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| - I'm going to start this review with the O-word: Over-hyped.
Bar Isabel has quite the crazy buzz right now, and some of it is well-deserved, but it's also not totally with merit. We did a walk-in (which means arriving 15 minutes before they open and waiting in line). Got a nice table though in a very hipster-ish restaurant.
The FOOD: First of all it is expensive and inconsistent. We loved a dish served with chicken gizzards that was delicious and flavorful, but desperately needed to be served with bread to sop up the sauce.
The half grilled octopus had moments of greatness, but left a lot to be desired. The weird thing about it is that means that in order to cook the thick central parts fully that the outer parts of the tentacles were super over-cooked and hard. Maybe it was just our entree, because others rave about it, but I was on the disappointed side...especially after spending $34. They're making a killing on this dish!
The DRINKS: They've got a good cocktail menu. We thoroughly enjoyed our cocktails, but they are pricey....$14-$16. Ouch. I did especially enjoy the Bicycle Thief cocktail. Nice to see some decent beers on tap, too at $8-$10 a pint. We didn't try wine by the glass here. 5 stars fo cocktail quality.
The SERVICE: It's hipster for sure, but was fairly good. A few odd waits. They really could have been a bit more helpful at times in describing the preparation of the dishes...we were a bit surprised at times. Friendly though, a solid 4 stars.
Overall, I have to say that this place is a mixed bag. Some of the food was great, some of it wasn't...all of it was expensive. They've raised their prices a lot as the buzz has spread, and now they're pushing Michelin Star territory. Unfortunately, this is still not Michelin star quality. 2 cocktails each and 3 dishes put us around the $150 mark for 2 people with tax and tip, so this is not a value proposition.
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