New York Restaurants

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what are your favourite ones?

― gareth (gareth), Monday, 10 March 2003 14:33 (10 years ago) Permalink

Court Square Diner, Court Square, LIC by PS1
Deluxe Diner, Broadway, near Columbia

― Ed (dali), Monday, 10 March 2003 14:36 (10 years ago) Permalink

how many NY-related threads to come from gareth this week i wonder? ;)

i figure they'll prove useful for me when i finally go though so carry on...

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 10 March 2003 14:39 (10 years ago) Permalink

Notice selections haven't changed since last time we did this. Hopefully NYC late august.

― Ed (dali), Monday, 10 March 2003 14:40 (10 years ago) Permalink

god my massive post was eaten here is the digest:
Italian:
carmines (near times square) for huge portions of trad southern italian favorite. the meatballs are heavenly! they supposedly use more garlic than any other restaurant, which is a virtue to me!
max (east village) little bistro for hipster villagers but excellent caprese and gnocchi.
(the pizza place on houston, but i cant remember the name, but it is well known, right south of the middle village, wood-burning oven) the pizza with red peppers is great. other good pizza is at 33rd st and 3rd ave in manhattan and pino's on 7th ave in park slope.

asian: i mostly eat italian in nyc for some reason but i do sometimes end up at zen palate in union square (they have multiple locations). it is all vegetarian and very tasty. also, i have a soft spot in my heart for he numerous Ollie's Noodle Houses, but that is not a great place to go as a visitor. lastly, i was taken to the china grill once, which is fancy ish and was very hip in the 80s, and the food is not bad.

latin america: coco roco (?) on 5th avenue in park slope is incredible. there is another place that i have to look up and post later.

― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Monday, 10 March 2003 15:18 (10 years ago) Permalink

Congee Village

― rosemary (rosemary), Monday, 10 March 2003 16:05 (10 years ago) Permalink

Oh, Veselka, even though the service is not too hot.

― rosemary (rosemary), Monday, 10 March 2003 16:08 (10 years ago) Permalink

Second for Veselka.

I like El Sombrero at Ludlow and Stanton, haven't been there since I moved back tho.

There's a Cambodian place in Fort Greene that's good.

Uh, there's lots more, but nothing coming to mind just yet. I am still asleep, sort of.

― hstencil, Monday, 10 March 2003 16:17 (10 years ago) Permalink

Wake up, it's almost lunch time.

― felicity (felicity), Monday, 10 March 2003 16:21 (10 years ago) Permalink

12:30? I almost forgot!

― hstencil, Monday, 10 March 2003 16:23 (10 years ago) Permalink

How about 1:00

― felicity (felicity), Monday, 10 March 2003 16:23 (10 years ago) Permalink

well if 12:30 was the original time, that still works for me. Earliest is prolly best.

― hstencil, Monday, 10 March 2003 16:25 (10 years ago) Permalink

I prefer 1:00 but could still do 12:30 if it's much better for you.

― felicity (felicity), Monday, 10 March 2003 16:27 (10 years ago) Permalink

My favorite (not exactly a restaurant) used to be the Lafayette Pastry Shop in the Village, before it moved to make way for a burrito place. Mmmmm chocolate rum balls.

― Amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 10 March 2003 16:28 (10 years ago) Permalink

Oh my god, I've just summoned Dan without meaning to.

― Amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 10 March 2003 16:29 (10 years ago) Permalink

Oh, ha ha, yes, El Sombrero for margaritas!!!

― rosemary (rosemary), Monday, 10 March 2003 16:33 (10 years ago) Permalink

My favorite new place is NaNa on 5th Ave in Park Slope. 3 chefs and 3 difft Asian styles - Chinese, Thai, and Japanese. The food can take a long time to come sometimes but it's so f'in good and i'ts ridiculously cheap.

I think Lupa is the best Italian restaurant in the city. It's on Thompson between Houston and Bleecker. 'hearty' 'rustic' Roman-style stuff like Saltimbocca, most things are like $15. mmmm pork shin.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 10 March 2003 16:33 (10 years ago) Permalink

Ah, another El Sombrero enthusiast.

