The popular Las Vegas eatery, the Sugar Factory, opened on Manhattan’s corner of 8th Ave. and 44th Street. It is considered an American brasserie with a large confectionary component.
It’s a large, 2-floor restaurant with a bar and tables on the ground floor and the main dining area on the floor above. The entire upper floor was decorated in a very festive Christmas theme, with tinsel and streamers and gold and multicolored glass balls hanging from the ceiling.
They have a huge regular menu with all kinds of crowd-pleasers such as burgers, tacos, pasta, stir fries and salads and also a large dessert section and lots and lots of special cocktails, coffees and other drinks.
On the tables, they usually feature a seasonal menu and since the Xmas menu was available I ordered a humongous churros dessert platter featuring two pieces of thick French Toast, a fistful of M&Ms and ribbons of chocolate sauce and a mound of ice cream and whipped cream with the churros stuck into the whipped cream, all covered by colored sugar crystals … a truly delightful holiday extravaganza!
The regular menu offers sandwiches, salads, sliders, fajitas and enchiladas, loaded fries, pastas, waffles, grilled and fried dishes and more… a large and diversified menu.
The first thing I will always try to help me determine the culinary prowess of the kitchen is a soup. In this case they offered an onion soup among other possibilities, and I love good onion soup since my days in Paris. The soup was tasty and properly covered by toasted baguette slices and melted cheese put under the grill; comme il faut! The soup was not in the traditional French recipe as it had a smaller amount of the beef broth than what the classic version calls for; however it was still very tasty using an herb broth in addition to the beef and onion one and a good amount of cooked sweet onion. It was a flavorful, comforting starter.
The sesame chicken stir fry was also quite good with lots of breast of chicken cubes, herbs and green onion slices and some diced pineapple and fried rice all smothered in a brown sauce with an orchid flower crowning the dish.
The enchiladas were fine even though the soft tortillas were a bit on the dry side. The filling was tasty with white chicken meat and lots of veggies, featuring sides of refried beans and rice covered by shredded herbs.
The table next to me ordered the sliders and the waiter delivered 5 on the plate in a rainbow of colors and, according to the couple at the table, they were delicious!
They also ordered one of the specialty drinks that are served in a very large glass with dry ice, when the drink is delivered to the table, the server pours the cocktail over the dry ice and it creates a smokey effect, very spectacular!
The only problem I had was the American coffee… it was thin and watery. Not a particularly great way to finish a very tasty meal! I should have ordered an espresso but I did not see it in the menu until after the American coffee was delivered.
But I quibble. All in all it was a very pleasant evening experience. Flavorful dishes, descent wines and cocktails, what else can one expect?
Manos Angelakis is one of the founders, the former Managing Editor for 25 years, the current Managing Editor Emeritus, and Senior Food & Wine Writer of LuxuryWeb Magazine. He is an accomplished travel writer, photographer, and food and wine critic based in Hackensack, New Jersey. As a travel writer, he has written extensively about numerous cities and countries. Manos has also been certified as a Tuscan Wine Master and has traveled to wine-producing areas in order to evaluate firsthand the product of top-rated vineyards. In the past year, he has visited and written multiple articles about Morocco, Turkey, Quebec City, Switzerland, Antarctica, and most recently the South of France. Articles in other publications include Vision Times and Epoch Times.
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