Warning: Cafe Orlin may cause the developmen​t of a severe love/hate relationsh​ip

The first time I tried Cafe Orlin was for dinner a few years ago.  We waited a good 7 minutes after we sat without menus, but we were finally able to flag down a bus boy who brought us menus.  After looking at the menu, which is reasonably priced for the City, (both in food and drink prices) I ordered the Warm Mozzarella sandwich, which at the time came with fries AND a small salad.  My co-diner ordered the Chicken Cutlet sandwich, which also came with fries and a small salad.  We also ordered one of the special wines at the time, which cost only $20.00 for the bottle.  When we ordered, we requested bread for the table and never received said bread the entire meal.  This was especially frustrating because ALL of the tables around us were getting bread! Note - the bread debacle has happened on a few other occasions as well.  Truly puzzling.  Despite this, the food at Cafe Orlin is consistently great.  I have never had a dinner meal that I did not feel fully satisfied with at Cafe Orlin.  Also, the wine is always good too.  Recently, I also tried their spicy margarita, which was the perfect amount of hot.  Their alcoholic blueberry lemonade is tasty too, not overly sweet.  The waitress also told us they have a non-alcoholic version as well, which I imagine is just as delectable.
I have also dined at Cafe Orlin numerous times for breakfast and brunch.  They have a great selection.  I highly recommend the Malawach if it is listed as a special at the time. Simply superb and different from other brunch items I've had anywhere else.  During the week when breakfast is served they have a really good breakfast special where you get two eggs (any style) served with home fries and toast, plus orange juice and a cappuccino for only...wait for it...wait for it...$6.00 - CRAZYYY. 
So there you have it, the love part of the relationship.  Moving on to the hate...

You know how in interviews sometimes the person interviewing you asks "now tell me one thing you could work on about yourself" or "tell me one flaw you have" - well, I think Cafe Orlin would or should answer, their service.  Cafe Orlin's servers are SO neglectful.  Besides the failure to bring bread to the table consistently, even when asked, I have went an entire meal without getting my drink until my food is brought or after my food is brought.  Once, I didn't even get my drink at all!  I have also had instances where I never see my waitress or waiter again after my order is taken.  They simply vanish, to where is one of the seven wonders of the world.  Now this is really where the hate part of the relationship comes in...the thing is it doesn't last for long because as soon as you are about to complain, the waitress or waiter will come to your table and they are extremely kind and pleasant to deal with and really do not seem to realize that they have been absent for the entire length of your meal.  It is a true conundrum.
Cafe Orlin makes me feel like a middle child must feel, always there, hardly noticed.  Better yet, Cafe Orlin makes me feel as though I have a split personality, one minute I'm happy and smiling and enjoying my meal and the next minute I am frantically searching for my server before I become irreversibly dehydrated.  Overall, the food makes up for the service and I will continue to suffer at the hands of my inattentive waitress or waiter and return to Cafe Orlin for many meals in the future.

Riceton - Don't wok this way.

Riceton, sounds like disgusting...okay, no it doesn't - BUT IT SHOULD.  For the past twelve (12) months, I have struggled to find a consistently delicious chinese food restaurant in the East Village.  I temporarily found one - Yummy House - but then Yummy House mysteriously closed down due to a "plumbing issue" and re-opened as a not so fresh and not so delicious joint venture with Plump Dumpling and so my search continued. 
A few weeks ago, I ordered from Riceton and it was good, nothing spectacular, but what I ordered tasted fresh.  On that night, I had the "Mixed Vegetables with Garlic Sauce" dinner special combination.  The delivery was fast and the portions were generous.  My co-diner had the "Sesame Chicken" dinner special combination and had a similar reaction - good food that tasted fresh. 
Fast forward to last night where it was decided that chinese food would be the meal of the evening.  Having had a good experience with Riceton, I decided that is where I would order from again.  I called Riceton and placed an order - Vegetable Lo Mein and Vegetable Fried Rice.  Since it was nice out, I decided I would go pick it up.  I arrived at Riceton and told them I was there to pick up my order.  The individual behind the counter told me it would be just a few minutes.  Now, if you have been to Riceton then you know there is a salad bar type set up in the establishment.  Well, the man behind the counter started putting random vegetables into a bowl to create my fried rice.  He was putting the most random stuff into the bowl, but he is the wok-master not me, so I let it go.  Also, he was putting only about two pieces of each ingredient - I felt like I was at a Subway.  He then went in the back to wok it up and finished, as promised, a few minutes later.  I left with my fried rice and lo mein (the latter of which was ready when I got there). 
Upon opening the take out boxes, two things struck me: 1) There was barely any lo mein in the box; and 2) The rice looked white because he barely wok'ed it.  Unfortunately, not only was the rice white, but the random assortment of vegetables he put into the mixture were hard and not cooked either.  The green beans were crunchy, but not in a good way. The worst was the HUGE piece of whole fried egg in the rice, extra egg'y and not chopped one bit.  The lo mein was too soft and also cold.  All in all, I was truly bummed out by what seemed like a slightly promising chinese food establishment. Riceton - I was really pulling for you, but all bets are off and I don't think we will cross paths again.