daisy17

For casual lunch on Friday - I would go to Momofuku. I like Noodle Bar better than Ssam but honestly, they're both amazing. Chinatown Brasserie is fine, but I wouldn't bother for lunch (they can accommodate large parties rather easily actually, you might consider it for your dinner, and there's a fun vibe to the place at night). my favorite place in Chinatown is Big Wong for roast pork and ginger scallion sauce. yum. Another favorite casual lunch place of mine is Mary's Fish Camp in the W. Village. The cod sandwich is perfection (not to mention the lobster roll). I found out recently that Tia Pol takes reservations for large parties. Excellent tapas, small space, one of my favorites. It's on 10th Ave/23rd st. close to where you're staying. And Momo Ssam does too, I think. The food at A Voce is excellent, and you might be able to do it at $50/person for food only, but I'd be surprised. I think the menu's on their website. For breakfast I would recommend the City Bakery on 18th between 5th/6th. Unless you really want bagels - I think there's a Murrays close to where you'll be. City Bakery has awesome stuff - hot chocolate, pretzel croissants . . . . Have a great trip.

Yeah, I had the same problem but that's why I mentioned it - other than that, it's exactly what we're talking about. In fact, I think the concept is what motivated Robuchon to get back in the business . . . .

The ones Sneakeater mentions are definitely the ones that instantly come to mind for me too. (For the record, I like Momo I (Noodle Bar) better than Ssam, but that's ok, because you can all go to Ssam and I can have my kimchi stew and brussel sprouts.) And I agree with Nathan that The Modern Bar Room belongs in this category. I haven't been, but I wonder if Varietal fits in here, at least on the sweet side. Many of the inexpensive, casual, walk-in places I love have great food, but I wouldn't call it haute (i.e., Tia Pol, Mary's Fish Camp, Bellavitae). Not in NY, but Jose Andres/minibar come to mind . . . And while it's certainly not inexpensive, I think that L'Atelier, at least in concept, is along the same lines. I think my predilection to dining at the bar at some of the best restaurants in the city (Cru, Gotham, Picholine, Gramercy) is my own attempt at creating what Fat Guy is describing.

← UE - this is pretty much the tasting menu I had about 2 weeks ago. I think I commented on your other "3 meals in NY" thread that I thought that our meal was ridiculously expensive, although there were some real standouts. Here's what I recall, hope it's helpful: While both langoustine dishes are spectacular, the only thing they have in common is that they contain langoustine. The a la carte langoustine en papillote is a morsel of langoustine that's been wrapped in phyllo and fried. And it rocks. The tasting version is a loosely constructed "ravioli" with truffles, in a broth finished with foie gras. This one rocks way more (I had to call for silence while I was finishing the last few bites). The tasting version is definitely more than a $17 dish. I doubt that L'Entrecote on the tasting menu was a 6 oz portion. It was outrageously good, and definitely not the tartare. L'Amadai was a substantial portion, but I didn't think it was fantastic. In fact, one of the weaker of the night. I might substitute that one out. I substituted out the foie gras for the uni - our server checked with the kitchen and they said it wouldn't be a problem. The foie that they served on the tasting menu was beautiful and covered with sliced truffles, and i'm glad I tasted my companion's, but i couldn't have eaten the whole thing. Same goes for the uni. Just a bit much for me, but I think it's one of the most expensive dishes on the a la carte menu. Presentation was stunning. Someone mentioned the red pepper on the tuna tartare - I completely agree, it was almost bizarre (not too often you see slices of red pepper in a restaurant of that caliber??) and it overwhelmed the dish. Otherwise enjoyable dish.

UE, next time you come to NY please put Cru on your list . . . it was one of the best meals I had last year, and it was a good year.

I'm sure you could do a lot of damage ordering a la carte when some of the plates are in the $40 range, but the tasting menu was $195 when I went and was about 7-8 courses. I definitely would have been happy with a little less food anyway, and the tasting menu seemed to select the most expensive items from the a la carte menu. I've ordered a la carte (alone) in Paris several times and was very happy doing so. And the counter is a great place to dine alone . . . .

