Dining in New York City

[ol_ironstomach]

So... anyone for pizza at Difara's?

Does Rocks like wine? DiFara's is awesome...we just haven't sorted out our regular return-to-NYC schedule yet.

Welcome to DR.com, Steve! Perhaps you'll have time and inclination to declare a whim when you're in town?

BTW, I have to de-endorse Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pies (also in Red Hook). No, the pies are as superb as ever. The problem is that he wants $25 for a 10" pie now, up from $18 last year. Meh.

[baczkowski]

I'm sorry if these requests make it seem as though I haven't read this long thread, but the honest truth is that NYC intimidates me b/c of its shear size and I get befuddled into making no intelligent decisions, no matter how well informed my counsel may be.

We're going to NYC next weekend. We know we're staying in Times Square and will arrive in Friday evening and would like to catch dinner around that area. Some place with $30 or so entrees and would still allow us to score a reservation for a party of 3.

Saturday we're going to an 8 PM show of the Lion King at Minskoff Theatre, 200 W 45th St. No real price restrictions but obviously we would like to make our show time.

Finally, Sunday breakfast and lunch recommendations are also welcome.

Thank you for making our lives easier

Pax,

Brian

[rkduggins]

I've just returned from four meals in NYC. Three were excellent, one was don't bother.

The don't bother was La Goulue on 65th and Madison. It was small and crowded with a snooty wait staff. I got the raviole ouvert de confit de canard et champignons des bois et pignons de pin aux arumes de sauge et truffe noir. This was basically triangular sheets of pasta dough with a pan gravy and a few scraps of duck. No truffle, sage or duck flavor. The pine nuts were nicely toasted, though, $ 16 Mr. rkduggins got millefeuille de saumon fume maison au bois de cerise, roquette, raifort et caviar vinaigrette, oeuf poche. The salmon was velvety and smoky, but not identifiably as cherry wood smoke. The horseradish dressing was weak, emphasising the creamy not the sharp, $17. We did see Dominick Dunne eating there, so that was cool. Though I was not as I tried to look without staring, taking extra long to fiddle with the buttons on my coat before exiting the restaurant.

The second meal was at Landmarc, which was recommended upthread by bilrus and within easy walking distance of our Tribeca hotel. What a great place! Service was friendly, the menu diverse, interesting and well priced. I started with warm goat cheese profiteroles served with herb & roasted red pepper salad. The pastry was crisp and the cheese deliciously tangy, creamy and soft. The salad was dressed with a light vinaigrette that matched perfectly. The only off note was the roasted red peppers; too sharp and distracting, $12. For my entree, I chose a half portion of the Wednesday pasta special, bucatini all'amatriciana. Perfectly al dente, the pasta was coated in a tomatoey, smoky sauce studded with pancetta, $13. Mr. rkduggins got a hangar steak served with french fries and field greens. The steak was bland when compared with examples closer to home (I live in Silver Spring) but suited my Mr. just fine, $27.

The third meal was at Katz's deli. We split sandwiches of perfectly prepared pastrami and corned beef while listening to the countermen assign destinations to the boxes of bagels being assembled. Apparently the Daily Show has a lot of pull with Katz's because the packing coordinator was very insistent that the Daily Show go FIRST! Sandwiches were $14-ish and $13-ish. Our pickle plate was wonderful with tomatoes, dills and half sours. YUM!

The fourth, and perhaps best, meal was at Momofuku. We hit the joint at just the right time, and got seats opposite each other immediately. We started with roasted rice cakes in a spicy sauce that was evocative of a good, smoky barbecue sauce. Then on to Momofuku ramen for me; a huge bowl of pork broth and noodles garnished with sliced pork, green onion, seaweed, fish cakes, a poached egg and shredded pork. Chicken and egg was the other dish; another huge bowl this time filled with a bed of sticky rice topped with a poached egg and a smoked, crispy skinned chicken breast with fresh cucumber pickle. I think we got out of there for $30 or so all told. I would definitely go back!

