New York Restaurants

just google ny mag and ice cream for the slideshow.

The NYMag slideshow seems to really push the sundae as a concept, which I have a long-held bias against unless it involves a vanilla-like base. Otherwise seems like overkill. But IDK maybe it could be done better. Anyway I need to try that Brooklyn Pharmacy Soda Fountain whatever place in Carroll Gardens before I move away.

I had a cup of 'chocolate flake' at the Prosp Pk concert from Ample Hills, that new shop in Prospect Hts. It was good.

ample hills too sugary for me, im sticking with blue marble on underhill

if you guys want some really good yuppie ice cream go to bent spoon in princeton nj

Yerac, what brought on this monumental ice cream binge?

Ian, generally I'm not in favor of a $4 frozen chocolate-covered banana, but I just had to sample the latest NYT-supported trend.

One thing that annoys me very slightly about the trend is that they make it seem like ice cream made with good quality, farm-fresh dairy is some kind of novelty worth paying a huge premium for. Other than the "organic" label this has been done for decades and the products are often available at grocery stores and not that expensive.

handcrafted!

oh dove bar up yours

I'm going to start selling handcrafted ice cream SCOOPS. Like, I'm just going to reach into the bucket with my hand, grab some ice cream, and craft that shit right into your cone.

A friend and I are planning on getting the $20 or free if you eat the whole thing ice cream sandwiches from Coolhaus.

how big are they? that seems much more feasible than a 50 pound steak or whatever

unless they are 50 pound ice cream sandwiches

Five scoops and six cookies. It doesn't seem that challenging.

ample hills too sugary for me, im sticking with blue marble on underhill

I like both, dunno if I could even pick a favorite. some of the flavors at Ample Hills are weird but yesterday I had their Peppermint Pattie and it was awesome. the Key Lime Pie flavor is good too. Their name does make me think of boobs though.

Yeah, that seems like an attainable goal.

I have the small cuisinart ice cream maker and it is the greatest. I have some young banana con miel de palma ice cream in the freezer right now.

general greene on dekalb has a little ice cream shack and it is delicious and $3 for a small scoop

Five scoops and six cookies. It doesn't seem that challenging.
--tokyo rosemary

I've had more dessert than this many times in non-contest situations.

not planning on living til 40 tho

Ok, so how is there not a good ice cream place anywhere near Graham or possibly Lorimer either? Or is there? All I can find is Louie G's and Baskin Robbins

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/culture/2011/10/3865090/takeout-story-behind-bulletproof-glass-and-out-bike-chinese-restaura?page=all

whoa. great article. not too sensational or sentimental. the reporter takes the POV of a social worker w/o being too condescending

yeah, good read

Finally did Peter Luger today and was not disappointed. Porterhouse for two was definitely among the best steaks I've had if not the best, and surprisingly the Apple Strudel was the best I'd ever had.

did PL for a bachelor party in august. steak for 8. oof.

"it's a lot of meat"

What is the deal with the steaks for larger numbers of people? Do they give you a different steak or is it just a bunch of steaks for two?

yeah it's just a bunch of porterhouses. the urban legend I heard is that you don't take a menu if it's offered you just say steak for X and if you want any of the sides... well you should know there's only 6 things on the menu. Anyway, if you don't refuse the menu you are given lesser (excellent all the same) cuts of meat

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So what Italian places in Manhattan do you like better than Locanda Verde?

Babbo?

Haven't been to too many, but too be honest only really loved the apps and desert at Locanda Verde and had disappointing mains.

all the batali places are good, i think--babbo, del posto, lupa, esca--all are pretty pricy though. otto is a good deal for the price, so is the restaurant on the eataly roof. scarpetta is terrific, also kinda pricy. torrisi is phenomenal but its not really italian. i havent been to i sodi but i hear its really good. most of my favorite italian places are in brooklyn!!

Gonna be in NYC and going to the theater Friday night(Porgy & Bess) and Carnegie Hall Saturday night (singer Buika who was in recent Almodovar movie with pianist Chucho Valdes) and trying to figure out where and when to eat dinner. Other (and cheaper and other ethnic) ideas accepted:

theres a good mid-price mexican place called toloache and a mid-price nu-korean place called danji both in the west 50s. those are the last two places i went for theater-type dinners

I really like Aurora for Italian -- I've been to the wmsbg original a bunch of times but they now have a Soho location and one on Mott St.

oh yeah aurora is great, though dont do their monday prix fixe deal

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

also, recommendations for places to eat in Bay Ridge?

also, recommendations for places to eat in Bay Ridge?

Tanoreen

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

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.

Oh, I nearly forgot:

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

pizza, brooklyn - rank the following

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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/