Restaurants in Manhattan
 

We are looking for restaurant recommedations for lunch and dinner for a week-end in New York City in early Oct. We will be staying at The Intercontinental Central Park South but will travel for good food. Last year we went to Daniel and Gramercy Tavern for dinner, Cafe Des Artiste for lunch and Norma's for breakfast. Loved GT and Norma's and all things considered thought Daniel to be just okay. We would be more interested Gramercy Tavern type places. Also really loved Norma's. What is Robert DeNiro's place in TriBeCa like? We're not familiar with any Chinatown or Little Italy spots. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.
JoeG

How about Balthazar in SoHo? It's the closest I can think of to Gramercy Tavern - great food, non-stuffy atmosphere. However it's French cuisine and the service isn't quite as good (but then, what is?). It's right off the shopping strip, so if you're going to be in Soho anyway, it would be worth a try. The profiteroles for dessert are divine (they are like cream puffs, but with ice cream, and hot chocolate syrup poured on top... =P~ )

Try Chowhound.com, the Manhattan board. You can read rest. reviews (written by NYers and tourists alike) to your heart's content.

My happy places in NY include

Le Bernardine
Jean George
Babbo
City Bakery for hot chocolate
Payard for dessert
Dean and DeLuca for a picnic in the park
Balthazar only for their pastry and bread
Il Cortile in Little Italy

However, I must warn you, Daniel is a god to me, so we may have dissimilar tastes.

suzanne,
We have heard that Balthazar's would be a good choice from others too!
Litespeed Chick,
Your list sounds great. I meant no critcism of Daniel. We were glad we went, service wasn't particularly friendly that night. And I guess dollar for dollar thought food and service at Gramercy Tavern made it a more enjoyable experience.
JoeG

LiteSpeed Chick,
Thanks for the Chowhound.com suggestion. Just read a really good and funny review of Babbo posted today!
JoeG

If you liked Gramercy Tavern (one of my favorites too, by the way) you'll probably like these:

Gotham Bar and Grill (on E. 12th) - similar style food, lovely room, great service

Washington Park - in 24 Fifth Avenue, a block above Washington Square Park. Great food, good wine list, very friendly.

Also - the person who owns Gramercy Tavern (Danny Meyer)is known for the gracious service in all of his restaurants. He also owns Union Square Cafe (on E. 16th street)which has excellent food (a great place for lunch on a Saturday, following a walk through the Union Square Greenmarket) and Tabla, an interesting sort of Indian fusion place on 25th and Madison.

By the way - I agree about the service at Daniel. A bit snooty and cool.

Here are some excellent resturants.
Union Pacific/gramecy area/
Gotham Bar and Grill
First, casual east village with graet food
Olica/uptown
Water club/great in the summer
Il cortille/little italy
one if by land/village/upscale
The Terrace/uptown with great views
Waters edge/LongIsland City.Take a ferry
Sparks/Steak
Ocans
March/upscale
Le bernadine/upscale,some people love it.I think its over-rated
Savoy/soho
Barolo/soho/outdoor garden
Chanterele/upscale
Bouley/upscale downtown
La Cote basque/upscale
Nobu
Rauls/soho
Veritas/gramacy
Veritage/Gramacy
stay away from lutece,babbo,le circ
Check out these rest. on www.zagats.com
enjoy

cindymal,
Great list. What was your problem with Babbo?
JoeG

Gotham Bar & Grill is a good choice.
Forget about Tribeca Grill. Not that great.
If you like French, try Chez Josephine, my favorite (and the favorite of other posters as well).
Also, Union Square Cafe.

So many of these suggestions are overpriced midtown (or midtown-esgue) tourist traps. JoeG, if that's what you're looking for, have at it. But if you're interested in trying some great places where actual New Yorkers eat regularly, just ask. (At this moment the best food in the city can be found on the Lower East Side.)

