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Okay friends, looking for some suggestions for a late lunch on Sunday, close to Penn Station would be great, but we could jump into a cab. We're coming back from a family party in Long Island and have a 4pm train out of Penn Station. I expect we'll get tossed out of our hotel around 11am, so we have about 3.5 hours to kill once we get back to manhattan. We'll have our luggage with us...always fun dine with a suitcase stuffed under the table :(

With that much time, you can get pretty much anywhere in Manhattan. One suggestion is Lupa, which is open all day, if you're in the mood for some solid Roman/Italian fare. Another great, newer Roman idea is Mialino, Danny Meyer's place on Gramercy Park. The bar room is open all day, but call first to make sure what the deal is.

Any of the Chinese/Korean/Vietnamese/Thai places are all day affairs, but better stuff to be found in the DC area, imo. A late lunch is doable at Chang's Noodle Bar or Ssam Bar, but expect a wait if you arrive at 1 PM.

You could see what all the pizza fuss is about at Motorino or Keste, if you so desire...but only if you promise not to say how burnt the crust is or how it's wet in the middle :) .

And finally, the Tavern Room at Gramercy Tavern is an all-day affair, and delicious too.

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With that much time, you can get pretty much anywhere in Manhattan. One suggestion is Lupa, which is open all day, if you're in the mood for some solid Roman/Italian fare. Another great, newer Roman idea is

And finally, the Tavern Room at Gramercy Tavern is an all-day affair, and delicious too.

Not sure how I stumbled on it, but I've spent a couple of touristic noons there and the food is delicious, the room is beautiful and the indirect light through the front window suffuses the whole place in with a Merchant and Ivory glow. It's difficult to feel more civilized and -- probably -- happy than when you're sitting in a window table in the Tavern Room. I yield to Weinoo on his knowledge of the NYC, obviously (despite his unreliability on questions of pizza :( ) but strongly second this suggestion.

And a bonus: the main dining room is closed during weekend lunch, so the possibility of luggage storage space is high.

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Had a killer fucking dinner at Colicchio and Sons Saturday night. Just killer.

Usually the stuff that really blows me away is high-technique Frenchified food. I have been known to sneer of expensive, local, seasonal, virginal, artisanal food: "that's not cooking, that's shopping." And I dismissed (mentally, not snottily) half the C&S app menu as pointless because who can't get local, organic tomatoes and greens this time of year" But...

Has Tuna Tartare moved past trite and into classic? C&S puts four substantive squares of tune -- more a sashimi cut than the thinly sliced mounds I usually see -- and tops them with apricots, blanched, cut romano green beans and hazelnuts. Really simple. Really good. Corn agnolottis with a corn sauce, summer truffles and huitlacoche was impossibly rich, like foie gras for vegetarians or something. The duck breast with cherry sauce and buckwheat pancakes stuffed with chard or some similar greens was quite tasty, but almost a shrinking violet compared to the other dishes. And the immensely-sized (for a purported appetizer) sweetbreads fried with a cornmeal dusting and served with a sherry-(Benton) bacon sauce and onions that had been gently confited rocked my world. For each dish, it seemed that something that looked -- upon reading the menu -- like a garnish or a grace note is what put it over the top: the hazelnuts on the tuna or the onions with the sweetbreads. Rich without being heavy, simple without being boring.

That's not shopping, that's cooking.

In other news, The pastrami and the matzoh ball soup -- if you can take the word of two goyish Washingtonians -- at the relocated 2nd Avenue Deli (33rd and 3rd) remain top notch. And, after you go there, you can drop in the close-by fromagerie at Artisanal to see what's unusual or particularly perfectly aged (sure, they sell Pont l'Eveque and Banon in Washington, but it's never well-aged). And then you can eat it, when you get home, with bread from the Balthazaar Bakery, which conveniently located mere steps from the Holiday Inn SoHo (nee Holiday Inn Chinatown -- interesting to see their marketing folks decide that SoHo is now more enticing than Chinatown. If only Howard Johnson's could have survives to give us the SoHo HoJo) which occasionally runs excellent specials.

Cheers.

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Had to meet someone for lunch in New York so I ate for the rest of 24 hours to make it worth the trip.

I walked past Madison Square park at 11:06 am and counted 34 people in the line, don't know how many of them will also be in line when they open down here.

