Restaurants for romance, restaurants with friends

[Ruby]

I don't maintain lists but there are definite categories I have for dates

and getting together with friends. Some are good for both. Let's all share:

DATES (no particular pecking order)

Lavagna

Alley's End

Mooza (garden)

Miracle Grill (East Village-Garden)

The Place

Paris Commune

Verbena

One if by Land, Two if by Sea - cocktails near fireplace

FRIENDS:

Alley's End

East Post

Il Mulino

Mooza

Katz's

Les Halles

Grand Szechuan

Maj Mahal

Oliva

El Cid

Others to follow when I recall them.

[Ruby]

Hey, where's everybody? I just thought of some more:

Date: The Terrace (near Columbia U)

Friends: Komodo, Guernica, Le Tableau

Hope to get some input - I know I'm not the only one

who dates and has a few friends ;)

[ELA]

I too have a list of these places, although the list is hidden away somewhere, off the top of my head --

One if by Land, Two if by Sea.

Barolo -- specifically The Garden, although this time of year ot may not be open.

and if you want to laugh -- The Water Club (something about water, LOL).

if you want to cross the river as they provide their own ferry boat service to and from -- The Water's Edge, which has an awesome view of NYC.

Eric

[Ruby]

Eric, Thank you for posting! I love the garden at Barolo as well as relaxing on the 'deck' at Water Club. So much water around Manhattan Island and we should take advantage of that.

I was starting to feel like I was the only one that had any romance going here but I know that's not true. What's up with this? It seems every post has the same ole: Babbo, Lupa, Gramercy...there's more to NYC than this. They're good but c'mon already...

[ELA]

You're right Ruby. Another one is The Terrace -- used to be kind of a sleeper. I also have always thought that La Grenouille was "romantic". There are numerous others too, but "romantic" is always relevant and subject to personal interpretation.

Eric

[ELA]

BTW Ruby, I got married at The Waster's Edge (very recently too). We had the ceremony outside on the pier and you could not have asked for more perfect weather. We also had the most beautiful sky ever seen. It sends chills down my spine just thinking about it. Midnight Cruise around Manhattan -- wow, just perfect.

Eric

[Pan]

I like your list, Ruby, because it includes some places I've actually been to.

I think that I Coppi can be a good date restaurant for a special occasion, though it can be crowded at times. I also had a pleasant date at Paprika - well, two pleasant dates - and it's a place with a limited menu but some good dishes (e.g. the bass special) and a good value. I find that Banjara is a good restaurant both for dates and for friends.

I agree on Lavagna, Miracle Grill, and I like Mooza but have been there only for cocktails so far. I also agree on Katz's and Grand Sichuan. I'd add Teresa's to the "Friends" list. East Post makes good food but I find their portions excessively big; I suppose that makes it a good value, but only if I'm absolutely famished, as I unfortunately tend to eat all or most of the food in front of me (not a good habit). For another East Village Italian place that's good for a date or with friends, I'd nominate Col Legno.

[Fat Guy]

I haven't had a date in years; in fact I'm not sure I've ever had a date, having always found my girlfriends, and my wife, in coeducational environments. And I certainly don't have friends, except for all of you -- but we rarely dine out together in the physical world. Nonetheless, I find this conversation fascinating and would love to hear the distinction between date places and friends places justified and explained more thoroughly.

[Ruby]

Quote: from Fat Guy on 3:32 am on Feb. 2, 2002

I find this conversation fascinating and would love to hear the distinction between date places and friends places justified and explained more thoroughly.

The difference is a bit abstract to explain. For me the difference is when I'm with someone I like romantically, all my attention is on that person and not the food though good food and wine is still important. The ambiance should be more subdued and blend in, not take over. When I'm with friends, the ambiance doesn't have to be candlelight or as intimate. Well, anyone experiencing the thrill of a new exhilarating relationship can explain or know the difference.

What makes a place 'romantic' is also subjective but I guess I've seen so many Cary Grant movies...I know it when I see it. :)

[tommy]

Quote: from Fat Guy on 3:32 am on Feb. 2, 2002

and would love to hear the distinction between date places and friends places justified and explained more thoroughly.

date places have dark little corners where you can get busy with yo' girl.

[Fat Guy]

Word, Tommy.

[yvonne johnson]

I passed by The Place the other night, and wondered whether to chance it. So, how is the food?

As for dates, I’ve never been on one. Where I come from we spoke of "going out with someone" (euphemism for "staying in with someone" ).  And besides the word "date" (sans pit) sends shudders down my spine, as does mention of St. Valentine's Day. But as we're on the topic, I hear http://www.opentable.com/

will try to get you a res at your favorite restaurant on 14th Feb. Opentable works very well. At least for me. Now there's a match.

