"Tried and true" restaurants

[R Washburn]

Arturo's (coal oven pizza)

El Malecon (175th st. location)

Shun Lee West

After that I am stumped. Most of the "unheralded" places I can think of have been inconsistent.

[Luckylies]

aww,, just heard shun lee was going to the dogs. I'm defining tried and true as "I know it will be good, I'm not concerned I'll ever have a 'bad' dining experiance"

how 'bout:

Grammercy tavern

March

Bar pitti/ da silvano

Canton

Corner bistro

joe's pizza (even the one not on the corner)

pearl

hasaki

la taza de oro

el castilo de jaguar

and more...

[Pumpkin Lover]

For the past 5 years, it's been:

Nyonya (Pan will disagree, I think)

Soba-ya

Saint's Alp Teahouse

Max SoHa

Just as people like Starbucks for its consistency, I like settling down at one of these places for a comforting meal, or snack, or bubble tea. I need to get to these places again soon!

[R Washburn]

aww,, just heard shun lee was going to the dogs. I'm defining tried and true as "I know it will be good, I'm not concerned I'll ever have a 'bad' dining experiance"

I think Shun Lee had a major turnover in its kitchen a few months back, but the last meal I had in the Cafe was back to the old standard.

[Luckylies]

aww,, just heard shun lee was going to the dogs. I'm defining tried and true as "I know it will be good, I'm not concerned I'll ever have a 'bad' dining experiance"

I think Shun Lee had a major turnover in its kitchen a few months back, but the last meal I had in the Cafe was back to the old standard.

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phew, shun lee has always been my not-chinatown- favorite upscale- chinese spot. here are a few more that still chug along as fine food in my mind.

Ouest ( I know it's newish but always good..if not a bit salty sometimes)

the octopus ball place on 9th st (sukiyaki?)

chanterelle

le zinc I cant stress how solid le zinc is..even breakfast is good.

plum on houston

el cid

joe juniors...the burger is one of the best..

Marquet patisserie

blue ribbon bakery

il buco

il mulino..still good in my book.

katz's

[Dryden]

Nobu never dissappoints.

Also, one cannot mention tried and true without mentioning Tavern on the Green.  Tastes in cuisine may change, but the Tavern is always consistant.

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Consistently inedible?

[Dryden]

Victor's Cuban, while not outstanding, has been a consistenly good place, both in its former upper west side incarnation and now in the 50's. It's been around at least since the late '70s.

[mikeyrad]

My favorite tried and true is Etats Unis, although I have no idea how long it's been around.

[jaquavella]

The website for Gotham Bar and Grill says (on this page) that Chef Alfred Portale has earned three stars in four consecutive NYT reviews (1985, 1989, 1993, 1996). According to the website, no other chef has done that. If so, Gotham would certainly meet the criterion for sustained long-term excellence.

Another example would be Peter Luger, which has been widely regarded as the city's best steakhouse for decades.

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Those both strike me as excellent examples of tried-and-true restaurants, and Gotham has the additional distinction of being neglected by the press. Some of the tried-and-true places manage to get on various informal media short lists and get plenty of coverage: Peter Luger, Katz's, Papaya King. Meanwhile, you have places like Gotham that have to fight hard against far inferior places for coverage. Picholine is another example of a restaurant in this category: excellent food year-in-year-out, but mostly relegated to lists of "top 10 cheese carts" and "top 10 places to eat before Lincoln Center."

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Gotham has been a favorite for years. Last visited a few weeks ago, top notch. Unlike many of the newer chefs, Alfred attends to buisness in the kitchen and keeps his consulting to a minimum. I understand he spends one day per week in Philalphia.

[Pan]

Luckylies, I'm inclined to disagree with you on Canton. At one point, I thought it might have been the best Chinese restaurant in Manhattan, but in about three years, my meals went from great to good to mediocre, which is disappointing at the prices they charge (higher than most any other restaurant in Chinatown, it seemed to me). But those were just three meals, and the last one was a few years ago (after which the restaurant seemed to be closed for a while), so maybe it's good again.

[Luckylies]

I've only been to Canton five or six times over the years, it's always been very good. I must admit I always allow the owner (thant nice woman) to order for me (the exception being that it's soft shell crab season, then I make demands.) anyhow, I may not be fantastic, and it certainly is expensive (for chinatown, or my budget) but it's been quite good for me...perhaps must inspect this weekend.

oh, I now love Oriental Garden (though I'm sure this comes as no big news to anybody the things I've eaten (though not really off the beaten path) were excellent. spriiiing roooooolllllllllll....

anybody have a tried and true korean spot?

[Pan]

Tried and true Korean? Well, I've probably been going to Kang Suh long enough for them to qualify.

[Luckylies]

is that the place with the piano and the waterfall?

[Pan]

No. You're thinking of Kum Gang San. Kang Suh is on the south side of 32 St., near Broadway. Kum Gang San is on the north side of 32 St.

