Live Bait

I’ve been to this place a bunch of times. They used to have a really good $ 12 salad called the Greenmarket kale salad, with kale, quinoa, pear, toasted pumpkin seeds, and shaved Parmesan. So… ingredients.
I came back tonight and they had replaced this with a $ 14 salad that was literally just raw kale, shaken Parmesan cheese, a little bread, and Cesar dressing.
$ 14 for maybe 80 cents worth of kale, and some shaken Kraft parm. I guess I should have read the menu more carefully, but this is such a ripoff. I have never left a Unilocal review anywhere before, but this was just bogus.

Hit and Miss
This is a very lively and fun bar, so I will give them a «hit» based on the bar and booze aspect. Plus, the restaurant has $ 1 oysters all day. However, this place gets a bit of a miss on the food side. Interestingly, i have been coming to this bar for years, but the other night was my first time dining here. .. Unless, doing pickle backs count as «food». Plus, the bartendress was really nice and very prompt with her service.
The food was a little struggle, I ordered the catfish and fried pickles as an appetizer. Bringing the appetizers out with the main course is a major annoyance I have with some restaurants. When you do that, the appetizer becomes A SIDE. I guess the figures that since everything friend that it doesn’t matter when you get them. Plus, the fried pickles were not really much to write home about. That aside, I was expecting a catfish fillet but I got something that looked like catfish nuggets and the «nuggets» were kind of soggy However, I will say that the tatar sauce is pretty good. This place is always busy, so maybe the kitchen was having an off night because my friend did not like his burger because it was overcooked.
I know that I will be back but I think that I will consume my calories in heavy beers.

Their shrimp burger is to die for. Every time I go there I get the shrimp burger and I am never disappointed. You guys should definitely try it too.

Sexist place with half priced drinks for ladies.
Guys don’t come here because of this. And girls don’t come because there are no guys.

We had a groupon. Bottom less brunch is really good, the drink selections for brunch is more than just mimosas and bloody Mary’s. I suggest the Lynchburg lemonade. The crab cake Benedict were really good. We made a reservation, but it wasn’t necessary it was dead in there on a Sunday 1:00pm. The hostess was also our waitress.

AHH I keep going back and forth on this place.
$ 1 oysters all day is great. I had them and hey were really good.
Calamari — SO PERFECT. It was cooked perfectly. It was tender and flavorful; the sauce was also great.
Bartender was nice/​friendly. Let us taste his «white sangria concoction.»
Still 3 stars, since the bad brunch experience. Will be back but NOT for a meal — just for oysters, beers and appetizers.

Love this place they have a nice happy hour $ 1 oysters all day nice drinks special and the food is fantastic !!!

STORYTIME:
Walked up to Live Bait on a Friday night around 7pm with my momma. You know when you walk onto a train platform on Monday morning and it’s PACKED with people… and you ask yourself «do I really need this job?»… Well after walking up to this place and seeing a dive-​bar FULL of people practically pouring out of the entrance I thought to myself… «Eh, do I really need this food?»
Now, me and momma drove from Uptown and found a good parking spot so she insisted we stay. We brushed past the bar full of folks and AT LAST, there’s empty tables and booths in the back. Thank the lordt.
Next phase: Momma had a groupon. A BRUNCH GROUPON. Mind you, we came here on a Friday and one of us should’ve double-​checked that. So again, we decided to stay. The host/​manager greeted us, walked away, then our server walked us over to our table. We sat at a booth for two and finally breathed.
FOOD & OVERALL:
Their food has a southern vibe. I had Shrimp and Grits, momma had Chicken and Waffles. I LOVED my meal. The shrimp were juicy & the grits were moist. The entire meal was flavorful. The waffles didn’t look all that great, more like frozen waffles reheated. My mom picked at them but the chicken she loved! Our waitress was a bit new/​awkward so no fault to her. Food arrived in a decent amount of time.
The booth seating here isn’t that great. God forbid the person at the booth behind yours on either side moves a bit … and the whole booth seat shakes.
Again it’s a bar with a hidden gem of a restaurant in the rear. The food was great so I’ll def come back and make use of the Groupon!

