New York City Restaurants
 

I'd like a little guidance from the NYC experts on where to go to find the best of the following. We're staying on the West side just above Times Square, so Hell's Kitchen and Ninth Avenue would be convenient. While we'd prefer walking distance, it's definitely not mandatory.

Regarding prices: We are open to a hole in the wall or a white table cloth. We're really more interested in the taste, with atmosphere secondary.

Dress Code: No suit or tie on this trip. Slacks and a button down will have to do.

When making suggestions, it may be helpful to know that DH does not have a broad pallet, nor is he likely to try anything too adventurous. I save those experiences to share with DD. =)

1. Dinner - Southern Italian. Red sauce, veal piccata, eggplant, etc. Think Olive Garden type food, but of a higher quality, please. I've heard mixed things about Patsy's. Any thoughts on this?

2. Dinner - Thai

3. Dinner - Korean BBQ

4. Pre-Theater Dinner - Greek - close to the theater district if possible. We'd like to have this before the performance. Looking for a place that has amazing lamb chops. Anyone know anything about Dafni?

5. Dinner - Steak - I had a wonderful experience at Del Frisco's a few years back and we may go there again. However, I'm hoping for other suggestions as we have a DF in the city our daughter lives in, so we can go there easily.

6. Dessert spot - for after the theater. Walking distance of that area, please.

Thank you!

Is a classic French Bistro too adventureous? Check out Tout Va Vien - not that far away. www.toutvabien.com,

Errr -that's letoutvabien.com.

Tout Va Vien is not too adventurous at all. It looks wonderful, but we were really looking for some of the ethnicities mentioned.

I keep a restaurant list for various cities, and I've added it to my NYC list for the future. Thank you!

I like www.menupages.com to search for restaurants by location and cuisine, read reviews and menus.

There a number of Brazilian churrascaria places, this one is in the Theater District. If you are a carnivore you will be meat heaven. It is all you can eat. Read about how the work

http://www.yelp.com/biz/churrascaria...rma-new-york-3

For dessert, try Junior's cheesecake.

There is a Koreatown in the West 30's with Korean BBQ. Here is one our favorites
http://www.kumgangsan.net/manhattan.php

Dafni is very reasonable and quite good. I ate there quite a lot.

abram - I use menu pages and have apps as well. I'm just looking for a little personal input that might help me discover a hidden gem!

IMD: We're not big fans of the Brazilian places. I enjoy a nice filet on occasion, but those places are meat overload for me. Now with my brother, I'm certain they loose money every time he walks through the doors! Junior's Cheesecake - how have I missed that all these years!!! I. Love. Cheesecake!!! Thank you for that recommendation and for the Korean BBQ restaurant. It looks wonderful and was just what we were looking for. Do you have any favorite dishes that you order here?

Rhea58: Thank you for the confirmation on Dafni. It was one of the few Greek restaurants I found that offered Lamb Chops as opposed to shank, kababs, etc. I think we'll give it a shot!

At the Korean BBQ the Kal Bi(s) but I also like Bi Bam Bap.
For breakfasts try Edison Hotel cafe.

I have not tried the following but I read good things about it
Gotham West Market

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/12/di...s-kitchen.html

Gotham West Market is on the "To Do" list. I've never walked through and have always wanted to!!

For Number 4. of your questions I would say Kellari Taverna -http://www.kellari.us/

for Italian you might try http://www.menupages.com/restaurants...-etcetera/menu

Kellari Taverna is good but on the pricey side.

Jamierin and Rhea 58 - Both of those look like great recommendations. Thank you!

<i>3. Dinner - Korean BBQ</i>

I believe we usually go to Won Jo. They still use charcoal, rather than gas.

<i>5. Dinner - Steak</i>

Head to Brooklyn and Peter Luger's.

