El Carretero 74

The best Colombian food.

I would've given them a 5 star rating because their food is really good but on one occasion I ordered an empanada and it contained a sharp chicken bone inside and when I bit down, it cut the inside of my mouth. I've yet to buy from them ever since.

Had the yummiest Colombian beef sancocho!

They have really good pudin de pan, flan and bread. The food is ok. They also have single source Robusta coffee which is rare.

I came here for the Restaurant Week dinner that was offered. Made reservations for 6:30pm and there were no problems being seated. Walking in, you are greeted by a woman that takes your coats and/or bags.

Walking further in, you are immediately struck by the breathtaking design. You could really feel the history of the place. Its been around since the late 20's and I almost felt like I traveled back in time to dine with Russian expatriates after a show at Carnegie Hall. I met a lovely woman in the gift shop downstairs who used to go to the Russian Tea Room in the 40's when she was young. I had to ask how it has changed and whether it was for the better. According to her, its even better now despite losing its 40's appeal. Well, that would come with the 21st century territory I'd think.

For $35 for Restaurant Week, you are offered a choice of an appetizer, main course, and dessert. I ordered the borsht, chicken, and cheesecake for dessert. Honestly, the food was missing something. I don't know if this was due to the fact I was there for the price-fixed menu, perhaps it was just because my mothers borsht has the homemade quality you can't beat, either way I wasn't quite as impressed with the food as I was with the atmosphere itself. The portions are quite minuscule. I am used to such heavy portions but it was just the right amount of food after having all 3 courses. The cheesecake was delicious though, I guess you can't really go wrong on cheesecake.