Dining in the Big Apple
 

Any suggestions for interesting dining in NY. Will be staying at Trump in November and the choices are many. From high end to plain just great food...help.

It's tough to answer that question because it is so open ended. That said, here's my list of some the best places I've eaten in NY.

Very EXPENSIVE:
Babbo (if you don't mind loud rock music to accompany your gourmet Italian meal.)

La Grenouille - It's been around forever but STILL the best place in NY for a romantic dinner or decadent lunch.

Le Benardin - Spectacular in everyway.

Expensive but not EXPENSIVE:

BLT Steak - More of a European style steakhouse. (Sister restaurant BLT Fish is also very good.)

Union Square Cafe/Gramercy Tavern: Same owner. Both make you feel like a regular even if you're visiting the first time.

Mesa Grill - It's been around for a bit but still a unique spot. (Southwestern inspired dishes.)

WD5O - You either will love it or just think it's ok. The dishes are very unique which leads to some unusual combinations (My appetizer had green tea ice cream.) A must try for real foodies.

UN Delegates Dining Room - One of the most unique spots in NYC for lunch. Because of the diversity of the UN crowd, numerous options.

Here is a list of my favorite restaurants in Manhattan:

Chanterelle
Le Zie 2000
Payard
Balthazar
Picholine
Punch
Les Halles
Union Square Cafe
Green Bo
Babbo
La Gouloue

Thanks for the suggestions. Is there a place for ice cream called Serendipity..or was that just a movie? Tavern on the Green..y/n? And how about the hot dog vendors on the street? I have heard about Babbo being great but worry that our experience will be more of me screaming WHAT DID YOU SAY than WOW. I have stepped into Geizer land...

Rosa Mexicana is right around the corner from Trump. It's a lovely restaurant, very good Mexican food.

Serendipity is near Bloomingdales and famous for their "frozen hot chocolate" as well as other ice cream delights and actually good sandwiches and chili.

This thread took a major nose dive down when you mentioned Tavern on the Green, a pretty and atmospheric spot which does not even belong in the same thread as all those places listed above.

Geizer land?

Oh. Delayed reaction. Did you mean Geezer Land -- the land of senior citizens?

I rarely venture out to restaurants uptown, so my knowledge of restaurants around your hotel is negligible. These are suggestions for you if you happen to be wondering downtown.

These are of few of my favorite casual restaurants that are bit more moderately priced (~$100-$150). All of them (except Little Owl) serve new American food:

The Red Cat (Chelsea)
Goblin Market (SoHo)
Blue Ribbon (SoHo)
Landmarc (Tribeca)
Little Owl (Mediterranean, W. Village)

Blue Ribbon doesn't accept reservations and can entail a wait. Landmarc doesn't take reservations, but I've never had to wait more than 5 minutes for a table.

You can look at the menus for these recommendations, as well as the ones in other posts on www.menupages.com .

Wandering downtown! Oops :-)

Tavern on the Green is ok if you go for lunch and don't expect much (from the food or service) but pretty setting. The Boat House in Central park is also a pretty spot for lunch.

Serendipity is known for their frozen hot chocolate dessert and waits for a table for dessert are historic. If you go for a full meal (lunch or dinner) you can make a reservation & avoid this wait. Food is basic but fine. Just save room for dessert. Another way to do this is put your name down for a table and leave. Go to Bloomies for a shop, Dylan's candy bar down the street for a look around or walk over to 2nd ave. and take a tram ride over to Roosevelt Island (and back) for a nice view.

Near your hotel, some of the nicest restaurants are

Le Bernardin--very very fine French/seafood.

Jean Georges in your hotel (they have a nice prix fixe lunch that's not too pricey).

The new Time Warner building is right across the street from Trump. The "IT" restaurant in NYC is Per Se in there. Your concierge can probably get a reservation if you're prepared to spend something like $200-300/person. Other options in there are Asiate (inside the Mandarin Oriental on the 35 floor of the building) -Asian/French with great views. Cafe Gray is also supposed to be very good.

There's a Whole Foods market inside Time Warner that's good for take out and casual dining (serve yourself).

Telepan is a newish place a bit north of your hotel and hard to get a reservation.

Picholine and San Domenico are mediterraneans nearby. Both upscale.

For breakfast near your hotel, Le Pain Quotidien on 7th ave. & 58 st is good. Cafe Botanica inside the Essex House is nice for brunch.

Some more moderate places (not cheap but not outrageous) just north of you are O'Neal's, Nick & Toni's, La Boite en Bois.

I don't think the Roosevelt Island tram is running anymore, right?

