Amused

Read my review of Amused on my blog:
**Disclaimer: I did not recieve any freebies for this review nor was the restaurant aware that I was writing a review

Amused was a great Saturday afternoon NYC lunch discovery after spending our morning at the Natural History Museum and Central Park. It is a very close walk to both locations. My husband and I were just walking around looking for a place to eat and were immediately stopped by the large «Artisan Grilled Cheese» sign painted onto the brick. This is basically my favorite thing in life so of course I wanted to stop and check it out.
The restaurant is small but it wasn’t crowded at all. The servers were extremely nice and helpful as well. They bring you water in steel mugs, which is the best way to drink water IMHO, and let you peruse the menu. I chose the Gruyère, Swiss, French Onion on Sour Dough and my husband chose the Smoked Gouda and Fig on Peasant Bread. We decided to share our sandwiches, and a box of tots, of course! Both were great, but I have to say mine was better. The Fig would have been better but the cheese didn’t melt all the way.
Overall, I really enjoyed it and would love to go back again. Keep in mind Amused is CASH ONLY! Definitely can hinder what you may order if you don’t have the funds on hand. Its hard to have a cash only place nowadays; I hardly carry cash unless I know in advance I’ll need it. Also, FYI, if you have to go to the bathroom, you have to go through the kitchen. Doesn’t seem to bother the cooks at all, but it is weird to walk straight through. I felt like I was in their way, and in some way contributing to a health code violation, but maybe this is just the norm in NYC?

Overpriced but grilled cheese was filling.

Found this place on Unilocal when the wait for Jacobs Pickles was over 2 hours on a Saturday. Décor is cute. Several side tables with one giant table in the middle. Service was great. Had the buffalo tater tots, as an app. Really good! Will try to copy at home! I went with a gluten free grilled cheese sandwich and my boyfriend had the patty melt each were excellent. Didn’t order any drinks, too early. The salad looked great. Def would come again.

Amused is only open for brunch Saturdays and Sundays (they have a catering/​private party business during the week) — so you better make sure to drag your ass there one weekend because this is an unusual Upper West Side gem.
It’s a small joint & not a lot of seating, so our large group sat at the big communal table in the middle. Their menu is full of unique ways of cooking eggs as well as many, many grilled cheeses. Absolutely loved the grilled cheeses. The standouts were gruyère + candied bacon, smoked gouda + fig, and monterey jack + pesto + muenster. We also enjoyed the egg dishes, especially the poached eggs + tater tots — simple but delicious. These crispy taters are definitely worth a try.
Highly recommend Amused for a casual, fried, cheesy brunch on the UWS.

Visiting NYC with friends and looking for a place after walking around Central Park all morning. Shared a number of items. Everything was great. Service was fast and friendly. Green bean frittes were really good with the green goddess dressing. Highly recommend.

I thought I’d be more amused but I left disappointed. Had the patty melt. Burnt patty. Mac and cheese wasn’t very good (sauce not very flavorful). Had the pig in a pretzel. Cool concept but came out cold. Long wait time for everything to come out as well. Maybe they were having an off morning. They actually comped our drinks because of how long it took. They were nice but expected way better based on other Unilocal reviews.

Cute little place that has great grilled cheese sandwiches. The drinks are very adventurous. Knocking off one star because I thought it was a bit pricey for the casual, menu on random cardboard, environment it presents. Definitely will go back!

Finding a place that has a lower east side feeling to it on the UWS is not easy, but I found one! I went here with my friend last Saturday for brunch, since this place is only open on Saturday and Sunday, and I really enjoyed the pigs in a pretzel, string bean fries and bruschetta carbonara with poached eggs, bacon, tomato, herbs, shaved cheese. I highly recommend the beer with citrus that they serve. Staff was very sweet, caring and attentive. Service was prompt. Thank God I finally found a place on the UWS that is trendy and cool. I’ll definitely be back at some point. :)
* Cash Only *

Great food, service, and atmosphere! Would love to come here again.

Loved this place when it was called «Say Cheese». Still love it, though I haven’t tried any of their other brunch dishes. But their various grilled cheese versions are excellent. Cash only.

I rarely write Unilocal reviews but I have to say, the food here is deserving of major buzz. I had the General Zoe’s cauliflower and the Ramen Carbonera which were both out of this world. Go check this place out before the line gets crazy. Way more deserving of a line than Good Enough To Eat. Wish it was open 7 days a week!

