New York - Nice, but trendy, new restaurant recs!!
 

Having a girl's weekend in NYC - quick trip, both been several times, but not in a couple years. We love to have a couple nice dinners, good wine list, good atmosphere, & are staying at the W in Midtown. Any recommendations for some new, fun spots? We are mid-30's so clubs, lounges, too! Highly appreciated!

check out www.eater.com for recent reviews, openings, etc. They list some bars too.

'inoteca on Ludlow and Rivington is not new, but a nice wine bar, place to grab dinner or an afternoon glass of wine, lunch or a cheese plate. It is packed and you will have to wait if you go at night, though they are open late.

Le Pere Pinard has decent french bistro food and borders on lounge/bar and restaurant. Ludlow b/t Stanton and Delancey. You do not need to reserve.

Stanton Social is "hip" and actually has decent food. I prefer not to go on the weekend, but it would be fun for a girls trip--must reserve a table in advance. Often has Page Six sightings, if that is of interest. Has a lounge upstairs. Stanton b/t Orchard and Ludlow.

Pegu Club for drinks--nice cocktails, upscale lounge but not loud with drunken frat boys, perhaps drowning-their-sorrows hedge fund managers, but not too bad. 2nd floor, West Broadway and Houston.

Von for drinks. Loungy, neighborhood bar with wine and nice cocktails. Male to female ratio is high and in your favor if you want to flirt. They are harmless though and tend to be artsy/designer types with some frat mixed in. Bleeker b/t Elizabeth and Bowery.

Gemma, "italian" restaurant/lounge in the new Bowery Hotel on Bowery and 3rd (I may be off a block). Sceney, hip.

That is all I can think of at the moment.

Buddakan in the Meatpacking, Wakiya in the new Gramercy Hotel, Gemma, STK

All of the above are more for the scene, but the food is decent. All require reservations in advance.

Stanton Social is great with halfway decent food. Also love Landmarc or Red Cat for the atmosphere, wine, and food. Good neighborhoods ot head out in after dinner (Chelsea nad Tribeca). Look on www.menupages.com for menus (with prices) and reviews.

Here are two new and trendy places with good food:

Barfry on Carmine Street

El Quinto Pino (tapas bar) on West 24th Street and 9th Avenue

FREEMANS FREEMANS FREEMANS!! I'm 30-something and this place was GREAT- more like a speakeasy since it's at the end of a sketchy alley off of Rivington near Bowery. I took 2 friends and it was under $30/person- GREAT atmosphere but plan on a LONG wait (and no reservations)

http://freemansrestaurant.com/

poodle, can't get the website to open except a title page. But a "trendy" bar and restaurant that closes at 11:30 PM? Are they serious?

ha ha ha they are so cool that yes, in fact, their website is almost retro in that it acts more like a yellow pages listing than a really informative website.

I don't know why they would say they close at 11:30. In fact, we left after 11 pm and there was still a huge line and they immediately re-seated our table for another party!

The place is a little fussy to figure out/find/get into, but that is definitely part of the mystique. Now that dorks like me are posting about it on Fodor's, that probably means their "cool factor" just dropped a bunch!! :-)

If you want "new," look no further than Bacaro on Division. Have a drink upstairs; ask for a table downstairs.

Freeman's is great, but it's far from new. Same with Stanton Social .. Pegu .. etc.

Gemma, Spotted Pig, Stanton Social, Freemans, Pastis, Waverly Inn

I'd agree that some of these aren't new, but places like Stanton Social are great b/c they actually take reservations. You'll be waiting for a table at Spotted Pig for 2 hours on a Friday or Saturday night, and it's not a comfortable bar experience.

Also wanted to add Allen & Delancey to the list. I had a fabulous dinner there this evening, and they take reservations. The food is amazing, and the vibe of the restaurant is really cool

Indeed, I'd add Allen & Delancey to the list as well ... Bruni just gave it an excellent review, so it's on the cusp of not being "new," and I'm sure it's now jam-packed.

But for "new" "nice" "trendy" my vote is still for Bacaro.

Since you are here over the holidays, I'd suggest Rolf's which is not old but it's fun over the holidays and it's close to your hotel (22nd and 3rd Ave) and Flute Bar which is also close to your hotel (www.flutebar.com), as a lovely lounge spot for an evening.

Love Rolf's... not so much for the food but definitely at this time of the year for the experience. Great place to grab a drink.

So just an FYI, but Bolo (Bobby Flay's place in Union Square) will be closing their doors for good on 12/31. I don't know how "trendy" dinner is, but I went in there for a coffee and to meet the manager and ended up staying 2 1/2 hours chatting with the staff and the bar customers - we had a blast. It was just a random, cool crowd.

Did lunch there yesterday (prix fix - $24.07!) and the food was delish... you may want to check it out before it goes away. You can always bounce around Union Square for bars afterward. Have fun!