El Cid, others

[toddevan]

EL CID - is this place anygood or should we just skip it.

went to McCormick and Schmick last week and totally uninspired

perhaps ordered wrong.

The tuna entree was in very small pieces like a tuna tataki but smallish portion and bad spice mixture.

mussels app very small sauce not good

-Pimaan -Chicken Ginger tried 2 times

hottest chick ginger you will try due to the use of veru hot peppers! shrimp dumplings skip these.

[tommy]

i haven't yet been to M&S, as it seems pretty expensive, and as you say, uninspired. i'd rather spend the money and the time at a good BYOB or someplace in NYC. but that's neither here nor there. however, and expert tells me that the crabcakes are top-notch. read here.

el cid is decent enough for lobsters, shrimp in garlic, etc. anyone who can't tolerate smoke or noise is advised to stay well away. the place can get very smoky.

Edited May 6, 2003 by tommy (log)

[toddevan]

A group of us were interested in going to EL CId. we were curious on pricing of the lobsters and were told that price cannot be disclosed on the phone. A lady there told us this. The other day we call and a guy answers and says at 4:45 he does not know the price for the lobsters and hangs up on us.

As we were looking for a place for a decent sized work group, we wanted to make sure the price was within a certain range and we could not and chose to not go to El Cid.

We wound up at M&S ($30 for app and dinner for most w/o wine) and I was totally disappointed.

-new place Ohashis also in Riverside by the Thai Chef people (they are trying to pawn overpriced presliced sushi served by teenagers)

- they also have some of the noodle dishes from Thai Chef.

[tommy]

the prices at el cid seem comparable to others of its ilk. what's the going price for lobsters these days, about 15 a lb?

Edited May 6, 2003 by tommy (log)

[toddevan]

I have seen lobsters go anywhere from 10 dollars a pound to 25 a pound. See Morton's prices

[201]

I've only been to El Cid one time a few years ago, but I've been meaning to go back (though obviously not with a high level of priority). I wouldn't consider it a very sophisticated type of place and as Tommy suggested it's probably best if your dining crowd doesn't mind (or better yet, produces) high amounts of noise. It's the sort of place where house salads come in a little wooden bowl.

When I was there, I had the prime rib ($30 at the time) which was a gigantic portion, very succulent and aggressively seasoned over Spanish rice. I really did enjoy it, but I would recommend ordering it for two people (in order to avoid the spectacle which ensued when two friends and I each ordered our own and all eyes fell on our table when the meat arrived).