Here's a list of the Mobil restaurants in NYC:

3 stars: Daniel, Jean-Georges, Le Bernadin, Masa, Per Se


I think these are the Michelin ratings instead of *Mobil* ratings. Daniel didn't make the top cut in the 2010 Mobil ratings (and is new to Michelin ***), plus the Mobil system has a top rating of 5 stars vs Michelin's 3 star top rating. But for the most part they match up closely.

Here are the Mobil/Forbes ratings for 2010 (Forbes has bought the rights to this):

http://www.forbestravelguide.com/fiv...estaurants.htm

And here are the Michelin NYC area ratings:
http://www.michelinguide.com/us/2010_nyc_stars.html

Franco: I found the food at Blue Hill to be kind of spare. While I laud the emphasis on the ingredients and their provenance, the sum total of what was on the plate was just not that interesting to me. Yes, the ingredients are stellar, and a very simple treatment does allow them to shine. But I found the food to be kind of boring. Now I have not been back in years, so am not the best authority to judge the current scene. I think that your friends have such an abundance of choice that they can find more exciting places to dine.

What do others think who have been to Blue Hill?

Take a look at their menu; this might not be the current one as of today but you can get an idea about the style:



http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/blue-hill/menu

I bought the Michelin Guide the first year but it was so francocenteric as to be useless. I have been told that has improved but if it does not acknowledge a place like Aquavit with one star, than it still too biased.

And Casa Mono is clearly not a one star restaurant. It is above average tapas restaurant that gets more acclaim than it should because of Mario Batali's orange Clogs.

We went to Blue Hill in NYC 3 weeks ago and had the tasting menu (8 courses, I think) with wine pairings. We thought the ingredients were very interesting, but overall it didn't match up to other outstanding meals we've had. The wine pairings were superb. As far as cost, it was fairly affordable. I'd probably try some other places before going back, although I certainly wouldn't avoid it.

I happen to be big fan of Casa Mono. I think the food there is excellent, although the seating is very uncomfortable and the tables are packed in too tightly. Maybe it was made famous by Batali but it is still going strong years after opening, so there must be something else that keeps people streaming in. However, I do not think it compares to the great places in Barcelona. Also, I have not been there since the long-time chef decamped to another Batali place.


Just for fun, I will now post a slide show on "NY's Best Sandwiches" on a new thread.

Franco I just thought of another item that needs to go on the list. Since we are not recommending any actual Vietnamese restaurants, we should make sure that your friends get a small taste of the cuisine with a Banh Mi, or Vietnamese sandwich (the baguette and the pate come the French influence). There are a number of places that make very good renditions, but perhaps the best is in Chinatown on Mott Street at #138. This is a food counter in the back of a jewelry/sundry store. The name is Banh Mi Saigon. Best to go for lunch, as they often sell out. The various combinations of sandwiches are listed on the wall behind the counter. The classic is the #1, pork. A sandwich big enough for two costs about $4. they might also like to sample the summer rolls, Goi Cuon, shrimp bean sprouts and herbs wrapped in delicate, thin rice paper and served with a dipping sauce. (3 rolls for $5)

Closed Monday; no seating; cash.

Casa Mono does not serve traditiona tapas which is fine but what he does serve is over salted but above average Spanish food.

For the best food and the best tapas in Spain you must go to Donostia-San Sebastián, is is an obsession there.

Once more, you're all wonderful. One after the other:
I don't think we're going to add Casa Mono to the list, sorry ek. My friends don't think highly of chefs who own a dozen of restaurants and often don't even cook in any of them, and I'm not the one who is going to talk them out of this conviction.

But speaking of tapas, or of Spain, or of Iberian food in general... we still have Aldea and Degustation on the list, one inventive Spanish, one inventive Portuguese, and both have been mentioned favourably on this thread. Should they try both, or just one of them, and if so, which one's preferable?

