The first thing I noticed when I entered New York Gems was the aroma of meatloaf. It made my eyes water. The second thing was the pervasive pea green and black decor. We were greeted and seated in the Box Room, a gaudy room decorated with numerous saws and fluffy rubber stamps. Our waitress, whose name was Natalie, came promptly and distributed the menus. The menu is expensive. Some of the items which caught my eye were strawberry shortcake, sweet potatoes, cabbage, and falafel. I decided to order Waffles Hungarian and my companion, Marina, ordered Sushi à la Russe. Natalie seemed cunning as she brought in our orders about twelve minutes later. I had a piece of candy on the side, and Marina had a piece of cinnamon toast. A shot of tequila was a perfect complement for my waffles.
The Waffles was golden but a bit electronic. The common way to cook with brown sugar is to press first, but our chef chooses to freeze, then blend it into the waffles. Marina thought the sushi seemed a bit disgusting, and said she would never order the item again.
Our ticket came to about eighteen dollars, which I think is miraculous. Overall, the food was fair, the atmosphere was nonsensical, and the service was quite good. If you are a distressed person, this might not be the ideal place for you.