[Suzanne F]

Canton: I have a feeling that it's under new ownership. Because I remember that it was, in fact, closed for a while, but is open definitely again. Eileen has to be well into her 80s by now (iirc, she might be the former mother-in-law of my mother's childhood friend Sy Snider's daughter Amy or Jenny, and both of them are a little older than me. Amy/Jenny, I mean; my mother would be 88 and Sy maybe over 90, if they were alive.)

But speaking of tried-and-true in Chinatown, I have always had consistently good food at Great New York Noodletown. Not everyone I know has, but I have. YMMV. And I agree with Bux about Dim Sum Go Go, too.

[Pan]

I agree on New York Noodletown. They may not be quite as good as before on some dishes, but they're still reliable and good, in my opinion.

[rstarobi]

No. You're thinking of Kum Gang San. Kang Suh is on the south side of 32 St., near Broadway. Kum Gang San is on the north side of 32 St.

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Do you know if the Kang Suh in Yonkers is the same ownership as the one in midtown?

Edited - Yonkers, not White Plains

Edited January 13, 2005 by rstarobi (log)

[Pan]

No, I don't know, but it sounds likely.

[rich]

Here are five that fit most of the criteria. Listed in no particular order, I would gladly visit one every night of the week. And since all serve a different type and style of cuisine, the palate would never tire.

Mesa Grill - flies under the radar unlike its owner, and has served top quality, consistent food for years.

Parkside - the best kept secret in NYC. For more years than I care to remember, the best (without question) Italian in the city. Outstanding value for both food and wine. Serves the best poultry dish in captivity - Chicken Provencal. I think it's $15.

Henry's End - for more than 25 years this Brooklyn eatery has dished up some of the best game and fish selections the city has to offer. Rarely gets noticed, yet is packed night after night.

Tasting Room - Should fly with the best, but doesn't get the notices others of lesser quality attract. Pound for the pound one of the the top five wine lists in the city. It's impossible to have a bad meal.

Chanterelle - the most exquisite dining room Manhattan has to offer. Doesn't get the press that most of the other big boys do, but serves better, more consistent food. Should be four stars (if you believe in that kind of thing). The only restaurant that outperforms Per Se or ADNY course after course; and their menu choices change more often.

Edited January 13, 2005 by rich (log)

[emmapeel]

My list of consistently good restaurants are (some are not 10 years old):

Shun Lee West, Japonica, Shelly's, Brasserie 8 1/2, Blue Ribbon and Blue Ribbon Bakery, Cafe des Artistes, Gotham Bar and Grill and Uncle Nick's on 9th Avenue.

I have not been to Shun Lee since they started construction across the street, so it has been a few years. The reason? I worry that when there is a huge construction project such as the one on Broadway and 65th, the rats go looking for a home and Shun Lee's was the perfect place. So now the building is open, I'll return in a few months.

Edited February 22, 2005 by emmapeel (log)

[David Lerner]

Parkside - the best kept secret in NYC. For more years than I care to remember, the best (without question) Italian in the city. Outstanding value for both food and wine. Serves the best poultry dish in captivity - Chicken Provencal. I think it's $15.

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Where is Parkside? Not in Zagat.

[Pan]

David, Zagat isn't a complete listing of restaurants. Result for search on "Parkside" in Brooklyn, NY on www.superpages.com, with "Food" clicked on in the "Narrow Your Results" menu on the left side of the results page:

Parkside Restaurants

355 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11238

(718) 636-1190

And here are some Manhattan (New York, NY) results for restaurants named "Parkside," but I don't think these are relevant.

[R Washburn]

have not been to Shun Lee since they started construction across the street, so it has been a few years.  The reason?  I worry that when there is a huge construction project such as the one on Broadway and 65th, the rats go looking for a home and Shun Lee's was the perfect place.      So now the building is open,  I'll return in a few months.

My father lives in a building adjacent to Shun Lee and I haven't noticed any increase in the number of vermin on the block. Shun Lee is pretty much the same as it ever was, and I have eaten their through out the renovations of the Mormon temple and the big construction project across the street.

[rich]

Parkside - the best kept secret in NYC. For more years than I care to remember, the best (without question) Italian in the city. Outstanding value for both food and wine. Serves the best poultry dish in captivity - Chicken Provencal. I think it's $15.

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Where is Parkside? Not in Zagat.

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Actually the Parkside I'm referring to is in Corona, Queens. It's spelled as two words in the latest edition of Zagat - page 168 of the 2005 NYC guide. Great southern-style Italian and they don't use butter in their "Sunday Gravy!" Sorry, couldn't resist.

[emmapeel]

have not been to Shun Lee since they started construction across the street, so it has been a few years.  The reason?  I worry that when there is a huge construction project such as the one on Broadway and 65th, the rats go looking for a home and Shun Lee's was the perfect place.      So now the building is open,  I'll return in a few months.

My father lives in a building adjacent to Shun Lee and I haven't noticed any increase in the number of vermin on the block. Shun Lee is pretty much the same as it ever was, and I have eaten their through out the renovations of the Mormon temple and the big construction project across the street.

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Thanks,

You've restored my confidence. I can't wait to go because I simply love the place.