Azalea
We won the theater lottery to watch another play in the Theater district. This was on my list for some reason, and it was conveniently very close to the theater. The menu seemed quintessential Italian American type food, and as a bonus, they also have a 3-course theater menu prix fixe for $55 per person. I was able to make a reservation pretty easily for 2 for 5:30 PM on a Wednesday night.
Ambiance & Service
The restaurant had very tall ceilings, and the spacing was just right. There was very much that typical theater crowd, where they are trying to rush through a 7 PM and 8 PM show seating. Due to this, the service was very fast. Our dinner in total took about 1.5 hours which was a perfect pace for us.
As mentioned earlier, we opted for the $55 per person 3-course theater menu.
Food
The bread came complimentary with a side of some olive oil-like spread. This was pretty good.
I ordered a glass of Donini, Montepulciano ($12) from Italy 2021. This was a very typical Montepulciano that was in-between a light and medium body texture, some tannins, dry with straight forward berry notes, and easy to drink with the meal tonight.
The Beef Carpaccio came with thinly sliced strip-loin with a shallot and caper dressing. The carpaccio was pretty good, and the dressing helped give it the nice aromatic finish.
The Bruschetta came with diced tomatoes marinated in oil and garlic with balsamic pearls. This tasted like it sounds, so there was no distinction with other properly made bruschettas. The tomatoes tasted acidic and forward, and the bread was soft and soaked in the juices.
The Chicken Parmigiano was breaded chicken covered in tomato sauce and melted mozzarella cheese, served with a side of spaghetti pasta. The chicken was pounded thin, and the crust was sufficiently crispy. The tomato sauce tasted like the San Marzano tomatoes where they are a little more acidic and potent in flavors. The noodles were not overcooked, and everything tasted pretty decent.
The Spaghetti Bolognese was traditional homemade bolognese sauce served over fresh pasta. The spaghetti was interesting in that it was sliced slightly bigger than expected. It was cooked just slightly over for me. The bolognese was definitely very meat forward flavor, so I wished they had a bit more tomato flavors in it. I felt the overall seasoning and flavor of the sauce was a little light for the spaghetti ratio.
The Cheesecake of the Day was a ricotta cheesecake with hints of natural orange essence and topped with blueberry compote. The cheesecake was not as dense as expected, and it was surprisingly a little airy in that there were little pockets of holes in it. I don’t know if that’s intentional, but I was thrown off a little. The flavors of the cheesecake were decent.
The Chocolate Cake came with chocolate sponge cake surrounded by a layer of chocolate and chantilly cream, studded with amarena cherries, separated by white sponge cake and decorated with a chocolate ribbon. I preferred the chocolate cake over the cheesecake because this was not as sweet, and I really liked the layer of amarena cherries. The cake itself was definitely moist enough, such that it didn’t taste powdery or dry.
Final Verdict
Azalea is an adequate Italian restaurant near the theaters. There are so many options in the area, and I think this is a decently priced alternative to those. There was nothing that really stood out for me flavor wise, but you can get a decent dinner within a reasonable time if you have a show to catch.
Yelp Jabs
A bit pricey as we held off on ordering extra appetizer(s), but we should have as we were still hungry.
This Yelper ordered a Yelp deal, and may have also been expecting Bayside prices and portions in Manhattan. That’s just not going to happen. The prices here were reasonable for the city.
And the wine selection was terrible, no wine list at all. Just by type, no label, and tasted watered down.
And that’s why the wine was so cheap per glass and bottle. For the price, it definitely wasn’t terrible. If this Yelper was expecting a more robust list of wines, they ought to go to a slightly higher end Italian restaurant.
Revisions
- Sep 25, 2024 - Initial revision.