Boo

Having trouble finding a place serving brunch on NYD. Have called a few places and they are either serving lunch (as it falls on a Tuesday) or are closed. Any ideas?

Thank you for the info - very helpful to know.

Will be leaving in a few days to Oxford for a week for spouse's work. I've done a fair amount of research already on center of Oxford eating and most reports seem sadly pessimistic, but I've had a few good tips. My questions: can someone suggest a good place for fish and chips? We'll be staying near the center and will not have a car, so within walking distance is key. Also, where is the best place for Indian? Will be on a budget, so around 12 GBP each is the limit (no alcohol). Thanks!

Thanks for the help! If we do Spotted Pig it would be really early. Pan, re: my crepe recommendation: let me qualify it by saying that I was coming off a three month no carb diet, so that MAY have affected my opinion! LOL Also, someone asked why no Chinese food: I can't eat shellfish and I have twice had allergic reactions in Chinese restaurants after eating food which should not have contained any shellfish. I think that there could be hidden shellfish ingredients in some dishes, in sauces, perhaps. Weekend dim sum used to be fun before this allergy appeared and I miss it. Dim sum is a now a minefield.

I thought I would start a new thread since the 2008 thread is locked. I'd like to post a very belated thank you! to all who posted advice to me for my Nov '08 visit. We ate at Kampuchea (loved the grilled corn - it was about the only thing on the menu the waitress would let me order once I informed her of my shrimp allergy - everything else we ordered looked delicious, but I couldn't taste it); Double Crown (food was just OK - as I had been warned - but it was packed and had a lively atmosphere); drinks at the bar at the Bowery Hotel (deadly quiet and pretentious faux hunting lodge decor, ick) and drinks at Freeman's (un-pretentious hunting lodge decor - fun!); light lunch at Inoteca followed by a tasty chocolate-filled crepe next door; trawled the Essex Market and snacked on chocolate-covered bacon (the milk chocolate had a buttery quality that made the bacon melt in my mouth); drinks at White Star (very enjoyable as it was early and we were the only customers; the mixologist, Enzo, was very informative; spouse had the absinthe service, prosecco for me; they were hanging a cocktail menu that night, which I thought was interesting since I thought that they didn't do cocktails); dinner and drinks at Tailor (pork belly with butterscotch at the bar and then dinner upstairs- I think I had the pork belly for dinner too - dining room was 3/4 empty on a Sat night, which I now think was a sign of the times); brunch the next day at Schiller's and cupcakes to go at Sugar Sweet Sunshine. NOW - coming again next month and have the following ideas: Ssam for dinner, Spotted Pig for dinner and have booked Balthazar Sat brunch. Stayng in Soho, but no cocktail bars this time since we're bringing our child. Also, any good places to eat up near the Museum of Natural History? Last time we went there we ended up at a diner-type place (on Columbus?) with great burgers that was packed with families, but I don't exactly remember where it was now. Thanks!

Speaking of walk-ins at APDC: Two years ago, we were dining there one summer night and had a table near the open front windows (floor to ceiling windows; this summer when we visited the windows were shut). It was early on a Sat night and the place was already nearly full, but there was an available 2 top right in front of the open windows. A man and a woman stroll by and stop right in front of the windows, having an animated discussion. The woman walks into the restaurant and leaves the man outside. While she is talking to the hostess, the man turns around, steps OVER the row of potted plants across the front of the windows and sits down at the prime 2 top! I was so surprised, I burst out laughing. The hostess rushes over and she and the man have a heated exchange in French, only part of which I could hear. The woman, meanwhile, looked mortified. Finally, the hostess actually seated them in a table at the very back of the place. So, I suppose they do on occasion accept "walk-ins"!

One more question - Where can we get good coffee and a light late morning breakfast in the LES on a Saturday? I'd like to skip anyplace that offers brunch and may have a line; somewhere with coffee to go and a crepe or other walkable food is fine. Thanks!

gastrodamus, thanks for your suggestions - and not too late, trip is coming up soon. We have dinner res at Tailor and are planning on having an after dinner drink at the bar (need to try one of the solid cocktails). Still holding a dinner res for the second night at Double Crown, but still undecided; I'll skip A & D (just read the chef left?). I think we'll ditch Fri lunch at Freemans or Kampuchea and we'll just wander the LES with a list of places from here and stop somewhere when hunger strikes. A little spontaneity is a good thing.

Thanks for the info! We'll probably pop into Essex Market since we'll be in the neighborhood, but Union Square Greenmarket looks more like what we had in mind and we'll hit there as well.

One more question.....one of my favorite things to do when I'm away is hit the food markets. I know of Essex St. Market and Chelsea Market, but are there others? Essex St. would be convenient because it is close to where we are staying. Is it worth a couple hours? Any advice on vendors or products not to miss? Thanks!

Hmm..so I will keep Ssam for Saturday lunch. Sat dinner is still undecided, maybe Balthazar since it sounds good??? The reason I didn't include Katz's is that I gleaned from obsessive reading of posts that Katz's is best only for pastrami and, I have to be honest, I am just not a fan of pastrami. However, I have Russ & Daughters on the list for a stop before we head out of town. The problem is that I cannot cram all the places I want to go into two days.

I appreciate the helpful cocktail info. Now I can plan our evenings better. So, I think we will give PDT a pass this time and I am rethinking our Double Crown reservation. I don't want to waste a meal on not-so-good food. My other thoughts were Allen & Delancey (but, the photos I've seen make it look very dark inside, how is the room?) or Bar Blanc? I would do Ssam for dinner but the website says that they don't take reservations. Sorry to ask so many questions, but I am a compulsive planner!

