New Yorkers: put your money where your mouth is!

[Fat Guy]

I was hoping we could pursue a slightly new line of inquiry with respect to New York-based eGullet Society members' favorite restaurants.

- Let's rule out the neighborhood takeout and HMR (home meal replacement) places that you'd never visit again if you moved to the other end of the city.

- Let's also rule out the super-luxe special-occasion places.

- Rule out business meals, meals of necessity (compromise places near the theater, near your parents, etc.) or any meals where someone else is covering the bill so it's not your personal money at stake.

- Don't list a place unless you personally and happily pay to eat there at least every other month (five or six times in the past 12 months, minimum -- past 12 months only; for the purposes of this topic we don't want to know where you used to eat a lot).

Based on all those criteria, the following are my favorite restaurants right now:

- The Bar Room at The Modern - I think the Bar Room serves the most sophisticated food for the money anywhere, which is why I'm always happy to pay $90 or so for a light but satisfying (and always interesting) dinner for two. I think this is Danny Meyer and the Union Square Hospitality Group's greatest achievement to date (unless you want to count the Shake Shack, but at four visits it didn't make my list).

- Bread Bar at Tabla - Like the Bar Room, the Bread Bar is the "lite" version of a fancier USHG restaurant. This synergy works for me, because you get the skill of the fine restaurant's chef, a professionally managed service team, access to superior wines and cocktails and a number of other benefits you wouldn't normally get at the price point. Bread Bar's food isn't as sophisticated and subtle as what you get at the Bar Room, but it's super-flavorful and deeply satisfying. I alternate between the two places based on mood.

- New Green Bo - For me, NGB has been the most consistently terrific restaurant in Chinatown. In the last year I've added the boiled pork and leek dumplings to my rotation, and have kind of gotten tired of soup dumplings -- I guess the novelty wore off. Also love the fried pork dumplings, the scallion pancakes (best I've had), the fish fillets in wine sauce, the rice cake dishes, the weird pork with edamame and bean curd skin . . . almost any randomly selected dish is good too.

- Dumpling House on Eldridge - Fried dumplings, five for a dollar, and the unusual beef sandwich on a sesame scallion "pancake" (really a raised bread, not like the scallion pancakes you get in restaurants) for a dollar fifty. Best value in town.

- Gray's Papaya on 72nd/Broadway - Now we know they serve the same frankfurters as everyone else. Big deal. I still love the place. Second best value.

- Katz's Deli - The best pastrami, end of story. People who think otherwise don't understand pastrami.

- Wu Liang Ye on 86th - This is a questionable inclusion, because it's in my neighborhood, but I believe I'd travel for it if I lived downtown. Maybe Grand Sichuan is better for Sichuan, making Wu Liang Ye the second best Sichuan in town. But they have different strengths. I love it.

- China 46 in New Jersey - The Sunday "Shanghai-style" brunch (I don't know if they actually have brunches like this in Shanghai, but I don't care) is one of my standbys, and a great value. Every meal there is a good value, though, and you can get some really interesting stuff at dinner. Discussion ad nauseam in the NJ forum.

- S'Agapo in Astoria - Over the past few years I've done better at S'Agapo, across from the Kaufman-Astoria studios, than at any of the other Greek places in Astoria. They have the most consistently well-made, refined spreads and mezze, and they do a really solid job with broiled fish. I try other places from time to time, and occasionally have a really good meal only to return to the same place and have a bad one. S'Agapo never disappoints.

I'd like to go on and on about other restaurants I like, but I'm pretty sure the above list represents every place that satisfies my guidelines for this topic.

[Luckylies]

Okay, I'll bite:

Katz's. Oh, I get pastrami, my friend.

Oriental Garden in Chinatown. I like a good bang-for-buck porposition so- the freshest seafood for less money, cooked expertly...yeah, I eat there often.

Sushi Yasuda. Sometimes I go big on an uni and toro orgy, sometimes I go light. With such a pretty room and fluid service, I never worry that I'll leave unhappy.

Gnocco. 10 st bet ave a+b. A newer addition on my list, but it's really filling a clean simple italian void. They also have nice thin pizza, very Otto-like...without the stroller bivouac.

Jing fong. Dim Sum.

Les Halles. The only place in the city with boudain noir (no..not Bourdain noir...though with that tan he's about to join the club)

[Sneakeater]

This is a great topic.

It's a bit hard, though, because most of my "habitual" repeat dining is in connection with other things: most commonly, places that are near performing arts venues that I go to a lot, so I go to the places a lot. So, for example, is the Parker Meridien Burger Joint, which I go to a lot of the times I go to Carnegie Hall or City Center but which I genuinely like a lot, a "meal of necessity" or a repeat? I'm going to say that it's a repeat, because I genuinely look forward to it (in contrast to most of the places I go to after the 92nd St. Y, which are pure "compromises").

