My SO and I checked out the new Vinyl location on the UWS, tonight (Columbus between 84th and 85th, east side of the st.). It's an aesthetic space, cutely kitsch with lava lamps and Michael Jackson dolls, much larger than the location in Hell's Kitchen. We split the Asian chicken salad as an appetizer, I had the St. Louis style barbecued ribs, and he had the turkey meatloaf.
I wasn't a huge fan of the salad, since there wasn't much lettuce and there were, by my standards, too much chicken and crispy rice noodles. But I know many people who would've loved it--including my SO, who still has a rocky relationship with vegetables. I think he was thrilled to get off easy with the salad this time.
The ribs, however, were surprisingly good, tender and meaty--much to my surprise. It's hard to find good Southern style ribs in NYC; who knew they'd be lurking in a Thai/American diner? The barbecue sauce didn't stand out, but wow, the meat was slow-cooked to perfection. Fries that came with it were excellent: thin, perfectly crisp on the outside with soft innards (my fave style of fries), and perfectly salted. The side of cole slaw was forgettable.
My SO's turkey meatloaf was alright, considering that it was turkey meatloaf. It was sort of salisbury steak-ish, but the peppery gravy did a good job of distracting me from the freakish texture of the meat. The mashed potatoes that came with the meatloaf was brilliant. They were made from scratch, not from a powder, and were wonderfully buttery and creamy. The side of kale was undercooked--as in it hadn't been cooked for six hours.
My only real complaint was with our cocktails. They were expensive, small and bad, made with the lowest available grades of spirits and liqueurs. Next time, I'll go with something from the soda fountain.
May 13, 2007
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