daisy17

I'm not sure that I have the answer to that - you have a good point - but I find it hard to believe that if he's going to re-review a restaurant he couldn't find something more relevant than Da Silvano. His recent Felidia review made sense to me. This does not.

It would appear that New York has officially run out of restaurants for the Times to review. Da Silvano? Are you kidding me?

I am so impressed - you squeezed a lot in there. Your Friday was more than I do most weekends . . . Pegu is so much better earlier in the evening or during the week. You'll have to come back.

Little Branch is awesome. So are M&H and Pegu. Late afternoon on the weekends I love the bars at the Spotted Pig. Starts to get crowded, but not too much. They serve part of their brunch menu throughout the day at the bar (here's where your non-sweet snacks come in), great vibe. Freeman's has fantastic cocktails. Even Frank Bruni thinks so.

I ate there about two years ago and very much enjoyed it. It's was little stuffier than I expected but the food was very good. After dinner we hung out down the street at Cafe Constant with Chef Constant and his wife Catherine and they were lovely. I'm sure there are threads that include discussion of Le Violin d'Ingres here . . . .

I hear you. (Little Italy but the food is actually edible.) The only reason I mentioned it is because unfortunately I don't think many restaurants are going to be able to seat 20 people. Piadina is on 10th between 5th and 6th, they're very nice and may be able to do a large party. Good and inexpensive. I haven't been to Le Zie but have heard good things, and it's in the neighborhood you want. Malatesta is in the W. Village and is good, and inexpensive as well. Il Bastardo on 7th/21st has a private room and my friends have enjoyed it recently, but i haven't been . . . .

Maybe Johns on 12th? (12th St. between 1st/2nd Aves) By no means a destination restaurant or fantastic food - the food is good, it's not innovative at all (it's a traditional, old school Italian chicken parm kind of place), but it's not expensive - including their wine list. I think you could get out for $40 a head easily, with sharing apps. The best part, perhaps, since you have such a large group, is that they are very accommodating for large parties on short notice and you won't be shoved into the basement. It's been there forever and looks it. If Michael Corleone came running out of the bathroom with a gun I wouldn't be shocked. Happy Birthday! http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/johns...reet/index.html

Nathan, you make a really good point. The menu had completely changed on my second visit, exactly one week after my first.

Visited the Tasting Room two weeks ago in the dining room, and last week at the bar. It's interesting to me that Sneakeater's comment regarding service vs. food is on this thread - he could have made it in a number of places - but I find it especially appropriate here. I've been thinking about my meals since I had them, and I'm kind of conflicted. What I may just need to accept is that it's difficult for a restaurant to be all things, and that's ok. The front room/bar area is warm and inviting. On my first visit, I went a little early with the intention of having a cocktail before the others arrived, and I was well-rewarded. Michael, the bartender, made me my new favorite summer cocktail - the Iced Tea Italiano, with lemon, sparkling wine and Meletti amaro. Perfection. I will be back at that bar very often. On my first visit we sat in the back room. As described earlier, the front bar area is connected to two dining rooms by a brick passageway. My impression was that the space became less inviting as you went further back. Not a fan of the decor in the back room, kind of sterile. The menu is very eclectic - we had lots of questions for our waiter, who was patient, informative and helpful. The menu is a clear reflection of the restaurant's laudable intentions to cook with carefully sourced, locally grown, seasonal ingredients, which I applaud wholeheartedly. I sampled the heirloom tomato salad with ricotta (beautiful tomatoes!) and the escabeche of butterfish (with small pieces of vinegar-soaked bread). I am completely blanking on the name of my fish - but it was overcooked. The preparation was satisfying - creamed corn and tiny heirloom tomatoes - but the fish itself missed the mark. I tasted the braised kid goat - it was flavorful but didn't seem to fully satisfy those who ordered it. Desserts were fantastic - peach cobbler with ice cream, brioche bread pudding, and cheesecake. The food on my second visit was good, definitely good, but I wasn't floored. It was a shoulder night - lamb shoulder with feta to start (very tasty but the meat was a little tough) and pork shoulder for a main. Desserts and cocktails were again terrific - can't remember what the cocktails were (this was not our first stop and I have gimlet issues), and peach cobbler and bread pudding. The service was exactly what I expected: warm, welcoming, attentive. Intentions were in all the right places and the waitstaff showed a deep interest in ensuring that our meal was satisfying, from helping us select a wine to explaining preparations. Our waiter repeatedly referred to not "the kitchen" or "the chef," but "Colin," which I think exemplifies the approach of the restaurant (and perhaps speaks to Sneakeater's point?). The few minor missteps we encountered I attributed to a new restaurant still getting the kinks out. On my second visit we were recognized as returning customers and were warmly greeted. Hospitality at its best. So I was very impressed by the approach, the cocktails, the philosophy, the service. But. I wanted to be blown away by the food and I wasn't. I'm optimistic though, and I still have high hopes for being blown away, in part because I liked so many other things about the restaurant. I am a firm believer in what docsconz describes above about hospitality, and I know that my impression of many a meal has been greatly swayed by the service. Here, my impression was so favorable that I know I'll be back.

