Nathan

I guess I need to get around to making this at home and see which way it was. 2:.5:.5 certainly would showcase the rye more.

I'll be in the city visiting a friend on a Saturday night in a week and a half. Where should we drink? Dance? the bar at Southwark? Vetri? Osteria? where to eat? those? Snackbar?

yes. the creators of cocktaildb and the mixilator are egullet posters....and cocktaildb is THE cocktail database. glad you found it...it's highly useful.

agreed. I'll note that despite the general consensus that a Negroni is equal parts...I've seen a number of cocktail books that list sharply divergent recipes (I just saw one that was 3-1-1 plus soda water!)....it's a shame. (I've never seen soda water used in Italy in a Negroni but I have seen the proportions vary).

this sounds amazing...too bad they don't start it at a more civilized time....

I second that. day of is always the time to try...you'd be surprised what's available...

oh...and get breakfast at Balthazar and Cafe Falai. easy walking from your hotel. no reservations necessary.

I've never waited too long at Bouley Upstairs (its basically like Ssam Bar in terms of wait). Bar Room at the Modern is never a wait...especially if you're willing to eat at the bar (though pretty much after 9 or so there are always tables available). Lupa and Spotted Pig are always packed but two people shouldn't wait too long for the bar...tables are another matter (and the bar upstairs at Spotted Pig is always easier than downstairs). Gramercy Tavern front room shouldn't be much of a problem.

I only drink wine or grappa at Otto....that's just the rule. overall, the best bartending in the Batali empire is at Del Posto. seriously. I think one of the sharpest divides between regular/everyone-else customer service in the city is in Batali restaurants. they treat regulars very very very well....but others...

its backwards. many women will tolerate bad sex in return for a free meal.

I'm a dinner whore in the truest sense of the word. I'll never turn down a free meal.

well...I don't drive out there but my understanding is that there is some excellent produce available. hopefully others will respond on that. as for your two nights in the city...I'll leave that for a separate thread but I'll note that a. this is the time when everyone's gone so reservations are generally pretty easy to come by...and b. this is the best (IMO) no-reservation food city on the planet due to the plethora of top-notch restaurants which encourage dining at the bar.

fwiw...I just came across info that the Osteria de Pesci on the Campo d'Fiori serves crudo platters. I doubt they learned it from Pasternack (but maybe the other way around?)...

there's some tolerable food...but no better. I'm afraid it won't be anything like your NY trip in terms of food. frankly, the best eating out there will be done off your friend's grill...

its the location.

Perry Street Yasuda LB Tocqueville EMP Maze Aquavit DB Bistro etc. basically...any high end restaurant that offers lunch offers some sort of pretty good "deal"... this is why RW is such a joke.

I didn't count but that sounds about right. somewhere in the 7-10 range.

did the tasting menu last night...quality was mixed. when good...very good...the lamb belly dish, the foie dish (superb!), the beef tongue, the fried butterscotch with taro ice cream and macadamia (if there's a dish which one would give a neophyte wondering what all the fuss is with molecular cooking...this would be the one). wine pairings were generally appropriate and interesting....other than the Riesling with the foie....a. hackneyed. b. too off-dry). company was great. service was considerate and warm.

they're using Lucid.

ok...so this place opened literally on my corner...with backing purportedly by the Bungalow 8 people. it's the old Salon nightclub space and they've created a second entrance for the upstairs (which is the "exclusive" pseudo-Bungalow 8 part) and a downstairs Cuban-style restaurant....along with some outdoor seating. I stopped into the downstairs for drinks last night....the decor reminds me a bit of Cafe Noir and a bit of something out of the Tailor of Panama....but it works well enough. Pleasantly surprised to see both the Hemingway Daiquiri and the Hotel Nacional along with the obligatory mojitos and the like on the list. the drinks were made well enough. took a look at the menu. it's small but a bit more ambitious than other NY Cuban restaurants. with that said, it's surprisingly cheap. cheap enough that if you're in the hood or out for the night anyway...there's no reason not to check it out. (entrees topped at $22...with most under $20). and they serve late....which is good...I needed another option besides the Pig and Corner Bistro.

Momofuku Ssam Bar. I'm kidding. the all-vegetarian restaurants in NY generally suck. you're better off going to a good restaurant that has vegetarian items. with price no object the best vegetarian restaurants in NY are Per Se and Daniel. under your price constraints....I'd suggest the Tasting Room or Hearth or Craft or Savoy or Blue Hill or something of that nature...

of course...by definition, restaurant quality has gone up. (for anyone who will make the at least 3,000 year old argument that things in the past were always better....there are far more chefs with serious training today and far more quality ingredients available. those are empirical facts that lend themselves to the conclusion that restaurant quality is better on the whole -- of course...nothing is as ever as blissful as one's first bite of foie gras but that doesn't change that was almost certainly not the best prepared foie that one has had)

oh..yeah...I recommend that. closes very early though...

not really. there aren't that many so they're all well-known and published in various lists...which inevitably entails them being overrun by B&T in the summer (which is the point of outdoor bars).... with that said, the standard happy hour outdoor bars are: Luna Park, Bryant Park, Boat Basin. notable rooftop bars: 230 5th (huge and ok until after 9 or 10 when it becomes all trash), top of the Delancey, top of the Shelburne, top of the Library, Bar 13 (popular with NYU students), Ava Penthouse (tourists primarily), top of the Gansevoort (ditto..with lots of the douchebagging district crowd as well), Nikki Beach and the other midtown outdoor tourist trap places. there are a bunch of bars and lounges with outdoor gardens as well...though most of these have to close at 11 or 12.

Mesa Grill has two stars from the NYT, so does Bouley Upstairs. Better call the Times, they got the wrong wavelength again. The other places have three stars. But you are not asking the question of what I think are comprable restaurants to Mesa Grill, you aksed for ones that I like, to establish a frame of reference. ← how long ago did Mesa Grill get two stars? ten years? maybe more? nuff said.