Dining in New York City

[crazeegirl]

Have you tried the soup dumplings at Yank Sing in San Francisco? If you have, as a point of reference for me, I was wondering how you might rate Joe's against those?

In fact, I have. I would say that Joe's are slighter bigger and juicier. The skin is very similar, but has a more elasticity (in a good way). I find that since at Joe's it's made to order as opposed to Y.S. where it is part of their dimsum menu, Joe's are piping HOT!!! I like Joe's more, but of course palates differ.

[JPW]

Mapo at Grand Sichuan was suprisingly good.

Which Grand Sichuan?

[Keithstg]

Some notes from the past few weeks in NYC.

Irving Mill: Ryan Skeen has gotten a ton of press (and a Beard Nomination) since opening this restaurant, and it didn’t disappoint, more or less. More than a few people have told me that this place is a “mini Gramercy Tavern” – maybe I can see that in terms of décor, but that’s about it. We had salt and pepper pork ribs and pork toast with egg salad and caviar – the ribs were excellent – well seasoned and tender, but not fall off the bone. I didn’t get a bit of the pork toast, but my wife really seemed to enjoy it. Mains were the Waygu beef shoulder and cheek, and the Tagliatelle Bolognese. Both mains were very good, and a good value at $26 and $18, respectively. The pasta was an especially good deal, I think – it’s $4 less at lunch, and is fresh pasta, not boxed, which seems to be a little rare these days (looking in Westend Bistro’s direction here). We also split an order of Mac and Cheese with pork rinds. The mac and cheese was good, but the rinds were a little devoid of flavor, which surprised me. All in all, a very fun time – with one major caveat…the restaurant has a large bar area with a raised section of tables, and then a long, rectangular dining room. If you would like to have a more quiet dinner, request the back room. The front room was VERY loud. The soundtrack was great and the noise didn’t bother me, but I could see it being an issue for some folks.

Chanterelle: We really enjoyed our trip downtown to Chanterelle. Although the dining room was packed, the room was very tranquil, and the service was perfect from beginning to end. It’s easy to see how the Waltuck’s have been in business for as long as they have. Amuses were deviled quail eggs with caviar, and very tiny fried shrimp with remoulade sauce. The shrimp in particular showed the restaurant’s attention to detail – I don’t know of many restaurants that would serve an amuse that required separate execution – these had been fried to order and arrived absolutely greaseless. Appetizers were foie gras three ways –seared, sautéed, and in a spring roll; and dumplings stuffed with truffled potatoes and served with a truffle and Madeira sauce. Both appetizers were fantastic – I mean, when is foie gras ever bad; but I enjoyed the dumplings the most. Main courses were a proscuitto wrapped lotte with butternut squash risotto and seared duck with a smoked tea jus. Both were excellent – the butternut squash risotto along with the thyme jus from the lotte were real standouts. Dessert was a valrhona chocolate and star anise soup – this included a beignet of sorts to dunk in the soup. The star anise flavor was very subtle. The sommelier suggested a really nice Greek red for our meal – a Grenache / Montepulciano blend called Alpha 1, I believe. The only downside to the meal I can think of is that for a restaurant that has such a great wine list, they can do much better than Veuve Rose for their rose champagne by the glass. We look forward to heading back soon.

Blue Smoke: We hit Blue Smoke on a regular basis because it’s close to home, and really accommodating of our youngster. This has to be Danny Meyer’s busiest restaurant – it’s continually packed, and serves up pretty good BBQ – we especially enjoy the KC Ribs and the Brisket, although the brisket sandwich is better than the platter for whatever reason. The side orders are excellent, particularly the mac and cheese. Worth a trip for a quick meal on the (relative) cheap and with kids.

Wildwood BBQ: Met some friends here on Sunday to watch the Caps / Pens game. A member of the incredible shrinking BR Guest empire, this place is just ok. Decent smoked brisket, and my newest favorite cheap beer (Butternuts Pork Slap Ale) by the can. Not worth a trip, but ok for a quick stop if you are near Union Square.

[Stretch]

Hey all. Long time etc. etc. Have a solo night in Manhattan coming up and would like to take a friend out somewhere solid in the general Times Square area. Any thoughts? Nothing too staid, please, as we'll probably be a little sloppy by dinner time.

