daisy17

Ditto here. The Negroni is my go-to drink under nearly all circumstances. You can't screw it up, and it never fails to satisfy. ← Same. I'm convinced any proportions work. Or an americano if I want something lighter.

Me too. Yet I don't know if I'll be shelling out close to $10 a pound for field-grown tomatoes. I used a pint of hothouse grown grape tomatoes in a pasta dish this past week, and they were pretty sweet, so I may be sticking with those this year. ← I use a lot of grape tomatoes all the time - they tend to be more sturdy and last longer, so if I'm not going to be eating them right away I'll buy the grapes, and I tend to always have some in the kitchen in the summer. But I won't be able to pass up the beautiful heirlooms - assuming they even make it to market - for really simple salads or on their own with some good olive oil, vinegar and a pinch of salt. Ugh, I am so depressed.

Seriously depressing. There is nothing I look forward to more in the summer than tomatoes. (Corn is a close second.) If farms like Eckerton Hill double the price of their tomatoes, so be it. I'll still buy them, perhaps in smaller amounts, but there's no way I'll skip them.

This is the sentence that I would like to construct my weekend around. Thanks!

Why do I keep writing Greenpoint? Greenport. Jeez. Already have a reservation at North Fork Table & Inn - have been hearing about it for years, it sounds like a must. I've heard mixed things about Frisky Oyster but that's under consideration as well. If you know of any very casual, good seafood spots please let me know - will have a car. thanks!

Reviving this REALLY old thread - anyone have more input? Heading out to Greenpoint for a weekend soon.

Awesome. I can't wait to see the movie, and I almost can't believe I just said that. Julie Powell's original blog was absolutely hilarious - although I don't expect the movie to be - and I didn't read the book. I was skeptical until I saw the trailer, which made me cry. Seems to me that Meryl nailed it, as she always does.

Completely agree. Don't come to NY in search of Mexican food. Red Hook Ballfields is probably the most authentic Latin food you'll find. (I have had some very good food at Toloache but I would not go out of my way if I were you, with the abundance of other amazing food there is in this city.)

That's so weird about the portion size because our two portions of octopus on my last visit were big...and I totally agree with the one slice of toast thing; they don't really expect you to pile all the rillettes on that one slice, do they? And there's no way I'll be going there without a reservation, at least not for the foreseeable future. At DBGB, it seems, Tuesday might be the new Thursday - or is that the new Wednesday? ← As long as it's not the new Saturday I'm open to it ....

Ah, good to know. We were wondering.

Went last night at 8 - had a reservation - the place was crazy packed and LOUD. (I will not bring my parents there anytime soon.) My first contact with the host didn't go so well: he unapologetically and with a great deal of attitude told us to get drinks at the bar (how exactly? bar was four deep) and that they were running behind on reservation time. But before I could even tweet my annoyance, we were told a table was available - in the back room, luckily, because there's no way I would have been able to have a conversation in the front room. Our server was knowledgeable, attentive and friendly, a bit of an up-seller, but not annoyingly so. Had some delicious beer (I know nothing about beer whatsoever and rarely drink it, but here it seemed the thing to do) and started by sharing the grilled octopus and the rillettes. Both were very flavorful and well-prepared, but they were the smallest portions I've ever seen. If nothing else, the one-slice-of-toast with the rillettes has got to be rectified. Happily dug into my burger (the Yankee), which was very good and flavorful. I can't say it was the best burger I've ever had. Dessert was the caramel-coffee sundae, a bit underwhelming. In all I'd say it was a mostly satisfying meal, but I was not blown away by anything I had. I would go back to try more of the charcuterie for sure. This place is a total scene though, you've got to be in the mood for that.

To follow up on an old question about the Loop Tonic, Time Out NY just printed the specs ... What a gorgeous summer cocktail.

Gentlemen, I needed a laugh on this friday afternoon. Now if someone could get me a cocktail ... Oakapple, if the osso buco was enough to get me a blind marriage proposal, I will go there.

Why, that's answered in the original post: Obviously, if the question had been, "Where is the best Italian food in NYC?" the answer would be different. ← I'm finding it hilarious that this is a topic of debate. You don't even have your own recommendations to give the guy - because YOU never go there either. So you can tell them go to Drew Nieporent's favorite Little Italy joint, and I'll recommend that they go somewhere really good while they're in NY for 3 days. I'm ok with that, recommend away. I'm assuming that if you're bothering to post on egullet and not Yelp (and you're also asking about getting into Death & Co, Pegu and PDT), you care at least a little bit about the food. Sneak, Arthur Avenue is a lovely (and diplomatic) suggestion.