[blakegwinn]

The fourth, and perhaps best, meal was at Momofuku. We hit the joint at just the right time, and got seats opposite each other immediately. We started with roasted rice cakes in a spicy sauce that was evocative of a good, smoky barbecue sauce. Then on to Momofuku ramen for me; a huge bowl of pork broth and noodles garnished with sliced pork, green onion, seaweed, fish cakes, a poached egg and shredded pork. Chicken and egg was the other dish; another huge bowl this time filled with a bed of sticky rice topped with a poached egg and a smoked, crispy skinned chicken breast with fresh cucumber pickle. I think we got out of there for $30 or so all told. I would definitely go back!

I am in love with this place (all three locations). Everything is always well executed, they have a very seasonal appropriate special menu, interesting and original dishes, low price, quick service it is just a home-run on all levels. It also has that intangible ability to always leave me walking out thinking to myself "That is EXACTLY what I needed".

[jparrott]

I am in love with this place (all three locations).

I know Noodle Bar on 1st ave and the more upscale (and exciting) Ssam Bar in 2nd ave. Where's the third?

[blakegwinn]

I know Noodle Bar on 1st ave and the more upscale (and exciting) Ssam Bar in 2nd ave. Where's the third?

Correction, I should have said I liked 2. I ate at both of the locations you list but thought I had heard from one of my friends that they added a second noodle bar in Greenwich somewhere.. After a glance at their website and Google maps I realize that is not the case. WITHDRAWN

[mtpleasanteater]

The NYT says Noodle Bar is moving to a bigger space right down the street & there is going to be a third restaurant in the present Noodle Bar space. I am also completely in love with both these restaurants but find the wider options at Ssam Bar usually push me there. The Bo Ssam is completely incredible (definitely one of the best pork preparations I've had anywhere), but you really need at least ten hungry people to eat it. The steak is also amazing & is large enough for three people to split it as an entree which makes the price seem a little more reasonable. I also really like the Bahn-mi, veal head terrine, scallop dish, pork ribs, sweatbreads, seasonal pickles etc etc.

If you're gonna go to DiFara bring your patience, I went the other night and was there from about eight to eleven. The pizza is much heavier on cheese & toppings than the other "artisinal" pizza I've had, the overall sauce/crust/topping ratio is about like the (bad) pizza that I grew up with but it really just tastes perfect. I would eat there once a week if the line was only an hour, but the last couple times I've gone its got to the point where you almost need to eat something else just to be able to handle the wait. If you come hungry or are at all an impatient person you are going to get VERY frustrated waiting in a dirty room in what is for most people a very out of the way part of brooklyn. I think its worth the hassle, but only barely.

I would also recomend Una Pizza Neopolitana @ 349 E 12 St which is very expensive, only open for dinner a few days a week, and serves what I think is the best pizza in the world. But I haven't been to Bebo yet. It really is amazing to me how the very simple pizza @ UPN can be so much better than all the other pizza I've eaten.

[mame11]

I'm sorry if these requests make it seem as though I haven't read this long thread, but the honest truth is that NYC intimidates me b/c of its shear size and I get befuddled into making no intelligent decisions, no matter how well informed my counsel may be.

We're going to NYC next weekend. We know we're staying in Times Square and will arrive in Friday evening and would like to catch dinner around that area. Some place with $30 or so entrees and would still allow us to score a reservation for a party of 3.

Saturday we're going to an 8 PM show of the Lion King at Minskoff Theatre, 200 W 45th St. No real price restrictions but obviously we would like to make our show time.

Finally, Sunday breakfast and lunch recommendations are also welcome.

Thank you for making our lives easier

Pax,

Brian

1) La Bonne Soupe: a true French bistro in the heart of New York. The prices are incredibly affordable, and the food quiet good. It is one of my go to places for dinner when I am in the Times Sq. area and has been since my first trip to New York as a kid! 48 W. 54th St.

2) Ellen's Stardust Diner: the American diner with incredibly talented singing waiters! Though the place is so tightly packed with tables it is amazing it is comfortable. I whole heartedly recommend the experience if you are traveling with a child. 1650 Broadway

3) The Oyster Bar: The food is really good at this quintessential New York restaurant in Grand Central Station. It provides an excuse to visit one of the most beautiful interiors in the United States. Also, the upscale food gallery is a great place to pick up some treats to bring home. Grand Central Station 89 E. 42nd

4) For breakfast on Sunday would you consider heading downtown, and go to Balthazar. 80 Spring St.