What a weird place. Came here on a Thursday after work not too long ago, and almost turned around and walked out when I first walked in the door because the front of the bar was SO packed with the grown up frat bros that New York seems too full of. Seriously could barely move around in the bar area. But I knew I had seen photos of tables in the back, so I pushed my way to the back of the bar and seriously, night and day difference. The tables in the back are quieter, totally spacious, and weirdly were mostly empty. I seriously do not understand why you would choose to stand elbow to elbow up front when there are so many empty tables in the back! Maybe I’m missing something.
Anyway, the hostess seated us without a problem. Food selection is fun — lots of fried seafood and Louisiana-​style stuff (I think my friend got shrimp and grits, which seems about as Southern as it gets). I got the hush puppies to snack on, and they were tasty enough, not my favorite bar food, but nothing too bad. I was disappointed that the bacon tots that I saw on some older menu photos were no longer available.
The one annoying thing about sitting in the back is that you can’t see what beers they have on draft, and their printed beer list they give you is almost entirely useless. It lists just a few «standard» drafts (think Sam Adams and stuff), otherwise you have to ask the waitress what’s rotating. And the bottle/​can list is totally outdated — I tried to order two different cans and she said they didn’t have either. Poorly maintained beer lists are a personal pet peeve of mine, but really, not a huge deal in the long run. They ended up having a respectable craft selection — nothing groundbreaking, but enough to make me happy.
Overall, I would come back here for happy hour with someone happy to sit in the back with me. I would NEVER come if standing at the bar was on the agenda, and personally I don’t think the food excited me enough for this to be a big meal destination. But with so much going on in the area, it’s a good option for a casual beer and snack.

Came here for my birthday brunch and enjoy every minute of it. From the food to the cold beers to the atmosphere I’m so happy I could stop in. You’ll see me again and with more people !

This is a lovely little Manhattan hole in the wall. Hubby and I were happy to stumble upon it. We had Bloody Mary’s… I have to say that this is clearly not their signature drink. We managed to doctor it up with the condiments on the table. The hush puppies were tasty. But the thing we’re still marveling over is the clearly incompetent oyster shucker. A place that touts its raw bar has an incompetent shucker? We saw only one other table with oysters on the half shell so we could not understand why it took 45 minutes to get 1 ½ dozen oysters and ½ dozen clams. I’m glad we were there at a slow time, otherwise I wonder how long it might take to get oysters.

While Initially intrigued by seeing 2 neon signs in the window pimping «BBQ» & «Raw Bar», when I saw only 3 stars with 300+reviews, I Almost bagged trying it… but 1^st 2 reviews I read were hailing he Mac & Cheese as possibly best in NYC… I has to try. Was like buying a bottle of wine because of the label.
So… 1^st impression… After the kinda-​nice vibe of the joint wore off… Determined the bar tender and Raw bar shucker are total morons…
Rather than saying a f-​ing thing to a patron with his 10 year old son who sat down at a table across from the mostly-​empty bar… It’s seems to make more sense for the potential of a decent tip and review of your place of employment to be tossed right out the window on a somewhat slow Saturday afternoon because your too douchy (or stupid) of hipster to acknowledge us.
I finally got the hint I might not get served so I Walked up to the raw bar guy… He kind of stared at me, but didn’t say anything… I assumed since he was Hispanic perhaps he didn’t speak English but perhaps new oyster orders since he grabbed his pen… So I naturally assumed he was waiting to place my raw bar order… I rattled it all off… He finally managed to speak… softly saying, «Can you order at the bar?» REALLY?
So go to the bar… Douchy-​hipster bar tender wanders over… Doesn’t say an F’ing word either… But is ready to take my order.
Success this time… And in fact the douchy-​hipster is in fact not a mute… When I asked him about IPAs they had, he managed to speak… Amazing.
SIDEBAR: Douchy-​hipster doesn’t discriminate… He wants overly CS-​like with anyone even at the bar… So not just me.
Anyway… By this point I’m actually hoping the food would suck so o could give his place a totally crappy review… Well— it didn’t suck.
I only had be Mac n Cheese, EC Oysters and Little neck clams… So didn’t try a lot but it was all fairly solid.
The clams and oysters both had a fair amount of sand in them from the mute rookie-​shucker not being super at his craft but still food was okay
Is the Mac N Cheese best in NYC? I’m not an expert on NYC Mac n Cheese so can’t say… It was an innovative take on it for sure though… Not at all greasy… Almost looked like it was made with pimento cheese… So hipster-​ish (of course).
Anyway… Would def not go out of my way to come here. But have to say… Aside from douchy-​hipster-​bartender and moron Shell-​shuckers… Place has great music, has seemingly decent food and still; somehow manages to have a great overall vibe.

