Johnnyman7

Hey everybody,
My fiance and I's first (and maybe only) trip to NYC is about a month away, so I am going to start making restaurant plans. We LOVE food, so this is an important part of out trip!

Need your advice on the following....

1) The best Deli in NYC is...

2) The best pizza in NYC is...

3) The best "nice restaurant" that we should go to is....(money is no object)

4) The best ice cream in NYC is...

5) The hardest reservation in NYC to get now is....

5) The best place that doesnt fit into any category above that you absolutely recommend a out-of-towner visiting is....

Thanks in advance for the help!

NeoPatrick

There is no such thing as BEST any of those. There are countless posts and threads here on ideas of the BEST of all of them. Have you done any research or searching? Once you do, it might be nice to come back and ask for opinions between a couple of your choices.

But if money is no object, you're looking for the "in" place and a hard reservation, Per Se should certainly be on your list.

mclaurie

Agree that the options are so endless, if the "experts" and food critics can't agree, you certainly won't get agreement from Fodorites.

1)Many thought the 2nd ave. deli which has been closed was the best, but is due to reopen next month on 33 st & 3rd ave.! http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant...d_avenue_deli/

The other contenders are Carnegie (known for pastrami), Katz's (also known for pastrami and hot dogs among other things), Barney's Greengrass (known for smoked fish) so it also depends on what you plan to eat.

2) The usual top choices are John's (many say the village location is better than the Times Square one), Lombardi's, Grimaldi's (Brooklyn) and Patsy's in Harlem. But there are lots of other contenders, particularly in Brooklyn. There is a pizza tour that will also stop at Coney Island.
http://bknypizza.com/

And while we're on the subject of eating tours, foodsofnyc.com does a popular tour of the village that you should consider if you're foodies.

3)I haven't been to Per Se, but many would say that's the answer. You should know that many of the finer restaurants do prix fixe lunches that are a nice way to sample these places more affordably. The tasting lunch at Bouley is very nice.

5)Probably Babbo. NY Magazine keeps track of this, btw and also has "best of" lists http://nymag.com/restaurants/

6) Depends on who you are. If you're adventuresome, eat some ethnic food you've not tried. If you like seafood, Le Bernardin.

bobludlow

Deli: Katz's for the hand-sliced pastrami sandwich at the counter. Tip the counterman $1/sandwich up front for the best service.

Pizza: Grimaldi's under the Brooklyn Bridge is the classic, but the latest dark horse must be Una Pizza Napoletana on East 12th Street near First Avenue. Their menu would fit on a post-it note.

High-end: What do you like? Daniel for French perfection. Eleven Madison Park for modern American. Oceana for seafood. Danube for eastern European.

Ice Cream: Either an egg cream from Brooklyn (tie it in with a trip to Grimaldi's) or some Mastani ice cream from an Indian sweet shop (saffron-pistachio and mango are nice).

5) Per Se is the most famous difficult reservation, though why people are clamoring to spend $500/head ($250 tasting menu plus $175 wine pairing plus supplements for wagyu beef, foie gras, truffles, etc.) is beyond me. If I were selling my first-born for a prime reservation it would be for Babbo.

6) Peter Luger's for steak, Gray's Papaya for hot dog and juice, Fatty Crab for Malaysian food, Little Owl for a gastro-pub.

Aduchamp1

Deli-Katz's and let us hope that 2nd AVe returns to its standards. Carnegie and Stage have turned into tourist traps.

Pizza-Lombardi's, Tontonno's, Pizza Fresca.

Ice Cream-Cones on Bleecker. Il Laboratorio de Delato, Australia,

kiki1

I would agree on Katz's or Carnegie for delis, but keep in mind they are both rather "tourist-y", but definitely worth a visit for the experience. Not necessary to go to both. They are very similar.

Best Pizza is any Grimaldi's or Patsy Grimaldi's, but they are not very conveniently located. For a local, easier place to find with great pizza, try Mariella's on 8th Ave between 57th and 56th Streets.

Nice restaurants- this is tough to narrow down. Le Bernardin, Jean Georges, Per Se, Daniel to name a few.

Ice cream- try the frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity. They're famous for it. They also have ice cream there.

Hardest reservation right now is probably Per Se.

If you're into nice cheese, try Artisanl. You can go for lunch or dinner, or just for a flight of cheese and wine. The market in Grand Central Station is also fun. Lots of great products- fresh food, fruit, bread, wine, chocolate, flowers, etc...

Have a blast!! It's the best city in the world, IMHO

kiki1

Sorry, I misspelled Artisanal.

Also, I want to add Veniero's to #5. It's one of the best bakeries in NYC. Try the homemade pastry.

For bagels, Essa Bagel is probably the best in NYC.

Aduchamp1

The following are mostly East Village places but we have eaten at all at least twice and most many more times:
Indian-Brick Lane-Banjara, Mitali, Brick Lane

Inexpensive Italian- La Marca (3rd Ave. and 22 Street, only opened noon-10 PM, Mon-Fri)

Medium priced Italian- Cacio e Pepe, Gnocco, Supper, Luzzos (this started as a neighborhood place and has grown into a destination restaurant)

Expensive Italian- I Coppi (For dinner But great brunch pre-fixe

Inexpensive Eastern European- Veselka

Very Inexpensive Filipino-Elvie's

French Bistro-Cafe Deville, Casimir, Flea market (for atmosphere)

Greek-Pylos

Tapas-Xunta. Bar Carrera, Café Mono (more expensive)

Dessert-Veniero's,

Bagels-(Not East Village) Ess-a-Bagel

Brunches-Five Points, Zoe's, Blue Ribbon Bakery, Turkish Kitchen, City Bakery (18th off 5th), Cafecito (Ave C), Clinton Street Bakery ,9th St. Market, small and impossible to get into.