I just had the tasting menu (with wine pairing) at L'Atelier and it was really, really good. My only hesitation in recommending it is the astronomical, hard-for-me-to-justify price you'll pay for the experience. Overall my meal was highly enjoyable - service was attentive and friendly, and we sat at the counter which is almost like dining at the bar (my strong preference) - and while there were some amazing dishes (langoustine truffle ravioli with foie gras) that took my breath away, there were some that were just good. I think it's too expensive to just be good. Next time I'm going a la carte - I think that you can hit all of Robuchon's highlights that way, and still be able to make your mortgage payment for the month. As for Babbo/Del Posto, I haven't eaten at Del Posto but went there for a cocktail last week (liked the Negroni) and the setting was way too mammoth/overdone/Vegas for me. Babbo is much more my style - smaller and more intimate. That'll be the hardest reservation for you to get by far. and if you can work a lunch at Momofuku in, I'd highly recommend it. I think you'd really enjoy it.

Fat Guy's read my mind - I'd been meaning to post about my last trip to Sripraphai about 3 weeks ago but hadn't, and was praying that it was just an off night. I talked it up for days and days to someone who had never been, but even I have to admit that I was disappointed in our meal. We ordered a whole fish that was also ridiculously overcooked. We asked for everything moderately spicy, but I don't think that any of the dishes had a substantial amount of heat. Papaya salad was flat, noodles lackluster. Some dishes were still great - I was, as always, enamored of the beautiful, clear flavors of the tom kha gai and the rich beef massaman curry. Service was erratic and non-attentive, and we waited a really long time for our food. It just seemed to have little in common with all my other trips there (mostly last spring) when I just couldn't get enough of it and went every weekend. What happened?!

Bryan, For cheese shops, I love Barthelemy at 51, rue de Grenelle (7eme/7th arrondisement) and Marie-Anne Cantin at 12, rue du Champ-du-Mars, also in the 7th. Patisseries - on my first trip to paris when I was 16 I went into almost every patisserie I passed. You never know which neighborhood bakery is going to be exceptional. My personal favorite for many years is Gerard Mulot on rue de Seine in the 6th - an excellent traditional patisserie. Around the corner on rue Bonaparte (right across from St. Sulpice) is Pierre Herme, whose macarons absolutely rock. There are threads here that debate whose macarons are the best. I think Herme wins. Enjoy. Paris is magical. One tip - when you enter a shop, greet the shopkeeper by saying bonjour, and say merci, au revoir when you leave. You'll be treated so much better if you observe these french customs, even if you have to speak english the whole time.

Finally made my way to Death & Co. (after an amazing dinner at Momo, those brussel sprouts rock my world) for a couple of cocktails last night. Place was hopping for a Sunday night but we snagged two seats at the bar near the door. Yana made us some outstanding cocktails - I started with a perfectly balanced Lucino's Delight (I have a weakness for amaro (not to mention vermouth and gin) and predicted correctly that I would love this one) and then a Pink Lady. He had a Wicked Kiss and a Monongahela Mule, my second favorite of the night. Loved the vibe too. Damn those hipsters. I'd be there very often if it wasn't so crowded.

The crossing the street analogy is distinguishable from the issue at hand in so many ways. Here's just one: when you cross the street against a light the risk is yours to take. You can get a ticket or hit by a car, but you'd be the one who loses. When a restaurant serves you a glass of wine with dinner the risk is to many people but really not to you - it would be borne by the restaurant's owners, investors and employees. So it's a bummer that fine restaurants may not choose to serve alcohol to minors. And the laws suck, I think we all agree on that. But how does one get pissed off if a restaurant chooses to obey the law and not jeopardize its liquor license? That's the part I don't get. They have every right to evaluate the risk and decide not to take it.

Otto is a good call, it's not too expensive and they take reservations. Lupa takes a very limited # of resys and you may not have luck there. As for bars in the W Village, EO is always great, and so is Little Branch.

