Loved it or Hated it: Read our review to know

If you are traveling to one of the cities where we have reviewed a restaurant or hotel you can minimize the element of suprise or avoid bad service all together by reading our reviews before you travel. From chains to hidden holes in the wall, we try to visit a variety of places and give you a first hand account of not only the food but the atmosphere for groups. Nothing is worse than planning a celebration dinner only to find out that this restaurant is tiny and really can’t handle large groups. We often visit in groups and we never let any establishment know they are being reviewed in advance so you always get a true account of any service on our site.

For hotels we look at rooms sizes and accomodations. Most chains were built with the business traveler or family of four (with 2 small children) in mind. So we take into account things like the number of mirrors, space for luggage, sofa beds or other sleeping areas, or extra rooms for our group travelers. You might be with your closest friends on a girls only getaway but putting four grown women in a tiny room with one poorly lit bathroom can ruin many a friendship!

Have a question for our travel team about what to pay attention to when you are planning a group trip or want to share a great find in restaurants or accomodations for group travelers with Escape Together subscribers? Email us at advice@escapetogether.com and include your name, email, the location, and any other details that would be helpful.

Read All Travel Reviews

Patsy’s Pizzeria in NYC

There is a reason this establishment has been in business since 1933. The food is great! With 6 New York locations you will find a Patsy’s in many areas in Manhattan. We went to the one on the East side for dinner while we waited for a table at Serendipity 3 (see the review for Frozen Hot Chocolate and other sweets). We were prepared to order our drinks when we realized there were no refills. Don’t go extremely thirsty. And unfortunately after walking all over the city shopping on this very hot May day we were extremely thirsty! They serve three sizes of the bottles of sparkling water. Order a large bottle as the medium and small are significantly smaller and you will end up ordering another bottle even if it is just one person drinking it. The Iced Tea is sweetened and the beers on tap and house wines were reasonably priced.

For an appetizer we had the Fried Zucchini and Eggplant with a garlic yogurt dip. The two vegetables are lightly fried and paper thin. It is a perfect light snack before the meal. The Calzones and thin crusted pizzas were excellent and tasted very similar to pizza I have had while traveling in Italy. Be careful about the number of topping you order for your pizza or calzone. Each topping is $2.75 and that can quickly add up. Also order the large as it is only $2 more but is considerably larger than the regular pizza. When you pay that much per topping you might as well pay two more dollars and have your money go a little further.

The service was good though the dining room has way too many tables in it. It was difficult to move chairs to sit down and I was either being hit or accidentally hitting another diner while eating. The food is excellent so if you can get a table around the border of the dining room or outside on the street it is worth it.

Patsy’s Pizzeria’s East Side location is 206 East 60th Street NYC 10022

212-688-9707

There are locations in Greenwich Village, Murray Hill, On the Upper East Side, On the West Side and in Chelsea.

Want to know others think of Patsy’s Pizzeria? We have added an Urbanspoon counter to provide you with that information in real time.

“Frozen Hot Chocolate” and other sweets

 

We exited the 6 train at 59th and Lexington and walked up the street to Serendipity 3. They were known for their desserts and I couldn’t wait to try the famous Frozen Hot Chocolate. My friend ran in to the restaurant to put our name on the list and the rest of us waited outside with a few other people waiting for a table. The entrance and inside waiting area is EXTREMELY small so if you are in a group send one person in to check and everyone else should stay outside. We were expecting to wait by the number of people outside but were surprised to hear 2 1/2 hours! Having been here several times before my friend insisted this was normal and we decided to try another place for dinner and save Serendipity 3 for dessert. (See the review of Patsy’s Pizzeria for more information about our dinner) I suggest that other visitors do the same because when we returned a little over an hour later we only had to wait another 15 minutes before we were seated upstairs near the window.

So of course we ordered a Frozen Hot Chocolate (see the picture) and it tastes exactly like a very rich and slushy hot chocolate. For true hot chocolate fans you will not be disappointed but it is more a drink then a dessert. If you come for a meal then order the frozen hot chocolate as a drink in the same way you might order a milkshake. It is large so you may want to share it with your tablemates since it comes with multiple straws.

We all ordered desserts. That were huge. And Amazing!:) I had the Strawberry Fields Sundae. A large sundae cup is filled with homemade strawberry ice cream, a light and fluffy cheesecake, fresh strawberry topping and whipped cream. It can only be described as decadent. Read more

Miguel’s at LaPosada in Tucson, AZ

We recently visited Miguel’s at LaPosada in Tucson, AZ. For more information visit www.miguelstucson.com

Food: Excellent

Miguel’s specializes in new Latin American cuisine. We started with the Tortilla Soup which was a spicy broth with avocado. Our entree was the salmon with pineapple salsa, amazing asparagus, mashed yams and a squash medley. The mashed yams were just okay but the rest of the meal made up for it. The pineapple salsa adds a tangy kick to a well seasoned and perfectly cooked salmon. For dessert the small peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream was delicious and just the perfect size after the large meal.

Drinks: Excellent

The selection of over 100 tequilas will meet the needs of any tequila or margarita fan. They were testing a new drink during our visit that we loved! The Champagne Mojito was a light and sweet bit of bubbly perfection. It is perfect for the lover of fun cocktails and sweet drinks .

Atmosphere: Excellent

We suggest that you sit on the patio and enjoy the mountain and city views. Especially perfect in Tucson’s milder spring and fall. We suggest this restaurant for any group of adults traveling together. Not really a child friendly atmosphere but perfect for couples and groups of friends.

Miguel’s at La Posada is located at 5900 N. Oracle Rd.Tucson, AZ 85704