5) or head up to the Upper West Side to Barney Greengrass for smoked fish and eggs... seriously, those lox, onions and scrambled eggs are delicious.

6) for lunch on Sunday if it is nice outside consider going to Danny Meyer's incredible and cheap burger joint in Madison Sq. Park.... the Shake Shack rocks! I am seriously glad I don't live in New York so I can justify a visit every single time I go to the city now that I have discovered the place. (Yes, it didn't exist before I found it!)

7) Another place I have been visiting each visit of late for at least one lunch is La Esquina. I understand dinner is great and the dance club very fun. You'll be near both Rice to Riches and a Pinkberry, plus an amazing bakery if you make it to La Esquina. 106 Kenmare St.

8) Bouchon Bakery at the Time Warner Center... the cafe is a great, affordable restaurant with a great view of the hustle and bustle that is New York.

9) the Cafeteria at the Metropolitan Museum of Art would be a good place to grab lunch too if you want to catch a bit of culture

Hope this list helps you a bit...

[baczkowski]

Damn, you're good! Much appreciated.

Pax,

Brian

[blakegwinn]

8) Bouchon Bakery at the Time Warner Center... the cafe is a great, affordable restaurant with a great view of the hustle and bustle that is New York.

Can I borrow 20 dollars?

[Steve R.]

I'm sorry if these requests make it seem as though I haven't read this long thread, but the honest truth is that NYC intimidates me b/c of its shear size and I get befuddled into making no intelligent decisions, no matter how well informed my counsel may be.

We're going to NYC next weekend. We know we're staying in Times Square and will arrive in Friday evening and would like to catch dinner around that area. Some place with $30 or so entrees and would still allow us to score a reservation for a party of 3.

Saturday we're going to an 8 PM show of the Lion King at Minskoff Theatre, 200 W 45th St. No real price restrictions but obviously we would like to make our show time.

Finally, Sunday breakfast and lunch recommendations are also welcome.

Thank you for making our lives easier

Pax,

Brian

There are 2 things that you can do to keep yourself from getting too crazy about eating in NYC. First, go to places that dont need reservations; there are many of them that are more than average places to eat. Secondly, check opentable.com for reservations instead of calling around; many of the very good places are listed. Of course, many suck so do some research first. One way is checking menupages.com. You probably know this already, but Times Square is 42nd St around Broadway. Easy & quick to get to most of the dining neighborhoods in the city... dont restrict yourself to the immediate neighborhood, it's not the best place to eat.

That being said, here are some suggestions you may not get otherwise:

--I recommend Devi... it's the best Indian restaurant in NYC right now and running some special fixed price offers. It's on opentable.com and will probably run you approx. $50pp. Not traditional food... some very innovative stuff with great flavors. If you go, mention dr.com; the owners are food board savvy. It's right off Broadway in the high teens which means only a mile away (10 minutes and maybe $10 by cab for 3 people).

--There's also a Texas style rib place down there that's fun and has a stage downstairs with decent music; Hill Country. They're doing some good meats.... something NYC doesnt have much of.

--9th Avenue from 40s to 57th is a non-stop restaurant row of all levels and types of food. If you want an inexpensive fresh grilled fish Greek place that wont win any "top 10" awards but has great apps. and low-moderate price, go to Uncle Nick's on 9th Ave and W.51st St. Be warned: the salads, appetizers and fish are all much better than the meat. They're not on opentable but take phone reservations.

--Ssam bar can be tough to get into and the management is a little off-putting sometimes (arrogant sob's in my opinion) but, as someone already's mentioned, the food is excellent. Not inexpensive, but worth the prices charged.

There's also Chinatown for anytime meals and especially dim sum. And the West Village (Bleeker and McDougal) for falafel places and coffee houses. I could go on... it's a big city. Have fun.

[mtpleasanteater]

You can usually walk into Ssam if you go after 10 during the week. I agree that there is nothing cheap about that restaurant, but great meals for less than 100 a head are possible. The waitstaff are much nicer than the people you have to deal with to get a table. I think this is one place that is completely worth the hype. The sea urchin dish is a good example of how interesting the cooking there can be.

If you go to Bouchon check out the daily soup specials & be sure to get a dessert. Both of these things change frequently (unlike the rest of the menu). My wife eats there regularly for right around twenty by just getting soup and a dessert, but there is no way I would be full on just those two items.

