Ed's Chowder House

I read the reviews before my boyfriend and I went there. We were alittle worried! But it turned out to be great! We enjoyed our dinner very much and most of all the oysters! The waitress was very helpful and we asked her for suggesting and educated us on it as well. We were very pleased! The service was a bit slow but honestly thats because people in New York we are used to fast service! It was worth the wait and allowed us room for desserts, which was great! Some people need to sit back and relax...go there with someone who you enjoy spending time with!! It's well worth it!

The butternut squash-pumpkin chowder was the best food I've had so far this winter and I just ate at the Gotham Bar and Grill. I felt someone in the kitchen was striving for superlative. The waiter was quite personable. Maybe it varies but we had a great time.

I read all the reviews, but there was such a mix of good and bad that I thought maybe it'll be good. When we got there, we loved the decor instantly! It made me feel like I was in Boston, near the water. I thought I had found my new favorite place. But wow was I wrong. We ordered the chowder sampler and thought that has to be good (since it is a Chowder House), but no. The beet salad was good, probably the best thing we had there (along with their assortment of bread - especially the jalapeno bread), it was refreshing and simple. We ordered the scallop ravioli that some people had raved about, and the first bite was ok but not that exciting, so I thought the next bite would be better, but no there was sand in my mouth. We spoke to the manager and he apologized very nicely, and asked to replace it with something else. We ordered the Calamari instead, which was way too salty but other than that it was decent. So on to the main course. We ordered the lobster roll, which did not really taste like lobster and was covered with mayo. We also ordered the jumbo lump crab cakes, but there were no jumbo lumps. It was nothing to brag about, and the sauce that was underneath the crab cakes was very mayo-y. The fluke fish was not bad, but not great either, it was probably the better of the three entrees. We left the restaurant very disappointed, but I think I was really disappointed because I absolutely loved the decor and the atmosphere and really want to go back, but there is no way that's happening if the food stays the way it is.

Upon, some research while sitting at the bar area, the bartender informed me about the wine pour. They are instructed to pour a touch above the adjacent water glass. This is measured out at 6oz, which is 1/4 of a bottle. The wine glass is actually a 20 oz wine glass. Now, I don't know where you normally go out to dine, but you rarely find anyone pouring more than 6 oz, although most places use a much smaller all-purpose wine glass. Also, the wines by the glass are priced as low as $8. There are also many wines in the $30 range as well. Just wanted to clear that up.

We visited the restaurant after having had a great dinner at its previous incarnation as Centercut. The lobster was a good deal ($16/lb) and cooked well. However, the other selections (risotto, corn, chowder) were bland. However, the service was one of the worse experiences in 10 years of dining at New York's finest (and grimiest) restaurants. The waiter had little clue about the menu (let alone how to pronounce the names of the oysters), the food came out in the wrong order, the drinks took 30 minutes to arrives, and all this happened without any apologies or explanation even after mentioning the issues to the manager. A simple acknowledgment would have been sufficient from either person, but the service was just downright unpleasant. I can't recommend this restaurant. I hope the old restaurant (or at least the people) return.

Expectations were high, but the restaurant was underwhelming at best. While we were promptly seated, that was the only highlight of the evening. After being seated, it took 25 minutes before the waiter returned with cocktails (even after asking the manager the status of the order). The waiter was inattentive and appeared to be inexperienced: the appetizers arrived when my dining companion was in the restroom; the entrees arrived when I was in the restroom; the waiter didn't know the oysters (or how to pronounce them); the waiter had trouble clearing our plates. As for the food, the lobster was a good deal ($16/lb) and the corn chowder was tasty. The risotto was bland, and the chowder had chewy oysters. Most of the guests were 60+ and seemed to receive much more attention. I would not recommend the food or service, unfortunately. I told the hostess about the lack of service, and I hope that they remedy the issue.

We were really hoping it would be good. It would be great to have a nice place in the neighborhood. Unfortunately it was not good. The New England Clam Chowder was very disappointing. You can get better out of a can. It did not even have a hint of cream in it. It was watery and had almost no flover or whole clams. I also got a Wedge Salad and the lettuce was not even crisp. My husband had the lobster roll and he said it was Ok. The service was bad, we sat in the bar area and finally some one came to wait on us. We ordered a bottle of wine, our glasses were empty for quite some time before we finally had to ask a bus boy if he could fiend either our bottle of wine they had put on ice or our server. He came back a minute later with our wine. Or server only got friendly when she delivered the check and it was tip time. Hopefully it improves or it will last about a long as the last restaurant in that space.