Cheeseboat — Restaurant in New York

My son wanted Khachapuri before returning to college. I did not want to go to Brighton Beach, and I found Cheeseboat in Williamsburg. I must have passed this place several times while in Williamsburg but never noticed it. We came mid Eve on a Friday night and the place was at capacity. We were able to sit in a small space for the 3 of us. I had another friend accompany us since we were all headed to a Brooklyn comedy club afterwards. We ended up calling Ming back the next day because of Shako. He greeted us on the 1st day and he had a warm welcoming smile and we are felt instantly comfortable. The large table of people next to us were not so friendly tho. We pretty Much ignored them. 1st thing we ordered was the imeruli Khachapuri. Don't know if I spelled it correctly but all I know that it was so good. It looked like a closed pizza pie. The inside was full of cheese and it was thick with the cheese. It melted in our mouths. We ordered the khinkali, dumplings, and it also was good and very juicy. You have to grab the pastry with the knob they created on top to eat it so you can absorb the juices. Ordered some homemade fries which were crispy and good. We also got the beef and chicken kabobs. The beef and chicken were grounded and formed the kabob. What amazing flavors it had with grilled peppers and a thin crispy pita underneath. Also got the raspberry margherita and they made it fairly string which in liked. At that time our server named Max was so helpful and enthusiastic that we were there to try the cuisine. The whole experience was amazing. That's why I gave Cheeseboat a 5 rating.

Shako was so happy we tried so many things, he invited us to return on Sat for a special treat! We decided to take him up on it. On Sat, it was windy and raining but my son and I returned in the afternoon. I got the traditional Khachapuri with the egg and butter onntoo before you mix it. My son got the bacon and eggs Khachapuri. The bacon strips were very good and meaty. Shako remembered us as we walked in and he went to the kitchen to prepare our surprise. He came back with the Shrimps and grits brunch special. They call it Khomi I believe. What flavors were coming out. It was so delicious! I had a glass of the Georgian sweet wine, kindsmarulli, I cannot spell it. The music was very nice and it filled us up very nicely. I need to return here with more friends so they can enjoy Georgian cuisine. The owner came out with Shako and she was so nice and humble. We promised her to return soon!

March 2021 - Have not been here since Jan 2020, before the pandemic. I have been thinking about this place the while time and finally had an opportunity to come back. Before covid, I came here at least 3 times for the 1st times. One of the guys, tall and burly, was incredibly nice and he even asked me to return the next day for a special surprise he would make. He also introduced me to the owner who is so sweet and humble. She the kind of owner you would eat there every day. Last time I had the 2 different Khachpuri, one looks like a pizza and the other with the egg on top that you mix in. Also had these sausages that were so good, their crispy fries, and the dumplings which are so delicious and juicy.

Fast forward to now....we arrived and the place was at capacity and even the outdoor dining area was full, especially since it 6 feet apart. We originally were seated outside but a table opened up inside in 10 mins and we grabbed it. Io, yes thats her name, greeted us with a smile, and she was floating between hostess and server. She also has a warm spirit and welcoming attitude. We ordered an old fashion and the pomegranate mimosa which were nice. As the drinks were arriving, thats when we were able to switch to inside dining. We also ordered the khinkali, meat dumplings, and the regular Khachapuri, or cheese boat. While started to enjoy, I saw the owner come in and she remembered me from the last time I met her a year ago! She offered us to try the kindzmarauli wine and we did not regret it! It was really smooth and with a tinge a...

I absolutely love Georgian food and I've had a lot of it. This place is fine for food quality (more on that below). The issue I had with them is how poorly they handled payment.

They waiter told me my card was declined. I'd used the card literally 10 minutes before I walked in, and I used it again five minutes after we left.

After the guy couldn't figure out how to process my card, which he for some reason tried to do like five or six times in a row, I called my bank. My bank informed me that the card had only been rung once, and that it was declined because the wrong pin code was entered. I'd never once been asked to enter my pin by staff.

Because the guy behind the bar insisted my card didn't work, I put the bank lady on the phone with him. He continued to insist to me that the card didn't work and that there was no problem with terminal, despite the bank lady telling him the card was in working order. Again, I used my card five minutes after we left, and the bank lady said there was no issue with the card.

When I went back to our table to decide what tip I'd give them, the barman inexplicably started trying to show me that wine portions were the same in their different glasses. (I'd asked about the portions because their glasses looked so different and I drank so much quicker than my wife, but I accepted the waiter's statement that they were the same portion, with just a bit of surprise. If the portion size had been an issue, I'd have made it clear.)

I don't know if you've ever had a restaurant tell you your card was broken, but it certainly ruins your meal, especially during the holiday season. For a 20% tip, even if it was my fault, a decent waiter would put the blame on the restaurant to spare me the embarrassment. Only, in this case the blame clearly lies entirely with the restaurant.

Regarding the food: Khinkali - good soup content, dough too thick, meat slightly tougher than usual. No choice. Pork-beef is the best, and they just have beef, which is second-best IMHO and probably why its a bit tougher.

Adjarin Khachipuri - very cheesy, nice bread, less salty than usual, but many people might prefer it that way (not me)

Imeruli Khachipuri - better than average. I normally get Megrelian, but they didn't have it and this more than sufficed. (sorry for my spelling)

Borsch (Ukrainian, not Georgian, but they note this) - this was more of a cross between borsch and kharcho. I prefer kharcho, so IMHO it was better than borsch and not as good as kharcho. I wish they just had kharcho though.

Wine - the Saperavi was nice. Top third of Saperavis I've...

Our experience at this place was truly horrible and disappointing. We made a reservation for 9 people in advance. Upon arriving we attempted ordering a few bottles of dry red wine which they didn't have ANY and offered sparking red instead. Georgian restaurant has no dry red??? This is absurd!!! At the same time they have full shelves of wine bottles (maybe empty?) and a sign outside inviting guests to come enjoy their house wines. Ordered a couple of bottles of white wine and were given 5 different weird glasses instead of 7 requested originally. Demanded 2 more and were told the restaurant didn't have any more wine glasses! We had a choice of either accepting champagne flutes or shot glasses or wait for them to clean the dirty glassware. After a 20 minute wait we had to agree to whatever they had which was a mason jar and a shot glass for our wine. We poured the wine ourselves because the server didn't bother much to actually do his job. Ordered food and received it in a very strange order: meat entrees, then cheese boat appetizers, then lastly - soups. To our question why the soup came out last were told that we should've specified the order in which we wanted our dishes. Soup should actually always be first, but okay. During our meal no one ones refilled our water or removed empty serving plates/wine buckets from the table so we had to stack everything up to the side. Meanwhile the server was hanging out at the bar, playing with his phone and eating food completely ignoring us. Of course he did make sure to include the 20% tip which he absolutely didn't deserve. We didn't bother ordering deserts since we weren't ready to deal with shortage of silverware and plates and went somewhere else. I must say the food was great, but the whole experience was so miserable that we are never coming back. There's plenty of great Georgian places in the city and Cheeseboat is not...