― hstencil, Monday, 10 March 2003 16:35 (10 years ago) Permalink

There's a fantastic Cuban restaurant that's really cheap at the corner of 1st and 1st in Manhattan. At Ludlow and Houston there's a really great Japanese restaurant (can't remember the name), but the best Japanese food I've ever had is from a place in Red Hook...

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Monday, 10 March 2003 16:37 (10 years ago) Permalink

BerekeT!

― felicity (felicity), Monday, 10 March 2003 16:39 (10 years ago) Permalink

oh and HELLO the gratest Indian 'tea shop' ever ever ever, open from 8am to 4am every day, on Church between Duane and Reade. I can't remember what it's called. That place is NO-NONSENSE. Even though it's lit fluorescently and patronized largely by taxi drivers there's a hush inside, a kind of humility. It's like a living shrine to fantastic food.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 10 March 2003 16:44 (10 years ago) Permalink

What's the name of that saki place that's in some basement in the Village?

― Amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 10 March 2003 16:47 (10 years ago) Permalink

Dosa Hutt (two Ts, like Jabba), out in Flushing, is spectacularly good. And there's that Sri Lankan place whose name is escaping me in Staten Island. And Angelika Kitchen.

― Douglas (Douglas), Monday, 10 March 2003 17:06 (10 years ago) Permalink

What's the name of that saki place that's in some basement in the Village?

decibel?

― phil-two (phil-two), Monday, 10 March 2003 17:20 (10 years ago) Permalink

Coco Roco.. I had bad ceviche there.. Uggggh.

Well, I used to write restaurant reviews for the NYU paper, and also I've been fired as a waiter from like 10 NYC restaurants... but i like:

Pongsri Thai: cheap and yummy thai.

Blue Ribbon: expensive but veyr well made yummy things like the raw seafood platter... in Soho or Park Slope. open late.

Cafeteria: The macaroni&cheese and fried chicken & waffles are good. 24 hours in chelsea... but a weird mixed crowd of fabu-gays and thugz.

Florent: Always dependable for moules frites or a cheeseburger or eggs/bacon after a night at APT or something... in the Meatpacking district.

Tabla: Very good fusion Indian food on Madison Ave. Expensive though

avoid, because someone might try to take you to:
Avenue A Sushi [YUCK!]
Dojo [DOUBLE-YUCK!]
Casa La Femme, Kin Khao, Chez es Saaada, Jewel Bako, Genki Sushi, The Grocery, Uncle Pho, Coffee Shop, and The Park [the bastards all fired me]

― phil-two (phil-two), Monday, 10 March 2003 17:40 (10 years ago) Permalink

i havent been to coco roco since 1999, so it might have gone downhill de to all of the hype?

― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Monday, 10 March 2003 17:42 (10 years ago) Permalink

i guess so. i lived in park slope in 2001-2002 and it was packed almost every night i passed by. you could still catch a faint whiff of scallop ceviche in my bathroom like 6 months later.

― phil-two (phil-two), Monday, 10 March 2003 17:44 (10 years ago) Permalink

that sounds nasty. i had the lomo saltado (?) which is the beef and french fries and tomato garlic sauce ( i think) all mixed together.

― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Monday, 10 March 2003 17:45 (10 years ago) Permalink

All my really favorite restaurants (and gourmet food stores) in New York are the ones within a five-minute walk from my apartment: absolutely fantastic for take-out but I'm not sure if they're worth a trip to the Upper East Side.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Monday, 10 March 2003 17:46 (10 years ago) Permalink

hi i'm a tourist:

nobu
sushi samba
the coffeeshop (i swear it was good! i was not THAT drunk!)

um...
one of the indian restaurants with the belly dancers on the lower east side (e. 6th?)

i can't remember any others...

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 10 March 2003 18:08 (10 years ago) Permalink

the coffeeshop (i swear it was good! i was not THAT drunk!)

