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Chop Suey Misses the Mark at The Renaissance in Times Square

Where: 714 Seventh Avenue at 48th Street [map], New York, ny, United States

In yesterday's New York Times, Frank Bruni, the paper's main restaurant reviewer, had much to say about Chop Suey, the restaurant on the second floor of the Renaissance Hotel.

First, he relates, the location is excellent. It sits on the second floor overlooking the entire square, and provides a breathtaking view out three picture windows. From a stylish setting and comfortable seats you can see the enormous billboards, blazing lights, and eye-popping visual overload that makes the human drama and electricity of Times Square so unforgettable.

Problematic, however, is the hit-and-miss menu, the food ("an uneven mash of inspiration and clumsiness"), and the service:

Service is sometimes witless, epitomized by the way hosts sweep you past a nook that can accomodate coats without ever asking if you'd like it to accommodate yours.

In Bruni's inimitable style, he reports the failures on the menu, the fact that they don't actually serve chop suey, and ponders what happened to the two edgy head chefs on staff. In fact, he pens, the less-than-great dining experience is "odd, because a real effort to make Chop Suey special can be detected in much else."

That is, the "retro cool" furniture, the relaxing setting, and the incredible view, make it worth stopping by.

Just don't go for the food.

Related Stories:
Where the Lights are Never Low [New York Times]

Chop Suey NYC