So average. Nothing really stood out for me at this restaurant. For starters our server took forever to even ask us if we wanted anything to drink. The benches were dirty and creeky, and I am not sure why but it was hella dark in there. I’m sure they were just trying to set the ambiance… But this is an oyster bar not a 5 star romantic restaurant, let’s get the lights on! The entrees were just eh, I had the fried clam strip sandwich. Too much batter not enough flavor. The only thing saving this from a one star was the cheap oysters that were pretty good. Save your dough or just come for the oysters.

My rating is more like three and a half stars. There are things that aren’t good at Live Bait and things that are pretty good.
I came here with a Groupon for a weekend brunch. The location is great. Across from Madison Square park and down the block from the flat iron building. The outside is pretty cute. Looks like a dive bait shop. Upon entrance you have the bar to your left, a few tables to the right and the oyster station as well. No one greeted us as we entered. Actually, we kinda got looks that resembled a «what the f&*k do you want?». We went to the hostess stand and waited to be seated. It wasn’t busy but she was the only one working so we just stood there for a bit. This hostess/​waitress (medium brown hair in a ponytail) should not work in the service industry. She had zero personality. Looked like she was poppin’ ‘ludes all morning.
Sat in one of the booths. My seat was all tore up. Guess it’s the divey appeal? I didn’t mind too much because the place is a «dive bar». Interesting fishing gear decorated the walls. I really like that the napkins (cheap quality), ketchup, hot sauce, etc. were in beer six packs. Cute idea. We started off with 2 appetizers (not part of the Groupon). The Old Bay eggplant fries and sweet corn hush puppies. The Old Bay eggplant fries were out of this freaking world!!! The mouth watering pesto aioli (NOT tartar sauce like someone mentioned) goes so well with them! The hush puppies were decent. A bit too dry. Came with smoky jalapeño honey butter. That was delicious. We were two people and the Groupon gave us 3 drinks each. I was thinking since we had the Groupon that they’d screw us with the drinks like watering them down or giving small glasses. Very pleasantly surprised that the cocktails were HUGE, not watered down in the least and so good! Highly recommend the house made bloody mary and the Lynchburg lemonade. That one was Jack Daniels, lemonade and grenadine. Interesting and different combination. Service is so incredibly slow and lackluster here. Thank goodness they play great music (80’s and classic rock). Have to keep yourself entertained while you wait for eternity! When Ms. Quaalude did pay us mind, it looked forced. Don’t bother asking if anything is okay if you look miserable and forced while doing so. Thankfully another hostess/​waitress started her shift (long dark brown hair) and was attentive, nice and sweet. Asked us if we were ever tended to because she saw us just sitting there.
When I saw avocado toast on the menu, I got really excited. That’s my brunch jam right there. Advice. Don’t get the avocado toast here. The fries and slaw it came with were very good. Although, the fries and avocado toast combo is quite strange. The toast they used was weird. It was a soggy piece of whole grain bread. Usually avocado toast is on a nice toasted crostini or the like. Oh well. The avocado and tomatoes were nice and fresh. It was overloaded with wayyyy too much goat cheese. Ruined it. I was quite disappointed. I tried the kale Cesar salad that the person that was with me got. I immediately regretted getting what I got because I should have gotten that. It was outstanding! Yeah, it’s just a salad (grilled chicken, a poached egg, house made croutons, cheesy tomatoes, parmesan cheese and a house made Cesar dressing) but the kale was a nice deviation from Romaine. The egg, cheese and kale… mmmmm!!!
Now to the worst part of this place. Should one be so judgmental on a dining establishment because the bathrooms are the WORST you’ve seen? I say yes. I mean, if the bathrooms are neglected, what else is? Two stalls, small and cramped. No locks on either bathroom door. Dirty. Toilet paper not in the dispensers. Just laid out on top of the toilets. I’m supposed to wipe myself with toilet paper that’s lying on something filthy? The soap dispenser had a pump with no nozzle so you had to open it up to get soap. Lastly, the bathroom REEKED of pot smoke. I guess that’s where the hostess went to get her great personality??! What a travesty that bathroom was. Even started a conversation with the other person in there about how it was the worst bathroom we’ve ever experienced. Couldn’t wait to get out of there. No «thanks for coming» or any parting words on their part. Again, customer service! Maybe if someone would acknowledge your presence, you’d get repeat customers.
In closing, would I come back? Hmmm… possibly. I’d love to have more of their tasty cocktails, kale Cesar salad and Old Bay eggplant fries. I’ll just either hold my pee in or go somewhere else to release my bladder.
P. S. You get 50% off one appetizer when you ckeck in on Unilocal