NOOO!! Coffee Shop is the worst. I worked there one day before I got fired. The food is awful and the service sucks - trust me. Everything is seriously overpriced. $12 for a Cuban Sandwich? Nigga please. I could go down to Houston & Attorney and get one for 3 bucks. And also, they have a policy for the host-staff. All the beautiful people get the prime seats and booths, while the uglies get sent away to the back. It's true. It's policy. It sucks. Though the waitstaff is all pretty hot [but dumb...]

― phil-two (phil-two), Monday, 10 March 2003 18:12 (10 years ago) Permalink

second for congee village! plus sweet and tart cafe, the smaller version. it has the best wonton noodle soup in the city. i also have to mention the greatness of zen one on st. mark's. the couple that owns that place are very friendly and the sushi portions are generous for the price.

― fiona (fiona), Monday, 10 March 2003 18:12 (10 years ago) Permalink

The advice to stay away from Dojo may be the most valuable information in this thread, gareth.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 10 March 2003 18:14 (10 years ago) Permalink

I think I ate at Zen every weekend from fall 1986 to spring 1991, give or take a year spent in London. The bento box lunches were $5.95 then and they shoveled the food down your throat. I doubt prices would be that much higher now.

― suzy (suzy), Monday, 10 March 2003 18:35 (10 years ago) Permalink

i actually live in new jersey *everyone stops reading* but for those that are still reading, a great italian place in soho (should you happen to be in the neighborhood) is 'il corallo trattoria'. fairly inexpensive and really tasty, and the service was great. i'll second zen palate - best vegitarian food i've ever had, if a tad pricy for a poor student.

― Dave M. (rotten03), Monday, 10 March 2003 18:41 (10 years ago) Permalink

* starts reading again *

Ugh Zen Palate. So frondy. I think I'm going to turn into an overpriced plant everytime I walk past one of those places so I try not to let the waitstaff see my eyes. NEVER let them see your eyes.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 10 March 2003 19:31 (10 years ago) Permalink

The one time I went to Zen Palate it was a bazillion degrees out (hot August day) and their a/c didn't work.

― hstencil, Monday, 10 March 2003 19:39 (10 years ago) Permalink

all i remember is that the fried medallion things were fab, and i had previously thought of myself as a red-meat-a-tarian.

― Dave M. (rotten03), Monday, 10 March 2003 20:13 (10 years ago) Permalink

i dont think the waiters are that bad at the union street location. the 49th street location is much different. there, the waiters hover, and they are all in black, and there is new-agey music playing!

― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Monday, 10 March 2003 20:36 (10 years ago) Permalink

third for veselka

― alli (alliok), Monday, 10 March 2003 22:41 (10 years ago) Permalink

I like El Sombrero at Ludlow and Stanton, haven't been there since I moved back tho.

Word. Also, for REAL Mexican food: the Rocking Horse Cafe, Gabriela's, Los Dos Rancheros.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 10 March 2003 23:02 (10 years ago) Permalink

Oh JBR let's not fight over Mexican food again!

― hstencil, Monday, 10 March 2003 23:03 (10 years ago) Permalink

REAL MEXICAN

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 10 March 2003 23:05 (10 years ago) Permalink

In which neighborhoods and how much do you want to spend and what if anything don't you eat?

A good place to check out if you want to spend lots of time (and major bandwidth warning) is the message board at chowhound.

Commentary on places mentioned before:

I second the recommendations for Gabriela's (90s location probably has a less annoying crowd than the 70s one), which is pretty good as far as NY Mex goes. Maya is a wonderful, if expensive, haute Mexican place on the southern tip of the Upper East Side. One of NY's better restaurants. As for other places, I've been once to the supposedly authentic La Palapa in the E. Village/LES and wasn't impressed, food- or other-wise. The others I don't know about.