Lunch at Blue Smoke. Not revelatory or anything, cornbread was weird, but they let us spread out and work.

Afterward a hot dog at Crifdogs was spot on.

Later dinner at Locanda Verde. This place is on point. $12 for two sliders might be pushin it but this is NY after all. If they screw up and give you two pastas you get to eat them both. Beautiful braised meats in both of them. Scallops were perfectly cooked and a nicely balanced preparation. A great restaurant recomended to me by the GM at Terrior ( Also good BTW).

Dessert was sushi at Blue Ribbon. I always get nice fish here and last week was no exception. However, a trip to Yasuda is forthcoming.

Next day I had the recession special at Gray's Papaya. I have tried these dogs 5-6 times now. I just don't get it. I get that is quick and easy and always the same, but an unbalanced, pungent dog under a strange sauce just isn't good. I am glad everyone has drunken memories of this place, but it isn't for me, drunk or sober.

Finished with a pie from Co. by the guy from Sullivan St bakery. Good pienice blistered crust, good char, nice fresh toppings, tastey sausage. There was indeedsome moisture in the middle from the mozzarella, and the pizza was still delicious. If everyone would just calm the fuck down about wet centers the world would be a better place.

a good 24 hours even if I didn't see anyone famous

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Next day I had the recession special at Gray's Papaya. I have tried these dogs 5-6 times now. I just don't get it. I get that is quick and easy and always the same, but an unbalanced, pungent dog under a strange sauce just isn't good. I am glad everyone has drunken memories of this place, but it isn't for me, drunk or sober.

No sauce. Mustard. Have the Papaya Drink.

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Heading up there in late September for a long weekend. Saturday is going to be taken up by watching the Yankees wipe the floor with the Red Sux, but we are looking for one good place for dinner on Sunday night. We are going to pass on "fancy" places for dinner this time and stick to a restaurant that is simply good and fun. This is the list that I am thinking about at this point. Any definites? Any other suggestions? Cuisine and price don't matter at all, I just want to go to a place where we won't be disappointed, I want a sure thing.

Locanda Verde

Marea

Balthazar

Del Posto

Perry Street

Peasant

Prune

Scarpetta

Alto

Convivio

Insieme

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Heading up there in late September for a long weekend. Saturday is going to be taken up by watching the Yankees wipe the floor with the Red Sux, but we are looking for one good place for dinner on Sunday night. We are going to pass on "fancy" places for dinner this time and stick to a restaurant that is simply good and fun. This is the list that I am thinking about at this point. Any definites? Any other suggestions? Cuisine and price don't matter at all, I just want to go to a place where we won't be disappointed, I want a sure thing.

Locanda Verde

Marea

Balthazar

Del Posto

Perry Street

Peasant

Prune

Scarpetta

Alto

Convivio

Insieme

Del Posto, Alto, and Marea are fancy restaurants, and while I wouldn't necessarily want to wear a jacket to Perry Street it's far from informal. Marco Canora is no longer affiliated with Insieme, so the NYT review is outdated.

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Del Posto, Alto, and Marea are fancy restaurants, and while I wouldn't necessarily want to wear a jacket to Perry Street it's far from informal. Marco Canora is no longer affiliated with Insieme, so the NYT review is outdated.

I dropped by Perry Street for lunch one Sunday and found the food technically correct but, perhaps, uninspiring. I found it far closer to informal than formal. Balthazaar is decent bistro fair in a truly inspired fake bistro, but it's more decorative than adventurous.

My 2 cents.

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Took two of my nieces (both 13) to the City this weekend for their bat mitzvah presents. One tries to keep kosher as much as possible (but doesn't require only going to Certified restaurants or anything like that), so that was a further limitation. Here's how we did:

Motorino (E Village location): Excellent Neo-Neapolitan; the $12 lunch special is a deal.

Socarrat Paella Bar: Super-traditional tapas (creamy tortilla, spicy bravas, olives, etc) before a delish vegetarian paella. Wines are well-chosen, as well. Non-veg paellas looked excellent as well. Small place but they put us at the best table and were super-cool with the little ladies.

Barney Greengrass: It's very good smoked fish, so it's a little pricey (and cash only), but whoever cooks the eggs in the back does a hell of a job.