Hey Gekko,
I'm askin' I'm askin'.
JoeG

Some places actual NYers eat:
Apizz - lower e. side
L'Epicerie - lower E. side
Le Jardin Bistro - soho/Little italy
Va Tutti - soho/little italy
Kasimir - E. VIllage
East Post - E.Village
Le Tableau - E. Village
Lavagna - E. Village
I Coppi - E. VIllage
Gonzo - W. Village
Gus' Place - W. Village
Provence - Soho

There are many, many more, but these are what comes to mind. They are all great value and the food in most cases is as good as or better than many of the trendy, popular, 'hard to get a erservation' places.

Well JoeG, since you asked . . .

A few of my favorites on the LES include:

* Paladar -- Great Spanish cuisine. Everybody's favorite on Ludlow Street

* WD-50 -- Wylie Dufresne's new place on Clinton. Excellent. Definitely call for a reservation. Not inexpensive.

* Lansky Lounge -- a former speakeasy on Norfolk. Food is good; atmosphere is out-of-this-world.

* Suba -- Also on Ludlow. Relatively new (18 months). Very cool.

* Punch & Judy -- On Clinton. Known for its amazing wine list and choice of wines by the glass.

That's a strong start. Don't even get me started on East Village eateries.

Enjoy NYC!

I'll have to disagree with a previous post: New Yorkers do eat at places such as Balthazar, Gotham Bar & Grill, Union Square Cafe, etc.

No, they don't.

Ha Ha, just kidding. I'm talking about on a regular basis (and I guess the New Yorkers I know like to dine at new places).

Balthazar? Tired. All's that left are Euro-trash posers wondering why Leo doesn't show up anymore.

Gotham? Union Square Cafe? Special occasion, expense account, or guests in from out-of-town who don't know better but to request them.

How about checking out someplace *new*?

Hey Gekko,
Can I get you started on the East Village list? We're adventurous and ready to take the plunge!
JoeG

Gekko - let's see the East Village list!!!

Don't get me started. We'll be here all day.
Adventurous you say? Okay, let's go . . .

* Zum Schneider -- Avenue C @ 7th Street -- an authentic German beer hall with dirty communal tables and absentee service, Zum nonetheless serves up delicious German food (the lightest thing on the menu is the big ole pork chop). Grab a wheat beer, relax, and enjoy.

* Esperanto -- C @ 9th Street -- Great nuevo latino cuisine, just recently got a good write-up in GQ (by the incomparable Alan Richman). Check out Zum and if you can't handle it, walk two short blocks north.

* Frank -- Second Ave -- Very small restaurant but excellent Italian. Same owners operate Lil Frankie's Pizza on First Ave.

* Mermaid Inn -- Second Ave -- Seafood.

* Boca Chica -- First @ First -- It's been open for a decade, but it's still a hip crowd-pleaser. Around corner on First St is Elephant, another popular choice.

* La Paella -- 9th Street -- If you like ... paella ... this is the place. Amazing variations of the traditional dish. Fantastic.

* Il Bagatto -- 2nd Street -- Arguably the best Italian in New York (along with Il Mulino).

* Chez Es Saada -- 1st Street -- How great is this Moroccan place? The subterranean dining room is too cool, and the belly dancer is too hot.

So many more . . . Rue B for amazing sandwiches, Lavagna, Alphabet Kitchen . . . .

Gekko,
You're awesome! My wife will go crazy when she sees this! Thanks so much! Thanks to everyone.
JoeG

After seeing Gekko's list, I wish my wife and I had ventured into the LES during our recent vacation in NYC.

However, there are some restaurants we did try that I can highly recommend:

Babbo (expensive, but well worth it)
Becco, West 46th (great Italian pre-fixe value in Midtown)
Chanterelle, in Tribeca (we had a $20.03 three-course lunch that was wonderful)
Le Madeliene, West 43rd (thank you, HowardR for this recommendation; the garden room was indeed very nice, as well as the food and service)

The only "off" meal we had our whole week was at Fratelli in Little Italy. The food was good, but the service was definitely wanting. I wish we had tried nearby Il Cortile for lunch that day instead.

What about the new place, Westville, for all american food. anyone tried it yet?

STAY AWAY FROM ROCCO'S. That is my only suggestion.

