good eats 55th/2nd ave

[abs]

just moved to 55th and 2nd ave. would love some suggestions for good food. don't care about ambience or price - just darn good food. also - are there any good pizza places around here? we went to 4 around the neighborhood and they all were horrible! thanks for any tips!

[sadie1]

and dont forget the cupcake place, 2nd ave near 52nd, east side of street

[sadie1]

zarela, great mexican, 2nd ave at 50th street...

[erica]

What about the new place on Second opened by the Bouterin owner..between 54th and 53rd next to Ambassador? Cafe Soleil?? I have yet to try it....

[serious]

March is major money..

[s.piller]

If money is no problem, try March on 58th between 1st & Sutten Place.
A beautiful restaurant with great food, service and decor.

[serious]

Maple Garden on 53rd, 2-3. Consistent and comfortable..and good.

[jenniebnyc]

what is maple garden? i am on 54th and don't think i ever heard/been to this place?

[serious]

Maple Garden or Beijing Duck House, middle of block between 2nd
and 3rd, south side of street. They use both names.

[mrbeachy]

whatever happened to the peking duck house on 52nd st? they were really good. btw i used to live at 56th and 2nd ave. i miss it a lot...

[serious]

The Peking duck house, now on 53rd (see above) was the place on
52nd..now it's Beijing Duck House.

[serious]

Il Nido on 53rd? How is this place? It's been there forever.

[tbear]

I get a little sensitve when people disrespect my 'hood. It might not be the best area in the city for food but here are some good spots:

Pescatore- 51st & 2nd- Linguine Vongole - ceaser salad

Zip Burger- 52nd & 2nd - Good burger & Fries- shakes

Pampano- 49th (2nd & 3rd)- excellent neuvo latino -nice roof deck

Wollensky's grill-49th & 3rd- sorry, but the sirloin is great- so old it tastes like cheese. Great bartenders, great bull shots/bloody bulls (which really should count as food/soup)

Taksim- 2nd (54th-55th)good turkish

Tal Bagels- 1st & 55th- great bagels, nova, chopped liver

PJ Clark's- 55th & 3rd - good oysters, burgers in a great saloon

The cart on 54th & 3rd is good for chicken pita. It is there late.

Ideal cheese- 1st (52nd-51st) is my favorite cheese shop in the city.

Duex Amis- 51st (1st & 2nd) - cute bistro. Nice sidewalk seating and a passable merguez cous-cous, beet-goat cheese salad. Bucky, the owner, is a neigborhood fixture.

Pizza is a tough find in the area. I personally make due with Abertino's slice on 1st ave (52nd). Krunch is a new place on 2nd ave. The crust is not really my thing (it varies between chewy, crunchy and cardboard) but the toppings are good.

More upscale, some a longer walk:

Oceana- awesome seafood. Though did I read that the chef just left?

La Grenoullie- classic, great room. Best Souffle, Canelle de Brochette.

Dona- inventive med. Good chef.

L'imperio-Tudor city excursion. Beautiful room with great food.

Chin-Chin- peking duck. Orange shrimp.

Chola- favorite Indian in the city. Goat Stew.

Shun Lee Palace- spicy beef w/ leek.

Aureole- never fails.

Atelier- I havent been, but you gotta try Joel.

[designerboy01]

Ultimate Pizza is good at 57th and 1st right next to Gristedes. Its my hood too. Its a delivery joint.

[tbear]

Yeah, I like ultimate for delivery also. Last time it was delivered so hot it scalded me. Nice.

[designerboy01]

I heard Rafaele is good for Italian. I didn't try it but heard many good things.
http://raffaele.citysearch.com/?cslin...

[jenniebnyc]

TAKSIM across from Angelo's has GREAT Turkish food. Definitely worth a try.

VONG (Jean Georges) French Vietnamese is on 54th bet 2nd and 3rd.

INDIGO for really good Indian food.