Blaue Gans

Grand Sichuan International (Hell's Kitchen)

Parker Meridien Burger Joint

Yakitori Totto

Perry Street

New York Noodletown

Franny's

And -- this is weird -- based on the last several months, Cafe Gray (it won't continue, I'm sure)

Edited June 23, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[Sneakeater]

Pegu Club, if cocktails count as food

[slkinsey]

Interesting idea. So, let's see:

- Landmarc: consistently good food and a great value. One of the great places to go at 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning.

- New Green Bo: I can't really add much to what Steven said, especially since I often go there with him.

- Grand Sichuan International Midtown: the best Sichuan in the City, IMO, and this is really my favorite style of Chinese cooking -- dark and full-flavored, fiery spices, not to saucy, lots of Sichuan peppercorn. I'd say it runs to outstanding around 90% of the time, and the other 10% ain't bad.

- Churrascaria Tropical in Astoria: the salad bar isn't nearly as lavish as it is at Plataforma, but the meat is as good or better. More to the point, at less than half the price of admission plus six dollar caipirinhas, it's the go-to rodizio in the City for me.

- Sripraphai: Seems like every time I go there, I am inspired to try an outstanding new dish I hadn't had before. So far above every other Thai place in the City it's ridiculous.

- Dumpling House on Eldridge: everything Steven said. It's especially fun to go there for some dirt cheap pre-cocktail dumplings before heading down the block for fifteen dollar drinks at Milk & Honey.

- Kang Suh: somehow, when I'm on Manhattan's Korean row, I find myself going back to this restaurant. The largest menu and the most reliably good execution, I think. Too bad that they don't use live coals any more, but bbq isn't actually my favorite part of Korean cooking.

- Patsy's East Harlem: there are other places (mostly Neapolitan style) I like better, but there's nothing like Patsy's for a traditional old-NYC coal-fired pizza. I go minimalist on the toppings and I go for the char. Other people have other priorities when it comes to pizza, but there's something I like about the crust at Patsy's.

- Pegu Club and Flatiron Lounge: I know these aren't restaurants (although one could make a decent meal out of Pegu's bar snack menu), but they aren't exactly regular old bars either. Considering that I go to these two places more than I do all the restaurants on my list combined, I think it makes sense to include them. Simply two of the best cocktail spots in the world.

- Noche Mexicano: this breaks Steven's rule about local places of convenience, but I believe the Mexican food here is worth some amount of traveling for -- especially the posole on weekends.

Interesting for me to note that, despite the fact that I am a major Italophile, there are no Italian restaurants on my list. I guess I haven't been able to find any affordable Italian restaurant that I feel is worth a regular trip. This may have to do with the fact that it's difficult to find an affordable Italian restaurant that can do substantially better than I do myself at home.

[slkinsey]

Les Halles. The only place in the city with boudain noir (no..not Bourdain noir...though with that tan he's about to join the club)

Landmarc has had blood sausage on the menu (served with sauteed apples and frites) since the day they opened.

[Fat Guy]

It's really good to see some of my 3x-4x places on these lists -- Yasuda (an excellent value at lunchtime), Parker Meridien Burger Joint, Sripraphai, Patsy's -- because I felt bad that my rules prevented me from listing them. Now I feel much better -- the experiment is working.

[Nina C.]

I suspect that my budget for "regular" places is slightly different than many of yours, but nonetheless, I'll bite.

Dumont in Williamsburg - This used to be our regular neighborhood place, before we moved. And yet, I still keep going back to it. The atmosphere is cozy while still seeming fresh, the food excellent, and the price decent. I usually bypass the much-lauded burgers and mac n' cheese for the nightly pasta specials which are buttery, brothy, and richly satisfying.

Crif Dogs - grilled dogs, amazing toppings, Ms. Pacman while you wait.

Grand Sichuan - ditto to what was said above. Simply no comparison.

Dumpling House on Eldridge - ditto again

I'm a big fan of the 'ino, 'inoteca spots - great for meeting a friend. You can be assured there'll be something tasty and affordable on the menu without seeming like you've chosen a "cheap" spot. And they have good wines by the glass, although I'm hardly a wine connoisseur.

Ici in Brooklyn is relatively convenient to me but I think I'd go there anyway for brunch, and the grits with poached eggs and truffled sauce.