Bhojan: Punjabi and Gujarati vegetarian small plates and chaats, plus a few Thalis that come highly recommended (we stuch to the small plates and chaats). Seven small plates was plenty for the four of us. Lots of different flavors, heat levels, temperature and textural contrast, reasonably quick service. Full chai service, yogurt drinks, BYO for now.

Spot Dessert Bar: From Pichet Ong. Super casual, on St. Marks Place. Doesn't serve booze, young, enthusiastic staff. Cupcakes, cookies, six or seven plated desserts ("dessert tapas") that are large enough to share. Paco-jet frozen desserts, so the sorbets are better than the ice creams. Bubble tea. A trend-bomb, perhaps, but well-executed, well-served, reasonably-priced. It's sometimes hard to find evening stuff to do with kids in NYC, and this was perfect.

Pulino's: Keith McNally's pizza place (not Neapolitan) does breakfast and brunch. Roasted strawberry/grana/black pepper pie exceptional. A few pies with eggs cracked on top. Plenty of choices, well-priced, good coffee. I'm guessing it gets loud at night.

In addition, I was able to hit a few imbibatoria after the ladies went to bed. Minetta Tavern is crazy-busy, but has an excellent cocktail staff (though the menu has some odd "inaccuracies" on it). Francois mixed me a "julep" with a combination of rye, super-vanilla-y dark rum, and Green chartreuse, in addition to the normal mint, crushed ice, and sugar. Delish. The cocktail program at WD-50 mirrors Wylie's full-bore approach to exploring flavors and textures. Lots of carbonated drinks, lots of drinks that are challenging at first sip, but unfold exceptionally. Tona Palomino and his staff love their work and deserve attention.

Oh, and Maks and Vince at Counting Room in Williamsburg still rock.

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Don't see any mention of Paulie Gee's on the board. This place was opened in March by Paul Gianonne, a backyard oven enthusist [early work pictured here] who when full bore. It's about two blocks from Brooklyn's Greenpoint G-line Subway station -> pick the corner with the Duane Reed and walk away from the intersection on Greenpoint Avenue. Dinner only, Tuesday through Sunday.

From the Slice.SeriousEats.com site:

20100309-paulie-gees-paulie-stretching-dough-thumb-500xauto-77917.jpg

The owner, pictured above, works the dining room and is interested in coming to DC to try Two Amys. I told him to definitely try Pizzeria Orso too.

Video from TimeOut NY

They've recently received their liquor license and business has picked up, but was fairly calm at 6p. The owner said that it picks up later because the neighborhood "needs to drink" and probably eat great pizza.

It's chewy, blistered and very tasty. I had the Sweet Regina from the specials menu: Fior di Latte, Italian Tomatoes, Pecorino Romano, Olive Oil, Fresh Basil and Fennel Sausage.

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Video from TimeOut NY

I hadn't seen the video above before my first visit. Had to go back last night for the Greenpointer.

post-226-004961700 1284126899_thumb.jpg

Also got a slice of the "Fire Up the Delboy!" Their Delboy [Fior di Latte, Italian Tomatoes, Sopressata Picante and Parmigiano Reggiano] with a drizzle of Mike's Spicy Honey. The honey looks like chili oil in the drizzle bottle and hits first with the sweet before the burn sets in. A dessert ice cream can also be topped with this honey.

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I first heard about them from Anthony Bourdain of course, and the motion was seconded by a friend in Queens. So whenever I'm in New York, and I go regularly, I've stopped at one of their locations - lately the newest one on St. Mark's Place, but also the original in Flushing and the Chinatown/LES branch. I'm always amazed how much good food I can get for under ten bucks. Is there anywhere in the DC area that serves anything like their liang pi (cold noodles) or lamb burger?

http://www.xianfoods.com/

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If you're in Soho and just want a bite, I really like getting a slice from Numero 28 on Spring St. I think their other locations are sit down, and the style of pizza might be different. The slice of margherita that I had reminded me of the pizza I would buy on the street in Italy. Nice crisp crust, not a lot of cheese, but more would just obscure the flavor from the tomato sauce. The other pizza options looked pretty interesting as well.

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Since I am in that type of mood, let's start with the bad.