[JPW]

Hey all. Long time etc. etc. Have a solo night in Manhattan coming up and would like to take a friend out somewhere solid in the general Times Square area. Any thoughts? Nothing too staid, please, as we'll probably be a little sloppy by dinner time.

Drunk, but presentable -- the bar at the Modern (53rd btn 5th and 6th)

Drunk and not presentable -- Lazzarra's (38th btn 7th and 8th) for pizza

[jparrott]

Keen's for steak and Scotch. Or at least for Scotch.

[Keithstg]

DB Bistro, 44th/6th, or Thalia, 50th / 8th. Or, if you are a masochist, the Palm on 50th between broadway / 8th.

[Stretch]

Or, if you are a masochist, the Palm on 50th between broadway / 8th.

I am, but prefer my floggings with a wet noodle rather than an overpriced steak.

Thanks guys.

[JPW]

DB Bistro, 44th/6th,

Different opinion. My one lunch there was probably my most disappointing restaurant meal ever. It's not that it was bad, just amazingly average. And at that price point, it should be a hell of a lot better than average.

[Keithstg]

Awful news - the original Totonno's location in Coney Island has burned down.Clickity

[crazeegirl]

For anyone planning a group dinner in NYC...you may want to consider 'Inoteca. I was invited to a small wedding reception dinner recently and was impressed by the good service, food (small bites to share for each course) and the plus factor is that it is tucked underground where the wine cellars are located (it is otherwise a boisterous restaurant--in a good way).

http://www.inotecanyc.com/

Other notable places that I would recommend are (not in any particular order): Scarpetta, Del'Anima and Porchetta!

[ol_ironstomach]

Awful news - the original Totonno's location in Coney Island has burned down.Clickity

No, no, no, no :-(

That place was a time capsule. Hopefully they can salvage some of the 85 years' worth of accumulated memorabilia.

[laniloa]

Awful news - the original Totonno's location in Coney Island has burned down.Clickity

Oh man...that's awful. After my shifts with the Beluga whales at the NY Aquarium, our group would head over to Totonno's. We always said we were going to try something different until we walked past someone eating one of their pizzas and we just had to have it. Add in a salad of some sort and their fantastic house made ice cream and we could all forget we reeked of fish and were exhausted.

[mtpleasanteater]

Awful news - the original Totonno's location in Coney Island has burned down.Clickity

This is really awful. I really liked the pizza here, and I even enjoyed the gruff service. I hope this reopens, this was easily one of the better pizza places in NY.

Although I am gonna be about a million times sadder whenever DiFara closes or Dom dies.

[Rhone1998]

I will be a solo diner in NYC Monday and Tuesday nights of next week, and am looking for some recommendations, preferably in Manhattan. This is going to be a pain in the you-know-what business trip for me, so I'm really hoping for some wonderful, memorable food that can help me forget about the day I know I will have just had. Price is not that important, but what is: someplace where I can have a comfortable dining experience at the bar, and where I can find a seat without a wait, or too much of a wait. I'm willing to eat early (6:00, maybe 5:30). If it matters, I will be dressed in a suit both days, though I'm not necessarily looking for anything formal.

Some places I've always wanted to try in NY, but never have:

Esca

Prune

Babbo

Do any of these fit the bill? Others you'd recommend more highly?

Thanks for any advice,

Dan

[vickie]

I will be a solo diner in NYC Monday and Tuesday nights of next week, and am looking for some recommendations, preferably in Manhattan. This is going to be a pain in the you-know-what business trip for me, so I'm really hoping for some wonderful, memorable food that can help me forget about the day I know I will have just had. Price is not that important, but what is: someplace where I can have a comfortable dining experience at the bar, and where I can find a seat without a wait, or too much of a wait. I'm willing to eat early (6:00, maybe 5:30). If it matters, I will be dressed in a suit both days, though I'm not necessarily looking for anything formal.

Some places I've always wanted to try in NY, but never have:

Esca

Prune

Babbo

Do any of these fit the bill? Others you'd recommend more highly?

