davidbdesilva

We had a wonderful weekend in NYC once again (seems that this is becoming our Valentine's Day tradition) and can't wait to get back again. We ate at EMP on Friday night and Bouley Saturday night and if I had to plan it again I would have reversed the order because of the let down we experienced. It almost wasn't even close because once you experience perfection at a restaurant anything else pales in comparison. What we experienced at EMP was indeed perfection while what we experienced at Bouley was a very good meal with an extra helping of attitude. Atmosphere: completely different in all ways. We both agreed though that EMP's setting, while much larger, is more beautiful than Bouley. I felt more so than my wife though. Service: here is where there WAS no comparison whatsoever! All restaurants should take lessons on service from EMP because it is the perfect blend of professionalism with friendliness and no stuffiness or pretense whatsoever. Our waiter could not have been more helpful, the sommelier as well. We had wine pairings with each course, left up to him. When my wife was served (a small amout to just taste) her red wine (a St. Emillion), she tasted it and hesitated. I knew she didn't like it so I said, "that's Merlot", she apologized and said she didn;t like Merlot andf the waiter said "no problem at all", got the wine list and we decided on a Cabernet. At Bouley, on the other hand, the sommelier merely poured (more like glug glug glug to be honest) the wine without giving us the opportunity to taste it, with the very French attitude of "this is the wine I picked for you and you WILL like it. Luckily we did. Toward the end of our meal at EMP a person we had yet to meet came to the table, asked how everything was, and said, "we really appreciate you being here" and we truly felt that way. At Bouley we felt rushed, that we should be thankful to be there, and that we were just another patron. Very little warmth. Food: like I said, how can you compete with perfection? This is not to say that we didn't enjoy the food at Bouley because we did but the food at EMP was art on the plate, with incredible tastes. We were brought what we thought was the amuse (a long plate of 8 small peices of artwork) but then the amuse came after this. The biggest difference between the two in food was definitely the entrees. My wifes Black Angus Beef was truly incredible and easily the best beef we've ever experienced. My rabbit eas equally incredible. At Bouley my boneless veal chop, to be honest, was kinda ordinary and actually a little dry. My wife's suckling pig was good, but again a bit ordinary. These dishes were much more rustic than we expected and definitely lacked a "wow" effect. Summary: I am still thinking about our evening at EMP, it was far more than a meal and much more of an incredible experience. The beautiful setting, the warm hum of voices, the jazz playing, the engaging staff, the excellent wines, and of course the most incredible food we've ever had. We did enjoy Bouley but I personally didn't think it was worth the price tag. We can't wait to go back EMP and will next Valentine's when we return to NYC. Would we return to Bouley? Probably not, I'd like to experience dinner at The Modern or some place else. Our weekend was rounded out with things like seeing Freddy Cole at Dizzy's Club CocaCola. A great singer in a wonderful setting with great views. Drinks at the Lobby Lounge at Asiate (Mandarin Oriental Hotel). Great views again of course. Seeing "In the Heights" at the Richard Rodgers theatre. I would HIGHLY recommend this musical, great music, incredible dancing, and a nice storyline. Shopping in SoHo and at Macy's (my wife's favorite activity). I also have to mention something that, after a while, just made me laugh (after my annoyance). What is up with NYC cabbies??? Everytime we got in and gave an address they would say, "do you know how to get there?" Say what? We stayed in Queens (Long Island City) and they would ask us "should I take the tunnel or the bridge?" YOU tell US, that's what we're paying you for! One night we drove into Manhattan to go dancing at LavaGina on the LES, coming back to Queens we got lost in Astoria (I think), a mere 5 miles from our hotel. NO ONE could give us accurate directions to get there and didn't seem to want to be bothered (maybe the fact that it was 3 am had something to do with it). Your city is quite a place, we LOVE it dearly and can't wait to go back (minus the cab experiences of course). Thanks for all your help!

Thanks Barb! That's good to know, we'll have to check it out. Post the pics when you can, I appreciate it! David

Thank you all again for all your help! I think 3 courses at EMP will probably be perfect for my wife and I can always opt for 4 if I need to. The tasting menu at Bouley sounds good, as does putting ourselves in the chef's hands for the night, and the amount of food sounds right as well. We are very excited about our trip next weekend. Looking forward to the meals of course as well as the other things planned (Freddy Cole @ Dizzy's, "In the Heights" on Broadway Saturday afternoon, skating @ Wollman rink in Central Park, some shopping in SoHo, dancing @ LavaGina, etc.). We are ready to go! I'll report back of course.