[Update of previous 3 star review for Say Cheese]
Note: Only open weekends. Cash only.
This new version of the former Say Cheese (same owners, some repeat dishes) has gotten all the pieces right, and approaches thematic destination dining. It’s still something of a secret, too, so now is the time to check it out. The grilled cheeses themselves haven’t changed (fine by me – still tasty), but they are now just one part of a larger menu centered around a delightful take on childlike pleasure.
You will probably get little dishes to share, and they all remind you of childhood in some way. Many have an element of interactivity, like if Disney turned its attention to food. I’m thinking of the pig-​in-​a-​pretzel, the mini corn dogs with cracker jacks, and pork belly slider. The General Zoe’s Cauliflower and Ramen Carbonara (which comes in a ramen cup) are not only fun, but delicious flavor bombs.
A great example of the interactive aspect is the Deconstructed S’more. At brunch it’s $ 3, and you get one [pictured]. Trust me, that’s enough for a dessert after a midday meal. A baster (or plastic syringe or whatever) is filled with some thick chocolate liquid, and stabbed into a cooked marshmallow that’s covered in graham cracker crumbs. While you eat it, you squeeze and suck from the tube of chocolate. The flavor and texture are wonderful, and the playful tube-​squeezing brings a smile to your face.
The brunch itself is as good or better than the more popular brunch places in the immediate neighborhood. I got the Bruschetta Carbonara [pictured after I broke into the yoke]. The poached eggs were perfect, with cooked whites and runny yokes. The dish includes plenty of bacon, tomato cubes, crispy herbs of some kind (probably basted in olive oil and baked, but who knows), and a rich carbonara sauce. By the time I finished, there was still some sauce/​yoke left over, and I wanted to scoop it up with my finger (if I were with someone, tater tots would have done the trick). The bread at the bottom stood up well to the quantity of sauce, and was split into a cute shape. Astounding stuff.
They now have cocktails made with sochu/​soju (basically a vodka substitute), beer, and wine, not to mention all those fun flavored juices from the Say Cheese days. A fellow dining near me got a milkshake to go, so I know that’s possible.
Atmosphere: the room is relatively small, with one shared table in the middle and several two-​seaters on both sides, but there’s plenty of space. It’s filled with old fashioned tchotchkes and Brooklyn-​like wood and brick. The ‘50s/‘60s pop playing quietly in the background would normally just be invisible background, but it relates remarkably well to the overall play on childhood.
Price: Back in 2012, Say Cheese was too expensive. The prices haven’t really changed, and inflation has finally caught up with most of their dishes. I’d say it’s now standard for the ‘hood.
As summer has come, do yourself and your friends a favor and try this place out. The silliness mixes with real technical chops in the kitchen to make a memorable meal.
— — — — — — -
There are two negative-​ish things about Amused. I didn’t remove stars because I don’t mind, but you might, so consider yourself warned. (1) CASH ONLY. This complicates family outings, limits tourist traffic, and generally adds stress to what is supposed to be an impulsive let’s-go-have-fun experience. Amused is not an arm-​wrestling steakhouse where customers speak in the language of greenbacks, hookers, and hedge funds; nor are they just a to-​go snack shop. And it’s 2015. Come on. (2) WEEKEND-​ONLY (plus, uh, Friday night, if you can remember that). My partner and I used to joke that Say Cheese was a drug front whenever we walked by and it was randomly closed. Yes, I realize they do catering during the week. But it’s honestly hard to remember Amused exists when you combine its «huh?» hours with its inconspicuous middle-​of-​the-​block location.

Been wanting to try this place forever!
Presentation is good, food is even better!
The Party Starter Rx
This was my favorite presentation of the night. They even gave us an extra shot of sochu which they served in a medicine measurement cap. It was also very delicious! I don’t like sochu but this tasted amazing and was quite refreshing
Fried Green Beans
The green beans are served in a seed envelope which is adorable. These tasted like typical fried green beans they were good though I felt the accompanying sauce lacked flavor.
Pigs in a Blanket with Mustard Caviar
The mustard caviar distinguished this dish for the better. The «pig» is served in a pretzel crust that was good.
Candied Bacon Grilled Cheese Slider
Gouda and Fig Grilled Cheese Slider
Both grilled cheese sliders were good. The candied bacon was the best very tasty. Though the sliders were small as the server had warned us. They are served on sourdough bread.
Ramen Carbonara
This was my favorite. Presentation was on point. The pork belly was tender and delicious as was the poached egg and carbonara sauce/​broth
Deconstructed S’mores
These were unique and delicious. I don’t like smores usually because I feel that the graham cracker dries it out too much. This however was graham cracker crumble and just the right amount. At $ 6 each though I felt that was a little pricey.
Aside from food, service was very nice and knowledgeable. We were in decisive and rather chatty– the server didn’t bombard us, gave us time and space and was present for when we needed him.
Given that I trieda large portion of the menu, once they/​if they add new menu items I’d be back.