A big F$@% YOU goes to Eataly. I was impressed with the variety of items in that store and the quality, from what I could tell, looked wonderful. All the accolades, however, end there. It is probably the worst laid-out floorplan that I have ever seen in my life, people were walking around confused as hell the entire night. Can you just grab that table or do I need to give my name to the hostess? Do I order at the counter? Is there even the concept of a line? Where do I pay? Man, it is a complete cluster fuck and, to be honest, it wasn't even that crowded when we were there. But, that is not the worst part of it. After walking around aimlessly for about 30 minutes, we decided that we wanted to eat at the pasta/pizza restaurant in the store. There were three tables available and four open bar seats, so we figured we were good to go. We went up to the hostess and said that we wanted a table, to which she replied that it would be a 1 hour and 15 minute wait. I, of course, asked why it would take so long to get seated with all the open tables, and she told me that there was a waiting list. But, I wondered, I didn't see anyone waiting, so I asked how she called people to the table. She told me that she just leaves the table open until they come back to the hostess stand. What!? I inquired further and she told me that if we waited 10 minutes, if there were any seats available, she would seat us. OK, makes no damn sense in the world, but if I get a seat, I really don't care. Two parties came up to the hostess stand in that period of time and got seated, I am assuming that they were on this list. Then, a party of four just walked into the restaurant and sat at the bar. I asked the hostess why they were able to sit at the bar without putting their name on the list, she said that they couldn't, but that they had already ordered drinks from the waiter, so she wasn't going to ask them to move. Nearly at my breaking point, I told her that we wanted to be seated, at the open table, right away, to which she told me that her friends were coming and she was saving that table for them. I walked away, in utter disbelief, and just couldn't even fathom what just happened. Not wanting to be one of those people that just walk away and bitch about it, I walked back to the hostess stand and asked to speak to who was in charge. She sent someone to find this person and the person never returned, ever. During that five minute wait, I noticed about 100 people walking around that worked at Eataly, but none of them seemed to have any purpose or be in charge, they were simply walking around aimlessly like the customers, so my wife encouraged me to leave before I punched someone in the face. So, yes, Eataly, you truly suck ass.

The positive thing about that experience, however, was that we walked outside, stood in line at Shake Shack for about 30 minutes and then had some well deserved burgers, hot dogs, fries and shakes. I hated standing in line for that long, it is almost against my religion, but they let me drink a half bottle of Cakebreak Chardonnay ($22) while I was standing in line, so I could deal with it. I loved the burger (A LOT!), liked the fries, could have done without half the condiments on the hot dog, and felt that the shake was incredible, even if quite small for the price. While I cannot suggest waiting in line that long, if you have good company, a good drink and time to kill, the food is definitely worth it.

Sunday night was dinner at Mas, which was a mixed bag. Loved the setting, very cool restaurant with perfect service. The wine list was French heavy, which I didn't appreciate, but they offered me a taste of a few New York wines as I showed interest in those, so I quickly forgave them for having an unbalanced wine list. Picked a Cab blend from California, it was perfect, if a bit pricey. Had a great vanilla old fashioned and a good take on a sazerac. The menu read better than it was executed, but there were no clunkers in the bunch, just nothing amazing other than the amuse - duck rillets on a pepper biscuit - just awesome. I also liked the fact that you can make your own tasting menu, pick any three items on the menu and they will bring it out to you, great idea for the customer, even though it must be more difficult for the kitchen. Overall, I would recommend Mas, but in a city with a billion great restaurants, there are others to choose over it.

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A quick two day trip to New York where my lunch meeting was at the renamed Houston's in midtown which was as good as Houston's always have been (most consistent restaurant across the board). Attended an event at the Boat House in Central Park. My first time at the venue/restaurant. I wonder how the food at the restaurant is because it would be worth a visit for the view alone. Had a break between meetings and jumped off the subway at Union Square to walk through the green market. It puts the DC markets to shame with the diversity of vendors.

Discovered after a long walk that Zabar's closes at 7:30 during the week. Who knew?

