Radio Star — Restaurant in New York

Giving this a 2 star bc frankly it’s just confusing, bordeline misleading. For one thing the name makes no sense- this is a pretty one-note meditteranean restaurant, with a dash of wellness(?) thrown in because hey, it’s Franklin Ave. Idk what I was expecting- I think based on the name and instagrammability and location maybe another generic French/American bistro. It’s definitely more on the middle-eastern tip which is fine but not immediately obvious.

The RS Martini is not well described. The menu basically says it’s a briney martini (hell yeah) but it actually is a cucumber and dill flavored martini (hell no). I had to send it back, I hate dill. There is no mention of dill in the description. I settled on a glass of Gruner which was very good.

They weirdly seem to just put olive oil and pistachio on top of everything almost indiscriminately. Even the chicken liver mousse, which is just bizarre… kind of like pouring red wine over buttery mashed potatoes, it’s basically the opposite flavor profile, and not in the good way. I tried to eat around the oil but it seemed to seep into every bite. The pistachios were nice but overall I would say this is a no.

Even the free bread was misleading- it’s pita-which of course is not a big deal but still not what i imagined when we ordered the side to go with it. I dont want to sound too picky but i do kind of like to know what i’m getting into.

They have these chicken ball things that actually scared me when i bit into them and there was some kind of hot liquid pouring out i basically spit it out before realizing it was supposed to be there and not you know, raw chicken guts. Again, not mentioned on the menu whatsoever.

The merguez was a little gamey which could just be me but combined with the filo I would say it’s almost objectively too rich.

The service was very good. My wife had the Video Kills cocktail which was delicious.

I doubt i’ll be back. They also offer yoga(?) So. There’s another spot on Franklin where you can...

We had a reservation for 12:15 and were seated right away. Within 15 min the whole party of 5 arrived. Anyone that came late did not get their drinks 🤷‍♀️ We ordered the jar spreads, two prosciutto specials, berry and yogurt bowls and 2 of the wedge salads ( one with smoked trout). We wanted the market salad but one of the guests is highly allergic to fennel so we opted for the wedge which we were told had no fennel. Sides of picked eggs and more drinks. The food took OVER 1 HOUR to come out. Seriously? Barely anything on that table was cooked! The jar spreads should’ve been out within minutes of the order… all came at the same time, except for the salad with trout. However, a cauliflower quiche mysteriously made its way to the table. When I finally caught the attention of the waiter and told him about the missing wedge trout salad, he brought it out in 5 min. It was missing the trout… but it had FENNEL in it! I mean… really? It wasn’t super busy, there were some empty tables and I would assume they would be ready for uptick in tables as it was Mother’s Day. I really wanted to like this place, but the experience was mediocre and the food was just OK. Also, we were seated outdoors and the sun was beaming on half of the people and I asked if they could close the roof more to provide shade. They moved it by a couple of inches and half of our party was melting. My utensils were HOT from the sun. I would suggest having individual table sun umbrellas on the patio, that way the roof could be open and shade would be provided. Really just not a well thought out set up on...

An unpretentious yet excellently cooked savory breakfast. (Overall assessment: 5/5) 🔥

What I got: Poached eggs, harissa, and yogurt (5/5): Radio Star executes a masterful rendition of Çılbır, the Turkish classic recipe of the same ingredients, refined cleverly by touches of lemon and pan-fried sourdough. What appears to be a modest savory breakfast recipe is a textbook-perfect study of richness, acidity, heat, and texture: the poached eggs bring umami richness and creaminess, the Turkish yogurt adds a cool tang, and harissa brings complex heat and depth. Radio Star elevates the dish with an inventive twist: loose layers of lemon juice folded into the yogurt. The lemon juice punctuates the yogurt with sharp acidity and simultaneously surprises and refreshes the taste buds. A second well-judged addition is their pan-fried sourdough. Firstly, it was fried perfectly—golden edges and chewy centers made for a very satisfying tension—and secondly, in addition to the self-evident textural contrast that a piece of toast brings to a creamy dish like Çılbır, the oil absorbed into the crust made the dish all the richer and more aromatic.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this nourishing, filling-yet-not-heavy,...