The Park View

Reviews 4

RU

Ruben Reynoso

Went here for dinner on a Friday night. Such a great vibe in this little place. Shops like this make me love New York City in the spring/summer. The tables had little candles on them, with the light flickering on the brick walls. The wall facing the park was retracted open, and the breeze carried an excitement that is usually only seen downtown. My beer was served in a mason jar - cute, matched the style of the cafe. I ordered the Chicken Caesar, my partner ordered the grilled cheese (and what a grilled cheese menu! wow!) with tomato soup. I was just riding a cloud of joy. Then I was a little heart broken. The check came, I pulled out my card to pay, and the waitress noted that the restaurant was cash only. Really? I had do have my partner wait and I hunted down an ATM at 1030pm. I found one at a totally different restaurant half a block away (not awkward at all, right) and pulled out some cash. What would I have done if the check was for two or three people and the ATM was unavailable? When I got back, I saw the small(!) cash only sign on the door - the one that had been blocked by the hostess who greeted us when we first entered. No where else did it say anything about being cash only. The waitress didnt note that when we sat down. The menus didnt bring this up. No sign over the bar. Please. Get a card processor. Its a beautiful spot that I want to keep going to. Let me appreciate your stand up comedy Saturdays with spontaneous abandon. Let me invite my friends and ring up a huge food and drink order. I dont want to be limited to the $20 bill in my pocket. If its a cost issue, please, let me throw my money in the form of visiting a few times a month. I usually dont plan ahead when I want to go out and enjoy my evening. This restaurant is adorable, but unless I know beforehand to check my cash level or to hit an ATM well in advance, I literally wont be able to come and enjoy myself here, as often as I would like.

A

A Private User

When my friend and I went here for lunch on a weekday recently, the food wasn't half bad, but the service was really lackluster. The waitress never once came by to ask how our food was or to refill our water, even though the place was maybe a third full and there was enough downtime that I saw her sitting down at the counter with a book quite frequently. She didn't ask us if we wanted anything to drink or what salad dressing my friend wanted with her salad. When my friend asked for balsamic vinaigrette, she returned with something that looked like a creamy snack dip that was apparently the restaurant's unique version, and when my friend said something like, "That wasn't what I was looking for; can I get some balsamic vinegar and oil instead?" the waitress's response was "That wasn't what you said!" It's okay if the waitstaff don't speak English perfectly, but it's really inappropriate for said waitstaff to be rude because they had not bothered to communicate important information about the food, such that the balsamic vinaigrette is not the same balsamic vinaigrette that's found elsewhere. When I later asked for a receipt upon paying for the meal, the waitress gave me an annoyed look. Not going back there again ever. A few other quick comments: I have no idea what happened to the pickle that was supposed to be served with my wrap. If you are a sit-down restaurant that is cash-only, please post a sign instead of springing this fact on diners only at the end of the meal. The older couple sitting in the next booth were similarly caught off-guard. Oh, and this place really earns their B health inspection grade. I have a pretty bad sense of smell so I didn't notice, but my friend, who has a sensitive nose, told me after the meal that she distinctly smelled urine the entire time.

B.

B. J.H.

I agree with James Henry. Since the renovation, the new staff do not come close to the former staff in terms of service. When the owner is not there, you can tell. It is more of a Happy Hour for the staff than for the customers. Loud conversations about hangout time, working out, getting punched or slapped in the head by one another and their uproarious laughter drown out the soft jazz that plays in the background. Business is seen as more of an interruption to their good time. Multiple dirty tables, dirty wine glass, unswept floors with papers, and even dirty silverware with multiple bits of food still stuck to them, get fixed or changed with a cold silence and no offer of apology or checking back to see if the food or situation are all right. Really, they are not paying attention and taking advantage of the owner not being present. They will come back to see if you want another drink, which we know is a sale for them, but not to check on your meal. Happy Hour drinks are good, but the staff during that time and at the change of staff (just before), loud and lazy. The new French Toast is good, that I tried on a different day, at the bar. Those grilled cheese sandwiches, only so so. Mine was cold, but I dared not complain again. You never know what angry kids do to your food in the back, so I kind of suffered through the meal. It took so long for my waitress to acknowledge me (and I was the only customer for half of the meal) that there was no excuse except for the staffs loud conversation at the bar, and poor upkeep of the space. Please clean the tables between customers, check dishes before distributing and dont seat customers in spaces strewn with trash on the floor that spans two tables. If youre being paid to keep up the place, do that, whether the owner is there or not.

K

K Tempest Bradford

Its funny how you can tell who has been in this neighborhood for a while and who came in with the wave of gentrification. Just look at any recent Yelp review of this place. I was never that impressed with this place pre-renovation. But as a breakfast/brunch joint it was reliable and the service good. Now theyve upgraded the look to something straight outta Brooklyn. And while I appreciate the aesthetics of it, Im not so down with the other changes this hath wrought. The food is more expensive but not tastier. A few staff members are nice, but service is overall poor and Ive witnessed the staff having friend time behind the bar while ignoring the folks waiting for food or attention. Even when its not that the service is slow and the servers inattentive. The only good thing about this is that I can sit for hours and not get bothered even if I dont order often. The place also seems to have an identity crisis. Its like they want to be a cool cafe that slides effortlessly into gastropub when the sun goes down. So there are coffee drinks and espresso and tea and wine and beer. But then the prices are all over the place. They have pastries, but also a sit down menu. And the sit down menu is reminiscent of the diner-type place it was before. Also: Cash Only? Really? Can yall not afford Square? Also, dont even think of coming in here with a laptop if your battery life isnt good. No outlets. None. Yet it looks exactly like the place where you would come with a laptop and have a latte.... I cant explain it and its not my job to try. I give it an extra star because I have had some nice writing sessions in here and its good to get away from the Wi-Fi for a while.