Theater and Dining

...two of my favorite past times! I went to see "Love, Loss, and What I Wore" with some girlfriends tonight. What a splendid off-Broadway show with just the right dose of comedic relief. As much as I enjoyed the show, the highlight of the evening was the wonderful little restaurant we accidentally discovered following the show. Upon exiting the theater we established that we were all starving. We took a few steps west and found ourselves on the corner of 43rd and 9th Avenue. With blank expressions on our faces we all asked "where to?" At a loss regarding where to dine in the immediate vicinity, despite being fully aware that there were tons of restaurants in the area given that we were in the Theater District, we decided that our only requisite was that the restaurant be very close to where we were standing, as the night had taken a turn toward sub-zero weather! I looked across the street and saw a blurry red sign (despite being near-sighted, I choose not to wear my glasses unless absolutely necessary). So we ventured towards the sign. As we approach the restaurant, the sign reads "Rachel's... American... Comfort Food"... and comforting it was! Ordinarily an empty restaurant would raise a red flag for me... but hunger and body temperature took precedence tonight. 


I have to say that I was very happy with our selection. While the awning read "American," the menu was chock full of Italian comfort food. I opted for one of the menu specials- lasagna with chunks of sirloin, cheese, layered with spinach and covered in a delicious marinara sauce. The lasagna was a hearty, perfectly portioned, savory, comforting dish... well worth a repeat visit. My friends opted for a menu staple- Trenette Scampi (a black linguine-like pasta with sauteed shrimp, asparagus, and tomatoes in a garlic and oil sauce). I didn't taste the Trenette but the reactions (and lack of leftovers) were telling of my friends' entree experiences. 


At some point we realized we did not get bread when we were seated and one of my friend's immediately brought this to our waiter's attention. At which point, bread materialized. However, this is where Rachel went wrong. The bread was definitely not a winner. Then again, the bread should never be the deciding factor when rating a restaurant.


The dessert menu provided multiple options. In typical me fashion, I had the tiramisu, which was clearly homemade and absolutely delectable. Most of my dear friends know that I am a tiramisu snob and loathe restaurants that try to pass mass manufactured tiramisu for "homemade." This was NOT one of those establishments. My friends ordered caramel pecan pie and a special- coconut pudding. Both were devoured. 


Despite the bread oversight and subsequent lackluster bread experience... overall, Rachel's Bistro (608 Ninth Avenue between 43rd and 44th Street) gets two thumbs up. I thoroughly enjoyed the undivided attention (given that we were the only customers) and I'm sure the waiters equally enjoyed our dramatic and boisterous conversation. I would definitely visit Rachel's bistro again... perhaps after my next theater experience.