Thanks for any advice,

Dan

I recently ate at the bar at Esca. It was a wonderful experience. Victor the bartender treated me as if I were a regular. Every other person at the bar was a local and it was so friendly, that by the end of the meal we were sharing tastes of our food with each other and exchanging e-mail addresses. You do have to get there right when it opens to guarantee a seat. I can't remember if it opens at 5 or 5:30. Definitely try the crudo appetizer--six small portions of fish or seafood garnished with different olive oils and exotic salts. It is expensive ($30) but has been fabulous every time I have gone there.

[deangold]

I will be a solo diner in NYC Monday and Tuesday nights of next week, and am looking for some recommendations, preferably in Manhattan. This is going to be a pain in the you-know-what business trip for me, so I'm really hoping for some wonderful, memorable food that can help me forget about the day I know I will have just had. Price is not that important, but what is: someplace where I can have a comfortable dining experience at the bar, and where I can find a seat without a wait, or too much of a wait. I'm willing to eat early (6:00, maybe 5:30). If it matters, I will be dressed in a suit both days, though I'm not necessarily looking for anything formal.

Some places I've always wanted to try in NY, but never have:

Esca

Prune

Babbo

Do any of these fit the bill? Others you'd recommend more highly?

Thanks for any advice,

Dan

I too am a fan of Esca and victor. You ave to be there right at opeing to snag one of the 5 or so seats at the bar.

My current favorite in NYC is Momofuku Ssam Bar. The food is strikingly inventive and agressively flavored. They don't seem to value harmony at all there, just strong flavors. Great value, something that cannot be said about Esca which is expensive. While you will be in a suit at Momofuku, your server will be heavily tattoed and in a tee shirt referring to some extremely obscure band. GO!

[mtpleasanteater]

Eating at the bar at Babboo can get pretty uncomfortable once the place fills up. The last time I did it we were pretty comfortable for the first couple of courses but by the end of the meal there were people breathing down our neck. I don't really like the restaurant but TONS of people do. If you do eat at the bar a shorter meal (not a tasting menu) is probably a good idea. Blue Hill is around the corner if you change your mind. They serve the full menu at the bar.

I like Ssam bar a lot too. I don't think you would have to wait unless you are there at prime time on the weekend. The beef ravioli dish is really good.

Per Se starts serving a bar menu next week but I have no idea what the wait will be like. On second thought I think they start doing this later in the week.

[Keithstg]

I will be a solo diner in NYC Monday and Tuesday nights of next week, and am looking for some recommendations, preferably in Manhattan. This is going to be a pain in the you-know-what business trip for me, so I'm really hoping for some wonderful, memorable food that can help me forget about the day I know I will have just had. Price is not that important, but what is: someplace where I can have a comfortable dining experience at the bar, and where I can find a seat without a wait, or too much of a wait. I'm willing to eat early (6:00, maybe 5:30). If it matters, I will be dressed in a suit both days, though I'm not necessarily looking for anything formal.

Some places I've always wanted to try in NY, but never have:

Esca

Prune

Babbo

Do any of these fit the bill? Others you'd recommend more highly?

Thanks for any advice,

Dan

Babbo gets EXTREMELY crowded, as others have noted. You could try eating in the lounge at Del Posto, which has similarly wonderful pastas, or at the bar at Alto, which is also a great experience (and more quiet). Some other bar and lounge areas to consider:

Eleven Madison Park

Gramercy Tavern

Daniel

[MelGold]

I just got off the bus from a jammed packed weekend in NYC. Not only did I get to show my 15-year-old cousin one of my favorite places on earth, but I got to introduce her to new foods as well (it was SO much fun)! We had dinner at craftbar on Friday night. Rhone, that might be a good option as well. The cousin had her first oysters on the half shell and chose the mushroom ragout with polenta for her main. I had the braised short ribs which were really tasty. My one complaint was the sauteed peppers on the dish - didn't add a thing and seemed a bit out of place. If they needed to include a veggie, they should have gone with a hearty green of some sort. We also ordered some chickpea fries to start, which are a bit past the trend, but the standout part of the dish was the black olive aioli. Skipped dessert since my sister wanted frozen hot chocolate from Serendipity once she joined us later that night.