Edited June 23, 2006 by Nina C. (log)

[rich]

Landmarc

Sapori d'Ischia

S'agapo

Parkside

Red Garlic

Henry's End

Chinatown Brassiere - only been there twice, but it's only open three weeks, will keep returning

Mesa Grill

[Pan]

Grand Sichuan. I usually eat at or have takeout or delivery from my local branch at St. Marks, but if there were no issue of convenience, I'd surely go to the Hell's Kitchen branch at least once every two months, I think - unless I were close enough to Flushing to go to Spicy & Tasty about as easily.

Congee Village. It's close enough to be a standby Cantonese for me, but as it's my favorite Cantonese restaurant in the city, I'd be a regular even if it were inconvenient for me to get there.

Greater New York Noodle Town, or whatever they're calling it now (I can never remember). My favorite Hong Kong-style diner, and open late.

Yeah Shanghai, my favorite Shanghainese restaurant in New York.

Seoul Garden, possibly my favorite Korean restaurant in Manhattan. I was there again yesterday, to share some sulong tang and naeng myun with a friend.

Han Bat, a great Korean diner and one of the very best values in New York.

Katz's.

If I were closer to Flushing, though, I'd be going to Woo Chon on Kissena Blvd. and various types of Chinese restaurants there and might not see a need to go in to Manhattan's Chinatown or Little Korea, so there is at least _some_ convenience factor involved.

[Sneakeater]

Looking over my list (given its post-operative condition, I can't currently contemplate my navel, so I have to do something), I'm somewhat surprised to see Perry Street. I generally go to shiny new places a few times and then abandon them for newer shiny places. But for some reason Perry Street has stayed in rotation over the course of a year or so. I think it's because the ambiance is so comfortable, and the food is so very good but so easy to process (by which I'm not talking about its digestability).

[Sneakeater]

I've been thinking about it, and I feel I also have to mention Al Di La. It's local for me, but it's far more than mere HMR. It was my wife's and my regular spot. We went all the time. I haven't gone recently only because I haven't been able to bring myself to return since my wife died last year. But if that didn't happen, I'm sure it would have continued to fulfill Fat Guy's criteria for inclusion here.

Edited June 23, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[Moopheus]

By those criteria, I think in recent months that only leaves for me the Kwik Meal cart at the corner of 45th & 6th ave. Good falafel.

[Todd36]

Barney Greenglass about once a month for brunch.

Chop't and The Pump near Union Square several times a week combined for lunch.

Shake Shack for lunch (I work across the street).

Uishiwakamaru for Sushi about once a month.

Sugiyama about six times a year.

The French Diner on Orchard at least once a month.

Fake Orchid on east 9th about once a month.

Bouley Bakery upstairs about once a month.

Hummas Place on St. Marks about once a month.

All State Cafe on West 72.

I also have 2-3 high end dinners a month.

I'm also in Koreatown at least once a month, Seoul Garden is good for tofu, not sure it's that strong for other items, a friend likes the tofu.....

Oriental Garden for dim sum and dinner.

Edited June 23, 2006 by Todd36 (log)

[emsny]

Perry Street - admittedly pricey vis-a-vis most other places in this survey (why does one feel the need to stipulate this?), but not what I'd call a special-occasion restaurant. It has the comfortable feel of a neighborhood restaurant (not OUR neighborhood, though - if it were, we'd probably go more often than once every couple of months), and it fills the need for excellent, elegant - and satisfying - food in a handsome environment where one doesn't feel rushed.

The few other places we used to go regularly have either closed or changed beyond recognition. That could be another interesting topic, actually, if Fat Guy feels like starting it: once-loved restaurants that have fallen from favor, and why.

[Fat Guy]

I hereby grant emsny permission to start that topic!

[Daniel]

Yakatori Totto, is one place I have been to 5 times in the last 3 months... Grand Sichuan satisfies Fat Guy's criteria.. Other then that, I am a hopper.. There are too many places I want to try to just repeat. I use to go to Onera a lot, but not since chef left.. I use to go to Celeste a lot, but have gotten really bored of its repetition and went as often as I did based on it being a block from my apartment.

When I lived in the 40's a year and a half ago.. I would go to Saka Gura, the Palm, Zarella's, Bellini's and Douglas Rodriguez's old restauarant which closed, weekly.. I would either order from Chin Chin or Grand Sichuan for Chinese Food.. Or go to the dumpling spot on 50th.. And even though I loved all these places, I havent been to any of them since I moved over a year ago..

[Dryden]

Congee Village

Honmura An

Pasha

Craftbar

Suenos

Shake Shack

Burger Joint

Monsoon

En Japanese Brasserie

[flinflon28]

We go to The Spotted Pig about once a month. Always on the weekend but usually on Sunday either early..like 5:30 or late Sunday like midnite. Never a wait!

