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From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

Doesn't the frozen horchata at el quinto pino come out of a machine? So good.

From Serious Eats: New York

Dousoeur de Paris, a New French Patisserie in Hell's Kitchen

soeur means sister so it looks like a play on words like "sweet sister"--sorta cute. much sweeter when they start selling macarons though...

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From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

Doesn't the frozen horchata at el quinto pino come out of a machine? So good.

From Serious Eats: New York

Dousoeur de Paris, a New French Patisserie in Hell's Kitchen

soeur means sister so it looks like a play on words like "sweet sister"--sorta cute. much sweeter when they start selling macarons though...

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

I forgot to ask.

Did you really pay $9 for what's basically chips & dip? Even if it was the best "made from scratch" chips & dip I ever had, I would never pay that much for it.

$12 for that tiny looking quesadilla?!

I envy New Yorkers for living in a food mecca, but I don't envy the prices. Most Mexican themed placed where I live, serve warm fresh chips & salsa for free. If you want something else, like the guacamoli mixed with fresh Pico De Gallo in the pic, it might cost you $1.50 at most.

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

"If the waitresses are wearing distractingly skimpy outfits, the food's probably not very good."

In Yorktown, Va., there is a biker bar that fits this criteria. The thing is, their food is really good. To be exact, their seafood and subs are so good, that the place attracts groups from all walks of life. Rock n Roll Biker Bar, or not, the food is so good, that people just don't care if loud bikes and a rough looking crowd also hang out there. Everyone gets along in perfect harmony, because of the tasty offerings and beer. The skimpy outfits only distract you while your waiting for your food. Once your meals get placed on the table, one could care less what the world is wearing.

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

If Lucy's had a publicist to send you lots of press releases, i'm sure they've seen this review and it's made the rounds there. My prediction: by tomorrow morning, if not today, you'll have an email in which they'll blame it on a new line cook or chef or short staffed kitchen. I'm a publicist myself (albeit not for food) and i can't even think of another way to explain away such a terrible experience.

They'll then invite you back to try the food again, and it will be somewhat better, perhaps even remarkably so. but i think the former.

In any case, i agree with the other posters who've said that reviews of really terrible places like this are a service to the reader, and to the restaurant itself, just like when a diner sends back food that has been improperly prepared. They can't fix it if they don't know there's a problem.

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

another "we should have known better:" it seems to be attached to a duane reade?

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

Am I the only one for whom this review actually makes me want to go there, if just for knowing what a meal that was so bad that SE had to write about it is like?

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

@orpheum, I can't believe the great wide internet knows about Dirty Franks! Good call, they do have great slushies. But then again, any place willing to put kimchee on a hot dog can't be bad.

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

I might add another indicator of potentially bad food: If you walk in off a busy street at 6pm on Saturday night and the place is dead, the food's probably not very good.

Also, I'll put in my vote for good reviews. As others have said, we have a limited number of meals to eat before we die. SE's opinion of food is one I trust, and if they can help me avoid bad food, so much the better.

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

Your expectations must be high. I echo the comments about the photos making the food look quite appetizing. Based on appearance alone, I have eaten far worse-LOOKING Tex-Mex food. I mean, at least the quesadilla had some browning, etc. At least the guacamole was made with real avocado (not sure about the avocado crema on the tacos). I've been served quesadillas on tortillas that were the same grade as one can buy at the supermarket (like Old El Paso brand) and could very well have been made in a microwave. I've been served green goop that was clearly a bit of mashed avocado extended with a lot of something else. Really, I think you could actually do worse than Lucy's.

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

Sounds like they need a new chef also! Sometimes one element can go wrong in a meal but the whole thing??? You are right SE, I would NEVER go back!

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

Bad reviews are needed; to let certain restaurants know they need to step their game up!

If Taco Bell is better than this, the food MUST'VE been god awful!

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

I'm sure you must feel you had it coming (I should've known, etc), I'm happy you chose to out them. I thumbed through my Zagat last week, checking my experiences against the ratings. I got several attacks of apoplexy. How could these anonymous morons rate this place or that one so highly? But Zagat is a democracy, and opinions are culled, and even dare I say, interpreted from many opinions. Grand Sichuan 9th Ave, one I especially hated for precipitously declining food and offensive servers, got raves. Bar Stuzzichini, one of the finest affordable Sicilian kitchens, passed for good, when after ten visits, I found to be stupendous.

We can all agree on one thing: My stomach and I have been friends too long to pull a thing like that on it..

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

@Carey Jones,

I was really pleased to read this review yesterday just before heading one block from my office to try this place for the first time. It is true that good places to eat around here are limited to Mooncake Foods, my favorite Halal truck, and the French Macaron Cafe, so I truly had high hopes for Lucy's. THANK YOU FOR THE WAKEUP CALL that was this review, but especially, thanks for the heads up about the ambience!

I felt like I was in a cross between the bar at the Cancun airport, and a hooters. CREEPY. However, I ordered the Baja sliders, and those tiny little burgers, covered in mystery sauce they may have been, were COOKED TO PERFECTION. None of the other sliders in the neighborhood come close to the medium-rare perfection of these tasty little treats. I chased them down with the most delicious Michelada I've had in months (I was able to substitute the recommended Corona Light for a Negra Modelo, thank goodness).

Despite being scantily clad on the rainy day that it was, the servers were very friendly. I think it's terrible that they have to wear those outfits, really.

@megperks - REAL Mexican food goldmine on East 116th Street, try Taqueria El Paso, among others.

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

All I can say is "WOW" I mean dayam... this is really a terrible, terrible review. I have friends who work in the area and will definitely be warning them from this... the anger spews from the monitor and hurts! It burns!

PS I'm with the people who said it's good to see the mediocre reviews too.

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

I work in this area and so sad that we have hardly any good lunch options. Mooncake is the only place I can bring a friend to so far

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

It is also good to put up mediocre and bad reviews to give contrast to the glowing ones. Maybe Ed would lose the "Easy Ed" nickname he has gotten for consistently positive reviews (unless there is some additional reason earning him the name...)

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

"If a restaurant is at 34th and 8th, the food's probably not very good."

This made me LOL. 34th street is the worst street in all Manhattan.

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

I am personally glad you did this review. Given the restaurant's pedigree and knowing Sam Hazen's eye for detail and good taste, I was heading to Lucy's the first chance I got. I remember Sam's cooking at Cascabel & how he turned Tavern on the Green around. I am a little shocked at the miserable review, but this was definately a public service. I will wait to see if Lucy's straightens its self out before making the trek. Thanks Carey for the 411.

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

@Carey Jones: "We wanted our lunch back" I Love it!! You could not have said it any better!! An opportunity wasted...we only get to eat lunch 7 times a week! The photos are gorgeous though. Great writing!

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

@megperks Real Azteca in Hunts Point... 1013 E. 163 St. (Simpson) in the B-r-o-n-x

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

Gee, I must have missed it.

What was the "concept" again?

Just wonderin'

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

This sounds like Applebees.

@travpard: I go back to Jersey sometimes to visit. I think commuters deserve better food. Some of us non-natives have tastebuds, ya' know ; )

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

At least Mooncake is still a solid lunch option for folks in that area.

From Serious Eats: New York

Worst Meal This Year: Lucy's Cantina Royale

I'll vouch for Dirty Frank's Hot Dog Palace — in downtown Columbus, OH — which serves (optionally alcoholic) slushies and has amazing food. :)

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