I'll also second that Hill Country recomendation, my meal there was awesome. Its pretty close to the Shake Shack so if you go to the Shack and there is a long line you could just walk up broadway & have a better if slightly more expensive meal. The burgers at the Shake Shack are indeed great, but probably not worth waiting in line for 45 minutes for. What I like about them is that the porportion of meat to bun is so perfect, I don't know why it isn't more widely copied.

If you want to eat somewhat close to the theatre Esca is a good option, the razor clam crudo & pasta w/sea urchin I had a few weeks ago were really wonderful. It can be crazy expensive, especially if you have the traditional four course meal. Great all (or mostly?) italian wine list.

[mtpleasanteater]

Reading your post Ssam bar is probably not an option unless you go after the show & don't go during the day because they serve this weird korean chipotle stuff that is nothing like the food they serve at night and I think is some kind of joke I don't get.

[mtpleasanteater]

I ate at Ssam Bar again tonight and the desserts are really good. Its kind of strange that they've been open this long without offering real desserts, but the two we had tonight were really good. They were 1) Peanut Butter & Jelly w/ Saltine Ice Cream & 2) Amish Cheddar Shortcake w/Some kind of local apples (sorry) & Ham foam. Both were great, and the Shortcake/Apples/Ham thing was so much better than the other things that flirt with the savory/dessert line I've had recently. The PB & J was even better, the ice cream providing the perfect (salty) counterpoint to the sweet. We also had the mochi sampler which has been there for a while but was great as always.

I know this place is super-hyped right now, but I really think it deserves it. It is also the kind of thing that you can't get anywhere else that I'm aware of. We also managed to have pizza at Una Pizza Neopolitana that (despite those who have an anti-NY bias) has to be considered one of the best pizza places on the east coast. I am going to try Bebo when I am home for Thanskgiving, but until then this place KILLS (by a wide margain) any other pizza I've had. Anyone who talks about the best pizza on the east coast without trying this place is just talking shit.

[zoramargolis]

While there are obviously many great restaurants in NYC, mostly from midtown to the Village, it's well worth the time to trek north to the upper West Side (92nd and Lex) to dine at Sfoglia. <snip> Well worth the trip up Lexington.

It's been many years since I lived in NYC, but when I did, Lexington Avenue and 92nd Street was on the Upper East Side.

[Camille-Beau]

It's been many years since I lived in NYC, but when I did, Lexington Avenue and 92nd Street was on the Upper East Side.

Yes it is. I stand corrected

[baczkowski]

Fascinating place. The food challenges you...some items will completely delight the chemistry nerd in you, others you'll probably acknowledge as impressive technical accomplishments but not so great to eat, and then there are a few things that will just leave you puzzled.

Personally, I think the trick to WD-50 is to sample the regular items, but go for broke on the desserts. As good as chef Dufresne is, pastry chef Sam Mason is a f*'n genius in my book. Heat-stable lemon curd. Pumpkin seed cake with chocolate soil...how does one create such a combination out of whole cloth?

Once again Ol_ironstomach has the captured my exact sentiments, but, as always, more clearly...and more than a year before.

Needless to say that the stagehand strike and last minute changes with friends completely altered our plans. With friends unable to meet for Friday dinner, we opted for an early reservation at WD~50. We went to be challenged. My wife and I both got the tasting menu, which was an impressive layout of 12 courses. Unfortunately, we didn't hit a real winner until I think course 5, which was an intense french onion soup. The previous ones were interesting ideas but not amazingly tasteful dishes. A perfect example would be the pizza pebbles, which were balls of dehydrated grains interspersed with dots of tomato cream and fresh oregano. Fascinating concept but not all that tasty. The beginning of the tasting menu also didn't flow from course to course. Not until the french onion soup led into the pickled beef tongue bettyjoan described with pictures upthread didn't there seem to be any natural progression between dishes. My wife actually was too squeemish to try the tongue and she had it replaced with an octopus dish that was far more challenging to stomach than the tongue. Personally, I found the tongue quite good when combined with the fried mayo and other ingredients but actually extremely bland when sampled individually. The savory dishes ended with lamb belly, which was just wonderful crispy bacon and mashed potatoes. The remaining courses were desserts and they were the strongest of the 12. If folks would be interested, I can see if I can find the full menu at home. The waiter said that one item seems to rotate off every 2 weeks so you might encounter similar items if you were going in the near future.

