Taste of Manhattan

[tadpoe]

I'll be in Manhattan for 4 days, (1st time) and I'm seeing a broadway show, central park, canal St, Ellis Isle tour among other things..Touristy I guess...

but if I were to want to visit genuinely NY, Deli, pizza, bakery etc Where would I go? Opinions?

Some suggestions I've seen on this board (and other places) are:

Quatorze Bis

Craftsteak

Balthazar Bakery -

Keens Steakhouse

River Cafe

Katz Deli

Russ and Daughters

Yonah Schimmel's

Rays - chocolate egg cream

Kossars bialys and bagels

[RGR]

Since it is your first time here, no need to apologize for doing touristy things. That's what anyone does when traveling to any city the world over that they've not been to before. Like, you wouldn't avoid the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Coliseum in Rome. Right? Now, on to the chow...

I'd scratch Quatorze Bis. I just read some reports on another food forum indicating that the food has taken a total downhill slide.

If you're looking to try a French bistro, why not eat at Balthazar?

http://www.balthazarny.com

Keens is our favorite steakhouse, so I highly recommend it. In addition to great food, it's got that unmatchable old NY ambiance that appeals to natives as well as visitors.

http://www.keens.com

The last five places on your list are all on my (in)famous Lower East Side eating "tour." There are other stops as well, so in case you haven't seen it, I'm appending it here:

LES Food Excursion

For the quintessential NYC deli experiences, no place beats Katz's, on the corner of Houston (pronounced "how-stun") & Ludlow Sts. You're there specifically for the pastrami sandwich. When you enter, you will be given a ticket. Instead of opting for table service, do what the "natives" do and get on line for counter service. When you reach the counter, put a $1 for each sandwich in the counterman's tip cup – though not mandatory, it is a tradition -- and order pastrami on rye. He'll give you a piece to taste. If you like it (the best pastrami is juicy and has some fat on it), tell him o.k., and he'll make your sandwich, give you some sour pickles, and punch your ticket. Then, continue along the counter for sides – the cole slaw is good -- and drinks. Find seats at a table in the center of the room. (Tables along the wall have menus on them and are reserved for waiter service.) When you’re done, take your ticket to the cashier in front, where it’s cash only. To pay by credit card, go to the counter at the rear where the salamis are sold. Note: For the purposes of this tour, unless you have a gargantuan appetite, it would be best to share one sandwich in order to leave room for more tastings along the way.

When you exit Katz’s, turn left and continue along the same side of Houston St. You will come to Russ & Daughters, famous for all sorts of smoked fish and many other goodies. It's not a restaurant, but they make sandwiches to go.

After leaving the Russes, continue west a couple of blocks until you reach Yonah Schimmel's. Get a tasty potato knish, and make sure to ask them to heat it up.

Now it’s time for the quintessential NY drink – the egg cream. So, reverse yourself and head east on Houston until you come to Avenue A. (Note: Avenue A becomes Essex St. on the south side of Houston.) Turn left on A and head north until you get to the block between 7th St. and St. Mark’s Place. Look for a hole-in-the-wall candy shop, closer to 7th, with an overhead sign jutting into the street that says, “Belgian Fries.” (The place’s official name is Ray’s, but there is no signage to that effect.) One of the women behind the counter will make you a delicious chocolate egg cream.

When you’re finished licking your lips, go back to Houston St. and make a left (east) one block to Norfolk St. Turn right and walk down Norfolk until it ends at Grand St. Two places to look for at the corner of Grand and Norfolk: Kossar's, for freshly baked bialys (another very NY food) and the Donut Plant (self-explanatory).

Next, walking west along Grand St., you will come to Orchard St. Turn right. At 87 Orchard, snack on a pickle from Gus's World Famous Pickles.

Then, continue to 97 Orchard, b/t Broome & Delancey, where you will find the Tenement Museum. The tour will show you what life was like for immigrants to NYC at the beginning of the 20th century. ( http://www.tenement.org
)
Once you have finished the tour, Il Laboratorio del Gelato, right next door at 95 Orchard, is a must for some of the best gelato anywhere.

If your sweet tooth is still not completely satisfied, the final stop on this tour should do it. Continue ahead (north) on Orchard, crossing Delancey, then one more block to Rivington St. Make a right and you will find Economy Candy at 145 Rivington.

Note: It’s best not to take this tour on a Saturday since some of the spots are closed because of religious observance. Also, Donut Plant is closed on Mondays.
**********

Hope you have a terrific first visit to NYC and Bon Appetit!

[tadpoe]

Thanks RGR! many of the places on my list were from your previous posting in fact!

[kathryn]

Listen to RGR, she's the master.

I'd 2nd RGR and also put in a good word for Keens. Drop Craftsteak, go to Keens instead.

Also, the pizza wars can get quite heated around here...do some digging about Di Fara versus Grimaldi's versus John's versus Lombardi's etc. in the archives to see what I mean. Oh, and if you truly want the best of NYC, don't limit yourself to Manhattan!

It's wonderful that you want to eat at lots of "genuinely New York" establishments, but please don't limit yourself when we've got tons of other delicious food options here. To me, a genuine NYC trip would have a range of experiences, from upscale, fine dining to delicious street food at 2am.

[psp]

you've got some great les places: yonah (truely the best), russ and daughter, katz's. add falai (italian); blue hill (the best of everything -- try early or late table), and dennis foy in tribeca (just really accomplished). scratch craftsteak and keen's and you''ll have saved a boatload of $ in the process.