Blue Hill: thank you travelgirl for chiming in! Well... their menu certainly seems enticing to me (on the one on menupages.com, there's a pork dish involving hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, a mushroom that I adore, and I've never seen it on any restaurant menu), but on the other hand, ingredients and their combination are never making the whole story. "Simple presentation that allows the produce to shine" like in (what I'm usually calling) hospital fare, albeit of a high order?, ie. boiled/steamed/poached meat/fish, low on salt, with boiled/steamed/poached vegetables, again low on salt? If so, I for one would certainly go elsewhere, since I like my food treated rather than au naturel. But as you already know, I'm not the one who is traveling, and my friends were heavily drawn to Blue Hill because they absolutely wanted to sample something typically American besides steak (Peter Luger's has already made it on the definite list).

Banh Mi sandwiches: that's something they absolutely want to try, and there was actually one such place on our list, called Baoguette. We'll change it for Banh Mi Saigon now, thank you again, ek!! (And the sandwich slide show is another great link, we've got something new to study now.)

Finally, since I'm not sure every new reader will be ready to study this whole thread, let me ask once more that NYC sushi experts come out of the wood!

Franco, just briefly now, between Aldea and Degustation: I think that Degustation may be a more interesting experience since all seating is at the counter in front of the chefs so diners can watch the preparation and also chat with the chefs to a certain extent, if they are not too busy. Also, there is more give and take between the staff and the diners here than in a more traditional restaurant. The wait staff is young as very knowledgeable about what they are serving and you can ask questions here more easily than at another place due to the intimacy of the space (it only seats about 18 or so diners) and the fact that the servers are nearby and not rushing back and forth to the kitchen. Just make them aware that it is counter seating only.



I think the food is excellent at both places but of course, I agree with Aduchamp that is perhaps does not reach the stellar heights that one can find as a matter of course at many places in the great Spanish food meccas of Barcelona and San Sebastian which I agree are two of the world's eating capitals of the moment.

Aldea is more of a traditional setup, although if they do decide to go there and they are interested in watching the chefs, they should ask for a table near the kitchen in the back of the first floor which is also open for viewing, but set back to that the goings on are not as visible as they are at Degustatation. Aldea also lures drinkers to the bar in the front, so it can be noisy; upstairs is more quiet. One dish that I have loved there is the goat main course; if that is on the menu is September, as it well may be, it will make the decision of which place to choose more difficult. Also, Aldea does let you know the source of many of their ingredients, so I think it would fit into the category of the "market driven" restaurants of which Blue Hill was among the first, along with places like Savoy in Soho.

I think if I had to choose one of the two I would choose Degustation. But be aware that I have not been there is about 6 months; I am not aware of any changes, though.



I am now leaning toward the opinion that your friends perhaps should try Blue Hill, just so they can experience this type of place. Banish all thought of hospital food! It is nothing like that.

To make things more complicated, there is another place of that ilk, Hearth, which also gets great reports and where I also found the food a tad bland. But my sister, for example, to name just one of its legion of fans, thinks the place is just wonderful. Her tastes do not run to the exotic like mine and she loves the purity of the food. There is an Italian influence, but the food is nothing like you might find in Tuscany, where I believe the chef has roots.

http://www.restauranthearth.com/foodblog.html

Oh, goodness, how could I forget my favorite of all of these types of places and the place where the Hearth chef worked in the past: Craft. This is THE model of a place that uses impeccably sourced ingredients but does it with a unique style. I LOVE that restaurant. Sp for me it would be no contest between that and Blue Hill, in fact I have selected it for a few of my own birthday celebrations. (But it is expensive). The room is very handsome.

Take a look at their menu and see what you think; be aware that they have expanded and there are now other outposts but this is the original. I expect that you will get comments here that the place is overpriced. The chef does fantastic things with hen of the woods and other mushrooms and these should be in season in early fall. (Note the array of mushroom dishes on the menu). I would recommend one of the cookbooks that the chef here has written, by the way.

http://www.craftrestaurant.com/menus...nner_menu.html


Peter Luger is a good choice; it is the quintessential New York steakhouse.

