Need some help...

[shinyboots]

Howdy NY EGulleters. This is my first time on your board, and I must say it is way hardcore (in a good way).

My family and I are visiting NYC this Thursday and don't want to be stuck with all the other tourists. So to you I beckon for help in wading through all of the restaurants/delis/cafes available.

Some Details....

What: American Cuisine preferable. Not too expensive (two siblings under 12 yrs. old who aren't looking for dining transcendence) and maybe something that has a NY-style or personality. Knock-out Sandwiches would be ok, as would a truly killa slice of pie (and I mean mad good). I was also thinking Babbo wouldn't be a bad idea - that's about as much as we would like to spend per person this time around. Oh, What about Eli Zabar places or Carnegie Deli (touristy I know)?

Where: In the morn we will be visiting MOMA. We could eat around there but it's not necessary. If there's a neato bakery or cafe around let me know.

From there we will either be heading to Central Park area or SOHO. Choices around either would be fantastic.

Well, that's all. Sorry if I'm being to picky.

Thanks for your help NY!

[Busboy]

There's a hip new cafe at MoMA that might be worth dropping into, but when my wife and I dropped in at 11:30 AM for a couple of small plates and a glass of wine it was filling up fast. It's also kind of the polar opposite of a good sandwich place: small, tasty, well-presented and expensive portions of alarmigly hip food: raw char, potatoes with tongue, etc.

I like the 2nd Avenue Deli on 2nd and 9th in the Village, in part because I loathe Midtown, but on one trip to NYC I ate a Carnegie Pastrami sandwich (A "pistol")every night for four days.

You can always take the youngsters for a pizza. I like Lombardi's, but the locals on this board maintain that the place has gone downhill. Detailed discussion here. A fun tourist thing to do is to walk across the Brookly Bridge and get a pie at Grimaldi's.

Babbo is likely booked, but they do hold tables for walk-ins. If you show up unfashionably early (like, when they open) you may be able to score one. The wife and I got a table before we'd finished our first glass of wine at the bar when we walked in.

(Waiting for Pan, Soba, Bux and Sam to make fun of my provincial tastes...)

Edited March 21, 2005 by Busboy (log)

[SobaAddict70]

I'm not the joking type.

My perennial New York favorite, Hearth,

along with Craftbar and Prune are a few additional choices.

Landmarc and Lupa have the benefit of being in or near SoHo. And of course, there is always Otto.

Soba

[Pan]

Some Details....

What: American Cuisine preferable. Not too expensive (two siblings under 12 yrs. old who aren't looking for dining transcendence) and maybe something that has a NY-style or personality.

←

Am I right in figuring that Babbo is your standard for "not too expensive"? Give us some figures to deal with. If Babbo prices are OK, look into the Danny Meyer restaurants for American cuisine.

Knock-out Sandwiches would be ok, as would a truly killa slice of pie (and I mean mad good).

←

Have you looked here yet? "THE BEST" of New York threads

Fourth-to-last line of links in that thread:

NYC Pizza Favorites, The best? (See also the NYC Pizza Survey)

Click on NYC Pizza Survey and NYC Pizza Favorites. Then decide what appeals to you. Note that there are great pictures of pizza in the NYC Pizza Survey thread.

I was also thinking Babbo wouldn't be a bad idea

←

Reservations are hard to come by. If you can't get into Babbo, consider Lupa. If you can't get into either, consider some non-Batali Italian restaurants like L'Impero.

Oh, What about[...]Carnegie Deli (touristy I know)?

←

Go to Katz's. That's touristy, too, but so what? Touristy and great aren't always mutually exclusive. Get a pastrami on rye, don't ask for mayo (mustard is traditional if you like it; I have it plain), and don't forget to tip your counterman at least $1 per sandwich (unless you sit where there's waiter service). You can get half-sandwiches, too. Don't go on a weekend if you can help it; it'll be less crowded on weekdays.

Where: In the morn we will be visiting MOMA. We could eat around there but it's not necessary.

←

The big buzz lately has been the early days of The Modern at MOMA. That's probably more than you want to spend, but it's getting rave reviews from eGullet members.

If there's a neato bakery or cafe around let me know.

←

If you want to save money, walk west to 9th Av. Lots of good values around there.

From there we will either be heading to Central Park area or SOHO. Choices around either would be fantastic.

Well, that's all. Sorry if I'm being to picky.

[...]