Carmine's is not exactly subtle food, but it is better than one might expect and can be a great time for a group. Go for the Upper West Side branch, if convenient, to avoid the Times Square crowds (though I don't know what effect the theatre strike will have). If you do the Little Italy thing, you should know that the restaurants there aren't necessarily great (I don't know how they stack up against the E. Vill/LES places, which I've never been to). Of the ones there, Il Cortile can be pretty good.

Ollie's has a special place in my heart, but it is not worth your time unless you want slightly-better-than-average-Americanized (and excessively corn-starched) Chinese and it's nearby. Columbia branch better than the others.

John's Pizzeria (the Village place referenced, but not named, in Aaron Grossman's post, I believe) - very good pizza, not sure if it's a destination. V&T near Columbia is comparable. The great pizzerias are Lombardi's (in Little Italy/NoLita) and Patsy's (in Harlem, with V&T-quality branches elsewhere). You should, however, have some cheap, average NY pizza in addition to excellent, wood-burning-oven pizza to get the full experience.

Dosa Hutt - I've never been, but this place gets raves from most foodies. And you don't have to go to Flushing - there's one on Lexington in the 20s (26th?). Also nearby on "Curry Hill" is Curry in a Hurry, a great place for dosas and steam-table meals. That place, however, can't beat...

Pakistan Tea House in Tribeca (the place Tracer Hand was referring to). In the past year and a half, I've eaten in probably ten of the best restaurants in New York. I'm not sure I've had anything more memorable at those places than this place's Chicken Makhni platter with spinach and dal.

Coffee Shop - food shouldn't be the reason you go there (though it is decent). I'm not sure what should.

Blue Ribbon - I've never been to Blue Ribbon proper, but have been to the Blue Ribbon Bakery, slightly less, but still relatively, expensive. The food wasn't as amazing as I expected (though it was very good and I ordered strangely), but this place has great atmosphere.

Stuff you should try:

Hot Dogs - The classic places are the papaya ones (Gray's Papaya over Papaya King for me). F&B in Chelsea is a v. cute place with a chic'er and broader menu and probably better food.

The Soup Nazi - in midtown, open during the day. Cuisine in an expensive-for-lunch-but-cheap-for-quality cup (with lots of goodies added). Worth the adventure.

Sushi - but only if you go to one of the really good places, which will probably cost $. On the Upper East Side, Sushi of Gari is an inventive, fun (and pretty trendy for the UES) place that my Dad thinks has the freshest fish he's ever eaten (and he's eaten a lot). The invention here isn't quite my style (I do like invention, just a different kind), but many disagree. The other great sushi place, besides Nobu (which, like most big-name restaurants, is totally hit-or-miss) and the midtown-business-lunch places, is Jewel Bako in the East Village, where I've never been.

Chinese/Vietnamese in Chinatown/Little Italy - I'll leave the picks to others (I'm too Americanized to appreciate rice gruel). But I do like Funky Broome.

A cute/trendy/semi-cheapy French bistro like Le Pere Pinard on the LES. Metisse near Columbia has especially excellent food in this category, but is a much older, more sedate scene.

A personal pick - Beyoglu - on the Upper East Side (where it seems you won't be going), this place has really fantastic Turkish food, perhaps the best in NYC, for not all that much money. A group meal here can be great.

Are you a serious foodie planning on eating somewhere seriously gourmet/expensive? Cuz that's another discussion. I'll note that some of Danny Meyer's restaurants have comparatively cheap options - lunch at the bar at Union Square Cafe, the front room at Gramercy Tavern, the Tabla Bread Bar - that get you their very good (but not life-changing or anything) food and wonderful service for slightly less money.

Michael Daddino - are you the only other UES'er besides me? Am I going to run into you in Eli's (though I never have time to waste money there any more)?

