Where to Eat in NYC 2008? The Big Topic

[weinoo]

Need we say Ssam or Noodle Bar?

[Nathan]

yup!

you made good choices though...

as someone who lives in NY, let me say that some of us are saddened to live here and never be able to eat lunch at JG (cause it's M-F only)

Edited January 16, 2008 by Nathan (log)

[Megan Blocker]

yup!

you made good choices though...

as someone who lives in NY, let me say that some of us are saddened to live here and never be able to eat lunch at JG (cause it's M-F only)

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That's why God created vacation days...I have seven weeks this year. If I don't make it to Jean Georges for lunch, I'll have no good excuse.

[olicollett]

I rang back Jean Georges earlier about changing my lunch reservation from Nougatine to the main restaurant and they told me that the main restaurant is now closed for lunch on weekends which is a shame

[Nathan]

I rang back Jean Georges earlier about changing my lunch reservation from Nougatine to the main restaurant and they told me that the main restaurant is now closed for lunch on weekends which is a shame

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ooh, didn't realize you were going for a weekend lunch. I'm pretty sure that JG has never been open for lunch on the weekends. do Perry Street then.

[BryanZ]

I have friends who have been to Perry St. many times but just chanced by Nougatine for a meal (I've never been to the latter). They said they wished they had just gone back to Perry St. instead.

[olicollett]

You read my mind.. Just after I canceled I booked Perry St.

Not long to go now.. can't wait!!

[Jerry_A]

Hello all,

I will be visiting NYC for the first time ever (staying in Midtown Manhattan) in May and am looking for a few recommendations in the general area, or really anywhere that is easily accesible.

Specifically I am looking for ~3 places for a nice, moderately priced evening meal (not romantic because I will be with my Mother). Moderately priced means, in this case, a cocktail + starter + entree + glass of wine and a shared dessert for under $80/head.

I also plan on hitting one place that is a litle fancier, but I'm not sure where that would be and I don't want to break the bank. I was leaning towards wd~50 since I have wanted to go there ever since I first read about it several years ago, but I'm not sure whether this is still a good choice these days.

I have also received the following recommendations for cheaper stuff and would love to know (from those in the know, i.e. Egulleters) whether they are accurate and worth hitting:

Best Pizza - Grimaldi's I've had 4 independent people recommend this place.

Best BBQ - Dinosaur BBQ (I'll be in St. Louis the week after NYC, so I may skip this since I assume STL BBQ will be much better in general).

Best Hamburger - Burger Joint at Le Park Meridian Seems odd, but I was told it's great.

Best doughnut - The Doughnut Plant I do love a good doughnut.

If anyone has any other recommendations on anything food related I should check out while in NYC, I would absolutely love to hear them.

Thanks very much in advance.

Len

[Nathan]

Hello all,

I will be visiting NYC for the first time ever (staying in Midtown Manhattan) in May and am looking for a few recommendations in the general area, or really anywhere that is easily accesible. 

Specifically I am looking for ~3 places for a nice, moderately priced evening meal (not romantic because I will be with my Mother).  Moderately priced means, in this case, a cocktail + starter + entree + glass of wine and a shared dessert for under $80/head.

I also plan on hitting one place that is a litle fancier, but I'm not sure where that would be and I don't want to break the bank.  I was leaning towards wd~50 since I have wanted to go there ever since I first read about it several years ago, but I'm not sure whether this is still a good choice these days.

I have also received the following recommendations for cheaper stuff and would love to know (from those in the know, i.e. Egulleters) whether they are accurate and worth hitting:

Best Pizza - Grimaldi's I've had 4 independent people recommend this place.

Best BBQ - Dinosaur BBQ (I'll be in St. Louis the week after NYC, so I may skip this since I assume STL BBQ will be much better in general).

Best Hamburger - Burger Joint at Le Park Meridian Seems odd, but I was told it's great.

Best doughnut - The Doughnut Plant I do love a good doughnut.

If anyone has any other recommendations on anything food related I should check out while in NYC, I would absolutely love to hear them.

Thanks very much in advance.

Len

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all of Manhattan is easily accessible and midtown is among the less interesting culinary areas (except for the very high-end) so most recommendations will be elsewhere.