Thank you Bryan, I truly enjoy reading your posts and comments, you seem to have a deep knowledge of the NYC dining scene as well as food in general. So, I will ask a follow-up question to you and everyone else who have helped so much. My wife loves to eat but is a petite and slender woman (all of 4'11"). When we dine out and eat the typical 3 courses at a fine restauant along with a bottle of wine to share, that is often a lot of food for her (sometimes too much) and she does not enjoy (actually hates) leaving a restaurant feeling overly stuffed (and I dislike it as well). Thus, I think the gourmand tasting menu at EMP might be to much food? I was thinking more of their 3 course price fixe ($82 I believe) instead. From looking at their menu it didn't look like you could order a la carte, am I wrong? As for Bouley, I am debating between the 5 course tasting menu and a la carte. What are your thoughts about this? I would think that 3 courses at EMP would be plenty but that the gourmand might be too much? How about the 5 courses at Bouley? I know that these will be more european sized courses at both restaurants, which is what we prefer, and I know, contrary to reports I hear at times, that we will not leave either place hungry. I just don't want to overdo it.. Thanks again for any feedback you can provide. If you ever venture into Philly, I would be more than glad to steer you in the right direction!

Well this will teach me to listen to people from that "other board" where both Telepan and Town are generally lauded! I've listened to you and decided that, if we're gonna do NYC then we should do it right. I made a reservation for Eleven Madison Park for Friday evening @ 6:30. Now we have two great meals lined up, EMP on Friday and Bouley on Saturday. I am interested in comparing the two and seeing which is better (it'll probably be that they are both great in different ways). We have eaten at EMP about 3 years ago and remember having a great meal. The sommelier recommeded individual wine pairings with each course rather than a bottle of something, and these turned out to be fantastic matches to the food (he even would pour us other wines, at no extra charge, to see how we liked them with the food as well). Needless to say he was very helpful. Up to this point, EMP and Blue Hill have been our favorite NYC meals. From what I hear, EMP is now even better with a recent chef change? We will have a couple of hours to kill between our meal (ending at 8:30?) and the how at Dizzy's (11:00). Any ideas, romantic or otherwise, are welcome. Thanks again NY egulleters, you have helped me make this weekend extra special!

Wow, definitely strong opinions AGAINST both places! OK, I'll listen. Actually, we are staying two nights and eating at Bouley on Saturday night as our big celebratory meal. So, I didn't want to bust the bank on both nights and eat somewhere less expensive Friday night before the show at Dizzy's. We have eaten at EMP a few years ago and I hear rave reviews now. Seems like a lot of people like the Modern too. Last thing I want to do is have a meal Friday night that istoo similar to Bouley the next night. I'll see if there are any openings at The Modern or maybe even EMP. Any more suggestsions I guess I am open to now since the two I was considering don't sound like good choices. Thank you!

The setting: coming in from Philadelphia for a romantic post V-day weekend (15th and 16th) to celebrate many things with my lovely wife. Dinner @ 8:00 before seeing Freddy Cole at Dizzy's for an 11:30 show. Want a great meal in a beautiful and romantic setting, with the emphasis being on the food first and foremost (but the wife likes stylish settings too). So which fits the bill better, Telepan or Town? I make a decision (e.g.Telepan) and then see negative posts (elsewhere) and second guess myself. So NYers, help me make up my mind and get this right so I can be comfortable with my decision (and stop obsessing). Please don't suggest another restaurant because you'll only confuse me more (and yes, I have checked out places on the UWS like Compass, which seems inferior to these two and Dovetail, which has no openings for 8:00). Thank you (yet again) for helping me get this right!

Great to hear from you Barb! Thanks for the tip on the Willow Grove Ooka, was wondering if it was good. Do they happen to be BYOB? can't remember (the one in Doylestown is not), maybe I'm confusing them with Ota-ya?

Why did I choose them? To be honest, people from "another" board recommended Perilla and Little Owl and I checked out Dennis Foy's and it looked nice. I guess I am looking for a nice place where I can get a meal with very good food in a nice very NYC setting that won't cost me a lot since I will spending plenty the following night. A cute little nook in the Village with very good food would fit the bill, that's why I am looking at Perilla and Little Owl. Make sense?

I already have a post here (see below) about coming to NYC in mid-February for 2 nights and you have helped me narrow it down for where we will be having our big celebratory meal Saturday night (Bouley). Now for Friday night's dinner. I want something that has creative and innovative fare in a nice, very NYC atmosphere that is also at least somewhat romantic. I originally was thinking of The Harrison and Duane Park but have heard that the food at these places is nothing special (please tell me if you disagree). Based upon recommendations from others I am looking at Perilla, Little Owl and Dennis Foy. Foy looks the most glam of the three and I am wondering if the food suffers as a result. Which one would be the best meal for our first night in your fair city? Please fell free to suggest others if you think they are good ideas. Thank you again, you are all very gracious and helping to make this what will be a memorable weekend for us!