Bottom line: I wouldn't do the tasting menu again. I'd do exactly what ol_ironstomach recommends of picking items off the regular menu and then splurging on the dessert tasting menu. We shelled out $380 for 2 drinks and a tasting menu each. We both didn't think it was as good as our experiences at Minibar, Maestro, or Citronelle, which were slightly less expensive but noticeably more satisfying.

We actually had a more satisfying experience Saturday at Spigolo, a 25 seat Italian eatery on the Upper East Side. Excellent gnocchi (though very different approach than Palena), tasty shortribs, and a truly excellent scallop special with a dried tomato butter and mashed potato base. I was too stuffed but the desserts that others got looked great, too. I think Spigato is worth a stop but supposedly the limited seating makes it a challenging reservation.

Pax,

Brian

[mdt]

Heading up to NYC over T-Day weekend and have been looking into places to get reservations for a couple of the nights. I am planning on Eleven Madison Park for one of the nights. For the other, I am not so sure, but I am thinking of others listed above. Anyone have any recent reports on Ouest?

[Camille-Beau]

Perhaps Gilt or Mas?

[Walrus]

I can't speak highly enough of my experience at Blue Hill...

[ol_ironstomach]

Once again Ol_ironstomach has the captured my exact sentiments, but, as always, more clearly...and more than a year before.

Thanks. But hey, after more than a year my review is now merely an old review, whereas yours is current and therefore more useful. And it sounds like WD is still cooking exactly how he wants to in his own place, instead of taking that next step towards foods that are both fascinating AND tasty

This summer Sam Mason finally managed to open his new place, Tailor, after months of delay. Haven't been yet, but it'd be high on my list of places to explore. The desserts you had were almost certainly the work of Alex Stupak (ex-Alinea) and it's interesting to hear that they still outshine the mains.

[mtpleasanteater]

My one meal at Tailor wasn't at all good, and I thought it was strange that the savories were much stronger than the desserts. We had the whole menu (6 savory & 6 sweet) and only 3 of them were at all good. Nightclub like loud music & bad service too.

I like the savories at WD-50 considerably more than the review posted above, but the desserts are really good. That fried butterscotch thing in particular is amazing. The desserts at WD-50 are pretty different than the ones I had at Alinea a few weeks ago, sweater overall and not as subtle.

I really can't tell you how much I like Blue Hill. I've had them prepare a longer tasting menu for me (and I just walked in, dont know anyone at the restaurant etc), which I really can't recomend enough.

[mtpleasanteater]

I'll try to be more clear about Tailor. If (like me) you are fascinated by "molecular gastronomy" and are as interested in eating "interesting food" as you are in eating food that tastes good, than go eat at Tailor. (If you feel this way I probably won't change your mind anyways.) If you just want to have a tasty meal you will probably go away mad that you wasted your money on eating concepts that don't quite work & are sometimes unpleasant.

This means that I will for sure go back (if it stays open) even though I don't think it will be good. My wife, who likes to eat food that tastes good, won't go with me, and I'm having a hard time finding someone who wants to pay for a meal that probably won't taste good.

[Sthitch]

If you are looking for a place for dessert you may want to avoid Serendipity 3.

[Gary Tanigawa]

From today's NY Times--- for all of you debating how many restaurants David Chang has......

MOMOFUKU David Chang’s expanded noodle bar opens today with 53 seats, including five tables. The kitchen is “so enormous we’re all giddy,” he said. The menu is pretty much the same as in the original, which is being turned into a small restaurant for prix fixe dinners: 171 First Avenue (11th Street), (212) 777-7773.

Alan Richman's interview of David Chang.

[mtpleasanteater]

That article will probably stir up some controversy because it makes it look like the third restaurant (Momofuku Ko) is open when its not. I'm sure he's had some preview dishes there, but heaping such high praise on restaurants that aren't open yet is crazy.

I love those restaurants alot, but saying that this stuff is the most exciting stuff to come out of the US in decades is crazy, there is no way that he is in the same league as Keller, Achatz et all.