(an aside, during my walk I stopped at Jacques Torres to buy some treats. I wish I hadn't opened the chocolate covered cornflakes this morning because they might not make it through the day. :(:) )

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Recently, I was up in NYand had lunch at the new FoodParc - kind of a funky food court with touchscreen ordering. They have a few different options - Asian-inspired items, burger bar, pizza/italian, and sandwiches plus a full-bar, coffee bar and desserts. I mostly had asian stuff which was pretty good, but a bit pricey. The peking duck bun had a overly sweet sauce - but the Katz's Pastrami egg roll was EXCELLENT and worth a trip if you are nearby at all. It was a strange combo of real good pastrami mixed in with chopped cabbage and other normal chinese eggroll vegetable and then deep-fried. Went really nice with the mustard that seemed like a mix between chinese hot mustard and good deli mustard. One of the stranger, but better things I ate. Also, the decor of FoodParc is unusual too - all white with a futuristic look - apparently designed by the guy who made the sets for sci-fi flicks Bladerunner and Tron. It wasn't open yet, but I hope to check out the more refined dining upstairs at Bar Basque when I go back. I did get a peak and it also has this cool futuristic look but with deep reds.

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Recently, I was up in NYand had lunch at the new FoodParc - kind of a funky food court with touchscreen ordering. They have a few different options - Asian-inspired items, burger bar, pizza/italian, and sandwiches plus a full-bar, coffee bar and desserts. I mostly had asian stuff which was pretty good, but a bit pricey. The peking duck bun had a overly sweet sauce - but the Katz's Pastrami egg roll was EXCELLENT and worth a trip if you are nearby at all. It was a strange combo of real good pastrami mixed in with chopped cabbage and other normal chinese eggroll vegetable and then deep-fried. Went really nice with the mustard that seemed like a mix between chinese hot mustard and good deli mustard. One of the stranger, but better things I ate. Also, the decor of FoodParc is unusual too - all white with a futuristic look - apparently designed by the guy who made the sets for sci-fi flicks Bladerunner and Tron. It wasn't open yet, but I hope to check out the more refined dining upstairs at Bar Basque when I go back. I did get a peak and it also has this cool futuristic look but with deep reds.

The dim-sum items are from Joe Ng, who was discovered at a dim sum palace in Brooklyn, then was the master chef behind Chinatown Brasserie. Great stuff.

Here's a more in-depth review.

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Had a break between meetings and jumped off the subway at Union Square to walk through the green market. It puts the DC markets to shame with the diversity of vendors.

Conversely, NYC has a lot of satellite greenmarkets scattered around town that are put to shame by the diversity of vendors at Dupont Circle. I've also seen apple varieties at Dupont that I've never seen in NYC. There are great things everywhere.

Union Square has grown to be unique in my experience. I've been going there since the beginning, living a 20-minute walk away back then. I've seen Union Square be transformed from a dangerous junkie hangout htat you couldn't walk through even in daylight to what it is today.

Had the amazing good fortune to work right across the street 1981-1999. Lordy did I eat & cook well in those years! Probably why I got downsized at the end of it, ex-hippie freaks trucking into the office with backpacks full of corn & tomatoes didn't exaclty fit the corporate image by the end of that decade.

Now, living in Jersey, I still take the train in once every couple of weeks just to hit the USGM. There's nothing like it.

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Had a break between meetings and jumped off the subway at Union Square to walk through the green market. It puts the DC markets to shame with the diversity of vendors.

The Dupont Market has nothing to be ashamed of. I've been to the Union Square market several times (last time was mid-Sept) and, indeed, it is incredible. However, everytime I've left feeling that it was almost too much. There is so much that it's really difficult to make a decision about where you want to buy. On our last visit, we were staying in a hotel so I really couldn't buy anything, and I frankly felt relieved that I didn't have to make a decision. I'm sure that if I lived there and went regularly I'd figure out which vendors were the best for my needs and it would be less daunting.

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To clarify my "shame" statement... it's the bakers and prepared food vendors to which I was referring. Produce in DC is very impressive. In fact, I spent a great deal of time in LA this summer and at the markets around the area. While the diversity of produce was amazing, I thought the quality in DC was better.

So... to edit my post in retrospect, I wish there were more bakers and prepared food vendors at the markets in DC instead of one or two at each market.

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Heading up to NYC for the weekend after T-Day. Is Peasant worth a visit? Other suggestions? Don't necessarily want a super fancy place, but something worth a visit.

I'd suggest Osteria Morini or Maialino or Lupa over Peasant. I had a very nice meal at Corsino recently. ABC Kitchen is putting out some very nice food. Maialino does a very nice brunch on the weekends as well. Stay the hell away from Eataly as it's bound to be crowded that weekend.