Love Bellavitae, (and Po) but I don't think I've ever had a really inexpensive meal there. It's very easy to get carried away, at least for me. I frequently crave the tagliatelle al ragu at Piadina on 10th between 5th and 6th Aves. It's the only thing I ever order there other than salad and I think it's $12. There's a waiter there who actually greets me as "Tagliatelle." I've been called much worse.

I don't know if this counts as small, but in April we did a tour at Far Niente, a winery that only opened itself up to the public a few years ago. The grounds and buildings are breathtaking. Our tour guide was very interesting and knowledgeable, and it was pretty non-touristy. Tasted some fantastic wines. A bit pricey at $40 for the tour and tasting but worth it, in my opinion. Reservations are required. It was one of the highlights of our trip.

I am again going to recommend Cru. The food is phenomenal, and there's lots of meat on the menu. Whatever you do, have some pasta there. It very much felt to me like a special occasion kind of place (price wise it would have to be, at least for me) but there's nothing stuffy about it.

This is kind of random but what the hell - raisab mentioned arming herself with a map and just walking - if you're staying more than a week I would invest in a good plan. Michelin makes these awesome small map books that you can get in any bookstore. They're so convenient, they have every street in Paris on them, you wont be the lost tourist folding and refolding your map, even the Parisians use them . . . .

I lived not far from where you'll be staying in the 15th when I studied in Paris thirteen years ago. It's a little far south from where all the action is but easily within walking distance of my favorite places. (Nice neighborhood, but pretty residential.) Taking buses is the way to go - it's essentially how I learned the city, and helps to piece together where things are. Tons of buses (I think the 90s?) run through Montparnasse which is right near you. How long will you be there? I was just in paris for a couple of days and I think that it's fairly comparable to what you'd expect to spend in New York on food, maybe a little more since the exchange rate sucks. There are random things that will seem expensive to you even as a NYer, like a cup of coffee at a cafe, but it's been that way for as long as I can remember. Besides, with that cup of coffee comes the right to sit for as long as you'd like, and the people watching is usually priceless . . . There are tons of things I could tell you about staying in Paris - you'll discover all of your own favorite neighborhoods, markets, shopkeepers, cafes, restaurants - that's the fun of being there. I would encourage you to speak as much French as you can, even if you could be speaking english - you'll be amazed at how much better your french will get after a short time. I've lived in paris and been there dozens of times and just like NY (and everywhere), there are people who can be rude, but on the whole I have found parisians to be extremely appreciative and supportive of my efforts to speak their language. A little effort goes a very long way (like simply greeting shopkeepers with a "bonjour" when you enter). Drinking a lot of wine also helps. There's a pretty recent thread here somewhere about budget eating in paris, with some good recommendations on it. Picnics in the Jardin du Luxembourg are blissful. I visited L'As du Fallafel again this trip, and it was as great as ever! Feel free to pm me if I can help in any other way. You're going to love it.

does anyone know where to get a bottle in ny?

I should have guessed that you all would have been onto this already . . . tasted Blackwood's Vintage Dry Gin last night at a bar in London and absolutely loved it. I really know nothing about gin, so I don't have much to add about the botanicals and whatnot other than that it was pretty damned awesome. (Even Sam said it was hard to describe, so maybe I'm off the hook.)

I don't get it??? Difference in expectations? Different nights? Guess I'll just have to find out for myself. ← I was there alone, for lunch, and hadn't been planning on eating a big lunch but decided on a whim to go to L'Atelier. I'm not saying that the food was inexpensive - with a glass of wine I spent about 80 euros on lunch - but the quality of the food was absolutely excellent and the amount of the check didn't bother me. (In comparison to London, where I've been for two weeks, it was almost a good deal. Food in London is astoundingly expensive.) I'd say portion size depended on what you ordered. The pied de cochon was a generous portion, the langoustine was not. Both times I've been there I've met people from a variety of places, definitely more americans/japanese than french, but I chatted with a french couple this time. It wouldn't surprise me if fewer parisians went there; it seems like sort of destination dining to me. The restaurant was not full from about 12:30 to 2, but I chalked that up to it being August. I always thought people were kidding when they said everyone left for the month. There were four people in Paris this weekend, and I was one of them. Happily so.

