38th Birthday Recommendations

[jim07044]

Looking for recommendations for great food and a great scene (beautiful people, live DJ or good vibe background music) to celebrate a memorable 38th birthday in NYC with the wife on a Thursday night in March. Extra points for skyline view/outdoor access, celebrity chef, and celebrity clientele.

Edited February 26, 2007 by jim07044 (log)

[Nathan]

budget? (including wine, tax and tip?)

[Gastro888]

Tao?

[Nathan]

never, never, never should anyone go to Tao.

no NY'ers and no celebs...ergo, no scene beyond tourists and B&T.

the OP said he wanted celebs and a scene.

Spotted Pig might be the best bet...albeit, the odds of a celeb sighting on a Thursday night is rather spotty (the later you go the better of course....midnight is actually a good time to bump into celebs eating dinner)

Edited February 26, 2007 by Nathan (log)

[Megan Blocker]

Looking for recommendations for great food and a great scene (beautiful people, live DJ or good vibe background music) to celebrate a memorable 38th birthday in NYC with the wife on a Thursday night in March. Extra points for skyline view/outdoor access, celebrity chef, and celebrity clientele.

←

Nobu?

Depending on what kind of celeb you mean (old-school New York, or Hollywood), the new Le Cirque?

I second Nathan's Spotted Pig rec for celeb-spotting, but am not sure it meets your other glamour requirements, being, essentially, a gastropub.

[Gastro888]

never, never, never should anyone go to Tao.

no NY'ers and no celebs...ergo, no scene beyond tourists and B&T.

the OP said he wanted celebs and a scene.

Spotted Pig might be the best bet...albeit, the odds of a celeb sighting on a Thursday night is rather spotty  (the later you go the better of course....midnight is actually a good time to bump into celebs eating dinner)

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(There's nothing wrong with B&T. We were all B&T at one point.)

I've never been to Tao, I've only hear from those who went that the scene is hip. (Then again, everyone has their own definition of hip). My coworker told me that Buddha Bar has a DJ that spins some good tunes. As for food there, I trailed there one night and was not impressed in the least.

Nobu? Do celebs still go there?

[Shellygirl]

Believe it or not, Thursday night is Celeb night at Nobu 57. Went there over the summer and was inundated. I was later told that Thursday is sushi day for the rich and famous. Not sure if that fad has changed since the summer, but I suppose its worth a shot!

[Megan Blocker]

never, never, never should anyone go to Tao.

no NY'ers and no celebs...ergo, no scene beyond tourists and B&T.

the OP said he wanted celebs and a scene.

Spotted Pig might be the best bet...albeit, the odds of a celeb sighting on a Thursday night is rather spotty  (the later you go the better of course....midnight is actually a good time to bump into celebs eating dinner)

←

(There's nothing wrong with B&T. We were all B&T at one point.)

I've never been to Tao, I've only hear from those who went that the scene is hip. (Then again, everyone has their own definition of hip). My coworker told me that Buddha Bar has a DJ that spins some good tunes. As for food there, I trailed there one night and was not impressed in the least.

Nobu? Do celebs still go there?

←

Um, I think so. Though I rarely do, so I could be mistaken. They definitely don't go to Tao anymore. Tao to me seems like a midtown watering hole more than anything else.

Re: B&T...in my mind, it's a style, not really where you come from. There are plenty of people who live in Manhattan who fit the B&T mold and plenty from elsewhere that don't. That said, it's not an altogether unhelpful adjective. We all seem to have a good grasp of what it means in terms of scene...

What about Mr. Chow's? Or even Elio's? Again, I'm wondering what kind of celebs qualify here...I see NY media types in there all the time (Barbara Walters was sitting in the window just the other night), but not younger celebs...

Jim, as Nathan points out upthread, we need some more guidance!

ETA: Maybe Buddakan? Don't know about celebs, but the overall vibe may be what's wanted...

Edited February 26, 2007 by Megan Blocker (log)

[jim07044]

Jim, as Nathan points out upthread, we need some more guidance!

I'm tempted to say MNO, but I went to Alain Ducasse last year (for someone else's birthday) and that was a little over the top for me. I've also been to Blue Hill at Stone Barns for a wonderful experience. The view from the Mandarin Hotel bar is impressive. At the other end of the spectrum, no Blue Smoke or casual joints either.

I just read Alan Richman's review of the Spotted Pig (Oct ’06) and it sounds too cramped for space for my tastes. Still, who shows up there and when? I like eating dinner at 8:00 instead of midnight.