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 11 March 2003 06:50 (10 years ago) Permalink

Japanese: East 9th St.: Hasaki (sushi) Yokocho (yakitori), Sobaya (soba), Otafuku (food stall, takoyaki, okonomiyaki, yakisoba), East 8th St.: Yakitori Taisho (yakitori), Go (yakitori), East 10th St. Rai Rai Ken (ramen), Sapporo East (family style) Tribeca&West Village: Zutto (sushi), E. 49th St. Sappporo (ramen)
Thai: East 28th St. Jai Ya Thai (purists can go to Queens location)
Korean: East 32nd St., Soho Woo Lae Oak (chain).
Indian: East 6th&West Village Mitali, 2nd Ave. Haveli, Balduchi (chain), Jackson Heights Jackson Diner.
Deli: 2nd Ave. Deli.
Sweets: Veniero's, E. 11th st. (never been)
Brooklyn: Juniors
Aspirational: Howard Johnson's Midtown

― Mary (Mary), Tuesday, 11 March 2003 07:52 (10 years ago) Permalink

Jackson Heights Jackson Diner

Yes! But Ashoka is better.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 11 March 2003 07:57 (10 years ago) Permalink

mmm forgot Lombardi's. best pizza for miles. Lou Reed eats there!

― Dave M. (rotten03), Tuesday, 11 March 2003 08:29 (10 years ago) Permalink

I knew there was a reason I'd been meaning to go there for awhile! (Ryucihi Sakamoto eats at Honmura An -- Soho soba shop -- but I can't think of much else to recommend it.) What's Ashoka Jody? More dosa?

― Mary (Mary), Tuesday, 11 March 2003 08:35 (10 years ago) Permalink

It's another Indian buffet in Jackson Heights. No dosa on the buffet -- maybe on the regular menu (I've never looked).

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 11 March 2003 08:40 (10 years ago) Permalink

But does Lou Reed eat there?

― Mary (Mary), Tuesday, 11 March 2003 08:42 (10 years ago) Permalink

Skipping 2278 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Can we talk about Mercado on Kent? Has anyone been?

― Mad Christmassy, Monday, 30 April 2012 12:36 (1 year ago) Permalink

also, recommendations for places to eat in Bay Ridge?

― Mad Christmassy, Monday, 30 April 2012 12:40 (1 year ago) Permalink

also, recommendations for places to eat in Bay Ridge?

Tanoreen

― dan selzer, Monday, 30 April 2012 13:08 (1 year ago) Permalink

have not been to Mercado on Kent. slightly curious but reviews have been mixed-to-negative (but you probably knew that already).

― dmr, Monday, 30 April 2012 16:20 (1 year ago) Permalink

Had some great meals in NYC over the past week. A couple of unexpected standouts: Egg (Williamsburg) for brunch and Brucie (Cobble Hill) for dinner -- both excelled at simple, fresh, and delicious fare.

(At Egg, I had a plate of scrambled eggs, creamy grits, and nicely seasoned kale. Good coffee, too. At Brucie, I had tagliatelle with house-made burrata, brussels sprouts, and tomato butter, and my wife and I split a Caesar salad that incorporated pickled cherries and roasted radishes without seeming gratuitous.)

Some individual dishes I liked (NB: I'm a pescatarian, hence all the seafood):

*Catfish banh mi at Baoguette (West Village).

*Asparagus salad and mixed olives at Roberta's (Bushwick). (The pizza was decent, too, but I was more impressed by the one I had at Franny's in 2010.)

*Happy hour special at John Dory Oyster Bar (Midtown): $15 for a half-dozen oysters and a glass of cava. Can't beat it.

*Shrimp bun at Momofuku Noodle Bar (East Village).

*Grilled prawns at Kin Shop (West Village).

Both of these last two dishes were small bites that outshone the larger courses I tried. Kin Shop, incidentally, was maybe the biggest disappointment for me. I don't necessarily ascribe to the belief that good Thai food has to be cheap and/or "authentic' -- Grant Achatz's take on Thai for Next in was one of the best meals I ate in 2011 -- but it did occur to me that a place like Jitlada in L.A. would've made a more intensely flavorful jungle curry for less than half of what I paid. Ah well.

― sockless in moccasins (jaymc), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 12:53 (1 year ago) Permalink

Oh, I nearly forgot:

*the "Gilly" falafel sandwich at Kulushkat (Park Slope).