WD-50 is indeed a great idea. other choices at that price point for a blowout meal would include Jean Georges, Daniel or Eleven Madison Park.

I would just eat bbq in St. Louis but if you must try it in NY, Hill Country and R.U.B. are the way to go....especially Hill Country.

the Burger Joint is indeed good.

one restaurant in midtown that is right at your intended price point is the terrific Bar Room at the Modern. with care you could also eat at Esca for that. Mia Dona is cheaper and also good.

as for downtown, there are so many superlative options that a fuller discussion of your interests and tastes would be a good idea.

[Jerry_A]

Thanks Nathan! It's funny, but Daniel and JG were two others on my short list for a fancier meal. I'll take a look at Eleven Madison Park.

I'll also look into the other 3 you listed later as I have not heard of any of them.

My taste is quite variable and am open to anything really, as long as it is good. I eat plenty of decent Japanese here in Vancouver, so I don't need any recommendations for that. The same goes for Indian and Chinese I guess.

If I can provide further insight, please let me know.

Len

[kathryn]

Best Pizza - Grimaldi's I've had 4 independent people recommend this place.

Best BBQ - Dinosaur BBQ (I'll be in St. Louis the week after NYC, so I may skip this since I assume STL BBQ will be much better in general).

Best Hamburger - Burger Joint at Le Park Meridian Seems odd, but I was told it's great.

Best doughnut - The Doughnut Plant I do love a good doughnut.

If anyone has any other recommendations on anything food related I should check out while in NYC, I would absolutely love to hear them.

Thanks very much in advance.

Len

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Pizza: I'd do Una Pizza Napoletana or Di Fara or Luzzo's or Patsy's of East Harlem over Grimaldi's, which was a soggy last time I tried.

Skip BBQ and eat in St. Louis.

Best burger -- do you like thin patties or thick patties? Is sauce OK? Do you want basic or more frou-frou? There are a million places in NYC all trying to out-do each other for 'best burger' or at least fanciest burger. burger joint in the Parker Meridien (not to be confused with Burger Joint chain) is good but they have a very limited menu, and the quality of the meat isn't that high.

Best doughnut in NYC - Doughnut Plant doesn't really have any competition. They're famous for their yeast-based doughnuts, not sure if that's your style. It's light but chewy.

[Nathan]

at your "standard meal" price point, besides the places already mentioned, consider:

Babbo, A Voce, Bar Blanc, Allen & Delancey, Tailor, Momofuku Ssam Bar.

[jm chen]

For a good cheap burger, I prefer the Shake Shack to the Burger Joint... wait is about the same and at the Shack at least you're outside.

[Jerry_A]

Whoa, I got lost for a moment there, didn't realize things had been moved.

Anyhow, to the posts.

@ kathryn: Thanks for tips. For pizza would you pick any of those three as better than the others, or are they all comparable? As for burgers, I'm not a connoisseur by any stretch, but I would probably say my favourite burger is the Western Bacon Blue Ring (blue cheese, onion ring, bacon, etc...) from Taylor's Automatic Refresher in San Francisco, so I guess that means I like a lot of stuff on my burger, but it certainly does not have to be super fancy.

@ Nathan: Thanks for the list. I have always wanted to go to Babbo and was just perusing the menu again; looks fantastic. I have not heard of the others, but will take a look.

@ jm chen: Thanks for the rec, I'm sure I can squeeze in two burgers during my trip!

Cheers,

Len

[Sneakeater]

The waits at Shake Shack and the Burger Joint are NOT comparable.

At mealtime, the wait at the Burger Joint rarely exceeds 10 minutes. At Shake Shack, it's rarely LESS than 45 minutes.

[Nathan]

throw in Perry Street too.

[Jerry_A]

throw in Perry Street too.

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So I've gone and looked at the menus of all of the places you have recommended so far and I find Tailor and Momofuku Ssam Bar the most intriguing. I'm still not sure I really understand what is going on at Ssam Bar, even after reading the FAQ and 'about' pages, but it looks very interesting. Perry Street looks like a great place to get a JG fix without having to pay full JG prices.

Good stuff, it's been a huge help so far, thanks again.

Len

[weinoo]

@ kathryn: Thanks for tips.  For pizza would you pick any of those three as better than the others, or are they all comparable?