Saturday included a bagel breakfast, Carnegie Deli (which is not my favorite, but she loved the kitch of it all), and then dinner at Soba-ya on 9th Street in the East Village. I wish we had an outpost of the Udon shop here. I had the weekend special udon, Chirashi, which was a hearty broth full of housemade udon noodles, a large piece of tamago, a shiitake mushroom, fish cake, spinach and some other goodies I'm too tired to remember. My sister was a bit disappointed in her tempura soba, which sported a large piece of shrimp tempura and one other piece of tempura and not much else. The cousin got the veggie udon and was quite content. We got out of there under $50, which was way below what I had budgeted for Saturday night.

Today was not really notable with the exception of a red velvet cupcake from Magnolia Bakery at their Rockafeller Center branch. The cake itself was awesome, but ended up scraping off the mound of ubersaccrine vanilla icing on top.

Note to anyone taking the DC2NY bus - they don't stop at one of the horrid little rest stops along the turnpike, so stop somewhere before boarding the bus at Penn Station to pick up lunch/dinner. It's a long 4.5 hours if you're hungry!

[crazeegirl]

and then dinner at Soba-ya on 9th Street in the East Village. I wish we had an outpost of the Udon shop here. I had the weekend special udon, Chirashi, which was a hearty broth full of housemade udon noodles, a large piece of tamago, a shiitake mushroom, fish cake, spinach and some other goodies I'm too tired to remember. My sister was a bit disappointed in her tempura soba, which sported a large piece of shrimp tempura and one other piece of tempura and not much else. The cousin got the veggie udon and was quite content. We got out of there under $50, which was way below what I had budgeted for Saturday night.

Did you prefer the udon noodles to the soba noodles? Have you tried Ippudo, the ramen place?

We drove to Philly for dinner and then to NYC for brunch and dinner this past weekend. We tried brunch at Clinton Street Bakery, which was highly recommended by manyof our friends for its pancakes. We were forewarned about the hour waits, which we weren't planning to do with a 7month old...so we waited in line before the 10AM opening time. We tried the salmon eggs benedict, truffled fried eggs, blueberry pancakes, waffles du jour and sides of onion rings and bacon. Everything was good (recommend the truffled eggs, which comes with 2 sunny side up eggs on top of grilled vegetables and drizzled with truffle oil, but there was a sort of let down feeling because secretly we must have wanted something eyeopening due to all the hype. I don't think I'll be back since we have better brunch options here in DC, e.g., Creme, Leopolds, Blue Duck Tavern, but I am glad I got to try it.

[MelGold]

Did you prefer the udon noodles to the soba noodles? Have you tried Ippudo, the ramen place?

I prefer udon to soba when it's in a broth. I grew up with yakisoba made at home by my mom, so I have a hard time wrapping my head around thin noodles in a broth (perhaps why I don't love pho). I haven't tried Ippudo but sounds like something that should be put on my list for the next visit.

[Keithstg]

Two meals from a week ago...

Gotham Bar and Grill

We made it out to Alfred Portale’s institution last Friday for lunch. Unbeknownst to us, they are running a deal right now in celebration of their 25th anniversary where prix fixe lunch and dinner menus are available for $25 and $75 respectively. The menus featured popular dishes over the past 25 years, and seemed like an excellent deal. Unsurprisingly, the restaurant was packed! For starters we had the warm goat cheese salad, and the veal carpaccio with bresola, basil, lemon oil, and parmigano. Both were good, and were reminders of how influential Portale has been, as these dishes (particularly the goat cheese salad) are now everywhere. Mains were broiled cod, and lamb loin. Both were well presented, and cooked beautifully. Desserts for both of us were chocolate cake, which we also enjoyed, but were not wowed by. Combined with a half bottle of rLdH todonia (1999), this was a nice, serene, enjoyable lunch.

Jean-Georges

As my brother and sister in law were in town last weekend, we went to Jean Georges. I found the experience much different than the other 4 * tables in NYC – first, J-G’s bar (the Nougatine Room) was hopping. Slammed with people, music, the whole nine yards. Had we made reservations in the bar conversation would have been difficult, so caveat emptor when booking on Open Table (Nougatine shows up separately). The main dining room is off of the bar, and takes up the south side of the Trump building on CPW. Although there are doors separating the dining room from the bar, some noise does spill over, but not enough to be of concern. The dining room is sparsely decorated, and relatively long. Much to my dismay, our table passed up the tasting menu in favor of the four course menu. Of the first courses, my favorite was the peekytoe crab dumplings, served with a celeriac – meyer lemon tea jus. The jus was a bit spicier than expected, which gave a good counterpoint to the sweet crabmeat. The only dish among the first courses that didn’t meet expectation was the foie brulee, which my sister in law thought was too sweet…not a reasonable critique in my opinion (it’s crème brulee for heaven’s sake), but whatever.

