Sala One-Nine

Judging from the mixed reviews of late, I don't know if we lucked out, or the resteraunt has upgraded their service. Saturday night was very busy, and we were given a small reserved table near the bar. Our waitress took the time to explain the specials, and any other dishes we asked about. We ordered drinks, and decided what we wanted. The one special was really good, (stuffed peppers) but overpriced. Our other dishes seemed fairly priced, and better than the special. We asked for bread which was great and served in small loaves. The brought us more everytime it was apparent we had finished. The service was great. Our meal for two with 2 rounds of drinks, and tip was $80.00. We passed dessert.

My girlfriend and I decided to try out this place because we had a $10 gift card in our CityShuffle deck for it. We didn't know what to expect but we were looking forward to it. We walked in relatively early in the evening on a Saturday and were greeted with less than enthusiastic attitudes. We'd been walking around all day and were dressed casually in jeans and tasteful shoes, but were still looked at like we'd walked in barefoot and shirtless with our boobs hanging out and a German Shepherd on a 6 foot leash jumping all over people. We were seated and waited there for around 10 minutes before we were even brought glasses of water and menus. The atmosphere was cold and univiting, but only because of the staff. We were so uncomfortable that we considered walking out, but we were also starving because we hadn't eaten all day, so we decided to just deal with the nasty waitresses. We ordered some appetizer that involved mushrooms and cream sauce on crispy bread, and it was absolutely amazing. For an entree we ordered the Seafood Paella for two ($18 per person I believe) and it took forever but was well worth the wait. It was served in a giant skillet that we were warned not to touch. Now, I'm a hedonist and I do really enjoy food, but we were also really hungry so we finished the entire pan. When the waitress arrived to clear the table she must have remarked two or three times about how much food we'd managed to eat. Honestly, it was a nice big portion each and we were both completely stuffed, but it's not like they'd thrown a roasted antelope carcass on our table and watched as we devoured it, hooves and all. It was a bunch of tasty rice with mussels, clams and shrimp in it. So all in all, great food, lousy waitstaff, somewhat pricey.

Every now and then my girlfriend and I stop here after work on a friday... they have a 2 for 1 drink special during happy hour. The tapas are all great, the ham potato croquettes, the almond stuffed dates wrapped in bacon are great. The gruyere thing is very good too. You won't be disappointed with the quality of the food. Service is par, atmosphere is cool.

I had picked a restaurant out to meet my date at up the street. She was standing in front of Sala One-Nine and suggested we eat there. She had been to their other location before. I had never been to a Tapas bar before and wanted to try something new. We started with red sangria which was great. Not sweet and overly carbonated like many place. The only complaint is that it could have used more fruit. Our waitress recommended a few of her favorite’s dishes and we went with her suggestions. We were not disappointed. The dates were great. Plump and sweet and the bacon was perfectly crisped. Grilled calamari was fantastic. Cooked just right. Then we had the fried goat cheese. It was unbelievable. The mixture of the tangy cheese, caramelized onions and the sweetness of the honey. I could have eaten a dozen of them myself. The duck was good but compared to the rest, a bit of a let down. Service was very good and so was the company. Will definitely go back.

The service is fairly lacking, everytime I go, I usually order lots of tapas for my friends who've never been to Spain, generally 5 or 6 different options, and granted, most are larger than normal tapas portions, but EVERY time I've been, the waitstaff basically refuses to fill the whole order! I'm aware it's a lot of food, and maybe i'm evil, we don't always finish everything, but I like variety. It's just weird that all of them (different each time) have done the same thing, chiding "that's a lot of food." Other than that, the food to me is spectacular. The artichokes, calamari, dates, croquettes, everything i've ever had. Late on an early weekday is a lot better atmosphere than the crowded weekends and late weekdays.

I hope those who reviewed this place favorably actually had a better experience than we did. Party of four for tapas and drinks; racion prices (up to $18) for tapa size dishes; a couple were OK but a couple were abominable. Slow service, for example ordering a fino, waiting ten minutes (with only a few tables occupied) after which the waiter brought over a menu and asked which sherry I wanted. We didn't order very much, had only one pitcher of sangria and one cocktail, and the bill without tip was just under $100. I know this is New York but all the same, shame on them.

Went to this place for the first time tonight. We very satisfied. Food seemed very authentic and tasted it too. One of the best chorizo I've had. The red Sangria was very good! Can't wait to go back!