― sockless in moccasins (jaymc), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 12:59 (1 year ago) Permalink

pizza, brooklyn - rank the following

di fara
Roberta's
Totonnos's
Franny's
Saraghina
Own Suggestion

― Mad Christmassy, Saturday, 5 May 2012 18:07 (1 year ago) Permalink

di fara is best but kinda far out and a madhouse with lines usually. I haven't been in years.

Lucali is my next favorite, but not on your list. Show up early to avoid lines.

Roberta's is really good but to be honest their kitchen is even better. Also a madhouse. Go right when it opens on saturday or sunday. Split a pizza and get some sticky buns or whatever weird pork and grits thing they're doing or something.

Totonnos is great and oldstyle and you can visit coney island too.

I found Saraghina really dissapointing.

Franny's is loved by all but I think expensive and crowded as well. I've never been.

― dan selzer, Saturday, 5 May 2012 18:33 (1 year ago) Permalink

franny's other dishes are really excellent too. di fara maybe the best pizza. i also really liked giussepina's, lucali's sister restaurant which is much easier to get in to.

― mizzell, Saturday, 5 May 2012 18:43 (1 year ago) Permalink

di fara is great pizza but HEAVY - that xtra dose of olive oil on top is a killer. tastes great, tho

i prefer totonnos pizza. the place itself is more manageable, what I imagine di fara was like before the foodies discovered. as dan said, you can tie in a coney island visit.

― (REAL NAME) (m coleman), Saturday, 5 May 2012 19:10 (1 year ago) Permalink

Why the disappointment at saraghina? Im very fond of that place.
I enjoy di fara too, and it's even close, but I hate the crowd there. It's nice to just settle in at saraghina.

― lou reed scott walker monks niagra (chinavision!), Saturday, 5 May 2012 19:49 (1 year ago) Permalink

i love saraghina, also (imo) the best space of all these restaurants

frannys is much, much less crowded at lunchtime, and they serve the same menu

― max, Saturday, 5 May 2012 21:43 (1 year ago) Permalink

I don't know, I went once and none of us liked the pizza. It was packed and late, maybe an off night.

― dan selzer, Sunday, 6 May 2012 00:14 (1 year ago) Permalink

went to roberta's and di fara in the end - both midweek. liked both - found the people on the street around the morgan ave stop kind of annoying but inside it was actually really nice and pizzas good. di fara was good too, no line! mad expensive tho

― coal, Saturday, 19 May 2012 14:36 (1 year ago) Permalink

2 months pass...

not sure if anyone cares, but Mama's in the EV closed after 15 years, tho the mashed potatoes just weren't the same under the second owner.

http://mamasfoodshop.com/

― Pangborn to be Wilde (Dr Morbius), Sunday, 12 August 2012 17:43 (9 months ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

Pete Wells has been on a tear. Brutal review of Eleven Madison's new "storytelling" format (which sounds awful) and knocked Le Cirque down from three stars to one. I would never go to Le Cirque (have been to 11 Madison, it's great) but just an entertaining week for high-profile food reviews. I'd be shocked if Eleven Madison didn't make some changes based on that writeup. It made eating there sound painful.

― dmr, Thursday, 20 September 2012 19:24 (8 months ago) Permalink

IDK, his writing makes me kind of half-laugh, half-wince

― look at this quarterstaff (Hurting 2), Thursday, 20 September 2012 20:39 (8 months ago) Permalink

But truth be told I don't have that much interest in going to places like that. H and I kind of decided that we never enjoy the experience to the same degree as the pain we feel in our wallets.

― look at this quarterstaff (Hurting 2), Thursday, 20 September 2012 20:53 (8 months ago) Permalink

fwiw, this is a great uninentionally funny food photograph imo:

― look at this quarterstaff (Hurting 2), Thursday, 20 September 2012 20:54 (8 months ago) Permalink

Eleven Madison thing I just found interesting from a "what would it be like to hold that much power" angle, publish a takedown on Monday and a four-star restaurant implements your requested changes by Thursday

http://ny.eater.com/archives/2012/09/has_eleven_madison_park_nixed_the_narration.php

― dmr, Thursday, 20 September 2012 21:05 (8 months ago) Permalink

those narrations sound pretty excrutiating though. I feel embarassed enough when waiters launch into overlong spiels about how the food is prepared.