[Ruby]

Yvonne, the food and service was excellent at The Place. We split an app of mussels in a wine saffron broth that was delish and a generous portion. My sweetheart had cod with pureed vegies and I had salmon. I'd like to be more descriptive of the dishes but have a short attention span. Wine was moderately priced. The hit of the evening was a dessert (I couldn't come up with two choices so I asked the waitress, Debra, to surprise me.) It was a winner-chocolate martini-very mousselike in a martini glass with some kind of liquore in it. The other dessert was a molten chocolate cake. Prices were moderate; two glasses of wine to start, a bottle of merlot, one app, two mains and two desserts came to about 贉.00. Seating is a bit close in the front room and there's another room in the back (that you can't see from the street) that has little nooks where two can feed each other chocolate martinis! :)

I hate the term 'dating' myself and feel it's a throwback to teenybopper days but it seems people are into dating. Maybe it's shorthand for "I don't want to commit and just want to date."  

[yvonne johnson]

Thanks for the details, Ruby.  Of the places on your list that I've been to, I agree with you on Alley's End, Miracle Grill, El Cid, Les Halles, G-Sichuan being good.

Posting on La Ripaille a couple of minutes ago made me think that within this mid-range price bracket there are some very uneven restaurants.  I'm not sure if this is accurate, but is there more variation in quality found in the mid-range places than in the high end ones?

[Bux]

Tommy, you've pretty well identified why I love restaurants in France. They're almost always very well lit. It's a pleasure to read the menu and see my food. The French are no slouches in the romance and sex departments, but they understand the difference between the dining room and the hotel room. Maybe it's also that they are more comfortable being amorous in broad daylight.

I find exceptionally good food both romantic and erotic. What I don't find conducive to either romance or meeting with old friends is a noise level that makes conversation difficult. My wife reasons that restaurants are noisy these days because young people have nothing to say and topics of conversation would be used too early in the evening if dating couples were actually able to hold a conversation. It does appear that dark noisy restaurants are not short on popularity for whatever the reason.

[Liza]

I got married upstairs at Savoy, so that sits atop my romantic places list. I also like an off-peak corner booth at Corner Bistro, when available.

For friends, it's almost always Odeon, where I know I'll always have great food and service.

[Pan]

First of all, I have to add something about Paprika (which I mentioned earlier in the thread) because I ate lunch there today with my brother, and it was disappointing this time. The best thing was the salad, but even in that case, some of its leaves were wilted at the ends. The minestrone was not bad, and my penne with tomato-basil sauce was OK, as was my brother's fusilli with vegetable sauce, but the cheese they provided for us to put on our pasta tasted like it came out of a Kraft's carton. I wonder if their good chef doesn't come till dinnertime, or if perhaps they changed chefs, but I can no longer recommend the restaurant with confidence after today.

But back to the topic:

What restaurant is good for a date depends, of course, on the nature of the two people on the date. But, in a way, once there is an established relationship (such that the preferences and comfort zones of both are known to the other), there are things that may apply a lot less. Not every meal with a partner one is committed to has to be a fancy affair in any way, for example - certainly not for me because I couldn't afford to have any girlfriend who insists on fancy all the time, unless she's paying (and let's not go there). My last ex-girlfriend and I often enjoyed eating at inexpensive restaurants with modest decor, such as Teresa's, but I did find that she cares more about decor and ambiance much than I do. Basically, the way I see a place to eat with friends is that it should be fun and serve tasty food with acceptable service, but it doesn't have to be fancy - just a good place to talk, laugh, and feel happy. A "date" place has to have some kind of special quality, preferably such that the experience of being there is entirely pleasurable - good food, pleasant decor, perhaps candlelight, possibly the availability of decent wine, if desired (doesn't apply to Southeast or South Asian places), desserts that put a big smile on one's face. It doesn't have to be expensive, but it should have those qualities.  Now that I'm thinking about it, I think Ba Ba is a decent date restaurant for people who like Malaysian food - it's got very good food, the most interesting decor of all the Malaysian places in Manhattan, and mood lighting. Nyonya (where I had a post-birthday dinner last night - it was good and satisfied me, though it was not really great this time) is more appropriate for friends because it's well-lit and has an atmosphere conducive to celebration (young, enthusiastic crowd). That said, lots of Chinatown couples go to Nyonya on dates. As they say, your mileage may vary.

