Looking for Avec in NYC

[Virginia Nan]

I am looking for the equivalent of Chicago's Avec in Manhattan for Thursday night. Great vibe, great food, not pretentious. Thoughts?

[KD1191]

I am looking for the equivalent of Chicago's Avec in Manhattan for Thursday night. Great vibe, great food, not pretentious. Thoughts?

Aldea

31 W 17th St

New York, NY 10011

(212) 675-7223

[daisy17]

I'm a huge fan of Aldea (although the vibe is a little quieter and more upscale than what I envision Avec to be). I had the arroz de pato (rice & duck) again recently and it was phenomenal.

Other suggestions that fit your vibe/great food/no pretension requirements (but are completely not like Avec in terms of cuisine) - I had another fabulous meal at Sorella on Friday night - lots of stools/counterseating in the front area, a striking room with tables in the back, small plate Italian. Every dish we had (probably 9 in all) was delicious, and I'm still thinking about the gnocchi and the chicken liver toast with egg and bacon. Also Momofuku Ssam Bar (there are millions of posts on this forum about Ssam).

[gastrodamus]

aldea is an excellent option, but it's closer to blackbird in both atmosphere and presentation. i second momofuku ssam – the interior and the vibe are very similar to avec. and as daisy17 says, sorella is a fantastic place for wine and piemonte dishes. it's been in my top 10 since it opened. mercat and txikito are also worth checking out for small plates and wine. if you're a fan of paul kahan, you might enjoy the breslin. i feel it's the closest thing to publican in nyc yet a completely new experience.

[weinoo]

Our recent meal at Aldea was very good - though the service was a bit "quirky."

Agree totally with daisy17 and gastro regarding Sorella. As a matter of fact, we both liked it a lot a year ago...

And the back room is indeed one of the nicer rooms, if not in the city, than at least on the lower east side.

[Virginia Nan]

Thanks for all the recommendations. Will try them all.

[LPShanet]

Thanks for all the recommendations. Will try them all.

I agree that Ssam Bar and Aldea might fit in the category, too. I'd add Degustation to the list as well.

Edited February 25, 2010 by LPShanet (log)

[Virginia Nan]

Got to Mercat last night. Really great food and wine and overall smashing time had by me and my dining companion. Excellent service too. Thanks for that recommendation