Alchemy
"Formerly a hardware store, the inviting space matches the laid-back elan of the yuppie/hipsters who crowd the bar, dark wood booths or the big tables in the back. Iron chandeliers hold oversized exposed bulbs, and knickknacks like vintage beakers and a stuffed armadillo line the shelves," writes Citysearch's Justin Hartung.
"Chef Jared King—formerly of Windows on the World, Oceana, and more recently, Peacock Alley—designed the menu of $12 to $25 entrées of roasted chicken, ravioli, seasonal stews, and a hangar steak in red-wine reduction, plus more adventurous specials made with game and organ meat," writes Daniel Maurer for New York magazine. The NY Sun's Paul Adams says, "The Alchemy version of fish and chips is a paperback-book-size slab of flaky skate, jacketed in rigid batter and giving the pub standard a charming textural flair. The chips are excellent skin-on salty ones, lots of them, fried to a crisp."
Time Out New York adds, "Don’t skip dessert, especially a moist, toffee-sauce–doused pudding spiked with—what else?—Guinness." But Chowhound DeeDee recently reported, "Alchemy is really, really mediocre food and the last few times I was there the service was terrible." Any thoughts on this place?
Reviews (8)
11217 wrote a review on January 15, 2009 12:08 PM
I really love this place. Great food, reasonably priced and the back garden terrific on a nice day too.
10thStreetReno wrote a review on January 15, 2009 1:03 PM
Top place, although the AC failed last summer which made for a tough time. Food is good steady fare and the service is on point.
SnarkSlope wrote a review on January 15, 2009 1:54 PM
Been for brunch twice. Backyard is great in nice weather. Food is good but nothing amazing.
zeebee_in_bklyn wrote a review on January 15, 2009 3:14 PM
Decent-to-good food and service, good atmosphere. We went expecting a 'gastropub' (don't remember which review steered us wrong) and it's not that, though it's a solid couple of steps up from run-of-the-mill pub fare.
bhill_brownstone wrote a review on January 15, 2009 8:28 PM
completely hit or miss on food. but excellent backyard, great big picnic tables inside, warmth, exposed brick and beer list. never a bad thing.
pmg wrote a review on January 16, 2009 9:20 AM
I had one of the worst meals ever at this restaurant. Our dishes arrived at different times. One person got sick from the food. We were there in the summer on a very hot, humid day and the restaurant had no air conditioning. However, the server was very pleasant.
dwarbi wrote a review on January 16, 2009 1:05 PM
Brownstoner hits up another one of my locals! Since it's really the only place nearby that serves pub food, I wind up here fairly often when I want a low-key dinner. The benefit of frequent visits is you know what to order. The mac & cheese is outstanding. Both the veggie burger and beer burger are mighty tasty. I find the fish and chops way overpriced, so I've never bothered to try it. It's a handy place to live near, but I probably wouldn't travel far to try it.
DanielJ wrote a review on January 19, 2009 6:38 PM
My girlfriend and I had one of the worst meals ever there. My veggie burger was soaking through the bun with grease, and was bland and tasteless. Any my girlfriend had the mussel special, which gave her food poisoning. Thankfully they removed the charge from my credit card, but I still won't be back.
Post a Review and Rating
Please be patient while your comment is published. It may take a moment.