Descriptions of Mr. Chow (W. 57th St location) indicate its high status in the ’80s ... what is it like today? I read that many migrated to Philippe?

Buddakan looks and sounds good. How's the food? How's the scene these days?

The menu at Buddha Bar doesn't excite me, looks more like a great place for drinks and apps.

What about The Post House? Pastis? L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon? The Little Owl?

[GordonCooks]

Celebrity Chef, Celebrity View, Celebrity Diners, .....pick 2

[Shellygirl]

If you're not into cramped spaces, definitely knock little owl off your list.

[Nathan]

Jim, as Nathan points out upthread, we need some more guidance!

I'm tempted to say MNO, but I went to Alain Ducasse last year (for someone else's birthday) and that was a little over the top for me. I've also been to Blue Hill at Stone Barns for a wonderful experience. The view from the Mandarin Hotel bar is impressive. At the other end of the spectrum, no Blue Smoke or casual joints either.

I just read Alan Richman's review of the Spotted Pig (Oct ’06) and it sounds too cramped for space for my tastes. Still, who shows up there and when? I like eating dinner at 8:00 instead of midnight.

Descriptions of Mr. Chow (W. 57th St location) indicate its high status in the ’80s ... what is it like today? I read that many migrated to Philippe?

Buddakan looks and sounds good. How's the food? How's the scene these days?

The menu at Buddha Bar doesn't excite me, looks more like a great place for drinks and apps.

What about The Post House? Pastis? L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon? The Little Owl?

←

Spotted Pig gets some A-list...but almost never at 8 on a Thursday night.

Perry Street has a very high celeb quotient...true A-list (think Bruce Willis almost every week, literally). But not a scene. Excellent food.

Pastis, Mr. Chow, etc...are all passe...especially on the weekends.

Little Owl has a celeb quotient.

Waverly Inn, of course, has the highest single celeb concentration.

look, your goals are fundamentally opposed to each other.

except for the very beginning of a restaurant...when publicists and celebs are acting in a symbiotic relationship....celebs and "scenes" don't go hand-in-hand (leaving aside rappers and athletes). celebs want to avoid people who are looking to see celebs. which is why Thursday night (being part of the weekend)...is a bad night to see them.

NY celebs venture out most to low-key neighborhood restaurants (especially the WV) and on weekday evenings (often quite late). eat at Lupa on Sunday night and you might see the entire cast of Crossing Jordan...that sort of thing...

[Gastro888]

never, never, never should anyone go to Tao.

...

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...There's nothing wrong with B&T. We were all B&T at one point.)...

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...Re: B&T...in my mind, it's a style, not really where you come from. There are plenty of people who live in Manhattan who fit the B&T mold and plenty from elsewhere that don't. That said, it's not an altogether unhelpful adjective. We all seem to have a good grasp of what it means in terms of scene... ...

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Gotcha. Thanks for the clarification.

re: Buddha Bar. Go for a drink and maybe an app but that's about it. Even the apps are questionable. They're nothing more than gussied up Republic food. I think you'd have better luck seeing someone at Pastis. I saw Chris Klein there having brunch one day last year. Didn't do anything to improve my brunch, tho.

[Nathan]

brunch at Pastis actually gets people from the neighborhood...unlike dinner.

I liked Buddha Bar more than Morimoto..but that's not saying much.

[Pan]

I wasn't sure what to say, because I didn't notice good food as one of the criteria for picking the place. Also, some of us were never B&Ters. I may not be "cool," but I'm a native Manhattanite who's never been impressed by empty hype.

[jim07044]

I wasn't sure what to say, because I didn't notice good food as one of the criteria for picking the place.

The original post was "Looking for recommendations for great food and a great scene" ...

I don't think the two criteria have to be mutually exclusive. The scene I am seeking is a place to party, to celebrate, with DJ music and good food. Think The Forge in NYC.

And as to the B&T references, that is so old. NYC is a great city, no doubt, but the planet is full of great cities and towns with all kinds of unique and special dining experiences. Watch one of Tony Bourdain's shows and plan a long weekend getaway vacation someday.

