Pera

As I mentioned earlier this year, the area around Grand Central has tons of restaurants, but very few good restaurants.  After happily devouring lunch at Pera a few times (opt for the ground lamb wrap with seasoned fries, the wraps are only available at lunch), I decided to return for dinner.

Let's start with the good:

The hostess was incredibly kind and let me charge my phone (and check it frequently) at her station.  The rest of the staff (understaffed as a result of post Sandy transportation issues) was friendly and as attentive as possible given their ratio of staff to patrons.

Also, I like the ambiance and decor.  The modern decor is largely devoid of Turkish influences but the open kitchen in the back of the dining room is fun to watch.  The lounge area in the front of the dining room is lined with comfy couches that allow you to melt into while escaping a chilly winter night with much needed wine (a 2 hour drive to Spanish Harlem to get battery powered oxygen thingys, no power and no water=excuse to guzzle wine). 

Finally, Pera features an eclectic wine menu with tasty wine by the glass from all over the world.  The bartender (patiently) allowed us to sample a few wines before making our decisions, which we enjoyed and requested seconds. 

Now to the bad:

The food.  It's just not very good.  Which is surprising because I LOVED their lunch wraps.

When the best dish of the night is the side of fries, it is probably an indication that the restaurant isn't up to snuff.  The short ribs were tough and tasted like tri tip.  The fish didn't smell or taste very fresh.

Pera considers itself a high end restaurant and charges its patrons accordingly.  Unfortunately, there is nothing high end about the food quality or taste.

Pera works for lunch if you stick to the wraps and fries and it also works for after work drinks but don't subject your palate (or wallet) to the food around dinner time.

Any interest in restaurant review posts from my travels?  Let me know and if there is enough interest, I will start covering restaurants from all over (starting with LA!),

Your foodie friend