Thank you for those recommendations! Won Jo was on my list of well-regarded Korean BBQ places. I appreciated the confirmation. I've seen Peter Luger's on food shows forever, and the steaks look wonderful. That said, we are both filet eaters, which I don't think they offer. =(

We just ate Luger's. We are not steak eaters but that was best steak we have eaten. There most famous offering is T-bone Porterhouse, which has a filet on side of the bone and the other NY strip steak. Extremely expensive and cash only.

I've eaten at Dafni's a couple of times and I like it. not sure I've ever had the lamb chops.

If you want a steak house a little closer to your hotel, I really liked Keen's. It has a classic steak house ambiance, and the food was delicious. It is expensive....all the steak houses are. We also tried Strip House Midtown on this last trip and I wasn't crazy about it. not bad, but not as refined as Keens, and just as expensive.

For Greek I love Kefi -
http://www.kefirestaurant.com/

1) TrattoriaTrecolori
2) Pure Thai
3) Kristalbelli
4) Greek is not the place to get good lamb chops in NYC. Greek in NYC does great seafood. For lamb chops pre theater, do the pre theater menu at Capital Grille at the Time Life building. $39 for 3 courses with 2 steak options, lamb chops or salmon. Molyvos is the best Greek in the theater district.
5) Junior's for cheesecake..lots of restaurants are fine for dessert..Bar Americain, DB Bistro..

Once again, Fodor's does not disappoint! Thank you all for the great suggestions. Trattoria Trecolori looks like exactly the type of place I had in mind. Reserving there. Pure Thai was on my short list of two Thai restaurants, so that decision has been made easily.

I'm especially grateful for the information about lamb chops and Greek restaurants in NYC. I was wondering why, when looking at the reviews and menus of highly rated Greek restaurants, lamb chops were missing from most of the menus. That explains it.

I think the new plan is to eliminate the steak house as we can get amazing steak were we live (Texas). Instead we will have the Greek food NY style (probably Kelfi as it has been mentioned here and elsewhere often), and go somewhere for the best lamb chops in the city.

I love what I saw on the Capital Grille menu, and that option is on the table. That said, the lamb dinner does not have to be before the theater. If there are other suggestions as to the best lamb chops in NYC (no mint, please), I would love have them. Price is not a factor. Otherwise, we plan on CG.

One of the more interesting and different Greek restaurants is Pylos in the East Village. It does not offer all the usual Greek dishes, but their cooking is superb. Reservations have become a must.

http://www.pylosrestaurant.com/

<i>I love what I saw on the Capital Grille menu, and that option is on the table.</i>

IMO, Capital Grille is, at best, a passable chain and I would not waste a NYC dinner on it.

If I had my heart set on lamb, I would think maybe Craft or Colicchio and Sons. Bear in mind that I have not had lamb at either, but both have lamb on the menu and that seems like something they would do well (I really like both restaurants). Keen's is also (very) famous for their mutton chop and maybe their lamb would be good too?

Here is a list from Chow, as well.

http://www.chow.com/food-news/138412...st-lamb-chops/

For Greek fish, I usually go to Elias Corner in Astoria. Service is pretty poor. Decor is non-existent. But good, fresh fish, and a nice chopped salad. Good octopus.

http://www.eliascorner.com/EliasCorner/Main.html

My favorite pre-theater restaurant is the West Bank Café -
http://www.westbankcafe.com/menu.html

Taverna Kyclades, a long time favorite in Queens, has opened up a branch in the East Village. Not only is the food wonderful, the size of the portions are very unManhattan.

http://www.tavernakyclades.com/

Thank you all for the great suggestions. One of the things I enjoy most about traveling is EATING! =D If only I had more room to put it all or more days to eat it all. I have my work cut out in terms of decisions.

Pylos caught my attention earlier when I was looking at Greek choices. The menu is fabulous. Thanks for reminding me of this one!

Becco. The old man still loves it.

The best lamb chops I've had in NYC were at Peter Luger, in Brooklyn.

BigRuss - How have I missed Becco all these years? My mouth is watering!