No one said any of these were "that good." They're what they are...and some people actually like the atmosphere and the food, strange as that may seem to all us jaded food board people. By the way, was it Benito I or Benito II? ← Look, there's nothing wrong with eating at a not fantastic restaurant. I've done it and will surely do it again. I just think that given the options in this city - even the non-expensive ones like Otto - it would be a shame for any of us to respond to the OP, who bothered to ask about where to go for Italian on a trip to NY, with "sure, Little Italy's great, enjoy yourself." (I was going to argue that I'm not jaded but really, that's just futile.)

But have you actually been to the place Nieporent recommends? I can see disagreeing about a restaurant you've actually visited. But I cannot understand categorical condemnation of a neighborhood with upwards of 30–50 restaurants. ← Honestly, I have no idea. I've eaten at more than just a few of them. Have zero plans to try again on Drew's recommendation.

I can see wanting red sauce/chicken parm/traditional Italian. I've always gone to Johns on 12th for that.

Little Italy has an allure that NYC natives sometimes fail to grasp. Most U.S. cities do not have anyplace like Little Italy, and most cities do not have a restaurant anything like Peasant or Lupa. To the visitor, Little Italy is fascinating, and many of the restaurants there execute the Italian standards competently—which often is precisely what the visitor is looking for. I have taken visitors to dinner there on numerous occasions, and not once has anyone been disappointed.When a visitor asks to visit Little Italy, it is not a ridiculous request, and if you dine there they probably won't be disappointed. The fact that NYC has better Italian food elsewhere is utterly beside the point. So next time a visitor asks you to take them to Little Italy, you should indulge them. You might be surprised to find that they actually like it. ← I have to disagree. I can't think of an occasion where I've been served anything in Little Italy better or more interesting than a pasta dish I can easily assemble with a jar of tomato sauce and box of penne at home. I feel obligated, when asked about Little Italy restaurants, to tell the inquirer that there are two extraordinarily good spots nearby (Peasant and Lupa) and numerous others around the city. Fine if people want to go there, or the Olive Garden in Times Square for that matter, but I'm not going to have anything to do with that decision. I fully support walking around Little Italy, rainbow cookies, and DiPalos, but to waste a meal there while in NY - don't get it.

You make your point clearly, and I think many people would agree with you. But I really appreciate this thread, because it constitutes information. What anyone does or doesn't choose to do with the information is another question, but do you agree or disagree that it's good to know these things? ← Sure, it's interesting. I'm more curious about the process of/decisionmaking behind becoming a regular ...

It's too bad they picked a name that's similar to a trademark used for birth control pills. Other than that, I'm sure it's great. (I've never heard of it till now - that's a rarity for me.)

If you want to see it, take a look http://eater.com/archives/2009/06/happy_en...ouse_charge.php ← Exactly. It clearly states that it is not a tip.

As between two places that are equally good, of course most people will choose the one that offers better value. For anyone with a finite dining budget, there's going to be a trade-off between depth and breadth. The more you go to one or a few places, the less of a budget you have to try new places. So if you place a higher value on trying new places than on getting better treatment at old ones, it's best to allocate funds towards new places. A lot of people, however, have the opposite preference. ← Interestingly, though, several people on here are "regulars" at Ko and get very little of measurable value for their patronage. I'm curious to know what people's reasons for being a regular are then and how it evolves for them. Do you make a conscious decision to go back again and again with a goal in mind? What do you get out of it that's not about free stuff? David's mention of Cendrillon includes friendship, community and camaraderie, and I think my regular visits to my neighborhood spots and cocktail bars are for much the same reason.

Good to know, but like we were saying before, I'm selecting specific information from a very limited sample. These two threads are making me think about why I *love* certain places and never ever go to others. Much of it is based on what I read (mostly on here) and some of it is just entirely random. Hence my Peasant is your Craftbar.

So, it's time to admit that the title of this thread irritates me ever so slightly. It implies to me that one would choose to be a regular at a spot where one is more likely to get something of value for free. I can't imagine I'd bother being a regular at a place other than one that I just truly loved. I mean, it's nice to get stuff, but that's not why I'm there. Other than neighborhood spots and cocktail bars, I don't think I'm a regular anywhere. It takes a lot of going back in a short period of time to be a regular, and with a million other places I'd rather try for the first time and a relatively limited budget, it doesn't happen often for me. I think the Ko commentary is very interesting, especially in comparison to the extreme comping that goes on at Ssam and Noodle. I wonder what makes them implement an entirely different approach at Ko. It's not like Chang is opposed to special treatment, he just doesn't do it at Ko.

Since Craftbar moved I have not had a memorable meal there, nor have I heard of one. 'Tis a shame, I used to love it. Now I love Terroir, where Marco serves his original Craftbar dishes at excellent prices. People have raved about Tocqueville for years (and 15 East, is that the name?) and it's still not on my radar at all. Perilla and Peasant are always packed, and I recommend them and go to both frequently, so to me they are properly appreciated! I'm with Sneak on Kuma Inn. Never got it.