Second course for me was roasted foie with candied apples – for whatever reason the menu indicated that this preparation would be served with concord grapes, but the foie showed up with apples instead. Either way, the sweetness of the apples was a nice counterpoint to the rich foie. I was also able to steal a bite of my wife’s Arctic Char, which was roasted with garlic and jalapeno.

Mains were smoked squab l’orange for my wife, and lamb loin for me. The squab wasn’t too heavily smoked, and worked well with the asian pear accompaniment. The lamb loin was cooked perfectly, but lacked excitement, I thought – the black trumpet mushrooms were good, as were the baby leeks, but I came away thinking that I should have gone with a different entrée. There wasn’t anything wrong with it, but in retrospect maybe a fish dish would have been nice, as opposed to lamb immediately following foie.

Desserts were served tasting style, based on a few components. Each diner was given the choice of Caramel, Chocolate, or Apple as the main ingredient and was then presented a plate divided with four small portions of dessert, with different preparations of each ingredient. I didn’t really come away with notes on the desserts, other than I preferred the “apple” plate to the others.

All in all, J-G was a good experience. The service was somewhat more aloof than, say, Le Bernardin, but the atmosphere itself was less formal. One of the better meals I’ve had up here in the last ten months, and certainly worth the trip up / celebratory dinner.

[Ericandblueboy]

Portion question. We're going to Esca for a late lunch tomorrow. Will I be able to eat a primi, antipasti, and a secondi? Eating with clients and they're picking up the tab - I don't want to over order if I can't finish the food.

[MelGold]

I forgot to mention that I popped my Pinkberry cherry on St. Marks Place Saturday night (was enormously saddened to see the gentrification on that street). We got a "small" serving of pomegranate/original swirl topped with milk chocolate shavings. It was tart, tingly and overall amazing. I loved every spoonful of it, but was glad to be sharing the ginormous serving with two others. Found it quite interesting that Red Mango was literally across the street. Next trip I might have to do a Pat's/Geno's type taste off between the two.

[Stretch]

My friend ended up taking me to Terroir in the East Village last Saturday. The wine and food were both outstanding. Mmm, bruschetta with whipped lard, aargghh.

[dcs]

Sure, it's not haute cuisine, but nothing goes down better after spending 3 1/2 hours in the Beacon Theatre watching Eric Clapton and the Allman Brothers tear the house down than two dogs fully dressed and a papaya at Gray's Papaya at 71st and Broadway. The "Recession Special" price brings this in for under $5. The dogs have a nice char/crispness to them. Don't you dare contaminate them with ketchup; relish and mustard only. The papaya drink had a rich creaminess to it, and is apparently a cure-all if you are to believe the numerous placards posted throughout the store. It was so good that I slipped out to the Gray's at 8th Ave and 37th St the next morning to drink one for breakfast.

[Ericandblueboy]

Not a fan of Esca, at least for lunch. I shared some liguine with clam sauce with my boss/partner - a little salty, pasta a little undercooked, but I like the spiciness. As for my entree of Fritto Misto, they don't have the frying down. It's nothing like Palena or the meals I've had in Venice, or even B&B in Venice (another Batali restaurant). Unfortunately I didn't get to order more than 2 courses.

[mtpleasanteater]

I don't see why people like Esca either. It is owned by Mario Batali though. I think that Palena is much better than any of the Batali restaurants in NY, and I think this would also be true if you only considered the more Italian dishes at Palena.

[Rhone1998]

Well, speaking of Esca...first of all, thanks everyone above for the advice. I managed only one "big" night out, Tuesday, with dinner at the bar at Esca. Mixed results for me, honestly - Highlights were definitely among the starters. They offer a basket of small fried fish that I think they call seafood fries or something like that which is fantastic and inventive -- instead of serving lemon wedges with the "fries" (obviously this is a dish that will cry out for acid) there are deep fried shavings of meyer lemon rind among the fish...very nice touch. I also had a plate of 4 filleted grilled anchovies that was awesome.