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I'd suggest Osteria Morini or Maialino or Lupa over Peasant. I had a very nice meal at Corsino recently. ABC Kitchen is putting out some very nice food. Maialino does a very nice brunch on the weekends as well. Stay the hell away from Eataly as it's bound to be crowded that weekend.

I know it's a wine bar w/food and not a proper restaurant, but hit Terroir (either location) for both the wine (list is great) and the food.

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I know it's a wine bar w/food and not a proper restaurant, but hit Terroir (either location) for both the wine (list is great) and the food.

A good pair of restaurants would be to hit the Terroir in Tribeca for wine and snacks and then walk around the corner to Locanda Verde for some more substantial things. My last meal at LV was truly memorable.

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Traif in Brooklyn, in the Williamsburg section, 229 S 4th St ((between Havemeyer St & Roebling St). Jewish chef/owner who does everything that not kosher....lots of pork and shellfish. My wife and I went here with my daughter who lives in NYC. What a nice experience and really good food. My daughter and I started out with a drink called The Rude Little Pig, sort of a margarita with bacon bits on glass's edge rather than salt . To eat we had the pork belly, sautéed broccoli rabe, and seared scallops which we we drank a bottle of viura/verdejo. To top it off we had the bacon donuts. The food was good, tasty and well presented. The wine accompanied the food well. And the nicest surprise is we spent less than $100 for 3 people. Definitely a place to go to again.

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Traif in Brooklyn, in the Williamsburg section, 229 S 4th St ((between Havemeyer St & Roebling St). Jewish chef/owner who does everything that not kosher....lots of pork and shellfish. My wife and I went here with my daughter who lives in NYC. What a nice experience and really good food. My daughter and I started out with a drink called The Rude Little Pig, sort of a margarita with bacon bits on glass's edge rather than salt . To eat we had the pork belly, sautéed broccoli rabe, and seared scallops which we we drank a bottle of viura/verdejo. To top it off we had the bacon donuts. The food was good, tasty and well presented. The wine accompanied the food well. And the nicest surprise is we spent less than $100 for 3 people. Definitely a place to go to again.

The proliferation of small, modestly priced very good places in Brooklyn and parts of Manhattan (E.Village especially) over the past several years has kept me fat and happy. I'm glad you've been to (& enjoyed) Traif, a place even I havent gotten to yet. Roberta's is another one that's worth a visit while in Bklyn these days. And Queens seems to be beginning to get new, good openings in Long Island City and surrounding areas as well.

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Diablo Royale (the only not-recommended place of the trip)

Summit Bar

Per Se

Pegu Club

Pain Killer

Counting Room

Cafe Boulud

Zabar's

Eataly

Luke's Lobster

Broadway Dive Bar

Artie's NY Deli

Mermaid Inn

Apotheke

White Star

Cheesy Pizza (ok, this is also not recommended either, but it was late and pizza seemed like a good idea)

Broadway Dive Bar

Soba-Ya

An excellent long weekend in the city with good friends.

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Buddakan - NYC Friday Nov 12, 2010. 9:15 reservation became 10pm seating. This place was hopping. Bar area was jammed and conversation just wasnt possible. Patrons were dressed up. big time(this is Manhatten)

The food hit mostly high notes. Edaname potstickers were great as were Tuna Tartare spring rolls.

Mains included Scallops, Short Ribs(these were great), Sea Bass, Chicken(just OK)

and a few bottles of good Austrian Wine.

Dinner for 4, with 2 bottles of wine, 4 apps, 4 mains was about 325

Note..This is fusion/asia food severed family style. Dishes are served as they become ready. Not sure i'd go back but worth the experience

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I had Sunday business in the city so the wife and I drove up for the day. Blue Ribbon Sushi was certainly competent sushi but extremely pricey. For the most part well handled fish, and probably the best we could hope for at 3 pm on a Sunday.

Keste for pizza was a fantastic pie. Margharita great pie, not soggy in the middle if you ate fast. The Mast’ Nicola was topped with Prosciutto a instead of the advertised Lardo, which made it too salty, but otherwise nicely done.

Momofuku Ssam Bar was quite quiet by 9 pm on Sunday. The oldest dishes are the best, all of the newer ones didn't live up to the ones I had seen on the menu from two years ago. It must be hard to run more and more bigger and bigger restaurants.

