LPShanet

Hey Roz, just out of curiosity, why do you have to limit yourselves to Manhattan? Depending on where your starting point is, Luger's may be closer to your Manhattan location than some of the places being suggested on the thread. Luger's isn't in the deep reaches of BK at all...it's about 5 minutes from Manhattan, and is easier to reach via subway and cab than many other locations. Not very far to go for such a strong craving. And you get the further benefit of avoiding the glitzy tourist-filled areas you said you're trying to avoid. That said, I'll echo a few others here on the boards in mentioning Wolfgang's. Wolfgang was indeed a waiter and later head waiter at Luger's for many years. That doesn't mean he gets all the same meats as Luger's does, but at least he understands how to produce a reasonable facsimile. And there is some Luger pedigree and experience to be found at Mark Joseph as well. Among those not yet mentioned, Ben and Jack's is also run by Luger's alums, and is in Manhattan. And I believe Benjamin has a former Luger cook in the kitchen. I suppose it would help us to know whether you're more interested in the meat on the plate, or in the whole "classic New York" feel of the restaurant in question. If it's the former, I'd say Strip House and Quality Meats serve some of the best steak in town. However, they're not old school New York steakhouses in the traditional sense. On the other end of the spectrum are Keen's, Old Homestead, Sparks and the like, which are classic institutions with that old-time feeling. Some of the others in the category, such as The Palm and Smith & Wollensky, no longer source their meat the same way, and have faded somewhat in recent years. If you can provide a little further info about geography, reasons and priority we can help narrow things down for you.

Yes, Kajitsu is phenomenal. Worth checking out, even for people who are usually major meat-eaters.

Well, for the mother of all options, the clear choice is Per Se. They have a separate vegetable tasting menu, and are arguably the best restaurant in New York. So in terms of "special", I'd guess that fits the bill. One caveat: the vegetable tasting menu isn't strictly vegetarian, though they will happily make it so if you request that. In terms of the places you're considering, I'd avoid One if by Land, Two if by Sea, unless you're only interested in ambience. The food there is truly ordinary. The room is great, but it's sort of a caricature of a restaurant otherwise, and very few local New Yorkers go there these days. As for Blue Hill, I'd say that if you have time, going to their Stone Barns outpost rather than the one in the Village would be revelatory for the vegetarian in your life.

Sorry to resurrect an old dead horse, but has anyone here been to either Varvary in Moscow, or to Aronia de Takazawa in Tokyo?

Union Square is solid, but not at all groundbreaking. Service will be excellent and the experience overall very good, but the food at Degustation is much better. So if you're going for a foodie experience, I'd take Degustation over USC every time. Get one of the tasting menus. However, if the niceties are more important to you, then USC may have more of an occasion-type dining experience.

Can't believe no one has mentioned L'atelier de Joel Robuchon! The food is VERY good, the service very strong, and you have a choice of sitting at the bar for a more informal (but still elegant) experience, or at a table for a more traditional one. Seems like a good choice, as it was open on Sundays at last check. As for Degustation, I think it's excellent, but it's definitely not an occasion place. If you don't mind a more casual setup, the food is first rate, and it's very worth going to. I'd avoid Valbella, which is really just a Meatpacking touristy/trendy joint, with no serious food cred.

There's a pretty decent version at Maialino these days.

Any reports on any of the ramen newcomers, such as Totto or Hide Chan?

I saw that and was amused to note that the price is the same as (or maybe slightly poorer value) than just ordering the same meal from the menu. Maybe that's why they haven't sold out of this deal despite it's being up for a LONG time.

Haven't heard anything new among my Korean foodie friends. They still seem to gravitate towards Madangsui for BBQ and Kun Jip for the more home cooking stuff. However, if there's a specific dish you tend to order/crave, let me know. Also, for those fans of Korean BBQ, it's slightly off-topic, but probably worth trying Takashi in the W. Village. They're doing pretty ambitious Japanese barbecue (which most culinary historians say is really an offshoot of and based on Korean BBQ).

The following places serve piononos: Salud 142 Beekman St | Btwn Front & South St Sazon 105 Reade St | Btwn W Broadway & Church St Bajari Cocina Latina 2253 3rd Ave | Btwn 122nd & 123rd St Pizza Pasta Restaurant 83 Graham Ave | At Seigel St I haven't had piononos at any of these places, so can't vouch for whether they're any good or not. I also assume that quite a few other places have them, though many don't use the actual name when referring to them. You might also ask Chowhound as you may find a more complete list.

I am more sanguine about the future of fine dining. There will always be a market for a luxury product. It waxes and wanes with the economy, but the economy never stays down forever. Obviously, you're not going to see any new places in that category RIGHT NOW, but at some point the tide will turn, as it always does. SHO Shaun Hergatt is an unusual case. It's part of an ultra-luxury development, the Setai, where its presence is part of the overall value proposition. Had it been a stand-alone restaurant, it surely would have been scaled back (if not canceled altogether) when the recession hit. I worry more about the lack of critics willing, or even capable, of appreciating such a place. When the Times gives the identical two-star rating to this place and Torrisi Italian Specialties, it is not exactly encouraging chefs or investors who might otherwise be inclined to open a high-end restaurant. If SHO Shaun Hergatt isn't a three-star restaurant, then no place is. SHO is even more remarkable at its price point, which is a good 30 to 50 percent lower than it deserves to be. I was going to make a post that addressed several points, but it seems Marc has just said everything I was going to say. So put me down for agreement with all of the above.

