New York Restaurants

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

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.

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.

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.

decibel?

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]

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...

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...]

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.

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

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)?

Yes! But Ashoka is better.

the upper east side is way underrated. three reasons to visit: the pizza at, fuck, can't remember, it's on like 81st and First Avenue, is my favorite I've had in NYC. I also like Angel's on 63rd and First. and perhaps greatest of all, and a real NYC institution: SERENDIPITY on 60th between 2nd and 3rd. I had my b-day dinner there (thanks again, Andy!) and love it every single time I go there, which isn't frequently enough. HUGE ice cream desserts, good soup and regular U.S. fare (nachos, burgers, chicken) done really well. the interior design is SICK--basically it's '70s nostalgia for the '30s. Andy Warhol ate there regularly, and it's where John & Yoko went for ice cream after John got his green card. Love it love it love it.

I live around the corner from Curry Hill, the heavily Indian-restaurant populated area of Murray Hill, and there are quite a few good places there. what I remain a perpetual sucker for, however, is Curry in a Hurry on 28th and Lexington--quick, delicious, well priced (big chicken tikka masala platter w/rice, naan and vegetable side is $9.19 including tax) and once you go upstairs to eat very atmospheric, w/blue walls and one of about three Bollywood flix playing silently on a small TV screen, huge picture windows to look out of. (plus Gareth can compare it to similar UK spots.)

and hell yes stay away from Dojo.

(In Williamsburg)

I like Lucali a lot, I like the simplicity of their menu.

I think 60% of a pizza's favorability ranking is based on how hungry I am and who I am eating with.

Roberta's we also had ...'Nduja and grilled bread?

That style is just Neopolitan, no? Spacca Napoli in Chicago does the same style, and opened in 2006. When I looked up that info one of the first things I saw was a piece mentioning Roberta's, and saying, yeah, it's good, but we have pizza this good at home. Lucky both of us! There are a few more in that mode in this city.

I don't think they consider themselves neopolitan. Or at least not strict neopolitan. I remember their garden being a big talking point when their ingredients would come up. Even though I lived close by when they opened I didn't go for several/many years, even though my bread and chef friends often talked about it. It's so weird that I barely ate pizza like half the time I lived in NY.

Ha, I think most people just assume Chicago only has that casserole pizza. which I am kind of into sometimes.

Anyway, I shouldn't talk. I just ate supermarket brand pizza today for breakfast.

Roberta pizza is good but they’re I own for the other stuff as well/in addition to.

What crazy people think Chicago has only one type of pizza!? Chicago style is for tourists, or special occasions, like when you want to be very full or feel kinda cheese-sick.

Now I am looking up pizza wedding cakes.

Josh nice to hear you were in Montclair. Funny I knew Richard Thompson was playing there recently but didn’t realize he actually lived there.

Yeah, I guess he played a literary festival? I think he only recently moved there, or relatively recently. I knew he got divorced (again) not long ago, and he had been in Santa Monica for years. Anyway, Montclair was really nice! Sort of reminded me of where I grew up in SE PA.

BTW, the Chicago "style" (as such) is the so-called "party cut," which is a pie sliced into a bunch of small squares. It is to Chicago what a single large slice is to New York, just kind of the serving style. Though of course we have by the slice as well, just not in the NY "where to get the best slice" sense. I'm starting to see more Detroit style around, too (and saw some in New York, like at Emmy Squared). Detroit has slightly different cheese, I want to say, and a really crisp carmelized crust. And it's served square, too.

We've thought about Montclair a lot but my commute would kind of suck since I work in Westchester. I can't really justify moving to a suburb and working in another suburb far from that one.

What's worse, from what I understand vindictive Trump bullshit has lead to recalled funding for post-Sandy train fixes, so they are always canceling departures. So, for example, yesterday we were told to be sure to grab an earlier train from Penn Station, and indeed one or two of the later departures were cancelled. We asked our friends what that means, and they said basically you'd be stuck in Manhattan for at least another couple of hours.

Oh, and back to pizza, I guess strict Neapolitan DOC standards are what gives that type of pizza its trademark floppy crust. Roberta's specializes in what they've apparently termed "NEOpolitan," which sticks to many of the rules but messes with flour type and cooking time to give it a firmer crust.

Yeah, I googled that too and saw that weird article of nea vs NEO. I've been to Naples a couple of times just to eat pizza. Roberta's never struck me as that similar. I dunno. I like it a lot but I like most pizza. I would kill for some costco pizza right now.

PIZZA FITE

I am very particular though about crusts and bread. Like, I think Bien Cuit is super overrated. I don't get it. Every single thing I have ever gotten from there was burnt and dry. Which makes sense they got ahead of it and called it bien cuit.

I grew up in Southern Illinois. Most pizza we had was "party cut" and it was trash.

Some of the best pizza right now in NYC is Ops in Bushwick, which is similar to Roberta's but I think better. Very soft crust, but not soupy. Supposedly a very long fermentation.