[Keithstg]

That article will probably stir up some controversy because it makes it look like the third restaurant (Momofuku Ko) is open when its not. I'm sure he's had some preview dishes there, but heaping such high praise on restaurants that aren't open yet is crazy.

I love those restaurants alot, but saying that this stuff is the most exciting stuff to come out of the US in decades is crazy, there is no way that he is in the same league as Keller, Achatz et all.

Maybe not yet, but give Chef Chang some time - he only graduated college in 1999!

[mame11]

Happy New Year everybody. I am headed to New York this weekend for a quick visit. I don't generally gravitate toward Italian but this weekend we want to go to Italian on Friday night. I'd prefer a reasonable to inexpensive experience with really good food. Babbo is good but if I recall correctly incredibly loud and dark.

Thanks!

[Sthitch]

I don't generally gravitate toward Italian but this weekend we want to go to Italian on Friday night. I'd prefer a reasonable to inexpensive experience with really good food.

Maremma in the West Village is worth gravitating towards and while not cheap it is certainly inexpensive when compared to many of the New York Italian eateries.

[hmmboy]

Happy New Year everybody. I am headed to New York this weekend for a quick visit. I don't generally gravitate toward Italian but this weekend we want to go to Italian on Friday night. I'd prefer a reasonable to inexpensive experience with really good food. Babbo is good but if I recall correctly incredibly loud and dark.

Thanks!

A Voce is awesome - and reasonable for the quality of the food. But it can be loud. Peasant in NOLITA is a really good spot as well.

[Steve R.]

There are many Italian restaurants that are both good and downright inexpensive. Most are in and around the East Village (1st Ave, Ave A, B or C) but most are, especially on Friday nights, verrrrry noisy and packed with folks under 35 (not sure of your age, but you get the idea) once you're past 8 or 8:30pm. Then there are the better places like Gusto, A Voce, Insieme.... all possible thru Opentable.com but not inexpensive. However, if you're going for this almost $200/couple range, then my clear favorite is Hearth... get a side of gnocchi (seriously, dont forget this).

[Poivrot Farci]

I'd prefer a reasonable to inexpensive experience with really good food.

Eliminate Cipriani's and Babbo's on a Friday night from your shopping list and consider Dominick's in the real Little Italy, Arthur Avenue in The Bronx near Fordham. Family style. no menu. Cheap(er). No credit cards. $20 cab ride from Manhattan. You might even be able to get cake too.

[mame11]

Well, I won't bother to report on the random Italian meal I had Friday night because it is not a place I would recommend. It was very late once we arrived in New York and finished at the Whitney. We ended up finding an Italian place on the Upper East Side that was not packed as all the recommended places in the neighborhood were hopping.

However, I have to recommend two places from my quick visit:

1) New Green Bo: A hole in the wall/dive Chinese restaurant in Chinatown that is off the beaten track. They do not pass the carts because there is no room to pass the carts. They are known for their soup dumplings and rightfully so. The dumplings were firm and full of yummy broth with a nice pork and crab stuffing. The vegetarian duck is an incredibly complex dish in that it tastes just like Peking Duck yet is tofu and mushrooms. Our tablemates included many native Chinese speakers. (they treat the big tables as communal which works well)

2) The Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory: Black Sesame Seed Ice Cream and Ginger Ice Cream go really well together. Only wish it hadn't been freezing or I would have finished the ice cream. A friend commented that the black sesame seed ice cream tasted a bit like cookies and cream.

3) The Coffee Shop in Union Square: Best chopped salad ever. It was a Cobb, that included roasted corn. I want the recipe for the dressing. I was in heaven. The prices were astoundingly reasonable. DC restaurants could take a lesson in pricing from restaurants like the Coffee Shop. I guarantee you that DC rents are not as a high as New York in Union Square...

Okay it was three places... all in 6 hours...

Oh wait, there was really a fourth...

There is a French Patissere in NoLita that I love, Ceci-Cela. It has become a go to place for me for delicious pastries, but this time I had coffee and it was great. A real Parisian/New York experience... there is one in Tribeca too.

And for a great non-food experience when you are in NoLita, pay a visit to the McNally Robinson bookstore. I always find great and unusual books and gifts.

