daisy17

love the idea, especially since I prefer eating at the bar. on the WV one I would add Spotted Pig if just for gnudi and nothing else. Bryan suggested the following, which I really like: and to which I might add a couple of small plates at boqueria just 2 doors down and Craft, which you mentioned specifically, and is very close to Gramercy Tavern. You could also do Casa Mono with these, it's just 3 blocks south. If it were warmer I'd add Shake Shack. What about far west chelsea for food? tia pol, cookshop, del posto. you could just shoot down to the WV for cocktails at LB or Pegu.

What a fantastic reason to celebrate. Congratulations. I haven't been to Aureole in ages, and don't hear much about it anymore. Bouley is excellent. But my personal favorite happens to be on your list - Cru - the food is spectacular and the room has an intimate feel to it. I had one of the most memorable meals of my life there, so I may be biased. They will also take very good care of you. I am a fan of Gotham, which is many things, but I wouldn't personally put it in the romantic category. I haven't been to Annisa but I consistently hear good things, and it is supposedly an intimate spot.

Good calls all. I personally like Boqueria much more than Alta, but Tia Pol above both by far. I would add to that Mary's Fish Camp or Pearl Oyster Bar for lunch and possibly a stop at the Spotted Pig at some point. You shouldn't have trouble getting into LB or JG or Perry St. May be easier for lunch, which are great values. LB is more formal, but the food is amazing, IMO. I still love Cru for a blow out meal. There are lots of similar threads on the NY board on which many consistently recommend Eleven Madison, the Modern and Gramercy Tavern for excellent meals just below the LB/JG/Daniel range. I don't think that you can go wrong with any of them, for lunch or dinner. Both the Modern and Gramercy have more casual/less expensive front rooms.

That wasn't really my point. (But I don't think it was done that way because he learned how to make his Negronis in Italy.)

I've been thinking about this part of johnder's post. (I might add Bobo to this list based on what I've heard from reputable sources, but I haven't been there yet. Also, Freeman's takes its cocktails seriously and the bartenders know their shit.) On my only visit to Irving Mill the bartender shook the Negroni my dining companion ordered. I don't think Gotham even has a cocktail menu. Why aren't more restaurants investing in training their bartenders and developing good cocktail programs? Certainly the talent can be hired on a consulting basis. Does that not work long-term because the training and ongoing development don't continue? I think the demand on the customer side is there too.

No, it's a category of Italian liqueurs. Amaro means "bitter" in Italian (plural is amari) and they are usually served as a digestif after a meal. (Campari is also an amaro and I think would be an exception to the digestif rule.) They are incredibly complex, aid in digestion, and all have very different flavor profiles as a result of being infused with different botanicals. Look for them behind the bar at Italian restaurants. My favorites include Averna, Nonino, Lucano, Cio Ciaro and Bassano. Amaro can be a bit of an acquired taste - it is definitely bitter. My advice is to try as many as you can, and do not start with Fernet Branca!

I'm obsessed with amari lately. Complex and interesting but not too sweet. Perfect digestif in my opinion.

I have the solution. Open an astoundingly cool, hard-to-get-into, hidden cocktail bar with an emphasis on classic $12 vodka and sodas, and I'll be able to get into PDT at 10pm on a Thursday.

I've been spoiled. I simply don't want to drink crappy drinks anymore, and I have a VERY strong preference to sitting at the bar at the places you've named (including Tailor just for cocktails) and being able to watch and learn. The bar that Pegu set is being raised again and again at places like D&Co and PDT, and it's thrilling to experience. But as Sneakeater pointed out on the PDT thread, my night doesn't always start at 6pm, and it's not always Tuesday. I have always avoided these places late Fri/Sat nights. I ended up at Flatiron last night (Sat) at around 11, finally snagged seats at the bar, and the woman behind me leaned in to order a white wine spritzer. By 7:10 last Thursday every seat at the bar at D&Co was taken. The guys to my left didn't know a lot about cocktails, but were adventurous and loved what Brian made them. By 11, the 25 year olds at the table behind me were reluctantly ordering off the menu but "really wanted" vodka and soda. The enthusiasm for classic, well-crafted cocktails that these establishments have engendered is incredibly exciting, and I can't get over how much I've learned. But at the same time, the buzz about these places opens them up to Red Bull and vodka drinkers four deep at the bar. So it means that I have to plan ahead and go to them at 6pm on tuesdays. I don't think the market is saturated at all. Keep them coming.

My thinking is more like: the top of the can, which sometimes falls partially into the contents of the can, is filthy, as is the rim, which the contents pass over when you pour them out. Look, I don't touch the poles on the subway either. I'm not saying it's normal.

I wash any produce I'm cutting into, and I also wash the tops of cans with soap before I open them. Is that weird? (I'm not going to stop, just wondering.) How much vinegar do you use to wash your produce and what type? Does that really do anything?

Was told last night that it's a temporary thing . . . .

I'm just south of where you describe (12/bway/univ) and I try to comfort myself with the knowledge that everything I want is a few blocks east or west or north but let me tell you, the middle village (as I call it) is a freaking culinary wasteland. It's amazing, actually. We don't even have a good dive bar anymore. It's hard to complain because I do like the central location, but I really wish we had better food right here. If I were to move for easier access to better food I would go either 3 blocks east or to the far west village. Or close to Bleecker - Murrays, several good butchers, and a decent bakery make it in my mind a great shopping block for food.