I am coming from Philadelphia to stay in NYC for two days in February (15th and 16th). This is a celebration of many things, including 5 years of remission from cancer. Anyhow, I have taken some recommendations and done a lot of research from my Michelin NYC book and decided to go all out for dinner. I have narrowed it down to these 5 restaurants and would like opinions on which would be THE best place to go: Annisa Aureole Bouley Cru Gotham Bar & Grill They all get one star from Michelin with the exception of Bouley, which gets two. They all seem to be "relatively" the same price and all have price fixe and/or tasting menu's, with the exception of Gotham, which seems to be a la carte only. They all look beautiful, perhaps Bouley and Aureole the prettiest. I don't want stuffy and/or pretentious. I want a romantic dinner with fantastic food in a lovely setting that will compliment the beauty of my wife. I am leaning toward Bouley, then Aureole, then Gotham but am wide open to suggestions from people who have been to them. Thank you very much AGAIN for helping make this a very special trip. And yes, I will be calling on the 16th (a month in advance) to make a reservation somewhere.

I happen to be a big fan of Zot. I have eaten there twice within the last 6 months and both meals were very good in my opinion. The Jamacian mussels were very good, as were the Thai version, which I think Katie is describing. I have had a good meal with the "pick your meat and sauce" and with a pork special, which was excellent. My wife got the filet mignon both times, with different sauces, and both times it was excellent, extremely tender, and a real value at $19. Add to that a very nice room and bar, friendly servers who know the extensive beer list very well and help pair them with the food, and I think you have a real winner and a very good value. Besides, where else can you get Delerium Tremens on tap???

Agree with Katie on Dark Horse for good fish and chips. I would add N. 3rd as well, they do an excellent version.

Had another great meal at Yalda in Willow Grove last night. Incredibly tender and tasty lamb and shrimp with grilled veggy's and wonderfully scented basmati rice. Wonderful samosa's as an app. Total bill? $35 for the two of us with way too much to finish. BYOB and very friendly family running the place. I would also recommend Ooka in Doylestown. A it pricey but great atmosphere and food.

I have eaten here three times in the last few months and enjoyed it thoroughly each time. They have an extensive list of tapas to choose from including small sandwiches, cold tapas, hot tapas, soups, etc. While I have found some of them to be a little on the small side, they have all been good and reasonably priced (typically $6-10). Is the food as good as Amada or Tinto? No, but it is very good and you'll spend less than half of what you will at those other places in a much more laid-back and relaxed setting. Their selection of Spanish wines, while not huge, is nonetheless very good and reasonably priced as well. To my surprise as well, after our last meal my wife and I sat at the lovely bar and were impressed with their beer selection (she having a very good Japanese beer while I had a very good dark German beer, both difficult to find). The atmosphere is lovely as well, with the large mosaic on the main wall being very nice. A combination of cozy and romantic. Another plus is that I can always find parking on the street right across from the restaurant! On North 2nd St. in NoLibs, definitely worth trying.

Having lived in Montco for 18 years now I will offer some places I think are worth checking out: Sultan in Montgomeryville - supposedly recently taken over by the Palace of Asia (Ft. Washington) people and what was good Indian food is now better, IMHO. Aman's - good Indian food in East Norriton, BYOB. Costello's - right next door to Sultan, good to very good Italian food in a lovely setting, especially for a storefront place. Just added a lovely bar but now it's not BYOB anymore. Boccelli's - in the Gwynedd train station. Cozy little BYOB Italian place serving pretty good food. Vitetnam Cafe - in Telford so technically Bucks Co. Very good Pho and other dishes for dirt cheap. White Elephant - Huntigndon Valley, very good Thai in a nice setting. Yalda Grill - in Willow Grove, just at at this Afghani restaurant, supposedly owned by relatives of Kabul downtown. Very good. I am NOT a fan of Cravings Cafe myself. I have always found the food to be rather heavy-handed and clumsy. But, it is popular with many.

Thank you very much, all of you, for your help. I have decided on Kittichai and canceled my other reservations. Very interesting, I also posted on the "other" board to see what they'd say and they were almost unanimous in recommending Asia de Cuba. I trust this board implicitly and therefore went with your recommendations. I did look at Megu and it looks wonderful, but seems a little bit beyond what I can spend (this time). I've decided to eat at Kittichai, stop at the Kimono Lounge at Megu for drinks (it looks gorgeous) and then stop at Circa Tabac later on so I can have a cigar (which is now also extremely hard to do in Philly since our ban just took place). I was also eyeing a place called Lava Gina because we are into world music and they seem to spin some good music there (but it looks like a meat market as well). Thanks again, lets hope todays snow is all cleared by Saturday!