I find it curious that Babbo receives such high marks. I had dinner there last week, and it was excellent, but I certainly appreciate why Michelin awarded it "only" one star, which upset Mario -- its not in the class of the restaurants declared to be two- or three-star restaurants, and its not nearly as good as Italy's top restaurants.

Well it isn't in Italy.

That's true. I have been to a lot of Mario's one-word name restaurants (Po, Otto, Lupa and Babbo), so I obviously like his food, but I just don't hold any of them to be in the very top tier. So, I understood Michelin's decision, notwithstanding Molto Mario blaming his single star on extrinsic factors (like the music, which I didn't even notice last week).

The Roosevelt Island tram is back in service.
http://www.roosevelt-island.ny.us/tram.htm

JUST received an email from opentable (booking service)about which Michelin rated restaurants can be booked on their website. Here's the list for anyone interested.
http://www.opentable.com/promo.aspx?...8&ref=1327
Obviously it's not all the Micheline starred places.

Three interesting one's

1. Pigalle, French. Try the mussels and a Leffe Bruin beer.

http://www.pigallenyc.com/index.php

2. The Delta Grill, Cajun. Great brunches.

http://thedeltagrill.com/

3. Hallo Berlin, "NY's Wurst Resteraunt" German, and they have more beers than even *I* have heard of.

http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant...lin/index.html

Pjk

Avoid Tavern on the Green at all costs. The food is mediocre at best and the service both poor and supercilious. It's only benefit is the beautiul setting in Central Park (which could justify a drink or a salad lunch) but in November the park will be brons and crunchy.

If you want a "Name" touristy spot I would go with River Cafe (good but not great food, incredible views) or Sea Grill (very good seafood and view of Rock Center skating rink). Not these are not the absolute best food - but are good New York experiences.

Serendipity would be fine except for the interminabe waits - IMHO not worth it.

For best food:

Babbo
Le Bernardin - best fish
Le Grenouille (Have not been recenlty - but used to work near there and go at least once a week - business - and if it;s still as good you can;t go wrong)
Don;t do steak - so can;t comment personally
For fun, casuale Italian: Trattoria del'Arte
And I still like Asia de Cuba - even though it's so far past trendy it has cobwebs

You asked about hot dogs on the street - they are okay. They're boiled though. If you want to have that experience you won't be disappointed. I think the hotdogs sold at places like Grays Papaya and Papaya King are better though - they're grilled. There are a few around the city and make a good cheap meal.

Just a quick note to say that Babbo books one month in advance to the calendar date (i.e. today is 10/25--they are booking for November 25). Reservation line opens at 10--use speed dial and don't give up.

You can get lucky sometimes, but you might end up with a 10pm or 5pm reservation.

Alternatively, there is seating at the bar--people do line up for that before the restaurant even opens.

I also second the recommendation for Jean-Georges. And Picholine is one of my favorite restaurants--Their fromagier (Max McSomething) is amazing and they have a fantastic selection. Going at 6 is always tough because of pre-theater dining, but you can probably get a reservation after 8.

The Shake Shack is my favorite place to get hot dogs in NYC. It's a stand in Madison Square Park, and the people watching is fantastic. If you don't mind braving the cold, it's worth a try.

www.shakeshacknyc.com

Thanks to all. But I have one more word to throw out to you...Value. While I don't mind spending money on a good meal, I feel that finding value..either hi end or low end, leaves me feeling better. At this point I will take a pass at Tavern..., eat lunch,if possible at my hotel if possible and try Picholine. Anyone heard of The Cupping Room and Country?

The Cupping Room is fine, not "interesting", and I would only stop in if I were in the neighborhood. It's not really worth a trip in and of itself. And there are much better restaurants in the surrounding neighborhood (Blue Ribbon, Goblin Market). Also, without knowing your price range, it's kind of hard to know what you think is a good value. I think all the restaurant selections that other posters have provided are good values, or else they wouldn't have posted them.

The Cupping Room is very much of a neighborhood place in Soho that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Agree it's not a destination place but good basic food. Country has gotten raves. It's in a newish hotel called Carlton on Madison.

Do you know about menupages.com ?

There are a number of restaurants that do great prix fixe lunches (and some do dinners). L'Impero is one I love near the UN.

So, it's value you want.

For a really nice French meal try La Mangeoire on 2nd and 54th. (Michelin reviewed.) This has been a low-key favorite of mine for at least a decade. I've never had a bad meal here and the prix fixe option is a real bargain.

I might suggest if you're looking for value yet want to dine well, try the higher end places for lunch. Many will have reasonable fixed price lunch menus. You could eat really well by going to the 4 and 5 star for lunch then a more low-key option for dinner.