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Went to NYC last weekend, did alot of eating!

Print. Hells Kitchen, http://printrestaurant.com/

Just had brunch, so hard to judge, but no complaints. The bacon-maple cinammon roll was the highlight. It's located near the car dealers, so its a bit of a walk. Read good reviews online, so will want to try this place out for dinner another time.

Hell's Kitchen, http://www.hellskitchen-nyc.com/

"Progressive Mexican". Very good, nothing execptional. I had a roasted chicken quesadilla, quite tasty. Partner had Halibut. The pork shank had rave reviews online and I noticed several other patrons ordering it.

Max Brenner, Union Square, http://www.maxbrenner.com/

Touristy type place. I think Coco Sala in DC does a better job, but Max's chocolate is better. If you stick to the chocolate-based menu items, it's good. Other items not so much. The Cinnamon Apple White Chocolate French Toast struck a good balance - not overly sweet. A Turkey Club sandwich was dismal. However, the Peanut Butter Euporia Sundae was worth the trip.

Five Napkin Burger, Hells Kitchen, http://www.5napkinburger.com

Best meal of the trip. This burger makes Rays Hellburger forgettable. The original 5-napkin burger has caramelized onions, gruyere cheese, and rosemary aioli. Amazing flavor, best burger I ever ate. Perfectly cooked, the rosemary isn't too overpowering, just the right amout of juicyness. And it wasn't drowned in black pepper like every burger place in DC. I've had better fries, but the burger was so good I hardly noticed. This place is going to be a must on future visits. (Make a reservation, the place is apparently always packed. And very very noisy.) And they now feature Dogfish Head Brewery beer.

---

Zabar's (dcs)

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Five Napkin Burger, Hells Kitchen, http://www.5napkinburger.com

(Make a reservation, the place is apparently always packed. And very very noisy.) And they now feature Dogfish Head Brewery beer.

The one on the UWS is usually easier to get in to. It's a couple of blocks north of Zabar's on Broadway. If you aren't crazy about the fries they let you do half and half with onion rings.

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Back from NYC.

Meals at Momofuku and Locanda Verde (thanks for the tip) were very good.

Our meal at Cafe Boulud was expensive and rather boring, although well prepared.

The Blind Tiger was a nice find for great beers and a couple of casks.

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Heading to NYC the weekend of December 10th (the SO has never been to NYC during the holidays and I finally gave in). I know the city will be a made house, particularly b/c we will be hitting the tourist traps that are the Rockefellar tree and all of the surrounding holiday trappings.

That said, I'm driving in early in the morning and will be heading out of the city around 9 or 10. As is normally my MO, (travelling in from eastern PA / NJ) I will probably hop on the ferry in Weehawken and jump off in midtown. Any recommendations for lunch / dinner options that aren't a 40 dollar cab right away from everything would be very much appreciated.

Would love a spot with decent beer for lunch and anything is fair game (from casual to fancy) for dinner...but I legitimately have no clue what my options are since its been awhile since I've done the midtown (or anything out of the Bronx for that matter) thing.

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Heading to NYC the weekend of December 10th (the SO has never been to NYC during the holidays and I finally gave in). I know the city will be a made house, particularly b/c we will be hitting the tourist traps that are the Rockefellar tree and all of the surrounding holiday trappings.

That said, I'm driving in early in the morning and will be heading out of the city around 9 or 10. As is normally my MO, (travelling in from eastern PA / NJ) I will probably hop on the ferry in Weehawken and jump off in midtown. Any recommendations for lunch / dinner options that aren't a 40 dollar cab right away from everything would be very much appreciated.

Would love a spot with decent beer for lunch and anything is fair game (from casual to fancy) for dinner...but I legitimately have no clue what my options are since its been awhile since I've done the midtown (or anything out of the Bronx for that matter) thing.

Just back from a quick trip to New York. Two things. You should do the Roc Center at night, even late around 10. It will be crowded but less so than during the day. Also you have to do the windows at Sax and the other department stores/jewelry stores. To prep for the trip watch Miracle on 34th St. New York during the holidays is splendid.

The other suggestion is food related. I am a broken record but La Bonne Soupe is a great place to eat within walking distance. I ate there twice during this trip and each time ran into people I know from different parts of the country! It's the kind of place where people return time and again because it is really good food, reasonably priced and a great atmosphere. Make sure to sit downstairs in the front room if possible.