JoeG -- Glad to be of service. You'll enjoy exploring the LES/East Village/Alphabet City. Do me a favor -- if you're in the area, please do not walk across Tompkins Square Park after dark. Even post-Giuliani, it can be a bit rough. Better to be safe.

And if you're in the area and want to see a slice of freak show bohemian New York City, walk down St. Mark's Place from Third Ave to Ave A (St. Mark's is 8th street). It's usually a wild scene, man.

Gekko,
Now you are really adding a sense of adventure to our dining experience!
JoeG

>
Congee Village in Chinatown; think the address was 100 Allen St.

And another recommendation for WD50 in East Village. Address is 50 Clinton St. Expensive.

Hi
Babbo is so over rated. Our server
was terrible and the atmosphere was just
ok but most important the food was average at best.I think if you enjoy fine dinning stay away from this place.
For the same price you can have a lovely dinner at Daniel
enjoy your trip

actually all of the resturants i suggested i have been too and have been
living in NY my entire life

from my experience, people that live in New York get so caught in the latest "experience" they can lose contact with what is truly excellent and what is "of the moment". My friends who are truly "le bec fin" find Babbo to be just a restaurant "of the moment".

Perhaps partially correct, LilMsFoodie, but many restaurants that were once "truly excellent" rest on their laurels and become mediocre overpriced tourist traps.

New restaurants, on the other hand, face intense competition and the most demanding food critics in the world. If they're cuisine is only "of the moment," they won't last more than a moment (which is often the case, I might add -- "new" restaurants fail & close all the time in Manhattan, some remarkably quickly).

i think the key to Babbo is to know what to order. we went with menu suggestions from a guy who lives around the corner from the restaurant (so he frequents it often)and it was really a great meal. maybe not the best i have ever had, but in the top 10 for sure, and no, i am not a foodie but i have been to many great places and know a good meal. if you find a restaurant that everyone agrees on 100% , then go with it. my guess is you won't find one! the suggestions here on this site are always excellent! happy eating!

btw...if you are adventuresome...the salt baked squid at New York Noodletown in Chinatown, which is pretty much a dive, is AWESOME!

All of these suggestions/recommedations are so much appreciated. Food is really the top priority for us. Theater, museums, etc. take a distant second. Sometimes I think we make a point of doing other things just so that when we talk about our trips to people who don't understand they won't think we're weird. I love all the thoughtful advice.It really allows us to maximize our experience. Plus you don't feel like a country bumpkin in the Big Apple going to Mama Leone's.
JoeG

What would be your best recommendation for pre theater dinner?

Probably not what you want to hear but my suggestion would be to have a late lunch someplace fabulous and skip the pre theater dinner. I get too rushed and then too bloated and sleepy from dinner to enjoy the theater.

Gekko, props to you for such a great dining list! I've eaten at some of the restaurants on your list and they are all great dining for the money!

Thanks GoTravel. That's pretty much my list of 'regulars.' My three rules for Manhattan dining are:

* Avoid midtown & Times Square (with an exception or two of course)

* Try something new

* Relax, be patient, have fun -- it's just a meal after all

Go Travel, Thanks for the lunch suggestion that is just what we will do.

If you want some thing wondeful in Chinatown, a MUST is Peking Duck House on Mott St. Order the Peking Duck of course it is heavenly.

Then walk up to Little Italy and have a sweet something from any of the wonderful pastery shops on Mulbury St.

Have a great time while you are here.

joe g: i also just remembered Martha Stewart did a show on her food program and visited chinatown nyc. she ate off the street-wish i could remember what it was- i think maybe bean curd-?- and sat down and then had a meal at Sweet and Tart....bet you someone on this forum can give you info on that!

GoTravel,
I appreciate your suggestion regarding the late lunch vs. pre-theater dinner. We did the late lunch last year and it worked out much better. The year before we had a dinner at Bice and figured no problem taking a cab from there to the theater for Ragtime. Well, of course you can't find a cab at that time and even if you could it would take longer than walking. We ended up running all the way and just as we got into our seats the curtain opened. Needless to say we had an uncomfortable couple of hours.
Gekko - I appreciate your "three rules" - there are so many restaurants and so little time.
JoeG