New York Restaurants

My steak au poivre had one of the most delicious sauces I've ever tasted and great potatoes as well, and my gf's West African chicken was very good as well. Liked the atmosphere -- definitely hipster/bohemian style but very aesthetically nice. Prices were not cheap but reasonable for what we got. Very good espresso. Liked whatever brand of Cotes Du Rhone they were pouring. Service was a little unattentive but that was kind of what I expected from the look of the place, and it was the kind of place where I wanted to relax/hang out anyway. Definitely will be going back.

A $47 "tasting menu" that includes a sampling of antipasti, pasta, two main dishes and two deserts might sound like a bargain if it were genuinely a consumate chef's "tour of Tuscany," as the menu claimed. But instead I felt I was getting a tour of the weak spots on the menu that weren't selling well that week. The "artisinal beans" (!) were unconvincing, as were the elaborate descriptions of them given by the waitress (Sorry, they just tasted like beans. Perfectly good beans, but beans). The warm salad with pancetta and scrambled egg was, as a friend acutely observed, essentially eggs and bacon with greens. Again, perfectly fine, but unremarkable. One of the pastas (the "Moonshine") was farily good and the other was bland. The bass was not especially fresh and uninspiringly seasoned. And the flank steak was also perfectly fine but nothing special. What was unclear was why all this also needed to be accompanied by a basket of extremely oily french fries, especially since both entrees already came with potatoes. Then again, the fries may have been for another table, as were, undoubtedly, the three extra deserts brought to our table (one of which tasted like toothpaste.) Aside from these mistakes (about which one can't really complain) the service itself was quite good and very friendly, and I enjoyed the atmosphere, particularly the beautiful skylights.

1) 3 kumamoto oysters w/ ponzu jelly
2) jalapeno yellowtail sashimi (ex-nobu guy, afterall)
3) sea urchin w/ soy gel
4) miso black cod wrapped in phyllo dough (ditto)
5) sushi/sashimi plate w: the best bluefin otoro ive ever had, uni, botan ebi, horse mackerel, salmon 'toro', yellowtail.
6) meille feiulle

i think it might be the best japanese meal i've had in new york. it came to about $130 for food for 2 people.

Friend who spent some Thailand said it was one of the more authentic places he's tried in NYC. Most entrees in the $8-12 range. Extensive menu. Excellent quality. Beers are $3. Atmosphere is pleasant enough - casual, big picture windows. Last night we had two soups, a chicken Krapao Sub (thai holy basil sautee) and a quarter fried king fish in Tamarind sauce, a beer and a glass of wine for $36 before tip.

but fleur de sel, perry street, and jean georges do year round lunch prix-fixe deals all for $25/$28 each, so i'll save those for later

Here's my review from a restaurant site:

Tourist trap is an understatement - rat trap is more like it. The grossly overpriced and oversized "Turkey Reuben" came on white bread, smothered in low-quality cheese with barely an onion in sight. I don't believe a chicken ever dipped its toe into the matzah ball soup, and the knish was downright foul - literally bursting with inedible, gristly meat - prompting us to rename the establishment "The Carnage-y Deli." I left not only nauseous, but ashamed that anyone would associate this restaurant with my Jewish heritage. Avoid at all costs.

i really want to go to eleven madison now that this new guy is there

that's in, er, good taste given the murders that happened above it a few years ago.

so i need a good NYC greek-ish place with a nice summer atmosphere and good drinks

come on someone has to frequent a great summery mediterranean place downtown

cheap? moderate? pricy?

moderate to cheap? but i don't want cheap if it means a less than enjoyable experience, which probably means i can't have cheap

I don't frequent any such place, but I got my father-in-law's Zagat password. BRB

oooh!

Maybe this place?

Snack Taverna
63 Bedford St.
(Morton St.)
Manhattan, NY 10014
212-929-3499

Food Decor Service Cost
21 16 17 $39

Can't speak for the atmosphere

The younger, more upscale sibling to Snack, this “friendly” “modern Greek” on a “lovely Village corner” is touted for its “mouthwatering twists” on the “classics” and all-Hellenic wine list; sure, it “can get noisy”, but still most “everybody leaves happy.”

i has a favorite

Greek food in Manhattan be expensive

word

both do look verry nice tho

i want an outdoors too, but i bet that's tough - and i need to not spend 30 on my entree, cuz i'm gonna have the drinks

thanks guys - any other suggestions welcome, i might succomb to citysearch...

Might be worth browsing the Voice archives, though Sietsema himself tends to mostly review cheapo joints in Queens and Brooklyn and the other food info on the site can't always be trusted (in fact it once led me to the worst Greek meal I've ever had)

go to queens for greek food, srsly

lol xpost

i know, queens has been popping up

i love this place

that looks PERFECT, but i really don't think i can go to queens 2nite : (

there's a nice greek place on grand street in williamsburg. i don't know the name, though.

is it mykonos? the one across from trash bar?

pylos, on e.7th, is a nice modern greek that's not too pricy. all indoors, though. in general, you have to make some trade-off for a good outdoor space - usually price or quality.

i know that's so true, ok i'm lookin it up

okay has anyone been to Medina?

yeah pylos is ok. you got to bring a lot of people to share al the dishes they have there.

http://eater.com/archives/2007/06/the_dish_shopsi.php

okay, so cheap sushi in West Village/East village/somewhere downtown, with cocktails

anyone?

Tomoe is the cheapest decent sushi bar but there is usually a line of people outside.

And most other decent sushi in that area is not cheap.

That thread bump reminds me that I went to Ferdinando's in Carroll Gardens this weekend and recommend it. Some of the best calamari I've ever had, and you ought to eat a panelle at least once in your life. Plus they're the only place in NYC with Manhattan Special on tap (it's way tastier than the bottled stuff)

Best Use of Chickpeas - Ferdinando's
FERDINANDO'S is Brooklyn's oldest focacceria, a Sicilian snack shop that specializes in oil-slicked vegetables, stewed seafood, and tiny sandwiches on round rolls. One of their best products is the panelle special, made with chickpea fritters that show the influence of North Africa on Sicily piled on one of the aforementioned rolls and then heaped with clouds of the freshest ricotta. Two make a meal. -Robert Sietsema

151 Union Street, Brooklyn

xpost I did a little Zagat search for you -- there are a few very highly rated places in that area in the $35-40/person range: Kanoyama at 2nd and 11th, Yama (which has a Carmine St. and a W. Houston St. location), and Hasaki, on 9th btw 2nd and 3rd.

Just slightly cheaper is Mizu Sushi, on 20th btw Broadway and Park.

Sapporo East on First Ave. is cheap and decent.

anyone have an opinion on Rose Water?

One of their best products is the panelle special, made with chickpea fritters

Is this like socca?

cheap sushi ..... East village

Esashi at 3rd and A is pretty good

it's no Tomoe or Yama but it's cheap and never has a wait. it's on the level of a good neighborhood place.

but I would say go to Yama if you don't mind waiting a bit

anyone have an opinion on Rose Water?

Based on my one dinner there, it was kind of meh. Not especially original, and not very well done, for the prices they charge...