NYCReview
Allswell
Included In
In life, there are inevitably times when we’ve all been a little overexcited. Like when you were a kid on Halloween and you’d come home and eat your candy so fast that you’d throw up everywhere. Or the first day of college spring break, when you’d finally get to Panama City and then you’d throw up everywhere. You know...from the excitement.
Or when you go to a new restaurant and have a few great meals, and then proceed to drop a 9.0 rating on the place like it’s the gastro-pub version of Eleven Madison Park. Such was the case with our initial review of Allswell. Let’s just say that we got a little worked up.
Only ten other restaurants on Immaculate Infatuation have an equivalent or higher rating than our initial review of Allswell. And while this place is very good, subsequent visits have demonstrated that we might have gotten a bit carried away. The restaurant hasn’t necessarily declined in overall quality -Allswell is still putting out very good food - but the problem is that they change the menu daily, and things therefore become somewhat inconsistent. And when you’re talking about what sets a great restaurant apart from a legendary restaurant, consistency usually has a lot to do with it.
Ultimately, Allswell still remains one of our favorite dining establishments in Williamsburg, and we strongly recommend that you check it out for dinner if you haven’t yet. As a matter of fact, we’re pretty sure that lowering the overall rating on this place will also lower some expectations, and that’s a good thing. Then maybe you’ll catch it on a great night and have a 9.0 meal yourself. Just try to control your excitement. And do your best not to throw up.