«Meh. I’ve experienced better» is definitely spot-​on for this restaurant. I had read a lot of good Unilocal reviews so was looking forward to this place, but overall I was pretty disappointed. The place is pretty dingy and dirty, and needs some serious renovation. The bathrooms, floors, and old chairs are totally gross.
The service was sooooo slow. We ate lunch here on a Sunday afternoon and the place was not too busy so you wouldn’t expect the place to be so slow, but it was. We ordered «unlimited cocktails» but had only received one cocktail by the time our check came which was really annoying.
The food is also pretty lame. The chorizo and egg sandwich was not great. The chorizo came as a huge piece of sausage that was difficult to chew and wasn’t very tasty.
I definitely will not be back despite the convenient location to Madison Square Park and the Flatiron district.

I’ve been to Live Bait twice. Once for lunch where everything was good. Food and service.
Tonight, I came here again, and the service left much to be desired. We had to constantly flag down our waitress (she never looked our way when walking by) and generally waited a very long time for everything.
The food however, was great:
We started out with the grilled oysters without bacon. They were pretty good. We couldn’t tell if they were grilled or not before eating them. Don’t expect cheesy grilled oysters. These oysters are lightly grilled with spices.
We also had the raw oysters. Since we came during happy hour, they were only $ 1 each!
I had the Blackened Atlantic Salmon without bacon. It was so good! The collard greens are cooked without meat and super taste, they don’t have that bitter taste collard greens sometimes have. The salmon was cooked to perfection and nicely spiced. The hushpuppies were a bit dry but still good.
My friend had the shrimp burger, which she enjoyed. The eggplant fries were ok. The accompanying dip was great.
Another friend had the Caesar salad with shrimp which she enjoyed.
The vibe in the place was cool. The bar was full. The music was loud. But not too loud that you have to shout. I’d come back just for the food but hope they can upgrade the service here.

I’ll start off by saying this place’s food is great!
But it is by far the worst service, I’ve ever had. We didn’t get greeted for 10 minutes, had to ask for water. Our server wouldn’t even say «your welcome» when we would say «thank you».
For a restaurant that claim’s to be southern, it had no southern appeal of hospitality and I’m from the South!
She operated almost like a robot without any personality. I was really excited to try this place but I will definitely not be back.

Went with the groupon — 3 drinks and entrée each person. Drinks were good — tell them to hold some of the ice please! Burger entrée was delish! Crab cake could have used some more seasoning (old bay is your friend in a seafood spot) Oysters were fresh and can’t beat a buck price! Servers were on point! Friendly and attentive!

Came here with my bf said he’d been here before but not for food only drinks. I am open to anything so I said okay let’s eat here. I ordered the catfish and chips.
They dumped a whole lotta old bay seasoning on the fries extremely salty. And the catfish. NO SALT, didn’t taste fresh and was not crispy at all! SUPPER SOGGY! I am not one to complain but my boyfriend insisted I say something, too shy to mention anything he told the waitress about the catfish being soggy and she says. «That’s your word against mine» — WOW
only giving two starts because the tots were good… And the Heineken… And my date.

In an area where things are pretty expensive and a little more expensive, Live Bait is a great more affordable option. The bar goes with the whole bait and tackle/​dock theme. There is a pretty good selection of beers on tap and they have a full bar. Service is so so and some of the bartenders can have an attitude, but not enough to deter me from coming back.

I came here for their Brunch ($ 25 for 3 drinks ad an entrée) — I had a Groupon for $ 29 (2 people — 6 drinks, 2 entrees). I don’t think the Groupon affected the brunch… but it was bad.
My one star is for the drinks. They were decent — even though the same drinks looked different each time we had another round… Ex. my first drink had no grenadine in it. The ones after did.
The real problem here was the food. I ordered the crab cake Benedict — which was supposed to be a crab cake with a poached egg on top, home fries on the side. Instead, it was 2 sand-​dollar sized crab cakes with some too hard to eat corn bread under it. Then a HARD BOILED egg and some home fries on the side. WTF. Why did I get a hard boiled egg instead of a poached egg? I will never know.
The waitress looked miserable in general so I wasn’t even gonna go there.
I am super disappointed considering I had a delicious shrimp burger here several months ago. What’s goin’ on?
Come here for drinks, not brunch.