[Pan]

I'm not familiar with Miami Beach, but I wonder if the two really AREN'T mutually exclusive in New York. I think the reason why I buried the mention of "great food" in my mind is that it didn't seem to me to be congruent with the rest of your criteria -- particularly if you add all of them together. I also don't think that great dining outside of New York is relevant to the mention of B&Ters and how they behave in New York. Different situation, and in many cases, different people. And by the way, there's an organization I'm part of that is based on a commonality other than food, and it seems to be full of B&Ters (from Connecticut, New Jersey, Long Island, Westchester, and indeed out of the area) whose idea of a great time in New York is to go for expensive (not necessarily good) cocktails and expensive, mediocre bar food at some hyped-up place. (One time, we scored with Chinatown Brasserie, but I was among the few who made sure to get several orders of dumplings and really cared that the food and cocktails were great.) I suspect that's a very common attitude toward a "night on the town in New York" among people who -- unlike most of the membership of eGullet -- are not connoisseurs of food or drink. If you do in fact find a place that fulfills everything on your wish list and truly has great food, I want to know the name of the place! And I sincerely wish you luck!

[tupac17616]

Hmm. I can do the celebrity chef sighting and great food criteria:

Momofuku Ssam Bar

Go late. Chefs abound. Don't recall if the people have been beautiful each time I've visited, but the food damn sure has been.

[jim07044]

...whose idea of a great time in New York is to go for expensive (not necessarily good) cocktails and expensive, mediocre bar food at some hyped-up place.

To quote a famous New Yorker, "Not that there's anything wrong with that..."

From where I live, I can walk to any of the good-to-great restaurants in Montclair, NJ for great food at reasonable prices ($20-40/person) for everyday meals. That is why for many of us B&T folk ( groan), NYC is reserved for more special occassions for when we want to see celebrity chefs, celebrity clientele, inventive cuisine, extraordinary interior design, over-the-top experiences. If the point is have a memorable experience, then good food is just one part of the successful equation. There has to be a special reward for the effort of driving through cross-town traffic, $40 parking garage fee, etc.

So far, I've narrowed my selection to Buddakan and Perry Street.

[Sneakeater]

I'm not familiar with Miami Beach, but I wonder if the two really AREN'T mutually exclusive in New York. I think the reason why I buried the mention of "great food" in my mind is that it didn't seem to me to be congruent with the rest of your criteria -- particularly if you add all of them together. I also don't think that great dining outside of New York is relevant to the mention of B&Ters and how they behave in New York. Different situation, and in many cases, different people. And by the way, there's an organization I'm part of that is based on a commonality other than food, and it seems to be full of B&Ters (from Connecticut, New Jersey, Long Island, Westchester, and indeed out of the area) whose idea of a great time in New York is to go for expensive (not necessarily good) cocktails and expensive, mediocre bar food at some hyped-up place. (One time, we scored with Chinatown Brasserie, but I was among the few who made sure to get several orders of dumplings and really cared that the food and cocktails were great.) I suspect that's a very common attitude toward a "night on the town in New York" among people who -- unlike most of the membership of eGullet -- are not connoisseurs of food or drink. If you do in fact find a place that fulfills everything on your wish list and truly has great food, I want to know the name of the place! And I sincerely wish you luck!

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Agree completely. Pan nailed it.

[Sneakeater]

The reason some of us are having problems with this is that Buddakan and Perry Street are so completely different that it's hard to see how the same set of criteria could yield them as results.

Either way, though, I for one can't wait to hear your report! (Sincerely.)

[Nathan]

Buddakan for scene (and apparently it has decent food)...but on a Thursday night the clientele will be mostly non-NY'ers looking for a scene. Perry Street has excellent food and a decent chance of "real" celebs...even on a Thursday night....but there's no "scene".

I'm familiar with The Forge (I'm going there for a party this weekend actually) and there's nothing like it in NY.

Here's the thing: the NY scene, such as it is, is on weeknights.

[Sneakeater]

OT, but as someone who has friends in Montclair and is conversant with the restaurants there, I would like to take exception to the idea that the food there is anywhere near as good as the best (and not necessarily the most expensive) food in NYC. It just isn't.

This isn't meant as a slur on Montclair. You could say the same thing about most places in the metropolitan area. But I think someone may be sort of misstating the point of what's so good about eating in NYC.

[jim07044]

I'm familiar with The Forge (I'm going there for a party this weekend actually) and there's nothing like it in NY.

Well thats disappointing! You should tell that to Sharif Malnick so that he may consider opening a NYC branch! Just make sure the elevator doors are solid (re: BED-NY incident and closing).

Edited February 27, 2007 by jim07044 (log)

[Sneakeater]

The point is that he couldn't. NYC culture is just different from Miami. A place like that couldn't exist here (at least not in the same form).

Edited February 27, 2007 by Sneakeater (log)