Franco I am sorry for complicating your life, but I just remembered another great casual place--this is casual and cheap and I think their Memphis dry rub pork ribs, among other meaty things, are fantastic; they also have a food truck on West 50th Street, but I am not sure if the food would suffer being served this way:



http://www.daisymaysbbq.com/

franco - no, Blue Hill is nothing like "hospital food". The ingredients were interesting, the food well prepared, but nothing really stands out from our dinner there. For me, this in contrast to other meals we've had elsewhere, where the total dish equalled MORE than the sum of the ingredients. At Blue Hill, the ingredients were fantastic, but the total dishes were just good.

Great explanation, travelgirl, thanks much. And ek, thank you for complicating my life . No honestly, the efforts of each and all of you are much, much, much appreciated. I hope it's no sacrilege, but after following your links, I found the menu at Craft's restaurant, quite frankly, to be less than enticing (perhaps the food there is not so spare, but the menu certainly is), but much more appealing at the bar. Forward as I am, I instantly told my friends what I thought, and obviously talked them into seeing it the same way... what do you think? Is Craftbar worth a try? (It's also much cheaper, but that's not what our thoughts were about, though it's clearly no disadvantage either.)

I've never been to Craftbar. But I promise that the food at Craft is exceptional. Let's see if others here agree.

For a 20 minute train ride to Astoria, Queens, you can have some amazing Greek food that will blow your mind. Just sayin'

I am with you EK, I do not see the attraction of Hearth.

There is one Greek restaurant in Manhattan the eschews the known specialities and applies its own touches which we like very much called Pylos.

http://www.pylosrestaurant.com/

Ah ok, after doing some homework I get the idea now why the menu at Craft seems so spartan - "build your own meal", I see. And I also found reviewers saying Craftbar is not Craft's equal. Let's wait a little what others may say.

As for Daisy May's, we've added that to the brunch/snack/lunch list, which I might give in a revamped version now:
Balthazar
Banh Mi Saigon
Café Sabarsky (no votes so far, but they plan on trying some Viennese cake there)
Daisy May's
Doughnut Plant
Five Points
Gray's Papaya (you know already why!)
Second Avenue Deli (thank you Aduchamp)

Thanks for the recent recommendations of Greek food, but that's not what they are going to sample in New York (my friends already have a list of must-try places in Greece proper for a future holiday there, compiled by a certain franco).

I've also done some due homework on sushi. Tomoe and Sachiko's are obviously far past their prime - blame my friends' outdated guidebook and my own sloppy web research. Further, we've taken out all places that you advised against, or that got no mention at all so far. So for dinner, let's summarize what we currently have:
Le Bernardin
Café con Leche
Craft (with a question mark, waiting for others to chime in)
Degustation
Fu Run
Hunan House (Northern Boulevard)
Imperial Palace
Katsuno
Kyo Ya
Little Pepper
Momofuku Ssäm
Nan Shian Dumpling House
Peter Luger Steak House
Sfoglia (question mark, waiting for an eventual review by dear ek)
Sushi Yasuda
Ushiwakamaru

So we still have 16 places, which is still much for 9 evenings, but definitely better than 25 - and a better list thanks to YOU... further thoughts?

I might add that my friends are set on Little Pepper, Imperial Palace, and Peter Luger's. And that the outdated guidebook is a 2010 edition - which means, very simply, that they aren't updating all the information, even though they are printing a new edition every year, and are very proud of it. (The Unofficial Guide is the one in question.)

I am a huge fan of Balthazar Bakery but not of the restaurant. The times I have been there people seemingly wanted to get a glimpse of 35 year old Robert De Niro. I think it gets good reviews from people because they are afraid to give it a so-so review and move away from the herd.

Here are two alternatives French Bistros which I much prefer.

Lucien


Flea Market
http://nymag.com/urr/listings/restau...a_market_cafe/

The atmosphere is funky, the food well prepared and well priced. And the wait staff is ususlly French or actors from Jersey who have mastered the Method.

Lucien
http://newyork.citysearch.com/profil...ny/lucien.html

It is little more elegant than Flea Market but the food is quite good.

Aduchamp, Balthazar is on the list for providing a possibility to get a brunch-like breakfast early in the morning (weekdays only); mclaurie recommended it above for Eggs Benedict. So it's a substitute for Prune, which you yourself kicked off the list.