Cross-posted from lgbtSr.org

Central Park is the real crown jewel of Manhattan, a vast, living, green space where the often-manufactured chaos of the City gets put behind, if only for an afternoon.

Frank and I went to see the amazing Tracie Bennett in ‘End of the Rainbow‘ last night for his birthday. It was my treat, as was as a terrific return trip to Kellari Taverna.  Kellari is at 19 44th Street, close to 5th Avenue, and while we’ve been there a couple times before it merits a write up.

You won’t find a Greek French fry in sight. This is as far from a diner as you can get, with an elegant interior and the kind of attentive staff that appears out of nowhere exactly when you need them. If they’re hovering, they’re hovering out of sight and sound, waiting to glide to the table when you’ve finished a plate or you’re in need of more bread.

The woman who waited on us was a pro from start to finish, and the finish consisted of Baklava with a candle and a “happy birthday” sung to Frank, which I hadn’t imagined they would do. (She had asked us what show we were going to see and I said I couldn’t tell her, it was for his birthday.  There you have it.)

They have a pre-theater prix fixe “established 2000 b.c.” and that’s what we went with.  You can either have a two course with appetizer and entree, or a three course with dessert.  I went with the spanikopita (Filo spinach pies) and Yiovetsi (Roasted orzo, shrimps, scallop, mussels and clam).  Frank had the wild salmon tartare and crab legs.  We ordered dessert but then they showed up with Baklava on the house.

This is a very good Greek restaurant, easily earning four yums. Not only is the food excellent, but the atmosphere and the outstanding service put it high on the list.   We’ve eaten at plenty of “pre-theater” restaurants and Kellari is one to keep going back to.

Now that MadeMark Travel is back up, I’ll be putting all my travel, restaurants, reviews and the like here, with some cross-posting. My restaurant ratings are based on a five-yum system, with one being go to McDonald’s instead, and five being you’re not likely to find anything better in the continental U.S.

So here we go . . . I’m not a big fan of Mexican food. It always seems heavy, and I’ve been heavy enough for some years now. Mexican food to me is comfort food in Spanish, and it’s not usually high on my list. But when my partner Frank told me last night we were going to a Mexican restaurant I was glad to hear it. I was hungry, he tends to pick good restaurants, and he didn’t disappoint this time.

Sinigual is part of a chain, or at least it was. Their website has some sort of legal disclaimer at the bottom explaining that the chain has changed hands. But the drop down for cities only lists New York, so maybe it’s a stand-alone now, I don’t know. But it was very good, very high-medium and a definite addition to your list of places to eat.

Located at 41st Street and 3rd Avenue, the restaurant is large, with a sizable bar in front and expansive seating that extends back to an open kitchen. The staff was superb throughout, friendly and attentive to just the right degree. The guacamole is made table-side, something that seems to be a sort of trademark for the place. The food itself is very good. I can’t say gourmet, and I’m sure there are gourmet Mexican restaurants, especially of the nouveau cuisine variety. Frank and our guest Domenique had fish tacos and I had a combination plate with a chili relleno and a chicken enchilada. That’s the thing about standard Mexican food: you don’t often have the opportunity to list something unusual or describe unique flavors. A chicken enchilada is a chicken enchilada.

I’d say go here for the service, decor and atmosphere. It was apparent a lot of people do, since this large restaurant was full. My only strike with the service was that the food came out very quickly, not always a good thing when you’re having a catch-up dinner with someone you haven’t seen in a year. I’d also be sure to ask the price on specials: the “special” drink was a fruity margarita at $14. I’ve noticed in many other places that wait staff will sometimes push specials they know are pricey. Otherwise this is a keeper, especially as a neighborhood place. Three yums. $$+ (that means we paid $170 with tip for three, not a budget-buster but not cheap, especially with $14 “special” margaritas).

As the MadeMark Media empire expands I’ll be resurrecting MadeMark Travel as part of my plan to take over the Internet.  A boy has to have dreams . . .