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Heading to NYC the weekend of December 10th (the SO has never been to NYC during the holidays and I finally gave in). I know the city will be a made house, particularly b/c we will be hitting the tourist traps that are the Rockefellar tree and all of the surrounding holiday trappings.

That said, I'm driving in early in the morning and will be heading out of the city around 9 or 10. As is normally my MO, (travelling in from eastern PA / NJ) I will probably hop on the ferry in Weehawken and jump off in midtown. Any recommendations for lunch / dinner options that aren't a 40 dollar cab right away from everything would be very much appreciated.

Would love a spot with decent beer for lunch and anything is fair game (from casual to fancy) for dinner...but I legitimately have no clue what my options are since its been awhile since I've done the midtown (or anything out of the Bronx for that matter) thing.

Daisy May's is really close to the ferry terminal. If you have a busy day planned though, a stomach full of bbq might not be the best start. Honestly there are a ton of cool places on 9th ave. Just head over and start walking north. 5 Napkin for burgers, Empanada Mama or Rice and Beans for latin, Yum Yum for Thai, Two Boots for pizza, Casselulla for cheap wine bar type food. You really can't go wrong. Afterwards Roc center is easily walkable from any of those places (except Daisy Mays might be pushing it if the cold is a factor).
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I'm going to dinner in NY tonight, preferably in the Village, and am so disappointed to find out that Bellavitae closed. Any recommendations for restaurants nearish NYU? We're open to types of food, though others might be joining us so we should probably avoid anything with eye-popping prices.

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I'm going to dinner in NY tonight, preferably in the Village, and am so disappointed to find out that Bellavitae closed. Any recommendations for restaurants nearish NYU? We're open to types of food, though others might be joining us so we should probably avoid anything with eye-popping prices.

Otto, at 1 Fifth Ave (at 8th St) is right there. Small terrines of great veggies and seafood, as well as cheeses/meats at reasonable prices. With a great wine list. Sit at the bar if its just 2 of you... same menu at the tables in back or at the stand-up tables near the bar. Pizza is okay, nothing more. Pastas are good. Plate of fennel is very nice.

Lupa is closer but I dont like the food as much.

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I'm going to dinner in NY tonight, preferably in the Village, and am so disappointed to find out that Bellavitae closed. Any recommendations for restaurants nearish NYU? We're open to types of food, though others might be joining us so we should probably avoid anything with eye-popping prices.

Apiary for Scott Bryan's excellent cooking. Kind of surprised it hasn't been mentioned here (or maybe I missed it). The prices are very reasonable considering the level of food and service.

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Otto, at 1 Fifth Ave (at 8th St) is right there. Small terrines of great veggies and seafood, as well as cheeses/meats at reasonable prices. With a great wine list. Sit at the bar if its just 2 of you... same menu at the tables in back or at the stand-up tables near the bar. Pizza is okay, nothing more. Pastas are good. Plate of fennel is very nice.

Lupa is closer but I dont like the food as much.

I'm a Lupa preferrer, but that's what makes the world go round. As a matter of fact, I just ate at Lupa with a couple of friends this past week, and it was great.

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I'm a Lupa preferrer, but that's what makes the world go round. As a matter of fact, I just ate at Lupa with a couple of friends this past week, and it was great.

Why does the Lupa website not give their hours? Maybe I just cannot find it. Does it close between lunch and dinner? I need a long afternoon of eating and drinking in March before the Allman Brothers at the Beacon and this looks like it may work. 10 Downing hooked us up with an excellent special request tasting menu last year (as a walk in at 2pm) and I am wondering whether Lupa might do the same. Does anyone know whether this is possible?

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Why does the Lupa website not give their hours? Maybe I just cannot find it. Does it close between lunch and dinner? I need a long afternoon of eating and drinking in March before the Allman Brothers at the Beacon and this looks like it may work. 10 Downing hooked us up with an excellent special request tasting menu last year (as a walk in at 2pm) and I am wondering whether Lupa might do the same. Does anyone know whether this is possible?

I think Lupa is open continuously from noon till midnight, but please call the restaurant to confirm. I don't know about tasting menus, but there is plenty to choose from on the menu.

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