On my east coast trip, I was introduced to this charming little place first in New York, then in D.C. First off, I loved the food! It was absolutely spectacular, and I'll be elaborating on the quality later. However, there was a significant difference in the service I got! And that's something I'll be covering as well, comparing and contrasting the two different locations.
New York City
Above is a picture of the cover of the cute menu! There's a description about the store (though I didn't read it too far into detail as I was in a rush), along with some charming pictures to illustrate it. The font definitely suits the theme of the restaurant, very whimsical and curly. It has kind of an Alice in Wonderland feel, silly and fun!
The decor around the entire cafe (the NYC one was two floors) was adorable! There were dessert sculptures, playful chandeliers (the above is just one example), a white winding staircase, and odd pictures and designs decorating the walls, etc. I believe there was also a little shop at the entrance of the store where they sold interesting trinkets and such.
I had already eaten dinner earlier with my friends, so we just decided to hit the famous desserts! Right above is the Forbidden Broadway Sundae. It basically consists of vanilla ice cream, brownies, chocolate fudge, and that huge mountain of whipped cream (which I subtly and definitely not very elegantly plopped off to the side). When you come to this restaurant, you will quickly discover how huge the servings are! I shared this with one friend and just barely ate half of the dish! Bring two more people with you and just order one dessert, because it's more than enough.
Despite the size of the dish, I loved it! I'm a fan of chocolate and this curbed my craving for chocolate that I'd had throughout my trip. The warm brownie was complimented by the cold ice cream and made for an absolutely brilliant dessert! But, if you don't like chocolate that much, I wouldn't suggest getting this, as it is definitely way more chocolate than even a chocolate lover could consume in one sitting.
Next is the three scoop ice cream! My other friend, who isn't much of a chocolate fan, ordered a classic sundae with two scoops of vanilla and one of strawberry, with caramel drizzled (more like poured) over the ice cream. I only tried a scoop of the vanilla (which tasted similar to the one in my own dessert), but from what my friend said, it was the best strawberry ice cream she'd ever had! There was a huge mountain of whipped cream as well, but that fell off just as the waiter brought it to us... just goes to show how whipped cream might be just a tad bit bad for you :P Regardless, it looked delicious, my friend said that was an understatement, and therefore, I conclude that this restaurant can make even the most simple sundae taste marvelous!
Last, but oh dear it cannot even be considered the least, is the Frrrozen Hot Chocolate (yes, there are that many "r"s)! Serendipity 3 is infamous for their amazing iced hot chocolate, and so we just had to order one! It's basically exactly like a hot chocolate, except for the, well, tiny little ice chips inside and the huge mountain of chocolate powder and whipped cream. For those of you who do not like milk shakes, I wouldn't suggest this drink. However, for those of you who are okay with a slightly watered down version, try it out! My friends and I unanimously agreed that it was a terrific dish, and worthy of its fame. Even my friend who didn't like chocolate said it was perfect! Even though it sounds weird (ice in hot chocolate?), it tastes way better than you could imagine. Please, if you ever go to Serendipity 3, go try it out!
Service in NYC
Right upon our arrival, despite how busy it was in the store, a waiter immediately walked up to us, welcomed us, and asked how big of a table we needed with a huge smile on his face. And somehow, with all of the chaos and number of customers there were, we were seated easily and immediately with menus and chairs pulled out for us. As we were looking over the menu, a waiter came to ask if we were ready. We could tell he was a bit rushed, but he smiled as well, and even when we said we needed more time, he simply nodded and told us to take all the time we needed. All of the employees were pleasant, patient, and kind. It was like one of those imaginary cafes you see on television or in animes. The waiters and waitresses were all dressed either in simple, all black ensembles or in rather casual, but neat outfits, very put together. The whole visit was smooth sailing, and we weren't neglected at all! They all really knew how to manage their time and divide their attention well. Giving them five out of five!
Washington D.C.
First, I actually came to this one to have dinner! And since I was in a rush yet again, had no time for a proper dessert from Serendipity 3, so settled with a yummy milkshake! This one was the Oreo Express Milk Shake and tasted great! The presentation isn't quite as it was at the one in NYC, but the taste made up for it. The whipped cream was a bit of a hassle taking out, but really, no big deal. The milk shake was very thick in consistency (a plus on my part), and wasn't too sweet!
I then ordered the Crab Cake Salad for my meal. The crab wasn't necessarily fresh, but wasn't bad either, just in between. I'd have to say that this wasn't the best dish I've tried, but it was fairly decent. Can't say much about a salad, but I'd give it maybe a three out of five!
Now, for the aesthetic appeal of the restaurant, I'd have to say it had a long way before catching up to the one in NYC. It was definitely bigger in this location, but looked a bit like an old diner. It also wasn't as busy, and I'll get to the possible reason later. The decor was lacking a bit, as there weren't an whimsical decorations or interesting designs. It was a bit plain compared to the one in NYC.
Service in D.C.
Oh, the service. Let me tell you something: this is probably why people don't seem to be visiting this location. First off, it was such a hassle to tell them just how many people were in my group. We walked in with two other groups, and the waiter kept on diverting his attention from one group to the other, unnecessarily confusing himself. He then took a party that came in way later than my group did, and seated my group last (and we were shoved into a booth in the back of the restaurant near the kitchen). And like I said before, there weren't that many people there. However, the waiter made it seem as if he were in a rush and couldn't handle simply taking the time to grab some menus and lead us to our table. It took thirty minutes for another waiter to come and take our order, despite the fact that there were barely five other groups in the restaurant. Then, another twenty to thirty minutes passed before we even got our food. Perhaps it was just because I was in a rush, but I was way too impatient at the moment. Our food arrived, and we then realized that two orders were wrong. The waiter compensated with fries, but didn't bother to change the incorrect orders. Now I'll be skipping to the very end of the meal, when we asked for split checks. He looked at us for a good thirty seconds before saying that it would take way too long to print out separate checks. We all were a bit fed up but agreed to just use one check and use different forms of payment by writing who was paying for what on the back of the check (as he instructed us). We did so and afterwards, he said we did it wrong and then just said he would print out separate checks for us (which took a measly minute). Let's just say he received barely any tips that night. Won't bother with a rating.
Well, that was basically my experience with the two locations! My conclusion: go to the one in NYC, skip the one in D.C. If you do that, you won't regret your visit :)!
And that concludes my first post in two weeks! Hope you guys enjoyed my review of the two locations and visit Serendipity 3 (at least to get their Frrrozen Hot Chocolate)! Bring a couple of friends, or you'll be stuffed to the brim with no room to even sip water! Thanks so much for reading my post, and I'll see you guys very soon with another post~
-Cherry
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