Also, I will rep for Long Island "grandma style", which is like a thin-crust Sicilian with a chunky sauce and higher end cheese with a light hand. It is very good when done right.

Crappy place that used to be by me in Woodside introduced me to grandma slices that were so good. Cooked with onion that would caramelize on the bottom of the crust.

I will never pass up a grandma slice. Even though Casanova's in Greenpoint had a cheesy location, I really liked their grandma pies. Soooo garlicky. Also, Rosa's and that weird Astoria Pizza Factory did a good one (would get with meatballs).

Can recommend Llamita, a newish Peruvian spot in the Village (having dined there last night).

Their williamsburg restaurant Llama Inn is excellent as well.

rosa's grandma pie is all time.

went to roll-n-roaster in sheepshead bay this weekend, lives up to expectations. roast beef sandwiches terrific but the big surprise was the apple pie, far better than any fast food apple pie needs to be. great scene too.

brennan and carr is the next sheepshead bay excursion i think.

I just saw that Rosa's has a location in Williamsburg now too. I got some pizza from the astoria one recently, it was good, I don't think as good as my memory of the one on Fresh Pond.

No one associates New York, a city in the eastern United States, with good restaurants. That's beginning to change. https://t.co/WpPyyvqKHU

— L.A. Times Food (@latimesfood) April 1, 2019

Impressive, it's the rare April 1st reverse troll! That's a tough one to pull off.

fresh pond rosa's is my local rosa's. can also vouch for the chicken caesar salad slice.

anyone got ideas for good affordable sushi? i swore off low-tier bad neighborhood sushi but don't want to drop $500 at shuko or whatever.

Outside of going local, the places I went to the most were:
Bozu (wburg) I mention above in the thread what we would order
Kaoru (by the UN) insanely good/big chirashi bowls for $20-$25. They stop serving early though and turn into a hostess bar.
Jewel Bako (evillage) I haven't been in awhile, it's probably at the top price range for what you are looking for. The sushi/sashimi entrees are pretty decently priced for one michelin star.
I recently went to Hasaki in the evillage (vg, busy) and TsuruTonTan in Union Sq for udon but their sushi was pretty strong too (they have nice lunch specials).

i think you can slide in around ~$50 for lunch at sushi yasuda on a weekday

hate to say it but win son is p overpriced for what it is, i also instinctively distrust sino-restaurants where 90% of the clientele are not sino (see also birds of a feather, mala project)

I love Mala Project.

it's ok but you'd been able to get sichuan drypot for years prior in flushing, it's basically that but at 2x the price for the east village. i think there are more interesting places in the neighborhood (e.g. little tong noodle shop)

I go to the one in midtown for one of the lunch specials (usually the fish). Its a nice option to have, even though all the specials basically taste the same, so you have to space out visits.

Does anyone know anything about Chelsea Table and Stage? I had never heard of it before but may go see a show there. I'm guessing it's extremely new because I can't find any reviews of it, which is p much unheard of for NYC. Food menu looks kind of blah but the price iss pretty reasonable for a table right by the stage so I'll eat my boring $27 salmon and enjoy the show I guess. Just curious what the deal is with this place. Looks kind of like a jazz club vibe but not exclusive to jazz.

they look like they need some help with booking but glad to see any new club open!

Thought this would be about Restaurant/Week/Month/Whatever

xp, yeah I mean the guy I'm going to see is awesome but I only randomly know who he is through instagram and he does not seem to be much of a name yet. Don't recognize many other names, but I'm sure "Funk Shui" is top notch

My soon to be 11yo has always deeply loved beef and steak. I want to take her for a good steak for her bday. What's a good place that wouldn't feel too stuffy for an 11yo girl with her dad? I thought about Luger but it would be a long ride from us coming from north of the city - something in Manhattan/Bronx/Queens is probably easier to get to.

Why not take her to an Argentinian place. Buenos Aires on E. 6th St. has a good selection of beef and a cheerful, casual vibe.

I mean luger’s isnt stuffy

Right, it's not, it's just further from us. But I think she might get a kick out of it.

That Argentinian place looks good too, good idea

Keens is so fun and so great.

peter luger's is kinda a memory more than a meal, maybe worth it

i think keens has better food and vibes than luger

^^^
Kid might also think the pipes on the ceiling are neat.

i haven't been but 212 steakhouse is one of the few steakhouses in america that serves officially licensed kobe beef https://www.212steakhouse.com/our-kobe-beef

oh wait they are no longer on the official list... did they lose their license lol https://www.kobe-niku.jp/shop/?lang=1&prefecture=52&tag=3

Keens is normally my go to - definitely better vibes than Luger. And the mutton! (I might still prefer the basic Luger steak though). Old Homestead is also excellent with a similar level of fanciness as Keens. It all depends on one's tolerance for that clubby kind of atmosphere. But I've seen young people at all these places.

Yeah, Keens is old-school and fancy feeling without feeling stuffy. It was fun and friendly when I went.