Nibbled and drank at the bar a couple of weeks ago. The vibe of the lounge/bar area wasn't what I expected (it relaxed quite a bit in the 3 hours we were there, and they were playing Amy Winehouse - ?), but my peek at the dining room was. I don't love dining in such a formal setting and always heard very mixed reviews, so I never had any real interest in eating there. Hunger and curiosity got the better of us after a couple of drinks, so we ordered and shared the short ribs/rib eye duo. I'm pretty sure the dish was $70-something, which sounds like, and probably is, an outrageous price. I didn't mind. The short ribs were hands down one of the best things I have ever tasted in my entire life. I had to call for silence while I had the bite in my mouth. Divine. It was only one dish, but it definitely made me think that I might reconsider Daniel's placement on my list of places to dine. Am interested to get the feedback of others who are having full meals there . . . .

Take a look at opentable - seems like you could get into Alto which just got a pretty good review in the times, or Cru, which is one of my absolute favorites. I would call though, for a party of that many, rather than just relying on what times opentable shows you.

I'm pretty sure that Tailor came to about $85/person including tax and tip and one cocktail each during dinner. (We had other cocktails at the bar that we paid for separately.) We each did 3 courses for what I think was $50 a person. So worth it. I think most of the dishes were $15-19 each if you went a la carte. Peasant offers the added bonus of actually having availability without planning 4 weeks out. I have such a love/hate relationship with NYC dining. Centro just got a not fantastic review in the NYT but I think it's definitely got a hip/trendy thing going on. I wouldn't say Degustation and Prune attract the same kind of crowd as Boqueria or Mercat or Peasant or Tailor, they're also both TINY. But they both have quality atmospheres in their own right and I'd consider them good spots for a night out with friends.

Mercat is quite good, and definitely has a good vibe. I've eaten at the bar a few times and liked it a lot, and it's not crazy expensive. While I liked the food at Suba I found it less satisfying than Boqueria. It was good enough that I'd go there again. There was a lot going on on the plates at Suba, almost to distraction. Boqueria seems to be more simple and straightforward food-wise. No resys at Boqueria though, which can suck, but it doesn't seem as crowded lately as it used to be. I would go early or late, and you can always have a cocktail at Flatiron before or after. Went to Tailor last weekend, which was fantastic, and would fit all of your requirements quite easily. Not new, but Prune or Peasant? Perilla? Degustation?

Cocktails and dinner at Tailor on Sat night, in all spectacular. At the bar before dinner Alex made me an off-the-menu cocktail - a Nutty something - I can't recall, because I was too focused on how good this drink was. Walnut cognac, Benedictine, bitters. Fantastic, very well-balanced, and, um, nutty. Has autumn written all over it. Must make special mention of the ice used in my nutty whatever and in the crumble, I think. Single, large, perfect cube in a rocks glass. Gorgeous ice. Friends had the Violet Fizz, which was subtle and well-executed, and the Charentais. Upstairs at dinner I had the Crumble, which was so yummy (and not as sweet as I feared) and went very well with the pork belly, which was my favorite dish of the night. (Someone should have put pork and butterscotch together sooner.) The char was sublime and impossibly moist, and it worked so well with the spaetzle and coconut. I liked but wouldn't crave the snapper. Desserts were great, especially peaches and tomato and the rum banana with mustard ice cream. Questions around the table about the mustard ice cream pairing on that dish; I was the only one who thought it worked if you went really light on the ice cream. Was surprised that the dining room wasn't full when we arrived at 8:45, and I don't think it filled up while we were there, either. Ok by me that it wasn't packed - we found seats at the bar before and after dinner. The space is comfortable but cool, and while you can tell that lots of attention was paid to detail, there's nothing overdone or pretentious about it. Tailor definitely surpassed expectations (and what with all the talk about it before it even opened, those were some high expectations). The food was thoughtful and interesting AND it was delicious. I simply loved it all around. I feel like it's been a long time since I've said that about a new restaurant in NY.

Never loved Five Points either, but Cookshop brunch was fantastic a few weekends ago (same owners). Not centrally located. The Pig remains a Sunday favorite for me. It can be done if you don't have a large group and go early or late.

Wanted to revive this thread in the hopes that people can let me know whether I should consider traveling to Oaxaca in early November. It sounds like an amazing place, but I'm curious to know if this is a good time to visit. Likely to be traveling solo, possibly taking a cooking/language class. Any thoughts? Many thanks in advance.

Fantastic piece on TVH here on ABC7. Old school indeed. Speaking of the TVH fall menu, Toby's fall Sazerac was profiled on the Gourmet food editors blog.

I'd go as early as you can, definitely before 10. The Magician on the LES is pretty close to divey, but it worked really well for my last large group outing, in part because it's a wide space. I also like Blue Owl in the E. Vill for meeting groups of friends out - they have pretty good cocktails. dba was actually our last happy hour locale and it is a good spot. They have a notable beer/whiskey selection, but it gets very crowded later in the night. I like Von too, but it can get really crowded. A good friend has had 2 bday parties in a row at Tapeo 29 on the LES. The owner has been incredibly accommodating about having a large party and not paying a rental or open bar fee. You might give them a call. Tapas makes it easy for informal eating around the bar space, and the sangria was pretty tasty.

I'm pretty sure that Phil or Joaquin told me last time I was in that they're not using liqueur.

Gramercy Tavern and the Harrison both have private rooms that might work for you. Hearth is excellent. Blue Hill has a private room as well, and great food. If you're willing to go Italian, I'd look into Lupa and Peasant. For a party that size I would suggest you call the restaurants directly.

We chose the Tour when we went to Alinea at the end of July. I knew that I wasn't likely to go back, anytime soon at least, and wanted to experience as much as possible. I had to REALLY slow down about 2/3 of the way through, but my companion made it to the end. I think the wine pairing was what did me in. I don't regret doing the Tour though, it was beyond spectacular!