So, we are a young(ish!) couple coming to NY for the weekend from Boston next month. I have been researching our dining and drinking schedule for weeks, have gotten some good advice already and have whittled our choices to the following. I would appreciate any advice or comments on our choices or how we could improve our plan or diversify it. We eat just about anything (no shellfish - food allergy) and will be remaining downtown: Fri lunch: Kampuchea or Freeman's Fri Dinner: Double Crown (interested in the Brit/Indian menu) Sat lunch: Ssam (can't wait to try the pork buns) Sat Dinner: Tailor Sun Brunch: Schiller's Also, we are interested in finding good cocktails. I have amassed a list of places that interest me, but unless I plan to end up in the ER with alcohol poisoning, I have to make some hard choices! I would live to try Pegu, Flatiron Lounge, White Star (spouse is into Absinthe), Death & Co, Apothek and Little Branch. My question is, can we show up for a pre-dinner drink around 7pm or so and expect to get in at these places? Do we need to make a reservation for a drink if we want to be at the bar and not a table? Will we need to deal with a ridiculous door policy? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Please ignore prior post, we need to unfortunately postpone our trip.

Hi, we have hotel reservations at the HI on Congress St. over New Years. Can someone suggest a place for dinner within easy walking distance (4 blocks or so). I loved the food and atmosphere of the former Local 188 (I hear it is more upscale now), is there anything like that? Wouldn't want to spend more than $25 pp (drinks not incl.). Thanks!

Great post and pics! I've just been wondering what to do with all the venison from spouse's first buck o' the season and now I have inspiration.

Not too late, thanks! We have rescheduled our trip to April '08 so I am still looking for suggestions. Jiko and Bongo were on my mind anyway, so I'm glad to know they are good spots.

Bump. We're due to head up in a month and will be three nights in Magog before heading to Montreal. I'll be making a reservation one night at La Table Tourigny and would appreciate if someone knows if it is still BYO or not? Another night we'll eat at Maison McGowan (kind of blah food, but the setting on the lakefront terrasse is so lovely on a warm summer night that it doesn't even matter). Third night, I don't know. Any gourmet shops downtown where we could buy for a picnic supper? Thank you.

So: we are planning a family trip to Disney and Grandma has happily offered to babysit the small one a few evenings so we can go out. After a day of crowds, heat and Disney, Disney, Disney, Mommy and Daddy will be looking forward to going somewhere with a good scene, no kids, tasty cocktails and food. Lounge-y would be nice, with good music (Latin?). Love sushi and just about anything except chains. Unfortunately, we won't have a car, but we could cab it. Expense not an issue. Please help, thanks!

Is it more casual than the original Brunoise? Same price range?

Anyone have an update on this place? We're planning a few days in Magog this summer and am looking forward to a meal here, since the last one is still memorable. But, it has been two years since our visit. I read through the '05 posts, has it returned to BYOB or not? Thanks for any news!

WHS - yikes. At least your meal was good. I have to concur that the spa was dirty - the day after my visit I came down with conjunctivitis in both eyes. Very contagious- you can contract it from using unclean towels or linens. Yuck. Never had it before, and it is not fun. Ditto to the tiny, cheap bath products. Hair and grunge on the floor of the shower and my DH noticed the same toilet stains. Never again. The worse part of it was that we had to cancel our brunch at the Fitzwilliam Inn due to the aforementioned eye issue. I hope to try it soon.

I'll definitely give Pearl a try - probably this spring when we reopen the cabin. Also want to try Aylmer's Grille and the Peterborough Diner, both looked interesting.

We had a lovely NYE dinner at the Inn at Jaffrey Center, very good food. I was surprised, I have to say. Really tasty appetizer of pasta with asparagus, crumbled pancetta and Maytag blue cheese. Mmmmm. I had venison for a main, very lean and tender, with horseradish and chive mashed potatoes. Couldn't really taste the horseradish, however, and I needed to use salt for some flavor. Attentive service and not too over the top with the "olde New England" atmosphere. We were the youngest people in the room by about 25 years, however, so it was a tad staid. WHS, I would be interested in the issues with your stay at the Grand View Inn. We stopped there for spa treatments during the weekend and I had some misgivings about cleanliness standards.

Hi, I live in this area as well and yep, the pickins are slim. Christopher's is a new upscale-ish place on Powdermill Rd in Maynard that is promising. I had delicious lamb lollipops there a few weeks ago. Just overlook the less than attractive setting in an old strip mall. The two Thai restaurants in downtown Maynard are OK, but run-of-the-mill suburban Americanized Thai. Benjarong, on Rte 27 in Acton, is supposed to be better but I have never been there. Suggest avoiding the Korean place in downtown Maynard, the food and service are eh. Much better Korean in Ayer at Wu Jong (sp?). Serafina in Concord (not too far from the old Aigo) is decent upscale-ish food, popular on weekend nights. I like Concord Teacakes and the Nashoba Bakery in West Concord for quick lunches, Boston Bean House in Maynard has tasty sandwiches too and a nice location for people watching at lunch. I like Nancy's Airfield Cafe at the Stow airport for breakfast/brunch/lunch, desserts are really good, there is sometimes a wait on Sundays. Chloe in downtown Hudson is another upscale-ish place that people talk about here and on other food boards, I have had terrible service there on two occasions and haven't been in about a year, but it does a good business. I love the cheese shop in downtown Concord, but you probably already know about that. Il Forno is open on Rte 2A in Acton (near the Littleton line), red sauce Italian and BYOB. The best sushi in this area IMHO is Oishii in Sudbury on Rte 20. Tiny space, so go early.