Great atmosphere. I was here for happy hour. They have some good prices on drinks and appetizers. I had a great time.

1. No suits!
2. Great seafood, along with a fishing motif. Make a (wood, I think… I doubt they’re stuffed) fish friend!
3. Not a large space, but the crowd seems to like standing in front so there’s usually a table in back if you’re not on the meat rack prowl.
4. A nice selection of CANNED beer, including Dale’s, Slap a Ham, and, of course, PBR. The problem will be that much of what is on the menu beer list– including «ask your waitress about our seasonal beers”– doesn’t exist in reality… at least not here.
5. Chris, the manager, is super-​accommodating and a nice guy to boot. We reserved a place for 6 to 8 people– only 2 days ahead. Chris was nice enough to hold us a table in back (yeah, I know, see #3 above… but still)… and when only 3 of us showed up: No Problem.
6. The «gentlemen’s platter» with lots of raw stuff is really a great sampler. At least a couple different oysters, and shrimp feeds 2 – 3. Not bad for $ 25
7. You can talk! It’s a bar where a visit it NOT like sticking your head in the engine of a jet plane: a welcome rarity in this city.
–Drink Club is a roving group of NYC drinkers, a different bar every week.

I had such a good time here. The atmosphere is super chill and layer back. One of the best place to go for Happy Hour and get a nice cold beer and something delicious to eat… Best part you don’t even break the bank. If you’re a big oyster fan like me I would say come for happy hour 4 – 7 and get the dollar oysters and try the $ 2 sliders… Top all that off with a cold beer, your guaranteed to enjoy your time. Oh and if you like the fried pickles get them, there fried pickles where so crunchy and delicious. Hands down one of the best places that makes fried pickles!

We found Live bait on groupon with an amazing deal. The food was amazing. I got the waffles with southern berry compote & my companion got the steak and eggs. The place was crowded and the management staff did explain to us that they did not expect the crowd. As someone who has worked as a waiter before I was very impressed at the way Jesse and our sever handled each customer. The food came of hot, the drinks were good. I would definitely come back again.

I stopped in for drinks at night and ended up ordering fries and Mac&cheese. No complaints.

Cajun restaurant with decent oyster happy hour.
My friend and I split the shrimp burger and eggplant fries after it being recommended to us by one of the bartenders. It was pretty interesting, especially the eggplant fries. Both something I’ve never had before. Very tasty.
They have a pretty good selection of beer and mix drinks. I must say, I was a little disappointed they didn’t have a better happy hour. They did have a $ 1 oyster special, but that’s about it. Maybe it was the time that we went, but the happy hour deals weren’t really that great. On top of that, their tonic machine broke down so I wasn’t able to order my G&T. So maybe it really wasn’t a good day to come.
Other than that, average service, decent food, and a good bar selection. I even left my # for one of the bartenders on his receipt. I don’t know if he ever got it, but hopefully one of these days I’ll know. ;)

Love the food and the beer shot special. Nice atmosphere. Some of the bartenders aren’t super nice or attentive. And the men’s room is horrifying.

Local dive bar, I mean that says it all. The bartender looks like he just woke up and came to work after a night of partying, love it!
If you’re in the neighborhood stop by and check out this cool spot. I hear they have a roller skating waitress on the weekends lol. Anyway they have a clam bar so check that out. Very cool spot.

Ordered pickup for lunch. The fry chicken was crispy but succulent and the calamari was crispy and fresh ! Delicious lunch!

I’ve been hearing praises from a certain Unilocaler named Steph P. for months about Live Bait’s Mac and Cheese. «Ohhh my gaaah, one of the best macaroni and cheeses in Manhattan! Ohhh my gaaah, but it’s still not on Gleason’s level.» Too true. I’ve been in Live Bait only once about 7 or 8 years ago to run in and use their restroom. I’m glad I came back. We finally came in about a week ago after a Unilocal headphones and wine pop up event nearby and were pretty hungry. Split a side order of mac and cheese ($ 6.95 in a skillet pan), which we both agreed upon should have been an entrée dish its that good. I think she actually had it as an entrée during lunch hours once. It can also come served with Lobstah. But this macaroni doesn’t need the lobster. I faintly tasted a sweet breadcrumb like texture on top: crumbled up toasted corn bread. Laced inside of its creamy texture of three different cheeses with elbow noodles I think there may also be finely diced caramelized onions. Which is also a damn miracle because getting Steph to enjoy anything with onions in it is a culinary achievement. There are so many other southern edible delights I’d come back for though: Frickles, hushpuppies, oysters, shrimps, catfish, poboys, pulled pork, gumbo. Stop me.