― look at this quarterstaff (Hurting 2), Thursday, 20 September 2012 21:53 (8 months ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

Ok, so does anyone have any go-to recommendations when they get an extremely broad "HEY WHAT'S A GOOD RESTAURANT IN NYC" requests from people not that familiar with the city?

To be more specific, this is a couple who recently moved from another country and are not that familiar with NYC or the states at all, and the guy's parents are visiting and they want to go somewhere nice with his parents, somewhere "downtown" (I have asked her to be more specific but she hasn't gotten back to me). I also assume it should be a place where it's not ridiculously hard to get a reservation (or a no-reservation place that tends to have two hour lines). TBH I don't even go to Manhattan restaurants very much anyway, so I'm not much help other than looking through Zagat. I just want them to get good food, and maybe ideally an experience that is somehow New York and American without being, like, Patsy's or something obvious like that.

― Knut Horowitz, Able-Bodied Investment Banker and Ladies Man (Hurting 2), Friday, 26 October 2012 02:43 (6 months ago) Permalink

i dunno, my aunt was in town last night & we had a great time at la nacional on 14th street. great paella and tapas. the ladies loved the sangria.

― i guess i'd just rather listen to canned heat? (ian), Friday, 26 October 2012 02:47 (6 months ago) Permalink

my go to for stuff like that is always otto which is a) run by a Famous Chef but is b) pretty good and is c) crowded/"happening" but is still d) easy to get a table as a walk in and finally is e) decently priced

― max, Friday, 26 October 2012 03:03 (6 months ago) Permalink

also its PIZZA which is like how much more new york/american can you get

― max, Friday, 26 October 2012 03:04 (6 months ago) Permalink

my OTHER recommendation which goes in the other direction is great ny noodle town which is also cheap and easy to get a table and pretty good but not at all "downtown" more like "'authentic' chinatown chinese flourescent lights no windows super crowded hurried waiters"

― max, Friday, 26 October 2012 03:06 (6 months ago) Permalink

lol Otto was actually the first place I thought of, but I haven't been there in a few years and I thought maybe it wasn't the best option

― Knut Horowitz, Able-Bodied Investment Banker and Ladies Man (Hurting 2), Friday, 26 October 2012 16:26 (6 months ago) Permalink

Maybe Otto is the answer

― Knut Horowitz, Able-Bodied Investment Banker and Ladies Man (Hurting 2), Friday, 26 October 2012 16:26 (6 months ago) Permalink

obv getting wasted then going to noodle town in the middle of the night is the way to go

― --bob marley (lag∞n), Friday, 26 October 2012 16:28 (6 months ago) Permalink

btw it totally 'has window' dont listen to yelp user maxbrooklynfoodie10

― --bob marley (lag∞n), Friday, 26 October 2012 16:34 (6 months ago) Permalink

I suggested that and Union Square Cafe if they want to spend more.

― Knut Horowitz, Able-Bodied Investment Banker and Ladies Man (Hurting 2), Friday, 26 October 2012 16:42 (6 months ago) Permalink

it has like 1 window

i had a kind of meh meal at usq cafe but its def very NEW YORK

― max, Friday, 26 October 2012 17:09 (6 months ago) Permalink

four people need to eat a yummy meal right by the Met around 6 pm/6:15 if we're going to make it to the opera on time

Cafe Luxembourg can't seat us, they are booked

we currently have a reservation at a nearby place (Arpeggio) but I have heard that it is meh and I'm hoping that y'all can recommend something a little better- anybody wanna make a suggestion?

where do we go?

help me ILX you're my only hope

― the tune was space, Friday, 26 October 2012 21:46 (6 months ago) Permalink

I was also thinking maybe Blue Hill if pricey is ok? Although I felt weirdly uncomfortable in the NYC one, like there was a very subtle snobbery to the place.

