Brian Dempsey's — Restaurant in New York

This place is terrific in the food department.

The seating that's visible from the outside is either bar-stools or high stool/table seating. I'm happy to say that if you have the balls to bring a baby here for food, they do have normal height seating in the back and a highchair! How's that for bar family convenience?

Our waiter was a young guy. Supremely friendly, supremely competent. I've been to Michelin rated restaurants with entire staffs that weren't as good as him. Definitely personable and always smiling. Made us feel welcome.

Food was mostly great. They need to invest in more flavorful cheeses.

Bacon Cheese Burger: A The burger was perfect. We asked for medium rare and that's precisely what we got. Beautiful char-grill marks and wonderful grill flavoring. This is a better burger than Bareburger. The menu says 2 pieces of bacon, which sounds a bit stingy, but we were given more than two without asking. Maybe sharper cheddar (and more of it) and a better bun would propel this burger to an A+ rating.

Wings: C We got "mild" for the baby but ended up not giving her any because they were too dry. Way overcooked.

Potato Skins: B+ They were awfully good. Lots of bacon, which is great! Again, a sharper cheddar would been nice. But what prevents these from being an A is that the skins were not crispy. Potato skins should have a crispy bottom. Perhaps they should salt the bottoms and toast them?

French Onion Soup: B A good soup, but not a good French Onion soup. The onions are caramelized. I could detect no sherry in the soup. The cheese is pure Swiss (a mixture of Swiss and Gruyere gives that classic burnt topping since Swiss doesn't char well). I don't blame them -- caramelizing onions takes up to an hour on a low flame and needs constant attention, but it IS possible to have a phenomenal French Onion soup at a restaurant (see Aperitif Bistro). Good. Just not a good French Onion soup.

Shepherds Pie: A A bit off-putting because when you see it, it's not a typical shepherd's pie. It's in a shallow dish. The "topping" of mash potato is pretty thin. It really doesn't look like a shepherd's pie. But it is truly delicious, and that's what counts. I love the chef's use of rosemary in the stew part. Complicated flavors. Loved it!

Battered Onion Rings: A These might even be better than Bareburger's onion rings, which are awfully good. They are restaurant-thick / extremely battered onion rings. Definitely a first class onion ring.

Tacos: B- Slightly dry but still fun. I'm shocked that they don't come with sour cream and the cheese is a little flavorless. We asked for some sour cream which helped with the dryness. They are only a dollar on taco night, but still, if you're a foodie, you probably don't want to order these. There are better tacos to be had (although on Bell Avenue, the pickings are a little slim...)

Steak Mac N Cheese: B (and A) The steak itself is brilliant. Char-grilled outside, grill flavor, and served medium rare. As a griller myself, I'm envious of how perfectly these pieces of steak were grilled. A solid, solid A.

The mac n cheese, less so. As with pretty much everything on the menu, the cheese is substandard. It's a somewhat flavorless American cheese. My wife loved them, but the noodles were slightly too al dente for me. Lastly, anyone who cooks mac n cheese should strive for a burnt cheesy crust. The attempt wasn't even made for a cheese crust. Still, I enjoyed this dish, so...

Officially done with this place. I've been coming for years but it's now a shell of what it once used to be and frankly not worth anyone's time. The ambiance is depressing without a DJ and the staff is a joke.

We walked in last week for their 2-for-1 dinner specials and sat at a table since the bar was mostly full and the few open spots had dirty dishes with dirty napkins. You could tell the people who were seated at those spots were long gone but no one thought to clear the bar to allow new guests to sit.

Upon arrival, no one greeted us as we walked in so we went straight to the tables. We picked the table closest to the bar so the bartender could see us and come over to give us menus. We waited about 10 minutes and no one ever came over to say hello, give menus, or offer water. Not even exaggerating when I say the curly blonde behind the bar saw us walk in and continued doing what she was doing. No smile no hello nothing... It was almost as if we were invincible! We got up and left since we felt so unwelcome. Terrible experience but honestly not surprised. Each time I come back the place is emptier and emptier and it's probably because the place has gone...

Unfortunately, I can't give this place less than one star. Abusive staff. Non-existent management. Sexist, racist, etc. I went to a couple of other places and asked around about BD before going there. People were emphatically against it, but I said that I'd find out on my own. The "people" were right. Everything about this place is wrong, unless you're part of some inner circle, in which case you can do anything you want, legal or not -- a policy exemplified by management. And I'm not just complaining in secrecy. I brought my concerns to the owner, Jose, and he was quite gentlemanly. He admitted he needed to be onsite more often. Still, I promised myself I would never step foot in this place again, but I went back to be professional and meet with Jose. Within minutes, the creepiness of this place was all around and I couldn't wait to leave. I'm sure they don't need my business and there are plenty of other places for me, but I asked around to learn more and the truth is the truth -- this place is a shithole. Avoid at all costs. Even if someone says they'll cover your tab if you just go with them to BD, you should decline and preserve...