Great dive bar, with a good mix of a diversified eclectic crowd. A dollar fresh oysters, during happy hour, some nice red neck beer washed down with
Knob Creek, will take care of a long stressful day
you ‘ve just spent.
Did I mention great oldies grooves pumping out from their sound system.

Awesome. This is my kind of place. I came in for HH and sat at the bar. I don’t think it is particularly old, but it is decorated like a seafood beach shack near the shore with lots of old school décor.
I enjoyed $ 1 oysters (HH price), Goose Island IPA, the friendly bar staff, and the lively atmosphere. I would have had more but I was on my way to dinner and just stopping in to kill some time and have an appetizer. Glad I did!

Atmosphere: Always a pretty busy happy hour crowd, but the setup of the bar is weird. It is a tight squeeze, and the bar is directly across from the hostess stand as well as the seafood bar, so everyone is always walking into each other.
Drinks: Normal, happy hour prices are good. It’s more about the scene, and less about the quality of the drinks.

Lunch specials & beer!
I’m usually here for happy hour and fish fries like catfish and cod.
Today I stopped by for lunch with my co-​worker for a quiet lunch!
(There is no quiet time during happy hours and dinner; it is very noisy in the evenings)
I had the chicken blacken with goat cheese salad– $ 12.95 pair with a domestic beer.

This is a bar. But you probably knew that already.
Things You Might Not Know:
1. The selection of beer could be better (but Abita’s always nice to see).
2. There are often annoying NYU kids here, and out and about in the world.
3. It is warmer in Live Bait than it is outside during this endless winter.*
4. They play the most obnoxious «Irish» music on loop during St. Paddy’s day.
5. They serve a lot of fried food, and it actually looks pretty decent.
6. I was a Cub Scout, briefly.**
7. They have the world’s most annoying font on their website (legibility isn’t a priority, apparently).
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*Perhaps the only reason I came in the last time.
**This has nothing to do with Live Bait, but you seem like you’re really into me and that’s a fun fact for you.

I found Cheezus and he lives in Live Bait’s Mac & Cheese.
Live Bait is a Southern/​Louisiana/​Cajun bar that executes their theme very well… in a kitchy sorta way. Their menu describes their mac as being, «3 Cheeses with toasted corn bread crumbs» — but no, NO, NO, NO — it’s SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.
Mac n’ cheese is one of my favorite food groups and a foodie food staple in the plate that is my heart. I hold this deliciously comforting cheesy dish to a very high standard and I usually shake my head at what many places call «mac n’ cheese». I have a favorite in almost each borough and yesterday I came here for lunch with my work team… and was blown away by their STARTER mac n’ cheese.
First off, it came with bacon. I suppose this isn’t cool since the menu says nothing about bacon and if I was anti-​pork or a vegetarian I would be perturbed by this development… but I’m not. I am a bonafide pork enthusiast. Bring it on!
The bacon was crispy and cut up into teeny, tiny pieces — almost like bacon bits sized, but I’m confident that it wasn’t bacon bits because it didn’t have that hard, almost grainy, texture… no kids, this was genuine, off of a pig, bacon.
I have no idea what the exact 3 cheeses that I consumed were, but there was definitely a nice, sharp cheddar… the 3 cheeses used sang harmoniously in unison and as ridiculous as that phrase looked to me after I typed it, it stays because such perfection deserves flowery, ridiculous language.
The worst part of my lunching experience here was when it came to an end and I no longer had any more mac n’ cheese on the mini-​skillet with which this cheesy dish, fit for the gods, was served to me in.
I washed it down with Abita Purple Haze. This lunch was everything I wasn’t expecting and more. The pictures I’ve uploaded throughly support this ridiculously written review and yet, do not do this mini starter dish justice… of course it was only after my being done did I turn to the left and notice on their «Specials» chalk board that they also have a LUMP CRAB MAC N’ CHEESE. I want to… no wait, NEED to return and consume the hell out of their crab mac.
My coworkers opted for their «Plantation Gumbo» which came loaded with chicken, tasso ham (I don’t even know what that it, so don’t ask), smoked sausage and shrimp. It looked yummy, but the portion wasn’t very impressive.
I do wish this place were more reasonably priced and that mac n’ cheese wasn’t just a started, but also came in an entrée size… my starter also could have been bigger or in a deeper skillet… I’m not saying this because I loved it so much and wanted more, but… damnit I wanted more.
It was $ 7 and that was a fair price for what I got, but I would love to see a $ 10 entrée sized mama Mac. Seriously, I don’t know how to get it through to everyone’s skull just how good it was, lol.
Good beer selection, funky décor, decent happy hour and friendly/​efficient service round out the rest of my rating criteria. 5 stars.*
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* Get the Mac n’ Cheese you guys… or DON’T, I DON’T WANT THEM TO RUN OUT!