Maybe you could help by narrowing things down a bit. The East Village has hundreds of restaurants, and the surrounding areas add hundreds more. Anything you can tell us aside from price that would focus the request a bit? I suspect the general framing of the question is one of the reasons for the lack of response. Anything you can tell us in terms of preferences, cuisine style, level of formality, what would make it really memorable/great for you, what kind of atmosphere, etc.?

I'll second a couple of the Korean options people have mentioned above. I like Kun Jip best for the more home cooking oriented options. And Madangsui seems to be the strongest barbecue of late. And Cho Dang Gol, which FG mentioned, is good for tofu especially. In addition, I remember having a really interesting (though expensive) meal at HanGawi. It's a very zen Korean vegetarian place on 32nd, but the food is quite different from what you're probably used to from Korean restaurants. Aside from being completely vegetarian, it's much more elegant, restrained and subtle than typical Korean fare. It has echos of a Japanese experience in many ways, and the place is very quiet and serene. Worth a try. On a more meat-oriented tip, there's always the mutton chop at Keen's. And I'm surprised no one has mentioned The Breslin.

Hey FG, Just out of curiosity, have you been to either Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas, or to Jitlada in LA? These are among the better U.S. Thai meals I've had in recent years, and wondered how Sookk compares to either of those.

Hearth is a great choice. Others to strongly consider are Momofuku Ssam Bar and Degustation.

But that's bullshit. What about a Monday or Tuesday at 9? Is it going to be that long of a wait for a table? Or a space at the bar? I doubt it. Especially after a one-star review . And isn't "too noisy" getting a little picky? Other than Per Se and Daniel and a few others, what restaurant in Manhattan isn't "too noisy?" Christ, he's starting to sound like some other reviewers who complain about the noise at every place they dine. In my observation, Sifton is no stranger to picking nits. Whether these are to provide justification for the star levels he's chosen to give, a way of adding some color or his personal imprint on the writing, or just his nature, I don't know. It also remains to be seen whether he continues in this vein. But, for example, I thought his review of SHO Shaun Hergatt read like a review that might have garnered an additional star, if you were to only take into account his reaction to the food and service. But he picked on assorted things that one could argue don't matter (such as the fact that there may have been an error in describing the place of origin of some fish in an email from the restaurant, or that the place "seemed" expensive, even though it wasn't...which would usually be a plus), almost as if he had a chip on his shoulder or was trying to "explain" why he gave it the star rating he did.

Having followed the list for a number of years, I get the distinct impression that there is a notable time lag between what's on the list and what is actually happening at the restaurants in question. It would seem that restaurants tend to retain their spots on the list for a while after they've begun to decline, and newly acclaimed places take a similarly long time to start ascending. For example, Rockpool in Sydney made the list a couple of years ago, and was on the rise in the rankings even though it had long closed (and re-opened with a different name, a new concept and vastly inferior cooking and service) before the list was published. It was not a matter of having closed in the intervening time; it had been closed for ages. This also helps explain why places past their prime and relevancy (e.g. Nobu) stay on the list, and why places that are universally praised (e.g. Mugaritz, Alinea) took so long to make it to a prominent spot on the list. For that reason, I wouldn't be surprised to see El Bulli continue in a high position in the near future (not to mention that, as anyone who has actually been can attest, it totally deserves the praise). Still, if they close after next season, as claimed, then it won't matter, will it.

I was there on the 21st (two days after you) for one of the "Zagat presents" dinners with a Provencal theme, and the place was not empty at all. In fact, it was packed. The empty room you experienced may have had to do with the fact that it was a Monday. It's possible that they're not filling up on other nights, too, as I've only eaten there twice in the last year, but it didn't seem dead either time. Didn't notice the wine list, as there were wines included in our set menu ($75 for four courses, each with a paired wine...pas mal).

Wow, just got a chance to read Sifton's 3-star review for Colicchio & Sons. What restaurant did he go to? I guess this should really have been a new thread...

Mesa probably isn't too bad, but it's definitely past its prime. I'm guessing you can do better foodwise. As Kathryn mentioned, any guidance in terms of what type of place your looking for (price, formality, cuisine, location, etc.) would be helpful, as NY has more restaurants than you can imagine.

To pile on further, the menu at Henry's End is also pretty special, in that it's very focused on game. So there's lots of interesting stuff to go with the wine. Although the food may vary, here are two places that feature all-American wine lists: Buttermilk Channel and Henry's (105th and B'way). Zoe in Soho used to as well, but closed. Lastly, you might want to check out some of the places with huge wine lists overall. Even though the percentage of American wines may not be high, the sheer size of the list means that places like Cru and Veritas have many American selections. And there are bargains to be had sometimes, as neither place was super flush due to the recession.

The rumors are true. Here's a link to Cuozzo's article on it: http://www.nypost.com/p/lifestyle/food/upper_west_side_eighty_one_closing_rQmYEMyucVAzx4KZLYM3OJ#ixzz0jInRghDOMy link

Another to add to the list is Tourondel's BLT Market.

Private Dining Room, i.e., for parties, which are more lucrative than filling the same number of seats with regular diners. Oh, duh. Thanks:) Wasn't aware of a second (private) dining room at Tailor...only the main dining room and the bar area.