dinner in mid-town manhattan
 

I will be in new York next week and was hoping to get some recommendations for dinner in midtown. I was thinking of Le Cirque, Benoit and Le Veau d'Or. Any suggestions? thanks.

If you like fish head to Le Bernardine. For traditional french in a lovely setting La Grenouille. Both are classics, which I assume is what you want based on your listings.

All I know is I will never enter the doors of Le Cirque again. We were at the Palace and walked in between lunch and dinner to look at the room. We were quickly given the once look over, told that my husband didn't have a jacket and were immediately and rudely escorted to the door. At the time there were no patrons in the restaurant. We were the only ones offended.

I would recommend The Dining Room at The Modern, Jean Georges or Gabriel Kreuther over the ones you mentioned. Le Bernardin is also excellent, as is Betony on 57th Street. All these assume a healthy budget.


Le Veau d'Or is legendary for its faded glory and "real" French ambience but I've not been there in decades so have no comment about the food. If you want real "old world French" you might consider Le Perigord on East 52nd Street.

NYTraveler please forgive me but I am finally going to correct you on your spelling. There is no "e" at the end of Le Bernardin, and there is no "e" at the end of the word, casual. We all make (in my case, many) spelling mistakes and I am not trying to offend.

I prefer casuale with an "e" - not pronounced the same as casual.

One of my peccadillos.

OMG Becky!

Le Veau d'Or!

That is my friend John's favourite restaurant. (He was a salesman at Paul Stuart for years.)

It is very clubby. If you aren't a regular and don't know the drill you may feel out of place.

I would go to Le Grenouille. My friend Marianne was there recently and she said it was just "so special." The staff is very welcoming.

Crunchy, do you remember Parioli Romanissimo? That was my grandmother's favourite restaurant.


Thin

Yes, I do remember Parioli..I think it was the only Italian place with four stars from the Times way back when. Or maybe it was four stars from the Seymour Britchkey guide...

And what about Gino's, with the prancing zebra wallpaper, where Jackie O supposedly hung out?

http://vanishingnewyork.blogspot.com...l-at-gino.html



I think she also liked Orsini, owned or run by an actual Italian count.

For someone who has lived in NYC for a long time, I count pathetically few celebrity sightings but I did see her once, coming out of Kenneth back when I worked on 5th Ave. Saw Raquel Welch the same day...

Inskauaidavidababy, I'm sure Le Cirque will miss your visits to gawk at their room rather than eating there. It must be putting a huge dent in their income.

I'd never turn down an opportunity to eat at Le Berdardin.

mirror mirror on the wall, who's the nastiest fodorite of them all?

Were you naturally born this way or have you had to practice practice practice at being a d~bag Neo?

I shared a real life story of being assumed class humiliated and you twist it to your desire to mock me as a gawker

And by the way, while making dinner plans, I have been welcomed to many of the finest restaurants in NYC to visit their rooms.

One of my favorite popins was staying at the Breakers in Palm Beach. In a tasteful coverup and slippahs I walked in to check out their fine dining room, and was immediately welcomed and given a mini tour, explaining the history and art of the room. I was also given a nice tour to Per Se between hours.

Wherever I have travelled I have explored lodging and dining options and up until Le Cirues, I have never been treated rudely, as in, we don't want your king nature.

The storied history of LeCirques is famous for the over the top rude exclusiveness. Just ask Dominick Dunne - ooops he's dead. Read his archives.

And please stop with your superior posts trashing others. It is exhausting as the old fart that ran Le Cirque back in the day.

Neo is just one of the nasties. He distinguishes himself from the others because he thinks he provides a community service.

I saw Jackie and Lee Radziwill at the Winter Garden back in 1974. They came in just before the show started but most of the audience (not me) spotted them. After the performance, the crowd moved to the rear exit, but Jackie and Lee started for the side. A large portion of the crowd (not me) shifted direction and followed them out.

I don't remember Gino's, but I do remember that Scalamandre wallpaper from The Royal Tenenbaums.

I do remember Lespinasse, Lutèce, Cafe des Artistes, and The Box Tree.

Thin

Thin… I remember going to Parioli… and especially Cafe des Artistes.

I saw Jackie Kennedy many times on the street. Once I nearly stepped on her foot. And at one point I saw Woody Allen so often a friend of mine accused him of following me -:)

And does anybody remember the Indian restaurant on Central Park South that overlooked the park? It's gone. My dentist is now in that building -:(

Fra, the same thing happened when Paul MCCARTNEY and his frightening wife showed up at Jeff Koons @ Whitney.

All the visitors followed them from room to room.

It was hilarious. No one was looking at the art, they were staring at Paul's greasy hair.

Thin

That is uncanny!

I once walked smack dab into Woody Allen and Soon-yi Previn on Madison Avenue!

I only remember San Domenico on Central Park South.


Thin

Woody has always lived in the city and if you know his habits you can see him often.

When I used to live on the east side he shopped in the same market I did and I would see him there about once a month. I usually shopped on Monday to avoid crowds and he must have done the same. Looked exactly the same in person as in the movies - short, skinny and very ugly. But I can't say anyone was following him around.

Gwendolynn, I remember the Indian restaurant up on the top floor overlooking the park. Can't remember the name, but it was a very nice spot. I think I last ate there forty years ago.

It was Nirvana and supposedly a favorite of Keith Richards.

Another fancy Indian one back then was Gaylord's on Park Avenue.

OMG: The Box Tree! And also The Quilted Giraffe! The Lutece townhouse is still empty, since the restaurant folded. I went there only once, cause $17.50 was a LOT to pay for a prix fixe lunch!

Nirvana, right! I guess that's because it was so high up. Thanks.

"mirror mirror on the wall, who's the nastiest fodorite of them all?"

Exactly, that's why I responded that way to your post, Inakauaidavidababy. Did you recognize yourself? And hilariously your "partner in being nasty", IMDonehere followed right along. Or are you two really the same poster -- you sure do think alike?