Kann man diesen Platz besser beschreiben, als es Rebekka F. gemacht hat? Ich glaube kaum, kann alles was sie geschrieben hat nur unterstreichen. Und erspare mir damit Wiederholungen.
Zum Essen: Wir wählten Shrimps-​Burger, davon hatten wir bisher noch nie etwas gehört. Eine gute Wahl, nicht nur waren die Shrimps in Tortillaform im Burger richtig lecker, auch die Fries überraschten. Sie waren nicht aus Kartoffeln sondern aus Auberginen. Eine super Idee.
Die Bierauswahl an gezapften Bier ist riesig (draft) und ich konnte mich nicht entscheiden, nur Lager sollte es sein, kein Pilsgeschmack. Ich überließ die Entscheidung der Bedienung, die eine ausgezeichnete Wahl traf.
Genau in die Ecken sollte man nicht schauen — ein wenig schmuddelig und in die Jahre gekommen ist so einiges. Aber vielleicht macht dies gerade den Charme dieses Platzes aus.

Das «Live Baît» ist unsere New Yorker Alternative zu den kilometerlangen Schlangen rund um den Kultburgerstand Shake Shack im Madison Sq. Park.
‘Directly opposite the park’ lädt das Restaurant in ein gemütliches, typisch amerikanisches Ambiente ein.
Sobald man das Restaurant betritt, findet man sich in einem langgestreckten Raum wieder, der eine üppige Bar beherbergt. Angeblich die längste New Yorks. Na, ich weiß nicht…
Über der Bar natürlich die obligatorische Monitorversorgung: 3 Flatscreens mit 3 unterschiedlichen Sportprogrammen, zum Glück ohne Ton, denn die Beschallung des «Live Baît» erfolgt musikalisch. Mitsingtauglich!
Diverse Biersorten können frisch gezapft werden; bei der Menge an Hochprozentigem in den Regalen frage ich mich dann immer, wann der gemeine Amerikaner das mal trinkt (?)…
Gegenüber der Bar befinden sich einige wenige dieser kultigen, mit gestepptem Skileder ausgeschlagenen, 4er-​Boxen, auf den Tischen Pfeffer, Salz, ein Serviettenspender und die gute alte Quetschflasche Tomatenketchup; Heinz of course! Eine Szene wie aus Lassie — I like!
In der Tiefe des Raumes verbreitert sich das Restaurant und bietet einer Anzahl kleiner Sitzmöbel Platz. Der absolute Clou: die Rückwand des Restaurants ziert eine Auswahl abmontierter Retro-​Kühlschranktüren mit den abgerundeten Ecken der 60er– stylish!
Die Speisekarte ist breit gefächert amerikanisch, will sagen von Austern über Südstaaten-​Gerichte bis zu BBQ alles am Start. Dazu stets ein Brotkorb des Hauses, wobei wir finden, dass die Harmonie nicht immer gegeben ist. Da überraschen kleine Küchlein schon mal mit Salzgeschmack.
Wir essen dort extrem delikate Spare Ribs, zart im Fleisch, deftig gewürzt, ausreichende Portion nicht zuletzt dank der Beilagen wir Pommes oder Cole Slaw. Generell sind Restaurants in Amerika ja etwas teurer als bei uns, aber hier stimmt Preis-​Leistungs-​Verhältnis auf jeden Fall.
Immer wieder nett, wenn es sich um ein Bedien-​Restaurant handelt: «Hi, I’M Cathy — I’m your waiter tonight.»