←

Au contraire, you're not giving us enough information! There are loads of restaurants near Central Park and in Soho. In particular, Central Park is a big place! Which part of the park do you plan on being near?

[Bux]

There's a hip new cafe at MoMA that might be worth dropping into, but when my wife and I dropped in at 11:30 AM for a couple of small plates and a glass of wine it was filling up fast.  It's also kind of the polar opposite of a good sandwich place: small, tasty, well-presented and expensive portions of alarmigly hip food: raw char, potatoes with tongue, etc.

I like the 2nd Avenue Deli on 2nd and 9th in the Village, in part because I loathe Midtown, but on one trip to NYC I ate a Carnegie Pastrami sandwich (A "pistol")every night for four days.

You can always take the youngsters for a pizza.  I like Lombardi's, but the locals on this board maintain that the place has gone downhill.  Detailed discussion here.  A fun tourist thing to do is to walk across the Brookly Bridge and get a pie at Grimaldi's. 

Babbo is likely booked, but they do hold tables for walk-ins.  If you show up unfashionably early (like, when they open) you may be able to score one.  The wife and I got a table before we'd finished our first glass of wine at the bar when we walked in. 

(Waiting for Pan, Soba, Bux and Sam to make fun of my provincial tastes...)

←

Too hard to resist.

Even for NY, Babbo isn't particularly a budget place. I think Lombardi's is, at best, very uneven, but I don't have a great convenient pizza place to suggest and I'm far too provincial to cross a bridge for pizza.

For good old NY "kosher style" delicatessen, I'd nominate 2nd Avenue Deli or Katz's over the midtown delis. Katz's is about as big a tourist destination as you'll find in NY outside of the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building, but my accountant has his office in the Empire State Building and I'm not above having a pastrami sandwich at Katz's although I have to be in the neigborhood first. It's rarely worth the trip on it's own for me. From MoMA, Katz's is a short walk from an F train station. The F train stops across the street from the museum. From Katz's it's a long walk to SoHo. I don't think of it as an especially interesting walk although it has its socialogical aspects. The Lower East Side has been home to waves of immigrants. The latest wave seems to be college grads from the midwest. In SoHo, Balthazar makes a mean hamburger and great French fries. It's not as imtimidating to a twelve year old as "pseudo Parisien brasserie" might sound. Then again, you'd have to be willing to eat very early or very late to even think of getting a reservation.

I don't even know if you are looking for lunch or dinner.

MoMA is not exactly in the low rent district.

[Pan]

I would disagree that Katz's is a long walk from SoHo. But I guess that's a matter of perspective. It would probably take me about 15 minutes to walk from Ludlow and Houston to Broadway and Prince.

[porkpa]

Does Katz really allow you to order a half sandwich? If so, that would be great. More often than not I will go to 2nd Avenue Deli over Katz, just because I can order their soup and half sandwich special. I hate to waste food. I find that half a humongous sandwich is quite enough.

Porkpa

[robyn]

I don't think of the Zabar places (Zabar's - Vinegar Factory) as particularly touristy because they're basically grocery stores. If it's a nice day - you might consider doing "take-out" and having a picnic in the park. Note that this will not necessarily be cheaper than eating in a restaurant . Robyn

[shinyboots]

Ooh sorry about the lack of details!

We're looking for lunch. Actually, we've decided on going for lighter fare. So Babbo is out. We still would be ok with a big sandwich or slice though.

Here some of our checkmarked spots

Popover Cafe

Chelsea Market (can you sit-down eat here)

Serendipity

Opinions????

Also, where are the best/nearest Chocolate Bars and Bakeries (Parisienne or not). We can always take the subway... Oh, and we may not be in SoHo anymore. We would like to find a hip shopping district though (not necessarily "name" brand stuff, but stores that are chic but don't require that you go broke upon exiting).

[Pan]

Does Katz really allow you to order a half sandwich?[...]

←

Yes, they really do, if you clearly ask for it. With or without a bowl of soup (the split pea soup is pretty good and I prefer it to the matzo ball soup, which isn't bad, either).

[shinyboots]

Also, could use some recommendations for cafe/bakery/patissier around MOMA for a quickie breakfast or a pastry to goggle over...

[Bux]

Also, could use some recommendations for cafe/bakery/patissier around MOMA for a quickie breakfast or a pastry to goggle over...

←

If Seventh Avenue and 58th Street are close enough, Petrossian Boutique. Their web page. It's too far from where I eat breakfast to pop in for a pastry, but I used to hear very good things about their croissants and viennoiseries