July 21, 2005 – 7:11 am | by nerd's eye view
Welcome to Nerd's Eye View. If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Want to know more about this site? See the Meet the Nerd page. And thanks for reading!
22 Doors has been open for about three weeks. The chandeliers look like they were pinched from a Sheraton lobby, but other than that, it’s quite pleasant in there. We went to eat there last night because Crush (that new little place on Madison) couldn’t seat us until 9pm. (Moral: If you want to eat at Crush, make a reservation.)
For starters, we had the artichoke and crab dip and the lemon prawns. Both dishes were yummy. A lot of the ‘small bites’ on the menu sounded yummy – a person could make their meal out of those alone. Then we moved on to our entrees. J had the burger, M and I each had the sole, and A had the pasta.
Here’s the deal with the entrees. They were fine, just fine. But for me, fine isn’t really good enough. 22 Doors serves food that’s a lot like the food I make at home in my own kitchen. When I go out to eat, I want stuff that’s better than my own cooking, or more exotic, or with greater variety. Don’t get me wrong, 22 Doors serves good cooking. Sometimes, you want a meal that’s like home cooking without having to make it yourself. But the entrees just weren’t that special. For 11 dollars, you want a burger that’s first rate, not one that’s just fine. My fish was cooked just right, but served on a bed of rice that was very plain. I tasted the pasta – it was quite good with just a little bit of a spicy bite, but the serving size was a little stingy.
We shared the warm chocolate cake for dessert. Now that was pretty damn delicious, I have to say. Though M says she makes that exact cake herself at home and does a better job of it.
I think this place has potential. The food is good, it’s a nice room to hang out in, they’ve got a handsome bar and a high ceiling, and it’s a great location. It’s reasonably priced – the tab for four, with beer, was 100 dollars. For now, I’d say it’s worth dropping in for appetizers and a beer, but I’ll try dinner there again in a few weeks after they’ve got their game worked out.
