Address: | 171 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002, USA |
Site: | mcfny.com |
Rating: | 3.9 |
Working: | 12PM–12AM 12PM–12AM 12PM–12AM 12PM–12AM 12PM–12AM 12PM–12AM 12PM–12AM |
MA
Matthew Schilling
After going there half a dozen times, I completely agree with the NY Times Review, and Mr. Wells(Head NYT food critic) naming it the best new restaurant of 2012. The food is consistently way, WAY out there unusual, (Freaky may be a better term) Usually good, and as Mr. Wells said Service is cheerfully trying to keep up Service-wise I consider it a good visit when the drinks arrive before the food, and I get all the dishes I ordered, and none that I didnt. Yes, service is bad, but its bad in a fun kind of way. Decor/Ambiance: One of my best friends described it as an acid trip of eating in the best possible way You wait for 30-90 minutes in the front of what looks like a Chinese take out place (seriously, just put your name down and go find a local bar you like, theyll call you when youre table is about to be ready) with some kind of random music blaring. Once your table gets called, the server escorts you past the kitchen, thru a skinny hallway, (And why not have pink lights and an old Michael Jordan poster in the hallway!) and into the dining room, which is basically an old NYC back alley thats been roofed over and turned into a solar. The dining room sits about 35, with a giant Chinese paper dragon running thru the rafters, and the same music that you heard in front playing at a loud enough volume to make you have to speak up to hold a conversation. Apparently when Mr Wells was visiting, they were on a Zeppelin kick. One time, when I was on a date, it was Biggie Smalls greatest hits, another time it was the best rap of the early 90s, with a ton of Snoop Dog. The Food: Honestly, the place is all about the food. Consistently unusual, usually good, and always cheap. Three of my favorites are the Pork Jowl and Radishes (not spicy) The Thrice cooked Bacon (kind of spicy, unless you eat a pepper,--then it hurts like hell) which is awesome, with a sliced rice cake that has a really funky texture, and the Kung Pao Pastrami (OMG, so spicy that it hurts). The Salt Cod Fried Rice also makes a good alternative to regular rice on the menu, even for people who dont like fish. I actually have gotten into arguments with friends, as to if theres fish in it or not, but its still awesome. I also always get smashed cucumbers, to mellow out some of the hot dishes. As I mentioned before, the dishes arent always good, a friend ordered the westlake rice porridge once, and it was as bland and porridgey as one would expect(but seriously, who serves porridge for dinner!) I also got the beef tendon salad once by accident instead of the smashed cucumbers, and it was a bit tough initially, but after two days in my fridge, it was quite possibly the best leftovers Ive ever had. Also, be prepared for cilantro on many of the dishes. Is cilantro normal in Chinese cooking? No it isnt, but it tastes good, so why not? Is it a fine dining experience? Most definitely not. Is it something you need to experience? Without a doubt, yes. You probably shouldnt bring grandma, or even the parents for that matter, but in my family we spent Easter dinner talking about what we should have for thanksgiving, so I might bring them.
AS
Ashley Hendricks
If you have a food allergy, you should seriously consider going elsewhere. Our party of four had one nut and one wheat allergy--both of which were explicitly shared with our waitress when our order was placed. She acknowledged, and offered no concerns regarding our menu choices in light of this information. We ordered six plates to share. The first dish was delicious (truly they ALL were, and exceptionally so), but halfway through our party sharing the dish, the gluten-intolerant member of our party could feel his allergy triggering. We then found a lone piece of a wheat noodle(!!) at the bottom of our dish. Noodles didnt even belong in this dish. It seriously felt like we were being punked. Being the easygoing, understanding guys they are, our two with allergies insisted on powering through the rest of what wed ordered and making the best of the night--because wed all REALLY been looking forward to trying this place out, and its not like one can reverse an allergic reaction like this once its started. We notified the waitress of the lone noodle and the wheat allergy trigger and she appeared surprised, and mentioned something about a checklist in the kitchen regarding food allergies (this is a requirement in all kitchens in NYC, mind you), but nothing more. A manager came by and told us shed take the item off of our bill. The rest of our dishes followed in fairly rapid succession. Nearing the end of the last dishes, our friend with a nut allergy had been triggered, too, though thankfully not too severely and likely due to cross-contamination with a cooking or serving utensil. The good news is that neither of these individuals required emergency treatment or hospitalization--but the level of carelessness we experienced leaves me VERY concerned for anyone with allergies who comes here and trusts the staff to take those allergies seriously. Our waitress was notified of the second allergy and gave some kind of light feign of concern and practically disappeared. I had to go and seek out the manager myself to be sure that someone actually knew what was taking place here. While manager did apologize profusely, buy our guys a round of drinks and discount the bill--these things cant erase the physical anguish felt for days after eating here, the interrupted work and plans, or the disappointment that a place that gets so many things SO right could get this one *critically important thing* so very, very wrong. I really hate to have to leave a review like this one. We REALLY wanted to love this place and make it a regular stop. The food is incredible, the bartender is great and we loved the kitschy atmosphere. It just isnt worth the risk of someone getting sick, or worse.
LI
Lisa Tran
Wow, the hostess was SO rude. MCF has a diff waiting process than most places Ive been to. When you get there during opening time, the whole restaurant is empty (obvs). So they will fill up the restaurant in a first come first serve basis. Only when the restaurant is full will they start the waiting list. But when the waiting list is full, they no longer allow any one else to come into MCF. And guess what time the list is full? 7PM!!! So we stopped by to see how we would be able to eat at 7pm. The hostess says we cant come in near 7pm because they will stop accepting people. But right now (5pm) is too early to start a wait list so we just have to wait until the place is packed to sign up for the wait list. So that we did. We also asked the last person in our party to come asap since theres no wait right now. Everytime we check in with the hostess to see if theres a wait list, she scowled at us and then begrudgingly says no. As soon as we saw our friend walk through the door (6:15pm), we went to her to see if there are any tables open and of course that was when the wait list started with us being the first one with a 1.5 wait. What I found shady was that parties of equal or larger sizes walked in after us, was put on a wait list and then was seated before us. When I went up to ask for the ETA, she scowled at me and said in a tone that made it seem that I shouldve known this: "youve only put your name down half an hour ago, so you should be waiting another 30-45 minutes." REALLY?! That couldve been said in a nicer manner. And everytime a party left she would turn to her co-hostess(who actually was very nice) and whisper something and giggle. So unprofessional. Our attitude left a sour taste in ALL of our mouths but the food semi-made up for it. 1. Order the chicken wings. F-ing spicy. 7 wings total. So amazing and flavorful but I could only eat one haha 2. Order the lettuce wraps which is beef tartares, ikura and fried shallots wrapped in shiso leaves. Best combo with the chicken wings. Helps soothe the spice. 3. Scallop crudo was amazing as well. So fresh and so sweet. Best after the chicken as well. 4. SKIP THE SALT COD FRIED RICE. This is a family fave so I have this regularly. Soo this just tasted normal to me but over priced. 5. The lamb rib is HUGE. I thought it was good but not that great but my friends disagreed. Wasnt as spicy as the chicken though. 6. Try the drinks. They were cool and asianized. I loved my Tom Khallins. 7. Go experience the bathroom downstairs. It is a trippy walk. 8. It is super dark in there so I could barely see my food :( 9. I feel like I ordered more but I forgot what else. Will edit this when it comes back to me haha