Oh boy, look what I started! Actually, as I sent my posting the other day I thought that somebody would probably get pissed off by what I did. First off, thank you Vandouvan for sticking up for me and vouching for my character while many others attacked me, I greatly appreciate it! Here's the deal: didn't think I was going to be able to swing a V-Day dinner at all but as it turns out I can, so I tried to get into Buddakan Philly last minute and it was completely booked, as is Buddakan NYC. Realizing that time was wasting and knowing that I wanted to go Asian with beautiful decor I quickly narrowed it down to the 4 aforementioned restaurants and called them, getting reservations for 6:30 at 3 of them, 6:00 at Asia de Cuba (the reservations nobody else wants). My intention is, now that I realize that Kittichai is the clear choice (thank you), to call tomorrow (Wednesday) and cancel the other three. Where is the harm in that? They will be taken by others that day or the next I am sure. Remember too, I am an out of towner, I would NEVER do this in Philly where I am familiar with where I want to go and I frequent small BYOB's. So, thank you again for all your help. Kittichai it will be. If I may dare ask yet one more question: my wife loves to dance but all the dance clubs I've looked at online (e.g. Cielo, Element, Deep, Pacha, Crobar, etc.) seem to be full of half naked 20-somethings. We are in our mid-40's but are not stuffy by any means and will be dressed nicely for the evening. Any bars/clubs you would recommend or even a place to dance that isn't a meat market? Aubar? LQ? Thank You!

OK NYC egulleter's, I need your help again. You have helped me in the past and I am calling on your expertise once again. I will be driving up from Philly and taking my wife into your lovely city again next weekend (Saturday the 17th) for a Valentine's dinner and night out (we never do Valentine's Day proper for obvious reasons). We are serious food eaters but my wife also loves to dine at sleek, chic, sexy places that also have good food. I was going to try for Buddakan Philly or NYC but both are booked solid. So, I made reservations at 4 different places and need your help deciding on which ONE to go to. You'll see by my choices I have decided on an Asian-themed dinner with decor as a significant factor, but still wanting good food. So with that in mind please give me your opinions on the following (feel free to rank them if you want to): Buddha Bar Kittichai Asia de Cuba Spice Market I was also thinking about Megu but that looks a bit too pricey. Also, feel free to suggest any places for a lively night life/dancing afterwards. I was thinking of places like Cielo (not too "sceney" but have dancing?). Thank you for any and all help you can offer.

Depends on what you're in the mood for but I would add: Sultan's lunch buffet for very good Indian (Montgomery Commons Shopping Center, Rte 63), Fuzion for excellent Asian fare (intersection of Rtes 363 and 73 in Center Square) and Ravenna (same shopping center as Fuzion) for good Northern Italian food. All are BYOB's by the way.

Was on the way back to Philadelphia with my wife and we decided to stop in Baltimore, sightsee for a bit, and have dinner. We were looking for something inexpensive but with good food (unfortunately you do not seem to have many BYOB's as we have in Philly) so based on this thread and the posts of John Talbott and others we decided to eat at the Helmand. I also took a look at my Zagat and saw that it was rated as 26 for food. We enjoyed the Helmand but I must admit to being a bit underwhelmed. I know I am going to insult many by saying this but if this is one of the top places to dine in Baltimore than your dining scene is weaker than I thought. Don't get me wrong, the food at Helmand was good but this would be an average, run of the mill restaurant in Philadelphia. In fact, we have 2 Afghan restaurants in Philly (Kabul, Ariana) which we have often frequented and which I feel are every bit as good. The difference? We spend $35-40 there (they are BYOB) and I spent $94 at the Helmand (2 apps, 2 entrees, dessert, bottle of wine, tax and tip), which I felt was a bit much for this caliber of a restaurant. I had a nice conversation with the very friendly owner and we spoke about Philly. After dinner we drove around the Inner Harbor and out to Fells Point. The harbor is absolutely beautiful and Fells Point seemed very commercial and geared toward 20-somethings (like Olde City in Philly for any familiar with our city). We enjoyed our brief stay in your lovely city and hope to return. We glanced into Ixia and Saffron and both looked quite nice.

Just wanted everyone who lives in the 'burbs to know that there is a Wegman's opening in Warminster, on Rte 611, near Street Rd. From what I've read here, I can't wait to try it!

While I sadly agree with Vadouvan's statements about Americans being taken by sommeliers that are male's with accents and that they will blindly listen to them even if they don't know Jack, this wine drinker would gladly follow Katie or Marnie anywhere and gleefully imbibe my way to wine nirvana!

I would suggest, if they are open on Sundays, L'Angolo on Porter St. just off of Broad St. (not far from Broad and Washington). The best Italian food in the city, IMHO, though not that expensive and OK for kids. It's also BYOB as well. Enjoy the show, we went and thought it was amazing (as usual).

So you are correct my good friend. I'm not sure why, working at the elementary school a few miles down the road on Easton Rd., (which you will pass on your way there) I have been unaware of this winery and restaurant? Now I am looking forward to the dinner even more (and won't show up at the wrong place!!!). Grazie mio amico!