Lavinia at Home

Restaurant Type: American
Our Rating: 8.0
Food: 8 • Service: 8 • Décor: 8 • Atmosphere: 8 • Price: 8

Madison is a great place, both for food and drinks; it’s located at 1316 Washington St., Hoboken, NJ, Phone: 201-386-0300. The bar scene up front, spacious pub is really crowded and a separate dining room – walk through a thick curtain and arrive in a romantic dark, a bit gloomy dining room and fine if you are there for romance. For summer time they have the outdoor seating. The Madison offers a varied menu of appetizers, a raw bar, salads and upscale entrees. Food is better than you might think. They served fresh baked focaccia bread with ricotta cheese dip and olive oil. We had Spinach Dip with artichokes that make it really tasty and portion is pretty good size to share. For main courses we had Grilled Ahi Tuna (Spicy Black Beans, Yucca Fritta, Sweet Plantain Salsa), Pan Seared Striped Bass (Sesame Crusted, Soy Ginger Glaze, Edamame, Braised Bok Choy, Fried Rice) and Gaucho Steak (16 oz. Rib Eye, Lobster Butter, Creamed Spinach), side dish of Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes and all these were excellent choices. Portions were pretty good size and we had to take it home.

Service was fine, restaurant is inexpensive and I will be going back again. They validate parking in the garage on 15th and Bloomfield.

Restaurant Type: Chinese
Our Rating: 7.4
Food: 9 • Service: 8 • Décor: 6 • Atmosphere: 6 • Price: 8

If you love authentic, delicious and spicy Chinese food this is a restaurant for you. They have 3 different locations in Manhattan;
215 E 86th Street, between 2nd & 3rd Avenues, Phone: 212-534-8899,
338 Lexington Avenue, Phone: 212-370-9647,
36 W 48th St, between 5th & 6th Avenues, Phone: 212-398-2308. You have to make a reservations for this location. It’s very busy for lunch, but it’s worth the wait. The food is fresh and done to perfection and it’s slightly pricier than average Chinese restaurant. The only one thing is the atmosphere not very impressive.

Restaurant Type: Japanese
Our Rating: 8.4
Food: 9 • Service: 8 • Décor: 8 • Atmosphere: 8 • Price: 9

Yama did it again with the opening of its fourth restaurant in New York City—that is, deliver consistently fresh fish to its faithful clientele. Now in Midtown Manhattan (308 E. 49th Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenues; Tel. 212-355-3370), East side locals do not have to travel far for Yama’s trademark sushi. Offering large slices of high-quality sushi, this restaurant is a sure-bet for a pleasant evening of Japanese cuisine. They offer a variety of sushi combination plates, giving you options on excluding shell fish, for example. Special maki rolls are also worth a try. Moreover, their new Midtown site is a definite upgrade in terms of décor and atmosphere to the Greenwich Village and Gramercy locations. While their plates do not have the gourmet flourishes of the Sushi Sekis and Sugiyamas of the world, they’re a great place for traditional, yet melt-in-your-mouth sushi at very reasonable prices. And if you’re not in the mood to wait for a table (not all locations accept reservations), try takeout and enjoy the delectable treats in the comfort of your home. Rest assured the quality and portions are still there.

Restaurant Type: Chinese
Our Rating: 8.0
Food: 8 • Price: 8

Looking for a night off from cooking, we decided to order take out food from a new upscale Chinese restaurant called Philippe. Located at 33 East 60th Street (between Madison & Park Avenues; tel.: 212-644-8885), Philippe presents a delicious array of dishes—with family style portions—to the Upper East Side crowd of Manhattan. It’s important to note that while they not offer delivery service, they don’t prevent orders from being picked up.

Philippe has a cramped lounge area, usually crowded, which is fun for drinks and people watching while you wait for your order.

Menu prices are relatively expensive for Chinese food, but most main courses are prepared for two. We ordered Pork Soup Dumplings, Hot and Sour Soup and Pink Prawns with Ginger, Sweet and Sour Sauce. They were unbelievably scrumptious. Yum! The only drawback was the way the prawns were prepared – that is unpeeled. With their shells still intact, the prawns were extremely delicious yet messy to eat. Philippe is now our favorite Chinese restaurant. Turns out, this restaurant is run by executive chef Philippe Chow, the former stove master at Mr. Chow.

Restaurant Type: Japanese restaurant

Our Rating: 8.3

Food: 9 • Service: 9 • Décor: 8 • Atmosphere: 7 • Price: $$$$

Masa is a top-tier Japanese restaurant located in the sleek Time Warner Center of New York City (10 Columbus Circle, 4th Floor, Tel. 212-823-9800) and probably one of the most expensive restaurants that this reviewer has ever splurged on. Masa serves omakase—the chef’s foremost selection of sashimi (raw fish) and cooked Japanese fare. In this case, Masa’s chef prepares delectable Japanese dishes with rich, yet non-traditional ingredients such as foie gras, caviar and truffles, which in some way justifies higher prices. While your taste buds will rejoice, your wallet may not. In fact, your wallet is hit before you even arrive at their refined establishment with clean lines and simple decor. Few tables also add to the sense of exclusivity. The food and cocktails are, indeed, superb and worth a try if your stomach can handle a tab of close to $1000 for two. For several hours, you will dine on multiple, exquisitely prepared dishes, served at a moderate pace to truly savor the flavors of each bite. For a special occasion, it’s a treat. If you dare to be boldly extravagant and don’t need the money for a vacation, enjoy the experience.