I began the evening with their specialty, what Pasternack is known for I guess, the crudo. I bit the bullet and got the ($30) crudo sampler, two flights of 3 raw fish preparations. Most were local, everything was very fresh tasting and well seasoned, but in the end nothing really popped for me as being extraordinary. Too high expectations, perhaps? My main was also somewhat disappointing, but here the fault was probably my own. I ordered grilled Mako shark, which I'd never had before, perhaps somewhat for the novelty of it, even though the bartender told me ahead of time it was a "mild" fish and I generally prefer stronger flavors. It was really quite a bland fish, and the accompanying mixture of greens and beans, also quite mild, didn't add the necessary punch. Oh well.

Back to awesome for the dessert - 3 very intense, flavorful gelattos (gelatti?), cappucino, chocolate chip, and sunflower seed (!).

In the end, I'd try Esca again, and I'm sure I could put together a fantastic meal (or many) from the large selection they offer, but not everything on the menu is a homerun (for me at least).

Dan

[Steve R.]

There's another good one a few blocks down Atlantic called Brazen Head. That area and Williamsburg are probably your best bet if you want to be able to hit a whole bunch of spots walking.

A short list would have to include Beertable in Park Slope, which is expensive but has a mind blowing selection of bottles and four taps that are always incredible. The Gate (also in Park Slope) has had some pretty amazing stuff when I've been, as has Barcade & Spuyten Deivel in Williamsburg. DBA also just opened up in Williamsburg and I'm sure that will be great.

This list doesn't pretend to be anywhere near complete. Beertable is my personal favorite.

If anyone's still interested in this, go to Chow.com and, on the Outer Boroughs board my friend Bob Martinez is doing a series on beer bars in Brooklyn.

[Steve R.]

My friend ended up taking me to Terroir in the East Village last Saturday. The wine and food were both outstanding. Mmm, bruschetta with whipped lard, aargghh.

Not to mention the chopped liver. Did you have time to actually read the wine list descriptions? Entertaining as hell. Great place.

[lizzie]

Have you tried the soup dumplings at Yank Sing in San Francisco? If you have, as a point of reference for me, I was wondering how you might rate Joe's against those?

just back from NYC and had to respond to this. My teen daughter and I have been to Joe's and Yank Sing in the past two months. We did not think they even compared, with Yank Sing coming out WAY ahead. Our meal at Joe's was so disappointing. We tried all the dumplings and none had "soup." While the seafood ones were still ok, the whole point was supposed to be the soup. Our main courses were mai fun and a thicker pan fried noodle with seafood. These were nothing special, and much greasier than most chinese places where we eat in DC. The dumplings at Yank Sing were perfect. The only problem with Yank Sing is that as a dim sum menu, so many things look good and so many carts are passing your table, that it is easy to run up a significant tab in no time ($80 for 2, no drinks except tea). The only dish there that we would not order again was a stuffed/fried crab item which was only ok.

Further disappointing about Joe's was that we had two dirty glasses, and one with something floating in the water, a dirty plate, the table across from us had dirty napkins and other things under the table, and the bathroom was not clean. Perhaps my expectations were too high.

[Steve R.]

just back from NYC and had to respond to this. My teen daughter and I have been to Joe's and Yank Sing in the past two months. We did not think they even compared, with Yank Sing coming out WAY ahead. Our meal at Joe's was so disappointing. We tried all the dumplings and none had "soup." While the seafood ones were still ok, the whole point was supposed to be the soup. Our main courses were mai fun and a thicker pan fried noodle with seafood. These were nothing special, and much greasier than most chinese places where we eat in DC. The dumplings at Yank Sing were perfect. The only problem with Yank Sing is that as a dim sum menu, so many things look good and so many carts are passing your table, that it is easy to run up a significant tab in no time ($80 for 2, no drinks except tea). The only dish there that we would not order again was a stuffed/fried crab item which was only ok.

Further disappointing about Joe's was that we had two dirty glasses, and one with something floating in the water, a dirty plate, the table across from us had dirty napkins and other things under the table, and the bathroom was not clean. Perhaps my expectations were too high.

