Karasu — Restaurant in New York

great food, great drinks, great ambience. haven't been to this place since before the COVID lockdown and wanted to take my recently divorced friend here as a special birthday treat. who doesn't love a hidden restaurant behind a nondescript door, it's exciting and exactly the type of thrill I wanted to give my friend.

unfortunately, and I say this as a hospitality professional of 10+ years, it was the worst service I have ever experienced in my life and I most likely will not be back. the server spent her entire time at the pass giggling with the bartender + chef. and yet somehow also wasn't there to take the orders they put up for service in any type of reasonable timeframe, to the point where the bartender + chef were taking orders to tables themselves. she didn't clear a single item from tables and it all fell upon the busser who I doubt was tipped out appropriately given the extent of the work he was doing.

my partner owns a restaurant nearby that's been operational for about a decade now and we were just absolutely flabbergasted, she said it was the only time she's had to put her hand up to get any sort of attention from a server (this was after a wait time of 20+ minutes to put in our second drink order). we saw this to be the case for other tables as well, no checking in, and empty glasses accompanied by blank stares waiting for an interaction from the server. we never tip less than 20% and we tipped 10% and may or may not have slid the busser some cash, that's how bad it was. we also saw this particular server take the wrong food to a table and realize it after the fact only to take it back to the pass and then take the exact same dish to the correct table. gross.

the food and cocktails were great. if I had to nitpick I'd say the karaage was a bit soggy for what that dish is supposed to be. but for the price point, service shouldn't fall by the wayside. disappointing to...

I'm entranced. After dinner at Walter's, a couple friends and I headed to the back of the Fort Greene, Brooklyn restaurant and entered into this mysterious, completely black, no signage door that led to one of the greatest speakeasy type bars I've ever come across.

There isn't a ton of space as far as tables go (maybe 8?) but there's also a bar area and, if you're lucky, you can snag a seat there without having to make a reservation. I was automatically impressed with the service from the moment I sat down - attentive bartenders and they were knowledgeable and willing to explain drinks if needed. My friends and I tried out a few different options and each of us loved all of the ones we tried.

If you're a gin drinker, the Bee Side (gin, basil, lemon, lychee) is amazing.

For darker rum drinkers, the Nettai is good (and strong) but it's essentially shaved ice like... definitely unexpected. But, for so much ice, it's actually strong (seriously) and there's quite a lot of drink in it.

Both of my friends had the Wave (gin, coconut, lime, etc.) and really liked it. I'm not a coconut fan, but they both are and enjoyed it.

An odd thing about his place is that, as my friend said it, "it's sort of Russian roulette with the glass your drink is served in." One friend ordered a drink and it was in a small cocktail glass, then a bartender made the same exact drink 10 minutes later for someone else in a glass two inches taller than her. Slightly odd, but I think that's just the way it is... the luck of the draw. However, all cocktails are $14, no matter what sized glass you get.

The ambiance, experience and true chemistry that goes into making these drinks is unmatched. I'm excited to go back and actually have dinner...

First off, the food was delicious. We had the ribeye for two, which was as excellent as the articles say, and the yaki imo, and the mushrooms, all delicious. They were very cautious with my allergy, swapping out sauces and things where there might have been an issue. Our server was wonderful, and was very helpful with suggestions for drinks and what appetizers to get. My one issue, which is not a problem with the place itself, but with my expectations going in after reading the reviews in New York magazine and other publications, was that it was described as having a low-key and quiet vibe. It was definitely chill-- go in a t-shirt and jeans if you want and you won't feel out of place-- but I guess in the years since those reviews were written, things have changed, so that at least on a Saturday night it was absolutely not quiet. The music was great, and I had a really enjoyable meal there, but know that if you want to have a quiet evening date, this isn't...