Pampano for upscale Mexican on 49th bet 2nd and 3rd..same owner as Maya

Jubliee for french bistro fare on 54th bet 1st and 2nd

Pesce Pasta on 59th and 1st

[mrbeachy]

i was just told earlier today that OPIA on east 57th street serves excellent food. i plan to check it out in the near future.

[VinoEd]

abs, sorry you moved to the wrong 'hood, there is no Babbo here.

There is a new Nobu on 57th, and there is Rosa Mex here also, and you said you like them. JUbilee is ok for neighborhood bistro, Jimbo's not bad for greasy (meant in a good way) hamburger, oh, there is a SHun Lee nearby also. I like Seo on 49th for sushi, but it is not Nobu.

Here is the good news...cook...there is an outstanding butcher on 1st and 52st called Simchick. Otherwise your best bet is to catch a cab downtown.

[shortstop]

BLT Steak, 57th b/Park and Lex.

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...

[theannerska]

Mmm, Ess-A-Bagel is on 51st and 3rd...

[Cheese Boy]

Yup, abs, this is another goody. Thanks, theannerska, good choice.

Big, plump, chewy: http://www.ess-a-bagel.com/door/

Rotate this staple with pizza once in a while. Still plenty of starch.
[See the top left of their homepage to navigate for menus, etc.].

[E Eto]

Ichimura, 2nd Ave/54th

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...

[abs]

THANKS guys for your posts. we tried angelo's - i'm sorry, but the pizza was not that good. the restaurants outside our neighborhood that we like are: babbo's, spice market, thalasso's, bobby van's, peter luger's, shun lee, dos camino's, rosa mexicana, serafina's pizza, blue smoke, nobu. cheeseboy, a lot of people mention grand sichuan - i think we'll try it! please give some more recommendations!!!

[mrbeachy]

grand sichuan is a good choice-its very different from "americanized" chinese food.its closer to what the native asians eat. i had sesame chicken or beef there and it had very different sauces and spices,but was still very good.

[designerboy01]

There is a Bobby Vans on 5th Strret between Lex and Park but I heard the one in Grand Central is better.

[designerboy01]

54th street betwwen Lex and Park.

[mathew]

Awesome burgers at Jimbo's Hamburger Place on 1st Ave, Btwn 54th & 55th St. Angelo's pizza is great (similar to Patsy's). Try the tuna melt at the Plaza Diner.

[mrbeachy]

if you like pizza,angelos is right there at 55th and second.if you like burgers,pj clarkes is around the corner at 3rd and 55th,though its dark and crowded at times,another one i like very much is ZIP BURGER at 52nd st right off second ave. the plaza 56 coffee shop at 56th and second ave is good for late night meals and snacks and they are open 24/7 on the weekends.two doors down from right is the jumbo bagel store,which has excellent bagels and sandwiches.

there are so many more choices let us know ( by cuisine,or price,or both) if you need any further suggestions.

[alex70]

I have to disagree. The pizza at angelos is not great a too expensive for pizza. I just had a burger from zip and it was really bad. The last time I ate ate plaza 56, the place smelled like bleach and there was a hair in my food. PJ clarkes is ok, but the burgers were better before it was sold. I really like grand sichuan and also sushi seki. For a good burger I usually go to the burger joint on 56th b/w 6th and 7th ave

[jenniebnyc]

Tried KRUNCH last night and it was pretty good. I got the zucchini pizza so hard to tell what the traditional squares are like.

Yes, Plaza 56 is gross. I was drunk and the food even tasted bad. Moostruck isn't that great either. I order from the Ritz Diner.

I do like Zip Burger though. Especially the fries.

[serious]

Been to Krunch twice and like it a lot..but watch that you get
what you order during the busy lunchtime.

[mrbeachy]

i had lunch at grand sichuan today-sesame beef and it was really good;however the portions are quite small.

[mrbeachy]

i forgot to mention- an alternative to plaza 56 is the madison on first ave and 53rd street it has been redone,made bigger and more fancy, has a bigger menu and i think their food and service is WAY better.

[Cheese Boy]

Grand Sichuan (International Eastern Incorporated)
1049 2nd Ave At 55 St
[phone]