down, French Roast, offers better fair- at least there, it is edible. I feel bad that this restaurant is promoting a "chef". They'd be better off with a team of talented Mexican (my apologies for the ratial slur), cash-under the table, cooks, the backbone of too many NYC restaurants, who could actually produce some delicious food.

High-concept reworkings of American classics define this big, snazzy Upper West Side restaurant.

by Josh Ozersky

In Short
Ed Witt, whose avant-garde creations were last seen at Varietal, brings his innovative ways to traditional American cooking at this new spot, in what was the old Aix space. Expect to see country ham glazed with Coca-Cola, bourbon-braised lamb ribs, "country fried" quail and other takes on conventional Americana. The room is large and when busy carries plenty of electricity, and there are usually seats to be had. The food isn't for everybody, but has its fans.

10/11/08

don't bother

by LongTimeNewYorker

we rarely try brand new restaurants -- we usually wait for reviews to come out or to hear from friends who have visited the restaurant first. but we are in the neighborhood and happened to pass by bloomingdale road, and thought, why not? in fact, there are plenty of reasons to avoid aix's replacement. our server was remarkably ill-informed (we actually felt embarrassed for her), the food was plated awkwardly, and nothing tasted any better than it looked. hopefully bloomingdale road will not linger so that soon we can have another decent restaurant in this space.

• Cons: food, service

10/05/08

Bring back AIX!

by doobienyc

My husband and I were big fans of this restaurant back when it was AIX. So when AIX closed and Bloomingdale Road opened up (under the same management as AIX) we had high hopes. BIG disappointment. The food at Bloomingdale Road is terrible. We went on opening night, and then again a few weeks later (we wanted to give it a second chance). Both times, my food bordered on inedible. The sald was drenched (to the point of turning soggy) in a dressing that was so sour I couldn't eat more than a few bites. The fries were overcooked. The "bread in a can" was doughy. The lobster bisque tasted like it came from a can. And the BBQ sliders were by far the worst barbeque I've ever had. The only thing that was halfway decent was the twice-baked potato, and even that was not very good - but at least it was edible. It's a shame, because I'm sure we would be regular customers if the food was decent. Also, the wait staff (which was top notch at AIX) seems pretty clueless and very unprofessional. Don't waste your money here. You'll just end up leaving hungry and/or with a stomachache.

• Pros: None
• Cons: Terrible food, clueless wait staff