daisy17

Yes!! Totally agree. At the very least, you have to go to Katz's and Russ & Daughters. I'm fairly certain R&D laces the whitefish salad with crack. Your trip sounds incredible and I'm so glad you're able to share photos of it. Aren't you full?!

word. ← I'm not sure I can say this any better than you all have - I agree with you entirely. When the bartenders at my favorite cocktail places buy back a round for me or spend time letting me taste new things I am always delighted and flattered, and my appreciation is sincere. I do not, EVER, think that they owe me this in any way. All I can really "expect" is to have a well-made cocktail, just like the guy sitting next to me.

Seems to me like he can barely string together words to form a sentence. I was at Elettaria this evening and had some wonderful cocktails . Exactly what you'd expect from talented bartenders like Lynette and Brian!

Bonnie has a really good selection, and she is very helpful. I also really enjoyed my visit to Joanne Hendricks Cookbooks on Greenwich St. (212.226.5731) a while ago. Call first.

More questions - are these restaurants good? Carlota Zaza Bistro Bar d'Hotel They were recommended by friends of a friend. Also, do we need to make dinner reservations way in advance? We're going to Roberta Sudbrack on Sat night at 9:30. Do we need to reserve for Fri/Sun nights? thanks so much for your help! Karen

Thanks again for all of your help. We're staying at Ipanema - is there a good street market near there? This sounds great but what is it?! Thanks, Karen

You have to go to both Death & Co and PDT. Sit at the bar. Talk to the bartenders.

Mitch makes a really good point about Otto and Lupa. (I'd personally do Lupa over Otto.) His other recs are also among my favorites, especially Tia Pol. Please don't take Gramercy off your list. I assure you - it is still excellent. I'm not sure if you're dining alone for some of these, but many of the places you name are perfect for solo dining at the bar (Lupa, Otto, Tailor, Balth, Momo). And if you end up with room for another serious dinner, or if your aunt is particularly generous (it's on the $$$/blowout side) I'd recommend Cru. (I know, I always recommend Cru. That's because it's phenomenal.) Does your other dinner have to be in Times Square? (can't tell) If so, maybe Insieme or Le Bernardin?

I think you chose extremely well. Most of these are on my list of absolute favorites in the city. I like Joe for espresso - there are several, and the 13th St one is very close to many of your stops, most notably Otto. They also offer classes on espresso and coffee - Joe Looking forward to a full report!

Now, Rai Rai Ken was good, but it sounds like I should have stuck around! (Really great to see/meet you all . . . . )

Thank you so much for your post, which I see is your first, so welcome to egullet! I read about Roberta Sudbrack recently myself so I'm putting it on the list. Am especially interested in good not-fancy food and street food in both Salvador and Rio. We're staying at the Caesar Park, but will hop in a cab to go anywhere. Many thanks for your help.

I finally made it in last night. PDT is freaking fantastic. It was such a pleasure to meet Don, and to see Jim again. My thanks to you both for a wonderful visit. My first cocktail, the Benton Old Fashioned, almost knocked me off my stool. Smoky, almost Scotch-like, porky, divine. My second, the Harvest Moon, perfectly balanced. My third, the Black Flip . . . well, what can be said about a cocktail that amounts to a rum chocolate beer milkshake, with the silken texture of an egg to round it out? We can leave it at this: I have been thinking about this cocktail ALL DAY. I also tasted what I think is called the No. 8 (tequila?) and was blown away. If I need to start leaving work at 5:30 in order to get seats at PDT and Death & Co., so be it.

thanks!

What time do I need to get there for seats at the bar? I've only been once and must rectify this immediately.

Infuriating. I'd like to hear your thoughts after you've worked in a restaurant for a single day, making $3 an hour before tips and busting your ass to make your customers happy. The servers don't make the rules, but they sure as hell have bills to pay.

I love amari. I don't think I've had the Borschi but my faves lately are Nardini, Averna and Montenegro. Whenever I'm at a restaurant that has a good selection I try some new ones. I've found them to be really hard to locate at retail though. Astor Wines has Averna and Montenegro. You inspired me to look again for the Nardini, which I just found out they have at Smith & Vine in Brooklyn. They have the Borschi too, in stock at the store, with a bunch of other good ones.

Thanks for all the ideas! She does, but she also needs to be able to lug all this stuff to Brooklyn AND pull it off with her meticulously honed cocktail-crafting skills. Corpse Revivers over French 75s? Also, if there's a way to make a respectable mimosa (or riff on one) that isn't reminiscent of one that might come free with a plate of pancakes at a diner then I'm open to it.

Bumping this thread - I need a cocktail I can easily serve at a brunch for about 30 people. No one is remotely going to appreciate a Ramos Gin Fizz and frankly, I don't think I'm going to have that kind of energy. But since I'm in charge of cocktails there's no way we're doing mimosas. Thoughts on a French 75? Can I batch the gin/lemon/simple part?

Had dinner at the bar on Sat night. Boston lettuce/hearts of palm salad and the brussels sprouts side were extremely tasty. The lamb lasagna was delicious and hearty and, frankly, rocked. Cod was good, mellow flavors. Salted caramel ice cream topped the whole thing off nicely. Really, really good food.

no problem getting seats at the bar?

that's really good to know - am trying to plan one right now!

I think Ssam is 10 people max. Chinatown is a great idea. Chinatown Brasserie isn't too expensive and good for groups too, if you want something a little more upscale. Also, and I realize that food-wise this is not up there, but john's on 12th is decent (red sauce italian) and does large parties very easily, with copious amounts of food for not a lot of money.

Will be heading to Brazil in March and would welcome any food-related suggestions for these two cities, from markets to street food to restaurants. The Rio threads seem somewhat outdated, so any new info would be very helpful. Thanks in advance!

Same. Gourmand is even worse. Usually I keep it simple and just say that "I love food."

Since getting into cocktails about two and a half years ago my palate has changed/developed considerably, with my preferences leaning towards the bitter and very much away from the sweet. This really surprised me. I recently realized that I never was all that into wine - cocktails are far more complex and interesting to me. If I'm going to drink, my strong preference is for a well made cocktail. I also think that drinking and learning about cocktails has underscored for me the importance of balance - which seems more obvious to me in cocktails than in food in some ways - and thus has also affected the way I eat.