I stopped in NYC for one night prior to my flight to Italy and 2 nights after our trip, as our flight was out of JFK and my DD lives in NYC. Thought I would report on the restauarnts we ate at and the hotel I stayed in.

Restaurants: All in the West Village
Extra Virgin - Very nice meals here but over priced considering portions, even for NYC. I also hate paying over $10 for a glass of wine. There is always a line during busy times.

Bbar'rique - a fairly new tapas restaurant. We reserved the one table that is at the front, at the open window. Very accommodating staff. Moderately priced wine. I don't remember all the tapas we had but remember I liked everything. (Sorry, it was June 3rd...)

Cafe Gitane at the Hotel Jane - Lovely, lovely place - interesting decor. Cool and friendly waitstaff. Excellent food. I had the Morroccan CousCous - perfect, DD has her fave Organic Roasted Chicken sandwich. Wines by glass, 1/2 carafe, bottle, etc.

Moustache - My very favorite. Love this place. Middle Eastern with a focus on "Pitza". We had the Lamb pitza, (excellent with their Rose), chicken kabob plate and a few tapas. Bottles of wine for $24. The place is tiny, we took the last seat at 7:55, and when we left there was a line outside to get in.

On the return, in an effort to save $$, I thought I'd give The Larchmont a try - and my first venture with a shared bath. The hotel is on a lovely street in the West Village (11th, between 5th and 6th) The room was $130 (before taxes). I had a room on the 2nd floor, next to the bathroom. It was incredibly quiet, which surprised me. A continental breakfast is included (pastries, toast, coffee, tea, juices). Nice cold AC, TV, WiFi, sink in the room. They give you a robe, slippers, and a little bag of toiletries.

For me, thats about all that was good about it. While the room seemed clean, it was in need of new paint. The bathroom tiles were broken, the tub was (hopefully) stained (I cleaned my feet with antibacterial wipes after my shower. Shudder) and the shower head was on the side wall of the tub instead of at the end, making showering awkward. The woman behind the counter in the cafe acted like she was doing everyone a favor, never smiled or greeted anyone, didn't offer her help and just stood there when someone came in.

I would never stay there again but I will admit, for what you DO get, it is a pretty good "deal". I need more comforts.

Austin:

Very nice super mini NYC report.

Interesting to hear about The Larchmont hotel. Did you stay at this hotel before your trip or The Hotel Jane? If so, your thoughts.

Love NYC - thanks for posting.

Sandy

I stayed at the Larchmont after the trip to Italy. I gave the Larchmont a try only after reading good reviews on Trip Advisor. I don't get the 4 and 5 star reviews.

We only ate at the Cafe Gitane in the Hotel. I had never heard of the Jane Hotel until my daughter suggested the Cafe for lunch.

During the spring/summer you can often get a secret sale hotel on quikbook.com for ~$140-170 before taxes with private bathroom. Bidding on Priceline can also often yield a 4* hotel at that price. If your DD live downtown, the Soho/financial district is a good bet for a 1 night win on PL. Thanks for the info on the restaurants.

"and the shower head was on the side wall of the tub instead of at the end, making showering awkward."

This is a standard configuration for some older apartments in NYC . . . including mine.

Thanks mclaurie. Should have done PL. Next time!