Josephine Lee
Google
I swear I've been here, but I'm getting up in years and the lack of a previous Yelp review indicates perhaps not. Ay caramba.
Regardless, we came here for a birthday dinner one warm, chaotic Saturday night. It was so busy and insane, the NYPD even came by at one point--though it was unclear if the manager had called them or if someone above had called the NYPD on the manager. The officers came out, took a quick look around, then turned around and drove off. No idea what the issue was. Your tax dollars at work, folks.
Anywho, the food was your standard Italian-American fare without much to distinguish it from the ocean of similar joints throughout the city. We started with some mozzie sticks, which were appropriately bar quality, and Fried Artichokes, which were eh.
On to entrees: My Spicy Seafood Pasta was about as spicy as a Westchester soccer mom. Points for above-average portions of shrimp, but minus 1K points to Hufflepuff for not knowing what a chile pepper is. The Chicken Parmigiano was better but still bland, while the Avocado Pizza won for weirdest dish of the night that still didn't taste all that great. I liked the side of Mashed Potatoes, I guess, but at $9 a pop, those better be made from actual Yukon gold potatoes (emphasis on the "gold").
I want to say dessert made up for the mediocrity, but I can't. The Chocolate Caramel Crunch wasn't bad, but my regular Cheesecake was...wrong. Weirdly dry, like it was made from vegan cheese instead of cream cheese, and lacking any discernible sweetness. And this is coming from an Asian gal whose favorites sweets are the "not too sweet" kind. I wouldn't order this unless you enjoy circular sawdust.