110th to 116th B'Way eats!

[jbwalker]

Our mom is in town staying on 116th at Columbia and we need a place close by that's homey, nice, easy, great, tasty, relaxed, local and the food isn't cooked by goofballs. Thanks!

[jbwalker]

Thanks again everyone, due to schedule, palate and location it's either going to be Pisticci, Symposium or Lime Tree. I've never been to Pisticci so we might do that as an exploration. We want a sit down joint with a bit of atmosphere where we can linger and spread out. That may mean Symposium, not the best greek food in town but by no means the worst.

And no, in response to a posting, my mother isn't a 'foodie' and neither am I. Does anyone else bristle at the moniker, 'foodie'? Even 'spell check' doesn't like it...

[gloriousfood]

Cafe du Soleil on Bdwy & 104th. Service can run hot and cold though.
Charm Thai on Amsterdam bet. 95th and 96th. If you like genuinely hot and spicy food, this is the place to go.

[lmac]

Thai Market on Amsterdam/104? is a great place to eat, attractive, well-priced and tasty. For a quick bite, you can grab a spicy chicken roti at the Roti Rol Bombay Frankie 994 Amsterdam (they deliver) for $6. Heavy but delicious. If you want a good old-fashioned breakfast wander over to Antoinette's on Frederick Douglass and 112. It's just opened so be patient but it has a sweet french-southern feel. Lamb sausages are tasty, omelette was decent, french toast decadent, but don't drink the coffee. That needs a lot of work unless they've fixed it. Pisticci is a good neighborhood restaurant. My in laws always ask to go when they visit us. Indus valley is pretty good if she likes Indian and Turquaz across from it is okay but not if you have any allergies. The dust in the swags is tough to take. PicNic used to be good but I haven't been there in ages. And then there is Henry's which is on Broadway/105, a standard neighborhood place that, if your mom isn't a foodie or big city person, she will probably find comfortable.

[aimeezing1]

Thai Market is on 108th and Broadway and it is very good, although so noisy at night that we only eat in during lunch (good special for $7) and call in for dinner. Picnic is still good, and Henry's, which I hadn't eaten at in years because it was so mediocre (and I live on the block!), I recently tried again and had a decent meal - trick is to order very simple preparation. Re: post below, I hate Cafe du Soleil, food is tasteless, service bad and tables so close together you might as well be sitting in your neighbor's lap.

[jbwalker]

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate it. Alas, this is all as I suspected. We may have to venture down a bit further down to 108th on b'way. And there's always Spoonbread over on 110th. I appreciate the suggestions and will check all the one's I am unfamiliar with. jb

[piccola]

Not a big fan of spoonbread - and not just because my roommate got her purse stolen there. The yams are too sweet, for one thing.

[aahnnt]

i think the block between 122 and 123 on amsterdam has some great restaurants. as dave mentioned, kitchenette is good. sezze medi has good pizza and max soha has solid italian dishes. all these restaurants are cheap to moderately priced.

[DaveCook]

Your mom might like Kitchenette, a walk through the Columbia campus to Amsterdam Ave. and up a couple of blocks, and P&W's Sandwich Shop, across the avenue from St. John the Divine. If the weather is halfway decent, she might also find outdoor seating at the Silver Moon Bakery.

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Hungarian Pastry Shop
1030 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10025

Kitchenette Uptown
1272 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027

Silver Moon Bakery
2740 Broadway, New York, NY 10025

[nativeNYer]

i second pisticci and silver moon. those may be your best bet. the mill is always an interesting experience. i also like symposium (greek and very, very homey) on w113 bet broadway and amsterdam. stay away from deluxe, le monde, ollies, cafe swish (even though their food is good but don't get me started). carne and henry's are okay. le meridien is okay. uggghh!! it is rough up there. i always recommend noche mexicana on w102 and amsterdam for authentic, reliable and cheap mexican. it's nothing fancy but it 's very clean and the food is comparable to what i ate in mexico. please let us know what winds up working for you.

[UES Mayor]

I second The Mill-tasty Korean in nicely run place by nice people

[LNG212]

heartily second pisticci and silver moon.

the mill is pretty good too (i like the sizzling bowl). she could always try the hungarian pastry shop (not what it used to be but still good and definitely a little columbia scene). henry's and indus valley are okay, as is mama mexico. noche mexicana is good (we get take out) but it's a little scary to eat there, i think. there's also v&t's for standard red sauce and pizza.

[piccola]

Ollie's isn't all bad - the trick is to order only the dumplings.

I agree that Symposium is a good choice for super-homey food and atmosphere.

The Mill is OK, not fabulous, but at least they have stone pot bibimbop.

Has anyone tried the Havana Café (or something like that) that replaced the West End?

If you're willing to walk a little, go to Turkuaz or Cafe Con Leche. Maybe even Crepes on Columbus, depending on the meal.

[americanafan]

*crickets*

High hopes for Community Food and Juice, Broadway and 112th, which was to open today. Otherwise, I'd probably head to Pisticci, 125 La Salle just west of Broadway, a charming moderately-priced Italian restaurant.

[Simon]

Unfortunately that's a very difficult order in that neighborhood. Morningside Hgts is a bit of a culinary wasteland. There were several long threads about it a few months ago, so try doing a search under "Morningside" and you might find a few suggestions.

The only restaurants i can recommend even slightly are a few blocks south of there: Indus Valley and Turkuaz.