― Knut Horowitz, Able-Bodied Investment Banker and Ladies Man (Hurting 2), Friday, 26 October 2012 21:48 (6 months ago) Permalink

i dont really know anything up where that is, drew. salumeria rosi? ive never been but a friend likes it

― max, Friday, 26 October 2012 22:13 (6 months ago) Permalink

ive had 1 amazing and 1 okay meal at blue hill. its a solid price range above otto & usc though isnt it?

― max, Friday, 26 October 2012 22:14 (6 months ago) Permalink

blue hill is pricey and the farm/table thing though unique can be underwhelming but worth experiencing at least once

tune was space - Gabriel's on 60th may be out of the way but it's v dependable hearty tuscan fare. slighty $$ w/some great mid-priced wines

― (REAL NAME) (m coleman), Saturday, 27 October 2012 10:51 (6 months ago) Permalink

2 weeks pass...

epic pan of Guy Fieri's Times Square restaurant.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/dining/reviews/restaurant-review-guys-american-kitchen-bar-in-times-square.html

fish, barrel, etc but made me laugh out loud for reals

― dmr, Wednesday, 14 November 2012 15:41 (6 months ago) Permalink

Hey, did you try that blue drink, the one that glows like nuclear waste? The watermelon margarita? Any idea why it tastes like some combination of radiator fluid and formaldehyde?

Is this how you roll in Flavor Town?

― dmr, Wednesday, 14 November 2012 15:43 (6 months ago) Permalink

curious how many restaurants have ever been rated POOR in the Times. lower than zero stars. has to be a pretty short list, most places that shitty probably aren't notable enough to warrant a review.

― dmr, Wednesday, 14 November 2012 15:44 (6 months ago) Permalink

oh damn I just saw the other Guy thread. oh well. late to the game.

― dmr, Wednesday, 14 November 2012 15:46 (6 months ago) Permalink

Nocello on West 55th, anyone? Family coming down from CT to have holiday dinner there.

― saltwater incursion (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 14 November 2012 15:52 (6 months ago) Permalink

The review in the Observer from a few weeks ago was as good/brutal.

― dan selzer, Wednesday, 14 November 2012 15:56 (6 months ago) Permalink

about 200 post about that in here worst sounding sushi roll at guy fieri's southern bbq & california style sushi restaurant tex wasabi's

― carne asada, Wednesday, 14 November 2012 15:59 (6 months ago) Permalink

xp[ost Quite the surprise that a TV personality's restaurant in a tourist trap district would turn out to be shit.

― Manfred Mann meets Man Parrish (ithappens), Wednesday, 14 November 2012 16:01 (6 months ago) Permalink

yeah, kind of panko-encrusted tilapia in a maple-glazed barrel imo

― drunk 'n' white's elements of style (Hurting 2), Wednesday, 14 November 2012 16:42 (6 months ago) Permalink

not familiar w/ Nocello. the review sites seem to like it pretty well.

― dmr, Wednesday, 14 November 2012 16:49 (6 months ago) Permalink

Fieri can be the new Mamma Leone

― saltwater incursion (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 14 November 2012 16:52 (6 months ago) Permalink

Also I feel like DFW set the gold standard for snarky reviews of bloated, overpriced american attractions, and this is pretty weak in comparison. I like Wells a little better when he takes down silly 1%er restaurants like Eleven Madison Park, because at least that's something that doesn't get done that often.

― drunk 'n' white's elements of style (Hurting 2), Wednesday, 14 November 2012 16:56 (6 months ago) Permalink

3 weeks pass...

wd try Moti Mahal Delux for lunch this month (on a non-workday, NYEve?)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/05/dining/reviews/restaurant-review-moti-mahal-delux-in-manhattan.html

― saltwater incursion (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 6 December 2012 02:04 (5 months ago) Permalink

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