BTW, it is worth getting a free sign on to the New York Times website. You can access their restaurant reviews which inlcudes both high end and under $25 options.

Again, my most humble thank you for all of your imput. I feel that I have gathered a great list by NYC insiders that will be most helpful to me. I have eaten at Charlie Trotter's in Chicago, spending over-gasp-
$200 per person and enjoyed every crumb. Value? Absolutely. The Golden Nugget whole wheat pancakes for $4.85 a great value. Super pancakes, clean booths, a caring wait person.

I can't wait to visit New York!

Not all the restaurants I listed are expensive. Le Zie 2000 (7th Ave/20th St.) serves Venetian cuisine. They have a $15 prix-fixe lunch menu. Many of the entrees are $10-$15.

Punch, near Fishes Eddy on Broadway, is also inexpensive.

Green Bo in Chinatown is cheap.

Restaurant Daniel, Jean Georges, Babbo, Il Mulino, Cafe Boulud, Eleven Madison Park, Feledia, Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Gotham Bar and Grill, River Cafe and Shake Shack if you have time..........

Someplace very close to your hotel for lunch that is an excellent restuarant and very New York feeling is Whym. It's relatively new, opened last spring. I've dinner there and just had lunch there last week with my mom and sister. Our meal was excellent, good value, unique, truly American and didn't cost an arm and a leg. I would eat there all the time if I lived around there.

It doesn't get much notice, but if you are looking for someplace good near your hotel, I would very much recommend it. It's at 9th Avenue and 58th street.

We are going to NYC again this December, and I of course have started to peruse all the web sites about NYC food. I love menupages and chowhounds. For Value? I found a great lobster special at the Joshua Tree on restaurant row(near our hotel 14.95$ 1 1/4 Maine lobster with baked potato and corn on the cob...my DH loves lobster and I think we will go there for lunch..it is served all day.....FYI, Judy PS, I LOVE New York! :-)

If lobster is what you're looking for, try Francisco's Centro Vasco.
A really good new Italian place is "A Voce" (a little expensive but not ridiculous)
And if you're one for VALUE, I'd recommend Lupa over Babbo.
French-Le Bernardin (Exp.! but amazing). I dislike La Grenouille- beautiful room, food's fine too but I've found the service rude & pretentious. Glad to see that the place does have a couple of admirers. Otherwise, it should've shut down years ago.
Milos is really good for seafood (my fav).

Has anyone ever gone to Lattanzi? And although you don't go to dine..What about Don't Tell Mama? I hear that it's alot of fun!

Don't Tell Mama is great! There is a piano bar in the front and then in the other room they have performers. We once saw a performer do an absolutely wonderful Judy Garland there once - very good!

Dear food Gods and Godesses,

Have tickets for The Drowsy Chaperone at the Marquis Theature-1535 B'Way @ 46th. The show starts at 2pm so ANY lunch ideas will be welcome. Or early dinner.

Thanks so much.

I just looked on menupages.com, and there's a restaurant called ViceVersa at 51st and 8th that's about 5-10 minute walk from the theater. It gets really good reviews from diners, and the menu looks tasty. They have a prix fixe lunch menu for $25 and prix fixe dinner menu for $35.

ViceVersa is very good. I also like Lattanzi and it's neighbor Orso (Italian). Joe Allen (next to Orso) is good for burgers, salads etc.

Chez Josephine and Le Madeleine are 2 French places Howard likes (and I do too) in the theater district that haven't been mentioned.

If I remember correctly from this past Sunday's NY Times metro section, Le Madeleine is in a dispute with the landlord (a former slumlord of mine . . .) and is in danger of closing very soon - within a month or so . . .

This landlord was bad 30 years ago and he still is!

Mclaurie, I'm glad that you mentioned Lattanzi
because I just made dinner rez for Thursday nite before we see Jersey Boys. I'll check out Visa Versa on line. That will leave me with Saturday to fill out my dining wishlist. I am thinking of Gramercy Tavern because it consistantly is mentioned. There are so many great places to choose from. I;m also delighted that there is a Whole Foods near my hotel so I can have some fresh fruit, cheese and crackers AND water.

Babbo for sure
Gothan Grill

PS- Babbo 4 weeks advance res to be sure you get a decent table time

if you're looking for something yummy and unique - choose a st. and try each vender on that st. for one of its food offering. i did it once with a friend, we tasted all kind of simple but tasty food, its also a fun and funny experience (like a game), if you need more ideas of what to do in New York city you can try www.tripcart.com
bon appetite