Sunday, August 2, 2015

Empire Diner


210 Tenth Avenue
(between 22nd and 23rd Streets)


As a big fan of the Food Network’s show Chopped, I have been meaning to check out the newly reopened Empire Diner under its new head chef, Amanda Freitag—a judge on Chopped.

Retaining its art deco décor, the diner is as comfortable and cozy as I remembered it when I visited it nearly twenty years ago (minus the piano, of course!).


 

I just heard however that Freitag is unfortunately stepping down as head chef of the restaurant so that she could focus on her television shows.

Hope the rumors aren't true, but with a heat wave in NYC, what better place to go then to an air-conditioned diner for some good old-fashioned yummy dessert?

I decided to take the waitress’s recommendation and ordered the Cocoa Carrot Cake Sundae ($10), which was topped with cream cheese ice cream and carrot caramel.


Unbelievably rich and decadent!!!


For some odd reason, I’ve been craving olives all summer. And since I noticed that they seemed to have a well-stocked bar (their drinks and particularly their wine list looked pretty amazing),



I asked if I could order a side of olives. Not only did the waitress say, yes; she also gave them to me as a comp and without any judgment!
 
I do have to say that the mix of salty olives and the sweet carrot cake actually worked well together!


Pros:
Friendly and helpful service.


Cons:
Pricey.


Final Thoughts
Will definitely return just for that carrot cake dessert!





No comments:

Post a Comment