[H. du Bois]

By those criteria, I think in recent months that only leaves for me the Kwik Meal cart at the corner of 45th & 6th ave. Good falafel.

I hear you. (If that's the same falafel cart I go to at 45th & 6th, it's about the best falafel in town).

Geez, you'd better retitle this thread "New Yorkers With Money." Between my present budgetary constraints and the criteria above, I'm ineligible to comment.

[Nathan]

Momofuku

Grand Sichuan

Bar Room at the Modern

Otto

Balthazar

I do hit Room4Dessert, Pegu Club et al on a regular basis but that's for drinking so I'm not counting it.

edit: I'm not sure that Balthazar counts...I don't know if I'd really travel for it..I just live a couple blocks away so its convenient...

Edited June 23, 2006 by Nathan (log)

[achevres]

Bravo bravo Fat Guy for this great topic. I go to New York about twice a year, and no matter what else I do, eating well is the main activity. I trust egulleteers' opinions the most. This is a most welcome thread!

[tommy]

Blue Smoke for the burger

Wu Liang Ye for everything

Otto not necessarily for the pizza

Goodburger

Random street vendors for chicken/lamb and lettuce

Pampano Taqueria

Naples 45 for the pizza

[Artichoke]

Landmarc, 179 W. Broadway - Top of my list. Great offering of offal, crispy sweetbreads, boudin noir and in my opinion the best calf's liver in the City. Braised toungue has just been added to the menu, I am eager to try that. Starters of roasted bone marrow and foie gras terrine are not to be missed. A wine list with minimum mark ups and the late hour of service (open until 2:00 AM) just add to its greatness.

Casa Mono, 52 Irving Place - My favorite of the Batali/Bastianich partnership. Food is uncomplicated, bold and so good. Another restaurant offering a good selection of offal, fried sweetbreads, tripe with chickpeas and moricella. Sit at counter surrounding the kitchen (you will smell like the kitchen when you leave) and watch Andy Nusser's team work. One of only restaurants in Manhattan where I have seen lamb riblets offered, these are delicious, Great fried sardines, cocks combs, duck egg with Mojama, lambs tongue, a fantastic venison with lentils and any vegetables cooked on the plancha, particularly the artichokes. In addition, it has the greatest Spanish wine list in Manhattan. Go around the corner to Bar Jamon to drink and nibble while waiting for a table.

Woo Chon, 8-10 W. 36th St. - People sometimes knock this Korean for its use of gas in its grills, but you would be missing out if you skipped it for that. The food is fantastic, overseen by the older Korean woman who is always there despite the hour and whose recipes make up the menu. A large selection of ban chan, a fantastic spicy soup containing short ribs, tripe, and intstines, a great dish whose name escapes me, but is the only item with no explanation, is listed under the appetizers,it is cartlidge from the knees of a cow that have been slowly simmered for hours and hours untill wondefully tender and gelatinous, served with a tangle of herbs and a dipping sauce, or a small bowl of beef broth.

Saka Gura, 211 E. 43rd - A great subterranean escape, with a large Japanese expat crowd and a huge sake list. The braised cubes of tongue are one of theh best items on the menu..

Bar @ Etats-Unis, 247 E. 81st - This cheats a bit because it is two blocks from my apartment, but I would travel here if I moved. This tiny space has some of the best food on the Upper East side. An eclectic menu, great fondue, burger, fantastic guacamole (the guy who makes it is from Puebla), delicious grilled duck over braised red cabage, a large wine list and, in my opinion one of the City's least known and best desserts, a warm date pudding, sitting over a rum butter sauce (must be ordered when placing the dinner order).

Wu Liang Ye, 36 W. 48th - Shaved beef tendons, Dan Dan noodles, beef brisket in noodle soup, string beans with Yibin City spice, its all good.

Margon, 136 W. 46th - A bare bones spot with some of the best Cuban food the City has to offer and dirt cheap. Their Octopus salad is one of my all time favorite octopus preperations, go on Monday or Thursday for the tripe and pigs feet special, or Mon., Thurs. Fri. for the oxtail special, great rice and beans and be sure to grab a cuban coffee on the way out.

Barney Greengrass,541 Amsterdam Ave - The only place that will get this East sider to West Side early on a Sunday morning. The kind of place where despite being born and raised here, makes you sit back and appreciate where you live. Smoked sturgeon, white fish, nova, lox eggs and onions, it is the Garden of Eden of smoked fish.

[Moopheus]

(If that's the same falafel cart I go to at 45th & 6th, it's about the best falafel in town).

←

Probably--there's another cart on the opposite corner, but it isn't nearly as good.

Also, I tell a lie--I must also count the Chocolate Room on 5th Ave. in Brooklyn. It's local for us, but worth going out of your way for.