Pizza-Lombardi's Totonno’s (2nd and 26th.) Pizza Fresca

Hole in the wall-Stage (next to Stomp) great cheap home made soups

French fires-Pomme Frites

Bakery where the people have gotten nicer Moishe-wonderful black and whites, kickel, and sponge cake-

Noodles and dumplings-Momofuku , (we were not impressed with dimpling man on St. Marks.)

Seafood-Mermaid Inn

Thai-Pong Sri (there are few around the city) Friends House 2 (on 14th)

Ice Cream-Cones on Bleecker, Australia, Il Laboratorio de Gelato

nytraveler

For best in NYC - and possibly hardest to get resies - you would probably be looking at Per Se. I've been twice - the second time several months ago - and it was absolutely worth the cost. But expect it to be at least $700 for a couple with the prix fixe menu and a "modest" wine.

For visitors I reco one of the NYC "classics" like River Cafe in Brooklyn or Sea Grille in Rock Center. Both have very good (but not the best in the city) food - but have fantastic views and/or "essence" of New York.

For deli - Katz's.

For other: you must have a dog at one of the Grey's Papaya.

Katie_H

If you head down to Chinatown, stop in at the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. They'll known for exotic flavors (Ginger, Red Bean) and the usual (chocolate, vanilla). I had some tasty Rocky Road there the other day...
65 Bayard Street

Aduchamp1

Yes I am sorry omitted Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. In fact on their listing of flavors they have green tea and red bean and under the exotic offerings they enumerate vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.

Everything is reasonably priced.

michelleNYC

Have you searched this site, Johnny? You will find multitudes of threads which address your questions. Have fun.

Gekko

Wow, there are some really terrible "suggestions" in this thread.

Manhattan alone has thousands of "the best" options.

Start by searching this forum, and then approach it by neighborhood. It's ridiculous to travel across Manhattan for ice cream, for example ... just about every neighborhood has extraordinary options in just about all of your categories.

The best approach -- pick an area & a idea, and then ask. For example, "What is a great place to go on the Lower East Side for tapas?"

"What is a great seafood restaurant on the Upper West Side?"

"Where can I find a terrific Alsatian bistro near Museum Mile?"

dan_woodlief

For pizza, it also depends on your tastes. I like both John's and Lombardis a lot and eaten at each twice on vacation. It seemed to me that Johns uses more cheese versus sauce, compared to Lombardis, but of course I have not eaten every pizza on the menu (not a bad idea though!).

Katie_H

Johnnyman7--- Just ate at Little Owl the other night (in the West Village)and really enjoyed it. I would strongly recommend trying to get a reservation there; you'll need to call soon (now really) =)

Recommended dishes: Porkchop, Halibut, Soft Shell Crab...

It's romantic and well-priced for how good it is--- entrees all around $24.

ggreen

In the "Other" category, I want to second Fatty Crab as a very tasty experience! It's in the trendy Meatpacking District, so you could check out the clubs afterwards. (If you're not into clubbing but want to go dancing, the restaurant Son Cubano turns its dining area into a dance floor around midnight; very good mojitos, especially the mango ones!)

FYI, there are not "any" Grimaldi's. There's just one, located under the Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO Brooklyn (though they will be opening one in Las Vegas). It's quite easy to get to on the A/C, 2/3 or F trains, first stop in Brooklyn. There is no restaurant called Patsy Grimaldi's, and Patsy's in Harlem should not be confused with the chain of Patsy's Pizzerias around town.

Also, while they serve similar food, Katz's and Carnegie Deli are nowhere near the same thing. Tourists may go to Katz's (as they do to many popular places in NYC), but it is not tourist-central, which is what Carnegie and Stage have become. It's still overall a local joint, and even more so after 2nd Ave Deli closed.

New York is not particularly known for its ice cream. Try some Ciao Bella gelato while you're here, either at their SoHo shop or from markets and restaurants where it is sold. (The other ice cream rec's you've gotten are good, too!)

michelleNYC

For gelato: Il Laboratorio del Gelato, hands down.

Il Laboratorio del Gelato
95 Orchard St
New York, NY 10002
Phone: (212) 343-9922

ekscrunchy

For gelato, GROM on the UWS is amazing.

dmlove

I haven't been to Katz' in years (will go in November, though), but did eat at the Carnegie a year ago when we went to see Letterman and it was pouring and the Carnegie was close - LOL! Anyway, the sandwich (I think we had one corned beef and one pastrami for 3 people) was fantastic, even if the place is touristy and the waiters are every bit as disinterested as you've heard.

PamSF

I think I prefer Carnegie over Katz's but Katz's a fun thing to do when you are on the LES.

If I could have two things from NYC right now :
The lobster roll and the clam chowder from Pearl Oyster Bar on Cornelia

Babbo was a tough reservation to get when we were there. We were rather underwhelmed!

We really liked the Red Cat in CHelsea for dinner. It's comfortable, very good food, reasonable and a nice crowd.