Lasagna Resraurant

Well here goes....my very first blog. A little background on what I hope to accomplish with these writings.... I hope  to give my readers some insight and direction on the dining experience in New York City. When you want to go out to dinner, I hope you'll check my blog for some suggestions of where to eat.... and where not to eat.

As I grew older...wiser.... hungrier,.... and a little bit fussier... I realized I was becoming more critical and more expectant of good taste, service, and overall food quality while dining out in the city. We're not talking manic Gordon Ramsey or anything like that, but I do realize the difference between regular old food....crappy food....and really good eats, so I decided to keep track of the places I eat out and write of my  dining experiences and impressions.

To keep the crap to a minimum....and not waste your time reading for ten minutes just to find out if the place was good or bad,...I will write a thumbs up or thumbs down directly after the link to the restaurant before the review. Keep in mind that middle of the road food isn't what we are looking for....and a thumbs down doesn't mean the place sucks.....it just means there are better places and better food out there and my opinion says to pass the place up and pick someplace else to eat out.........so little time.....so much food to enjoy!

Here is my first review...Tonight the wife and I ate at Lasagna on 2nd ave at 50th street. Here's the link... Lasagna Restaurant

THUMBS DOWN

On entering the place, we were both struck with the strong smell of scented candles. I don't know about you, but I don't need to be inhaling and smelling scented candles when I am trying to enjoy a good meal. This wasn't a head shop or massage parlor. The food should be the aromas you smell. It would have been better if they had a small pot of red sauce with some meatballs and some sausage simmering on a hotplate behind the bar....that's what I want to smell when I'm getting ready to chow down on some lasagna or other Italian delights.

Sometimes my wife will put a small saucepan on the stove at home with some apples or pears and a little water in it. ...and just let it simmer real slow. The aroma is fantastic....it just smells like something baking in the oven....something you'd love to taste. smells like home cooking.... Like apple pie.

Well....back to the place. The atmosphere was fine....nice layout....nice purple lit wall sconces...the table layout was good. The service was excellent. waiter came immediately to take our drink order....brought garlic bread to the table...and took our order fast. Karen ( my wife) had some Pino Grigio and I had a Hogarden (sp?) I like draft beer when I go out and I was disappointed by the limited selection of only 3 drafts. I forget the others....I think they were miller...or Bud or something. Of course we were in a place called Lasagna....so we had to order some of that.....Karen ordered Sausage & Onion Lasagna and I had the Chicken Franchese. Please forgive me if I spell this food incorrectly. I don't want to spend the time checking it all out. I'm sure you get the drift. We split a Cesar salad. Let's start with that. Now, the salad was ok....but it was obviously scooped out of a big container of some kind and drissled with dressing. The croutons were very good....and very buttery...the anchovie taste was from a tube....not from a real fish....my wife actually prefers this....no spiny bones to swallow. It actually wasn't a bad salad....it just wasn't made to order like it should be in a good place....no sexy shaved Parmesan on top....you know what I mean... mass produced.

By now....we couldn't smell the scented candles...that was a good thing...Then the main courses came. Karen's Lasagna didn't have enough sauce...the portion size was good....but  the pasta was triple layered with nothing in between....then a little ricotta cheese and some sausage and a bit of onions....and a bit of sauce. Although the menu said it was made to order....it was made crapily.....everybody knows....when you make lasagna ....it is all about the layers....sauce....pasta....meat...cheese........sauce....pasta....meat...cheese.....etc...
.they seemed to fill the bottom of the turine with sausage and onion....and then layer 3 pieces of pasta over that..with nothing in between....then a smear of ricotta....then 3 more pieces of pasta....then some red sauce....if you run a place called Lasagna....don't you think it would be a good idea to make that dish right? It was mediocre at best. I would not order it again....nor would my wife, Karen.

Movin on to my chicken dish. In a word..... Overcooked.  Now,... granted....it isn't as easy as you think to make good chicken....people think it is....but it isn't. I can count on the fingers of one hand the times I have had perfectly cooked chicken at a restaurant. It is almost always overcooked. This chicken was tasty....but not as tender as it should be. The sauce was great and we sopped it up with the bread.....but the chicken was tough. I have had better in many places.

To sum up.....We had 2 entrees ...one salad.....2 wines....2 drafts...and the bill was $100 including tip.  Not bad for NY....but in my opinion.....not worth it....and not worth the time....or calories.