[alisa7]

My husband and I are going up to New York in February. We absolutely love tasting menus with wine pairings. We would like to do two...one night at a well-known New York restaurant (was thinking Babbo) and the second night at a less formal, hipper place (maybe in East Village, Nolita, etc). I was hoping for something that was more about the wine...and maybe served with small plates? I know this is specific! Any help? If it helps we are in our late 20's.

[mtpleasanteater]

You can do MUCH better than Babbo. I would look at Blue Hill, WD-50, Per Se, Jean Georges, Bouley or a million other places first. If you want a celebrity chef place the meal I had at Gordon Ramsay blew the meal I had at Babbo out of the water. I saw Bono walk out of the restaurant as I was leaving Babbo, and if thats the reason they payed so little attention to my food it makes it worse in my mind. Blue Hill is one block away & worlds better. If you must have Batali Casa Mono or Lupa are better (and cheaper) bets and might fit the bill for the second meal you are looking for.

On the cheap end I would look at one of the Momofuku's, Jimmy's 43 or Deugstation, which are all in the East Village but are all good and cheapish. Jimmy's is a bar with a small kitchen in the back, and the chef (ex-WD-50) is putting out great hearty food that's killer. Emphasis is more on beer than wine though. Momofuku can be as good as anywhere I've eaten, and it can also be just great.

Edited to add: Una Pizza Neopolitana on E 12 st is the best pizza in the universe, but it is expensive. Not very hip though, and I guess Jimmy's isn't either come to think of it.

[silentbob]

My husband and I are going up to New York in February. We absolutely love tasting menus with wine pairings. We would like to do two...one night at a well-known New York restaurant (was thinking Babbo) and the second night at a less formal, hipper place (maybe in East Village, Nolita, etc). I was hoping for something that was more about the wine...and maybe served with small plates? I know this is specific! Any help? If it helps we are in our late 20's.

FWIW, I liked Babbo way more than Blue Hill. But in any event, I second the Momofuku recommendation. I haven't been to the Ssam Bar but it seems right down your alley. The Noodle Bar may be a bit too casual (and doesn't serve wine IIRC) but the food there is as well-executed as it is comforting.

[mtpleasanteater]

Ssam Bar has a good, eclectic wine list.

L'Atelier du Joel Robuchon is a restaurant I should have mentioned above.

[cgarden]

1) New Green Bo: A hole in the wall/dive Chinese restaurant in Chinatown that is off the beaten track. They do not pass the carts because there is no room to pass the carts. They are known for their soup dumplings and rightfully so. The dumplings were firm and full of yummy broth with a nice pork and crab stuffing. The vegetarian duck is an incredibly complex dish in that it tastes just like Peking Duck yet is tofu and mushrooms. Our tablemates included many native Chinese speakers. (they treat the big tables as communal which works well)

Oh, I love New Green Bo - I've been looking for identical dumplings in DC since I moved here, to no avail. I particularly loved the seafood dumplings, as well as the seafood rice cakes. Also, the dumplings seem to improve (to the extent possible) after sitting in the fridge overnight.

[Jonathan]

My husband and I are going up to New York in February. We absolutely love tasting menus with wine pairings. We would like to do two...one night at a well-known New York restaurant (was thinking Babbo) and the second night at a less formal, hipper place (maybe in East Village, Nolita, etc). I was hoping for something that was more about the wine...and maybe served with small plates? I know this is specific! Any help? If it helps we are in our late 20's.

Gottino in Greenwich Village, and Inoteca on the lower east side would fulfill your hip/great wine/small plates meal.

[Joe H]

Gottino in Greenwich Village, and Inoteca on the lower east side would fulfill your hip/great wine/small plates meal.

Fiamma instead of Babbo. Don't ask why.

[Sthitch]

Has anyone tried Aburiya Kinnosuke on E. 45th? I went to its sister restaurant in the Kagurazaka section of Tokyo this past November and loved it, wondering how the New York outpost is fairing.

The one in Kagurazaka has the best chicken wings that I have ever eaten, just simply grilled but the flavor was indescribably good, and the meat was so gelatinous that my lips stuck together after eating them. Also the Sashimi plate was one of the freshest I have eaten and had some wonderful baby eels that were simply addicting. I could go on, but I should save that for the Tokyo thread.

