Zagat; the ultimate in rating restaurants in New York rates it high; Allen rates it low.
So far, we have eaten at two restaurants that are rated in the Zagat rating book. So far, Allen has been very disappointed in both!
First, was a little teeny place that has been in business for 50 years. I just looked at their website and scrolling through the gossip section was a list of famous people (Bill Clinton, Tom Cruise and wife, Kate Hudson, Lance Armstrong; the list goes on and on)who have eaten there. It's really quite the hot little place to enjoy a frozen hot chocolate and other interesting items. You can look at the menu here:
http://www.serendipity3.com/main.htm. At any rate, Allen, Loni, and Kristi ate there and none of us was very impressed with our food.
The next place was a very famous pizza place that has also been in business for a long time. It's right by the Brooklyn Bridge and is called Grimaldi's Pizzeria:
http://www.grimaldis.com/.
Their pizza is very unique. I watched it being put together. They spread the dough - not roll - but spread by hand, then put on about 6-8 chunks of mozaralla - not shredded - add a small - very small amount of tomato sauce - a little bit of olive oil, and the toppings. It's not cooked in a pan but directly on the coal-fired oven floor. It's very unique. Allen thought it tasted like a piece of cardboard. It reminded me of pizza we had on the isle of Capri when we were in Italy. It is a more authentic pizza and not the Americanized version. We heard about this place from a couple of people who recommended it highly. One tourist told us that a columnist for the New York Times said she had to eat there while she was in New York.
So much for popular and highly rated eateries. We'll probably just stick to the hot dog stand on every corner or the Dallas Barbecue where you can get 2 chicken dinners for ten dollars before six.
Ah, but the pastries...now that's another story for another day.