Early dinner at Telepan last night before Die Zauberflote at the Met . . . with one exception (artichoke frittata, it just didn't do it for us) we thought everything was very well prepared. One of the amuses was a beautifully earthy, fragrant mushroom soup, and I would have been happy to make a meal of a giant bowl of it. My yellowtail & faro starter was full of flavor, and the butternut squash gnocchi seriously rocked. That's a dish I could dream about. Thought the service was knowledgeable and attentive. Bread pudding was pretty damned good too.

While not your typical bakery, I always love popping into City Bakery for a pretzel croissant or a tart. Great mac & cheese too, and cookies, and lemonade, and hot chocolate . . . 18th St. between 5th & 6th aves

Dined at the bar just a couple of weeks ago, and in the dining room back in January. I think the food is fantastic. There should be a full thread on here somewhere. His pastas are stellar, as are his meats, and when there's meat in the pasta, well, it's just divine. One of my favorite restaurants right now. Everyone I know who's been there has loved it. Edited to add thread: Cru thread

Sip Sak has very good Turkish food, is near where you'll be, and is not expensive. Times review Wu Liang Ye, mentioned upthread, has excellent Chinese food and is not too expensive. No offense to your husband's connection, but I don't see how any of these places could be characterized as inexpensive. Or even good, other than Balthazar. Balthazar can be fairly inexpensive for breakfast for brunch, and it's a fun place, but it's definitely not inexpensive for dinner. If you're free all day and curious, I would hop on a subway and explore neighborhoods on food. Zabars is an institution. The Lower East Side, which was mentioned by cdh in his Russ & Daughters/Katz's recommendation, is a terrific choice as well. (I would add Yonah Shimmel's knishes to that list, they're all on Houston.) The LES is just a heartbeat away from Chinatown - I like Big Wong for roast pork ($5, get some ginger scallion sauce on the side) and Thai Son for vietnamese. And Soho, the East Village and the Village are all right there; you could make that one day and would not be bored for a minute. There's a tiny greek place in Soho that I love called Snack, it's not expensive at all. One of my favorite food blocks is Bleecker between 6th and 7th - Murray's Cheese, Cones, Johns Pizza, Ottomanelli's. And right around the corner is Pearl Oyster Bar, which is great for lunch and while not super cheap, the food is fantastic. Same goes for Mary's Fish Camp further west. I am personally a big fan of taking the bus (especially in new cities) - you can get an understanding of where things are in relation to each other, and you can always hop off if something looks interesting. Enjoy.

It's true, and it completely astounds and infuriates me. How hard would it be to have good Mexican food in NY? Every kitchen in this city employs Mexican cooks. Would it be that hard to have them cook what they make at home?! This, by the way, is pretty much the business plan I've sketched out for my restaurant. Genius, I know.

I almost didn't read it because of the title.

Just finished it and thoroughly enjoyed it. While it wasn't all new information to me, Kamp synthesized it in a very digestible, interesting way. He covers quite a bit of ground. Highly recommend it.

Wouldn't having to plan your visit months and months in advance be enough to rule a place out as a neighborhood restaurant?

Yes, Sapporo is good and cheap. I still really like Wu Liang Ye for Chinese, mentioned upthread, on 48th between 5th & 6th. Yummy.

Cru rocks. Definitely order pasta.

No, no fighting. (Nathan, that goes for you too.) I've never given this much thought to the NY Times restaurant reviews, ever, this is making my head spin. Now I can't help myself. When was the last Da Silvano review? I don't know how to answer the question about Red Cat. It just strikes me as more relevant, maybe for reasons that I can't explain. Da Silvano serves food, yes, that's true, but I can't believe that Bruni can't find something more interesting to write about. The Red Cat re-review may seem odd, I get that, but since I like the place it doesn't bother me. I'd be interested to know what the Times reviewers themselves have said over the years about what makes them return to a place to review it again. Hoping Leonard Kim is still reading this thread.

MORE bizarre than Da Silvano? No way. Funny that Red Cat should be on that list; I always describe it as a really good neighborhood restaurant that's not in my neighborhood.

I've done a large group thing at Flatiron - there's a front area that's pretty good for groups if you don't mind standing and not being at the bar. I would call ahead and ask if you could have that space. When EO gets crowded it's just not fun, espec with a large group. You could call ahead there too and see if they have a space you could use . . . .