2nd vote for lamb at Peter Luger. We may have to give it a try, if for no other reason, just to say we did it!

Thank you for the suggestions.

Becco is the one where they just keep piling on the pasta.

I've never been to Luger's, but Keen's has a spectacular Lamb chop) they call it mutton but it's lamb). If you are a normal person and blanch at the thought of all that meat, it is possible to have a half order in the "pub" -- a non-reservation area between the bar and the restaurant.

http://www.keens.com

“The Mutton chop on the menu, actually a 26-ounce saddle of lamb, skirted with fat
and nearly two inches tall, can wear whatever label it pleases because it
provides as much pleasure as a carnivore could want.”
New York Times, 2006

Yes, at Becco they keep piling on the pasta. But I haven't been there in several years after two trips when all THREE pastas were absolutely gummy, overcooked, and tasteless. I'd much rather go to a decent Italian restaurant where they prepare MY own order of pasta fresh and tasty, -- rather than "all you can eat" pastas cooked to please all tastes (bland) and served from pans that may have been sitting on the stove for quite a while. But if you like bland (especially creamy or cheesey) pastas, and you like lots to eat, it may really fit the bill. I suspect they can't do lots of garlic, any hot peppers, or things like squid or anchovies in pastas that they're trying to make appeal to all tastes.

More great information. We are not "all you can eat" kind of people. Buffets generally turn my stomach. I'd rather go to McDonald's and grab a fresh burger and fries than go to a buffet. I'm not fond of creamy or cheesy pastas either. Becco's is off of the short list.

Fra - Keen's is on our list, but we're still a bit undecided. In addition to the mutton, they also have a double lamb chop that I think would be wonderful. The thing we were hesitant about is that we have a Keen's in Houston offering the same thing, so we could get that at home. However, I've heard that the original Keen's is a bit different/better than the other locations. Any thoughts on this? When I'm in NYC, one of the things I enjoy most is eating great things at places that I can't get at home.

I had no idea Keen's was a chain! The original restaurant is an eyeful.

News to me also if Keen's is a chain. I can't find anything about that anywhere on their website, nor by googling. Nor with a number of searches can I find a Keen's Steakhouse in Houston. Are you sure the two are connected?

<i>The thing we were hesitant about is that we have a Keen's in Houston offering the same thing, so we could get that at home.</i>

I don't think Keen's is a chain. I could be wrong, but it seems as if the one in Houston (I can't find it at all on the Google) would be a knockoff.

<i>When I'm in NYC, one of the things I enjoy most is eating great things at places that I can't get at home.</i>

Go to Momofuku Ssam bar then (a weekday lunch at 11:30 is easy enough to get a table - get the rice cake dish). Or Acme. Or, if you want to break the bank, Eleven Madison Park.

Do not, under any circumstances, be tempted by either BBQ or Mexican in New York. You can also safely pass on Vietnamese if you live in Houston.

For BBQ, try Mighty Quinn in the East Village.

My mistake! You guys are absolutely correct about Keen's. I was thinking of Capital Grille which was suggested earlier. Keen's is likely where we will go for our lamb "fix."

Sorry about that confusion, and thanks for the additional suggestions.

Travelg: I laughed just a little when I read "Do not, under any circumstances, be tempted by either BBQ or Mexican in New York." In 2004, my daughter and I were in NYC for over a week and had begun craving Mexican food by Day 5. Suffice it to say, I could not agree with you more. =)

Well, we don't have great Tex-Mex, but Pampano, http://www.richardsandoval.com/pampano/index.php serves food similar to what you would find in fashionable restaurants in Mexico City.

There are also more and more taquerias which receive good reviews, but they are in areas of the city where tourists, and many locals, fear to tread.

What you lack in Tex-Mex, you more than make up for in every other cuisine imaginable - the one possible exception being BBQ. One of my favorite things about NYC is the plethora of excellent food choices.

When visitors come, they rarely try ethnic foods that might not be available in their home towns.