Joe's is not well regarded here in NYC (neither the original one in Flushing, nor the main offshoot in Manhattan's C'town) & hasnt been for quite a few years, so your experience doesnt surprise me. Unfortunately, although I know of quite a few really great Chinese places in NYC that rival anything in S.F, none of them are Shanghai based cooking. This afternoon's foray to World Tong for dim sum with 6 other food board members confirmed that NYC can keep up with SF in this area and my recent dinners at 5-6 Szechuan places in Flushing, Manhattan and Brooklyn make me believe that we're fine in that regard as well. If you like these Chinese foods, I'd suggest you focus on them next visit. I can supply specifics or you can go to the Outer Boroughs Board on CH... it's still the home of many reliable experts in Chinese foods and where to find them.

[mtpleasanteater]

Joe's is not well regarded here in NYC (neither the original one in Flushing, nor the main offshoot in Manhattan's C'town) & hasnt been for quite a few years, so your experience doesnt surprise me.

This is really true. I don't know if its really top tier (their Szechuan food is good but not great) but I've had some decent Shanghai style food at the Grand Szechuan on St Mark's.

[wahoooob]

Hey guys - going up to NY in a few weeks and planning out my eating. Joe's had been a potential on the list for xiao long bao, but reading above I guess that is no longer the spot. Any other recommendations? Or just forget xiao long bao and do otherwise.

So far on the list is: Caracas Aprea Bar, Tiam Falafel, Momofoku (Noodle bar and/or bakery), Sobaya, Macondo, Boqueria.. any other ideas? Thanks!!

[Steve R.]

Hey guys - going up to NY in a few weeks and planning out my eating. Joe's had been a potential on the list for xiao long bao, but reading above I guess that is no longer the spot. Any other recommendations? Or just forget xiao long bao and do otherwise.

So far on the list is: Caracas Aprea Bar, Tiam Falafel, Momofoku (Noodle bar and/or bakery), Sobaya, Macondo, Boqueria.. any other ideas? Thanks!!

If you're willing/able to get to Flushing, Queens (the original home of the 1st Joe's), here are 2 threads about places you'll like way more than Joe's (chowhound is still full of good posts on the Outer Borough board... not so much for Manhattan):

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/497820?ta...dy;topic-497820

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/451804?ta...dy;topic-451804

If you're only going to be in Manhattan, NY Noodletown is still worth the meal (although they dont have soup dumplings). And on Eldridge St (off Grand), Vanessa's dumplings and sandwiches are still very good as well.

[crazeegirl]

Our meal at Joe's was so disappointing. We tried all the dumplings and none had "soup." While the seafood ones were still ok, the whole point was supposed to be the soup. Our main courses were mai fun and a thicker pan fried noodle with seafood. These were nothing special, and much greasier than most chinese places where we eat in DC.

Further disappointing about Joe's was that we had two dirty glasses, and one with something floating in the water, a dirty plate, the table across from us had dirty napkins and other things under the table, and the bathroom was not clean. Perhaps my expectations were too high.

Sorry that your experience was subpar...I am wondering though whether you ordered the soup dumplings. Joe's is known primarily for their soup dumplings and not their other dishes. At least from my last trip to Joe's they had 2 types of soup dumplings: (1) pork and (2) crabmeat/pork. I am suprised that they didn't have any soup. Are you certain you ordered the soup dumplings?

Hey guys - going up to NY in a few weeks and planning out my eating. Joe's had been a potential on the list for xiao long bao, but reading above I guess that is no longer the spot. Any other recommendations? Or just forget xiao long bao and do otherwise.

So far on the list is: Caracas Aprea Bar, Tiam Falafel, Momofoku (Noodle bar and/or bakery), Sobaya, Macondo, Boqueria.. any other ideas? Thanks!!

I would give Joe's a try (perhaps others on the board who have tried to weigh in as well)...Try an order of pork and an order of crab soup dumplings. If you are inclined to eat anything else, I would try other things off their menu, but 2 plates of dumplings should be more than sufficient for one person.

Another place you might to try is Porchetta. Their seating is limited at best, so plan on taking the pork sandwich to go and have a picnic by a park! Their burnt potatoes and frisee salads are highly recommended as well.

Are you looking to try to particular cuisine or do you have a price range?