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As they say about pizza, on any given day...we've had great pizza at Luzzo's and then on a return trip, not so great pizza. Same with Una Pizza... Patsy's, et.al. Had 1 great pizza (plain cheese) the other night at Arturo's - the second pie, pepperoni and mushrooms - not so great. So, it's a toss-up, imo.

And agree with sneakeater about the wait at Shake Shack - unless you go at really off-peak times (like 3 in the afternoon).

[Jerry_A]

@ kathryn: Thanks for tips.  For pizza would you pick any of those three as better than the others, or are they all comparable?

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As they say about pizza, on any given day...we've had great pizza at Luzzo's and then on a return trip, not so great pizza. Same with Una Pizza... Patsy's, et.al. Had 1 great pizza (plain cheese) the other night at Arturo's - the second pie, pepperoni and mushrooms - not so great. So, it's a toss-up, imo.

And agree with sneakeater about the wait at Shake Shack - unless you go at really off-peak times (like 3 in the afternoon).

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Fair enough, so I guess I'll just pick a few and try them all (hardship).

Looks like 3 in the afternoon it is then, I have no problem with that. I'll just eat a big breakfast and save room for a burger late in the day!

Thanks!

Len

[kathryn]

I've always had good experiences with Patsy's and Una Pizza; Luzzo's has actually gotten better for me over time. Grimaldi's not so much (I used to work nearby). They are all different styles, so it's a little hard to compare. Keep in mind that all the ones named are no slices except for Patsy's. But Luzzo's and Una Pizza have much smaller pies that a hungry man could probably finish on his own.

[Jerry_A]

I've always had good experiences with Patsy's and Una Pizza; Luzzo's has actually gotten better for me over time. Grimaldi's not so much (I used to work nearby). They are all different styles, so it's a little hard to compare. Keep in mind that all the ones named are no slices except for Patsy's. But Luzzo's and Una Pizza have much smaller pies that a hungry man could probably finish on his own.

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Thanks very much for that, I had been assuming slices were available from any of them. Now I'll make sure I'm plenty hungry before going.

Len

[kathryn]

Most reputable pizza shops in NY are no slices. The notable exceptions are Di Fara and Patsy's.

[Ariel Schor]

My brother and I are hitting NYC for the first time as adults. Due to our inclinations in career (Culinary and Business Administration) and desire to eventually open a place of our own, this will be a mainly a gourmand sort of trip, planned around which restaurants we visit. We will be staying at a hostel near central park, and are willing to travel pretty much anywhere for a good meal. So far, we plan to hit up Les Halles and Casa Mono, for we are fans of casual dining establishments. However, we would really like to find a few other types of establishments that we have not had the chance to experience in our city of Winnipeg...which seems to lack much culinary brilliance (in my opinion). I've searched most of the posts on the site, even the ones titled "The Best" and have found that many of them haven't been updated in years.

We're looking for:

traditional pasta

a great sweetbread dish

traditional NYC Deli (Katz's has been suggested)

wood-fire oven pizza

a couple good markets where to buy produce and breads (we plan to make lunches)

a good cheese shop (murray's, perhaps?)

A great, high-end lunch which won't break the bank severely (max $60 before wine, but less would be great)

I know this may be a lot to ask, but most of the people that I know that have spent time in the big apple have not gone for the food...I've already seen the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park...I just need to find some culinary equivalents to these spectacles in your grand city.

thanks

Ariel

[Pan]

Ariel, there's nothing wrong with reviving old threads. It happens all the time. But in any case, I'm curious why you plan on going to Les Halles.

If you want great pastrami, you won't find anything as good as Katz's, though I suppose 2nd Av. Deli has a wider menu. I definitely would suggest that if you go to one deli, it should be Katz's, and I doubt I'll get much argument on that.

As far as pizza is concerned, do you have your heart set on wood-fired, or would you be interested in old-fashioned coal-fired New York pizza? The two are not the same.

[Pille]

I'll be following this thread with great interest, as I'll be visiting New York for the first time this June (well, my first visit to the US, actually; will be spending few days in Bloomington, few in St Louis, MO, and then 6 days exploring NY). As I'm travelling on my own, I'll be focusing on things I like most, that is things food-related