Good to know about Café d'Alsace, since the museels would be the primary reason for going there. I'll have a look at Le Bateau Ivre and perhaps consider dropping one French restaurant from the schedule as well.

Hmmm. Speaking of French. On 50th, just east of 9th, is the tiny Chez Napolean. Enter, eat, and you'd swear you're on the Left Bank in one of those tiny but perfect bistros you'd love to discover.
Cheznapolean.com

You can thank me later. Incidentally, we're now in Lyon, and both of us thought about Chez Naplolean the other night while eating in a picturesque little Bouchon.

Oops. Try Cheznapoleon.com

Bless you for that recommendation--it looks wonderful. Au revoir Café d'Alsace!

What did you have at the Lyon bouchon? Being in Lyon sounds very good.

Lyon! Fried tripe, potato and herring salad, chicken liver "pudding" on a bed of mini spinach ravioli, daurade and loup, spit roasted pork loin, sauerkraut with 5 meats, pistachio sausages, steak tartare, oysters, veal liver, duck breast, foie gras. . . What else? Gained 10 pounds at least. Is there another city with more fattening food?

Possibly somewhere in the Dordogne, with all the cassoulet and foie gras?

I discovered that Chez Napoléon is so French that reservations can only be made via the telephone.

New restaurant called Gabriel Kreuther on west 42 st. across from Bryant Park. I thought the food was outstanding. Gknyc.com

I think L'Ecole is not worth the trouble.

I agree with McLaurie, there is no particular reason to go to L'Ecole.

If you want to come downtown there is Lucien and much cheaper and lively bistro, Casimir.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/pmf-pardon-my-french-new-york

Good to know about L'Ecole; I'll leave that evening open in case we can get tickets for the Met, in which case we'll head to Boulud Sud. I'm sorry there's no longer an early-dinner prix fixe menu, though.

Dim sum recommendations?

Pizza Certé is also on the list as a back-up.

"I discovered that Chez Napoléon is so French that reservations can only be made via the telephone."

See. I told you it was just like those left bank cafes. Do you have a phone? Call them a few days before and you'll be fine. No need to book months ahead. Per Se this ain't!

Good, and thanks again. And yes, I have a phone, although not a smart one.

For dim sum try on go on a week day even though Jing Fung and Golden Unicorn are cavernous they fill up.

For dim sum with few concessions to American tastes-Jing Fung and Golden Unicorn. Those you just pick from roving carts pushed by women who speak very little English.

If you go to Golden Unicorn, enter the building and go to the small podium. The young woman will tell you if there is a wait and what floor to go to.

Nom Wah on Doyers. From a menu, claims to be the oldest dim sum parlor in NYC. That is the first place we had dim sum over 35 years ago. A nephew gave up banking and took it over kept the old tin ceiling and slanted tile floor. You will need a map to find Doyers it is one curvy block long.


If you want to venture to Flushing, Queens, try the Grand in a big shopping center (on the 2nd or 3ed floor) on Main Street.

Our ideal dim sum places are the ones with carts. If anyone is ever in Sacramento, the place to go is the Islander Hong Kong Lounge.

NeoPatrick, I called Chez Napoléon just now and got a reservation for Nov. 3rd. The person who answered the phone spoke mostly French--I am in heaven!

Now...what about a place for a light lunch near MOMA?

We ate at Jing Fong yesterday. Despite seating 800 people, there was a 45 minute wait (and they were on the money when we arrived, that we would wait 45 minutes). It was very good, a fun experience and very inexpensive. (By the way, Golden Unicorn had a similar wait, Nam Wah would have been much shorter but we wanted to pick from roving carts, not off a menu).

Sf307, yes, unfortunately yesterday was a holiday. Jing Fung is probably one of the best inexpensive meals in Manhattan. I have been to banquets there and hosted business diners in one of the small side rooms.

So now a friend is coming down from Garrison to meet us at MOMA, and I'd welcome recommendations for lunch somewhere nearby. We like the café at MOMA, but communal seating is not good for years of catching-up conversation. Ideas?

If you like Northern Italian, I can recommend Remi on West 53rd between 6th and 7th, just after the Hilton, less than a block from MOMA.