[Rhone1998]

Can someone help me remember the name of this little fish-and-chips place in the Meatpacking District (or maybe West Village)? It's tiny, kind of over-the-top British themed if I remember correctly, postage stamp size (no tables, but a few stools in front of a countertop on the side). Does anyone know which place I'm talking about?

thanks for any help...

Dan

[cjsadler]

Can someone help me remember the name of this little fish-and-chips place in the Meatpacking District (or maybe West Village)? It's tiny, kind of over-the-top British themed if I remember correctly, postage stamp size (no tables, but a few stools in front of a countertop on the side). Does anyone know which place I'm talking about?

thanks for any help...

Dan

A Salt and Battery. Almost stopped in last month when I happened to be nearby around lunch time, but the line was pretty long.

[lizzie]

Sorry that your experience was subpar...I am wondering though whether you ordered the soup dumplings. Joe's is known primarily for their soup dumplings and not their other dishes. At least from my last trip to Joe's they had 2 types of soup dumplings: (1) pork and (2) crabmeat/pork. I am suprised that they didn't have any soup. Are you certain you ordered the soup dumplings?

I am positive we ordered the soup dumplings-one order each of pork and crabmeat. I even asked to be certain these were the soup dumplings. There was no broth of any kind in the dumplings.

[cajcaj]

Headed up to NY this weekend, we'll have Friday dinner free - any suggestions? In terms of places we've tried and enjoyed before; Momofuku Noodle Bar, Prune, Degustation, The Spotted Pig... blanking on others at the moment. Thought about checking out the lounge at Per Se, but not sure we want to deal with the inevitable (?) wait.

[Keithstg]

I was at Per Se two weeks ago Friday (write-up coming soon), and the lounge was not full until about 8:30pm. If you want to dine early, I don't think you'll have much of a problem. You could also call and get on the wait list for dinner in the dininig room - we did, and were given an early Friday reservation. If anything, I think that the experience has improved there, at least when compared to my first visits.

[cajcaj]

I was at Per Se two weeks ago Friday (write-up coming soon), and the lounge was not full until about 8:30pm. If you want to dine early, I don't think you'll have much of a problem. You could also call and get on the wait list for dinner in the dininig room - we did, and were given an early Friday reservation. If anything, I think that the experience has improved there, at least when compared to my first visits.

Thanks for the intel - our train gets in around 6:30, so might end up getting there after its already busy. What did you think about dining in the lounge in terms of prices? From what I've seen of the menu it seems that it is (obviously) still expensive, but w/o knowing how tiny the dishes are, its hard to gauge. And I think we're ruling out a dining room reservations because we don't want to spend that kind of money.

[Keithstg]

Thanks for the intel - our train gets in around 6:30, so might end up getting there after its already busy. What did you think about dining in the lounge in terms of prices? From what I've seen of the menu it seems that it is (obviously) still expensive, but w/o knowing how tiny the dishes are, its hard to gauge. And I think we're ruling out a dining room reservations because we don't want to spend that kind of money.

From what I was able to see, the dishes on the a la carte menu are somewhat larger than the tasting menu counterparts - ETA, by somewhat, I mean general app and entree size at similar establishments (JG, Daniel, Citronelle, etc).

[cajcaj]

From what I was able to see, the dishes on the a la carte menu are somewhat larger than the tasting menu counterparts - ETA, by somewhat, I mean general app and entree size at similar establishments (JG, Daniel, Citronelle, etc).

Oh, you ate in the dining room when you went on Friday - I didn't read closely and thought you'd eaten in the lounge.

[mtpleasanteater]

I am pretty curious about how big those plates are too.

The prices include tax & tip which make them seem a little more reasonable.

They update their website with the current lounge menu daily.

[cajcaj]

I am pretty curious about how big those plates are too.

The prices include tax & tip which make them seem a little more reasonable.

They update their website with the current lounge menu daily.

That's a good point re tax and tip. Ooo good to know about the updates w/ the menu..

[mtpleasanteater]

Frank Bruni reviews the Per Se lounge in tomorrow's NYT.

[cajcaj]

Frank Bruni reviews the Per Se lounge in tomorrow's NYT.

Great call! Here it is: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/dining/r...&ref=dining

He basically says what I'd been worried about, that with each dish individually priced, the whole experience would seem extra expensive.