As a New Yorker who's been to L'Atelier in Paris twice (the second time just this past weekend for lunch) I'm both thrilled and skeptical about the New York restaurant although I think it's a good sign that Robuchon is in NY at least for a little while, and that members of his team there have worked with him for years. Don't mean to be pessimistic, I just question whether standards can be kept high in this age of restaurant globalization. My recent L'Atelier Paris visit was excellent, just as good as my last two years ago. My server guided me well in making a selection but instead of his recommended 5-6 small dishes I stuck with 4 and still couldn't finish it all - but I was glad to have a variety of things to taste: the pied de cochon sur une tartine was a rich, beautiful dice studded with pearls of fat, so garlicky and salty; oeuf cocotte with chanterelles and creme de persil was creamy and divine. Loved la langoustine en papillote, a tender morsel of langoustine tucked inside a delicate crust with basil, yum. L'agneau de lait and Robuchon's signature pommes puree were fantastic. Wanted chartreuse souffle but couldn't do it, had to go back to hotel for a nap. Hope NY is just as good, am looking forward to braving the crowds to get a seat. It's the most exciting NY restaurant opening in recent memory.

It turns out that the bar at Les Bouquinistes isn't set up for dining, or at least it wasn't this past weekend. Had a very good dinner alone at a table though. L'Atelier was excellent once again, and really is perfect for solo dining. I'm sure the friendly French couple next to me shuddered at how I butchered their language, but we chatted nonetheless.

Are all of the Paris markets open at their usual times in August? I'll be in Paris this weekend, would love to know which ones are the best at this time of year when so much is closed.

Like Ling, I've always really disliked "foodie" - to me it sounds pretentious and snobby. There are people (who probably call themselves foodies) who want to go to the "best" restaurants only because it's hard to get a reservation and they want to say they've been there; they don't revel in the experience of eating, their faces don't contort with ecstasy at a new bite, they aren't moved by any of it, and I feel incredibly sorry for them. I consider myself someone who just loves food. I seek out food pleasures wherever and whenever I can, whether it be addictive tacos on a dusty mexican street or a deeply satisfying, exquisite meal at the French Laundry. I remember the first time I lurked on egullet, years before I actually got up the nerve to join and post, I was astounded and relieved that I had finally found so many people who were like me. I don't care what you call yourselves. But I know that you think about food as much as I do, and I like it.

It is! My parents used to take us there when we were kids, and in the past couple of years I've gone after games at Shea but by car. Not sure how long a walk it is from the 7. If you're there at night, take your ices across the street and watch the guys play bocce . . . . Lemon Ice King of Corona 52-02 108th Street (at the corner of Corona Avenue and 52nd/Strong Avenue) (111st Street stop on 7 train)

I didn't mean to imply that they should walk - thought they'd get back on the 7, but yes - actually walked from Main St. (after having gorged ourselves on lunch), past Shea (Pan's right, it's not so pretty between Shea and Main St.), through Corona Park and down a bustling Roosevelt Ave to Sripraphai, where we somehow managed to get hungry enough for another amazing meal. Detour at the Queens Museum of Art (very cool) and at a bar. So it took us about 4-5 hours with many stops along the way. Keep in mind that we were stretching out the day so we could have Thai food at the end. If we were actually just walking it probably would only have taken a couple of hours, but been a lot less enjoyable.

Didn't mean for this to be duplicative of what I_call_the_duck wrote, we were posting at the same time!

There is so much good food to be eaten within walking distance of the 7 train. Just off the top of my head and doesn't include Latino food, since I still have to do my Latin-food-tour-of-Queens: Sripraphai (Thai) - in a word, amazing. My mouth is watering just thinking about how good the food is here. Woodside-61st St. stop, 64-13 39th Ave, two blocks from Roosevelt Ave. Chinese in Flushing - there's a new thread that Fat Guy started about Chinese food in Flushing - check that out for more places, but I'm a fan of New Lok Kee Jackson Diner (Indian) - at 74 St.- Broadway stop, 37-47 74th St. just off Roosevelt Ave. edited to add: here's the link to the recent posts Chinese food in Flushing: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST&f=4&t=90060