This new restaurant is the neighbor of the studio I do yoga (NY loves Yoga). I could not remember how many times I walked by here. Finally I tried it. I have to say «super good «, at least I like all food we ordered and the cocktails also super cool. «Party starter», a cocktails, wonderful weekend starts from it.

My husband and I recently read about Amused and were looking forward to trying it out. We live a few blocks away and have been past it before but could never seem to catch it when it was open. We found out that they are only open Friday-​Sunday. We visited on Saturday evening and we were happy to see only a few other couples and no wait! I ordered the french onion grilled cheese (amazing!) And we shared the spicy cauliflower (also amazing!). My husband isn’t in to grilled cheeses so he ordered two small plates (pigs in a pretzel + two little tacos). He said they were tasty, but they were very small. We couldn’t wait to order dessert since we heard all about the deconstructed s’mores! It was good but my biggest complaint is you get only 1 small, standard sized marshmallow (not even a graham cracker)! The price is $ 6 for 1 marshmallow! Even by New York standards, that is extremely high! A sandwich and a few small plates later, we spent $ 80+ on dinner! I think the food is phenomenal but portions are small and not meant for sharing and for what you get, I feel it’s a bit over priced. If I were rating just the flavor of the food I would give an easy 5 stars. But, portion size + cost is where I feel there is room for improvement.

This appropriately named, confusingly self-​described «Small Plates & Pop Ups Restaurant» is pretty awesome. You will be amused by their playful takes on comfort food and very well-​executed renditions of beige food.
The misleading «Small Plates» part of the restaurant subtitle doesn’t do justice to the other half of the menu, which includes a big list of awesome not at all small grilled cheeses and other sandwiches, and excellent shakes. As for the «Pop Ups» part, make sure you note that they are only open from Friday to Sunday. For the rest of the week, they hold private parties and dinners and are closed to the public.
The food is mostly pretty heavy, which makes the too much food we ordered even more overwhelming:
— String Bean Frites ($ 9)
Surprisingly there are no fries on the menu (though they do have lots of varieties of tater tots on the brunch menu), so we opted for the closest thing, these delicious fried String Beans. Much like a lot of the stuff here, the plating is very amusing, in this case with some of the frites packaged in a little custom pouch alongside the «green goddess dipping sauce».
— Pig in a Pretzel ($ 12 for 5)
Like a fancier version of pigs in the blanket, but not quite as fancy as the similar ones at Alder, these were delicious. Topped with honey smoked mustard and «mustard caviar», these were as nice to look at as they were fun and tasty to eat.
— Kale Caesar Salad ($ 7)
Gotta have some green among all that beige. This was a pretty delicious version of a caesar salad, but was pretty straightforward compared to the other kooky stuff.
— Ramen Carbonara ($ 16)
The most amusing of all of the dishes, this ramen swimming in creamy carbonara sauce was served in a custom styrofoam Cup O Noodles cup. It was super rich with the combination of that sauce, the runny poached egg, and the thick chunks of pork belly. This delicious, satisfying cup definitely does not qualify as a «small plate».
— White Cheddar & Tomato Bacon Grilled Cheese ($ 12)
On to the sandwiches, this was a very well-​executed grilled cheese. Nice and crispy with some great flavor from the tomato bacon, this was a great choice.
— Patty Melt ($ 14)
The patty melt was even better. You can’t really go wrong with a beef patty, onions, and swiss cheese on crispy rye bread, and they do it perfectly here. Get this.
— Salted Caramel Shake ($ 8)
This shake was excellent, but super unnecessary with all of that heavy food. Maybe save it for dessert to go with the crispy churros.
— Deconstructed S’mores ($ 6)
Back to another bizarre item, which turned out to be surprisingly delicious. The «deconstructed» s’more here consists of a marshmallow injected with a long syringe filled with chocolate. We were instructed to squeeze the syringe into the marshmallow, which made a wonderful mess of gooey, chocolatey marshmallow. The single marshmallow is tough to share, so you might want to get two of these.
— Churros with Salted Caramel Sauce ($ 8)
The churros were excellent, and were in the form of crispy little bite size pieces. There were a bunch of them served in a brown Chinese takeout container alongside a generous helping of salted caramel sauce.
The cozy restaurant is set up with a large well-​lit communal table in the center, with small two-​tops lining the walls on both sides. Service was great and very friendly. Make sure to note that it’s cash only and on the pricey side, so be prepared for that. There is so much more on the fun menu to try that I would definitely return, perhaps at brunch to try some of the additional selections not on the dinner menu.