[MBK]

Anyone know anything about a place called Colors ? I'm apparently eating there this weekend, followed by drinks at Pegu Club. I have high hopes that if they picked Pegu, the folks who picked Colors can't go terribly wrong, am I right?

[Robert Rymarz]

Anyone know anything about a place called Colors ? I'm apparently eating there this weekend, followed by drinks at Pegu Club. I have high hopes that if they picked Pegu, the folks who picked Colors can't go terribly wrong, am I right?

The employees of Windows on the World are now partial owners of Colors or at least the last I heard. Also read somewhere that it was struggling. Which is a shame as it's a good cause.

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/restaurants...age/3600/colors

[Camille-Beau]

... followed by drinks at Pegu Club. ...

Ask your friends if they've heard of PDT (Please Don't Tell)

[MBK]

Ask your friends if they've heard of PDT (Please Don't Tell)

That place looks cooler. Unfortunately, I'm along for the ride for a friend's birthday so I am tasked with not having any input into our evening plans at all. If you know me, you know this is very difficult.

[Camille-Beau]

That place looks cooler. Unfortunately, I'm along for the ride for a friend's birthday so I am tasked with not having any input into our evening plans at all. If you know me, you know this is very difficult.

Pegu Club is an excellent place for great drinks so you won't be disappointed. PDT is just newer and setup more like a speakeasy

[Hannah]

Pegu Club is an excellent place for great drinks so you won't be disappointed. PDT is just newer and setup more like a speakeasy

You'll be fine at either drinks-wise. PDT's biggest problem is that it's newish, popular, and tiny, and you have to reserve for specific times, which doesn't allow you a lot of leeway to linger at dinner if you want. It does have the advantage of one of the coolest entrances ever, through a phone booth in an otherwise unremarkable-looking hot dog joint. And the mad scientists behind the bar are currently serving an old-fashioned made with Benton's bacon-infused Elijah Craig bourbon, which I have been looking forward to for MONTHS. (We'll be up there this weekend as well.)

[MBK]

Looking for a recommendation for brunch/lunch on the Upper West Side. Anyone?

[mame11]

Looking for a recommendation for brunch/lunch on the Upper West Side. Anyone?

Barney Greengrass is great! I also really like Sarabeths (though it is a mini-chain, all in New York). The popovers at Popover Cafe are good too.

[Sthitch]

--I recommend Devi... it's the best Indian restaurant in NYC right now and running some special fixed price offers. It's on opentable.com and will probably run you approx. $50pp. Not traditional food... some very innovative stuff with great flavors. If you go, mention dr.com; the owners are food board savvy. It's right off Broadway in the high teens which means only a mile away (10 minutes and maybe $10 by cab for 3 people).

One of the restaurants I hit on my most recent trip to New York was Devi and the first thing that struck my wife and I when we sat down was the smell. The restaurant had the most pleasing smell of roasted spices I could ever imagine.

The meal I had at Devi last week was neither innovative or had great flavors.

My wife started with the grilled scallops a dish of contrasts, what little flavor the scallops had came across almost washed-out, the accompanying spicy bitter-orange marmalade was spicy but little else, the only redeeming qualities of the dish were the beautifully prepared cauliflower and a very flavorful roasted red pepper chutney. My starter was the Goan Shrimp Bruschettas a dish whose main ingredient lacked any discernable flavors of the sea, and made me wonder if they were right off the farm. The flavorful onion tomato marmalade saved this dish from being sent back.

For a second course I had the Masala Fried Quail, a dish that was memorable only for its heat, and wow what heat it had. I really would have loved to trade some of it for just a little flavor of the spice that was used, but all my palette got was a good searing. The accompanying potato salad might have worked with the subtler meat of fried chicken, but it was too much with the quail. What really disappointed me the most about this dish was that the frying was as close to perfect as I have seen and while I loved the crunch there was not much else to love. My wife’s Tandoori Prawns were made with the same bland crustaceans that were not saved by a soak in a pomegranate marinade.

The dinner was saved by dessert, both the fig cake and the Shahi Tukra were delicious, the later being a saffron flavored bread pudding.

We left the meal wondering where that wonderful smell was coming from because it sure was not in the food.