By the way, Liza, I celebrated my 35th birthday at Savoy (on the ground floor). I really liked the place. Unfortunately, my father is on a really restricted diet now, and can't eat all the types of delicious food that are made with butter, cream, and various other kinds of fat (and that's not the half of it). At Chinese places, it's always possible to get a steamed fish, but what can a place like Savoy do for a person who can't eat fat?

Sorry for all the tangents. Feel free to spin off other threads, anyone, if you wish.

[Simon Majumdar]

I was in NY for one night last Friday and on the recommendation of some friends took my young lady friend to The Place.  I thought it a real curate's egg of a place

The room itself is lovely and the service was all that you could hope it to be, efficient and willing.  I was however less happy about the food

Starters of Calimari and a duck confit were off the mark with the duck oily and the calimari rubbery.

Main courses of braised short rib and Hangar steak were no more than OK.  The steak was over cooked and the short rib lacked flavour.

Puddings were better, both being chocolate based.

The wine list though very short was interesting and a well priced bottle of Rioja was better than I have had in many places in NY.

The bill was a not over the top 财 for the two with coffee and a glass of champagne before hand

I am not sure I would return in a hurry, but I do think that it would be a good place for a romantic night out assuming one's date was not as obsessed with food as we all are

S

[Charles Smith]

I love Annisa as a date place (with my wife, of course) as well as both bar Veloce and Il Posto Acconto

for friends, I second Les Halles and add the front room at Grammercy

Good topic

[mikeyrad]

DATES (or anniversaries for us married folk)

Top of the Tower - Beekman Hotel (drinks)

The Apt - 419 W 13th St (drinks)

Savoy

Erminia - haven't been here since the murder

One If By Land

Il Buco

FRIENDS

The Apt - 419 W 13th St  (drinks)

The Campbell Apartment (drinks)

Saka Gura

Grand Sichuan

Savoy

Churrascaria Plataforma - especially for Bridge and Tunnel people

[Sneakeater]

Just stumbled upon this thread. Interesting distinction. Maybe worth revisiting in light of the all the new places that have sprung up since then (which is not to say that none of the places listed below existed in 2002).

DATES

Mas

Annisa

The Orchard

FRIENDS

Landmarc

Deborah

Lupa

Edited July 6, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[mikeycook]

Glad to hear all the positive comments on Annisa. We are going there for our anniversary next week and I hope to add it to this list. Otherwise...

DATES (this means my wife)

Bouley (the red room and white room are equally charming)

Alto

Babbo

La Ripaille (I proposed here)

La Petite Auberge

FRIENDS (also generally includes my wife)

Cuba

Stanton Social

Otto (friends especially love it as take out)

Bistro Les Amis

Provence

PLACES THAT SERVE BOTH PURPOSES

L'Impero

Veritas

FORMER FAVORITE DATE HAUNTS (i.e. CLOSED)

La Colombe d'Or

Sonia Rose

[Sneakeater]

I'm not sure I would take listing here as an accolade. I genuinely like Annisa, so no reflection on that. But take Mas. I have serious reservations about Mas as a restaurant. I wouldn't go there with friends. But I think it's a good place to take dates, because the room is so nice and, in a low-key way, sexy, and the food is unchallenging while also at least superficially interesting.

Meaning, I guess, that at least to me, a favorite "date" spot isn't necessarily a favorite restaurant.

[Sneakeater]

Or, for that matter, The Orchard is hardly one of my favorite restaurants. But it's a very nice, stylish but pleasant room (lowkey modern) -- with very flattering lighting. Moreover, the furnishings, although very well-thought-out, are obviously not lux. Nor is the menu. And (at least as of when I ate there shortly after it opened) they didn't have a wine list, so you could bring your own.

In other words, it's a place that's very nice, and very tasteful, but manifestly isn't very expensive. Exactly the kind of vibe you often want for a first date. But not necessarily somewhere I'd tell people to go to otherwise.

Edited July 7, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[adamru]

Small plates prevail with my friends: Thor, Otto, Bar Masa, the Bar Room at The Modern or drinks and dessert at Cafe5 in MoMA, and Shake Shack.

Dates: Cafe Gray (having read that forum I'm sure I'm the only one,) the lounge at Cafe des Artistes (same menu, almost faster and certainly friendlier service, very intimate and if your date smokes she doesn't have to leave the table,) Employees Only, and Mas is just a stumble away from Little Branch late at night.

Both purposes: Upstairs at Bouley - when you can walk right in and get a table and when he's cooking, it's special and intimate, at the same time with friends you can be loud and casual and it's cheap. And as for bookending a night out with friends or a date, Pegu Club and Room4Dessert.

Edited July 8, 2006 by adamru (log)