Seattle Hound Itinerary Advice
I'm sure you guys get these all the time, but any advice will be dearly appreciated...and I will try to reciprocate should you ever be in my neck of the woods.
First time hounds coming to NYC...On a fairly strict budget--no amounts, but we are young and don't have too much money. Would prefer good food over great atmosphere...
Thursday--Will be stuck on long island mostly, if you have any thoughts on Rockville Centre let me know
Fri Lunch--Dim Sum--thinking Jade Asian, but open to options. Prefer carts, want variety
Plan to walk around for a while to work that off then
Fri Dinner--Reservation at Centro Vinoteca
Sat Lunch--Granny's making a reservation
Sat Dinner--Probably something simple after lunch and matinee--maybe Shanghai Cafe?
Sun Lunch--Ess a Bagel? or Perhaps another dim sum
Sun Dinner--???? Would love a great sushi place?
Mon Lunch--Momofuku Ssam Bar. Would love to go for dinner, but wait and $$ scare us
Mon Dinner--???? Perhaps a tapas place?
We have lots of time and not all that much money, but are happy to walk all over. Probably will end up snacking on street food a fair amount too, I have pretty well combed those threads. Love any input you have.
By dagoose
on Jan 18, 2008 09:43 AM
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I definitely recommend going to Momofuku Ssam. It is amazing and absolutely affordable.
Another great area to go in would be St Marks Square, where there are countless restaurants all in one block that are very affordable as well.
Did you have someone recommend Centro Vinoteca, Shanghai Cafe and Ess-a-Bagel? I think there'd be other suggestions with great prices, but don't wanna step over anyones feet if you're set on those places.
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I got Shanghai Cafe and Ess a Bagel from the boards, so please do offer other suggestions on those. Centro Vinoteca was reccomended by a close friend and is already reserved...so please don't tantalize me with other options there.
Everything else is flexible!
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As a Brooklyn hound (who was born and raised in Seattle), here are my recommendations:
I'd opt for New Yeah Shanghai Deluxe instead of Shanghai Cafe. Best place for pork and crab soup dumplings in my opinion (which are sadly unavailable in Seattle). Great scallion pancakes, cold sesame noodles, honey pork shoulder. Also super cheap $$.
-Doyer's Vietnamese restaurant. Wide variety of dishes at a great price. Also on one of the most charming streets in Chinatown.
-Korean BBQ. My favorite is NY Kom Tang Soot Bul Kal Bi. They have excellent lunch specials for under $10. Koreatown is in the West 30's, close to the theater district. A must visit for an out of town foodie.
-Tia Pol is excellent. One of my favorite places in the city. Go early if you're more than 2 people.
-Inexpensive sushi is something you can get much better back in Seattle. Instead, I would try something more unique like Fatty Crab, Momofuku Saam, or Momofuku Noodle Bar. Also, there are a lot of great Italian places in the East Village that are charming and inexpensive. (Entree's around $10). Max, Frank, and Lil Frankie's are all great places to have a fun dinner.
Enjoy!
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Re: Korean BBQ: Where's NY Kom Tang Soot? Also, have you tried Madangsui? I went there last night for the 2nd time. I love the place!
I've never been impressed with Doyer's Vietnamese but also haven't been motivated enough to go there for years.
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Heart of K-town - can't miss it. One of the few places that still has live coals. I haven't been in a long time; in recent years I hear the quality of the meat is up and down.
-----
Madangsui
35 W 35th St, New York, NY 10001
New York Kom Tang Soot Bul Kal Bi
32 W 32nd St, New York, NY 10001
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Hi dagoose,
Doesn't sound like you'll have quite the time, but I've always thought that a great way to spend the day walking is to start by taking the subway to Brooklyn, get off at Court Street, find your way to the Promenade for some of the most striking views of Manhattan and the bridges that there are.
Then walk across the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan. As you come off the bridge in Manhattan, to your left will be the Financial District, worthy itself of an exploration, and to your right (kind of a hard right) would be Chinatown. My own preference would be to wander through Chinatown (which, by the way, is a terrific place to sample some great food at rock bottom prices), eventually heading north on the Bowery.
As you walk up the Bowery, it eventually will turn into 3rd Avenue. Before it does you'll pass Houston (pronounced HOUSE-ton in these parts), where you can veer off and head for Katz's for a pastrami sandwich or a hot dog.
Heading further north along The Bowery (which, by the way, was for much of the 20th century the quintessential Skid Row of NYC), you'll come to Cooper Square, where 3rd Avenue begins to the right. If you stay on Third, you'll soon be in the East Village, and you can stop at any number of pubs, sushi houses, pizza joints, etc. If you want to wander, head east off Third, maybe along St. Marks Place, to see some of the East Village.
Coming back to Third Avenue and again heading north, you'll eventually come to the Gramercy area. The interesting thing about this part of the walk is how dramatically the neighborhoods and the architecture change. These are all safe areas, well worth a walk, and all interesting on a lot of levels.
My guess is that would take up the entire day, maybe more. You will have seen a lot of really interesting New York neighborhoods, had a chance to sample a real variety of foods, all at really low cost.
And another great thing is that even if you do such a walk and explore all the side areas, there are other equally fascinating walks in other areas of town.
Enjoy your stay...
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Wow! This sounds amazing, I am sure we could find time for this...we are very flexible other than the fri night-sat afternoon time). I am printing this out and stuffing it in my purse so I remember to use it! Thanks so much brookboy!
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Very good idea. As an East Village resident who works in Downtown Brooklyn and often walks to and from Chinatown on the Bowery, I heartily approve of your itinerary and suggestions.
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For Monday dinner/tapas, Tia Pol or Casa Mono. Momofuku Ssam Bar is definitely a must.
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id probably skip centro vinoteca and opt for 'ino on bedford (no reservations, very cheap italian meats and cheeses) or da andrea (amazing and cheap italian) both are near centro vinoteca in the west village.
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Hey, dagoose,
While combing threads on this board, have you come across my (in)famous Lower East Side eating "tour"? If not, you might want to consider it. It's an opportunity to walk the streets of this interesting, historic neighborhood while sampling foods that are emblematic of NYC. Fun and not expensvie. I'm appending the tour 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.
Enjoy and Bon Appetit!
P.S. For ideas about food related happenings in Rockville Centre, since it's located on L.I., i.e., outside the 5 boroughs of NYC, post on the Tri-State board.
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Yes, I have seen this, it is also tucked safely in to my purse.
You guys are fantastic...Walking and eating are definetly the things a hound most wants to do!
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"Fri Lunch--Dim Sum--thinking Jade Asian, but open to options. Prefer carts, want variety"
I've never heard of Jade Asian. I know you say you prefer carts, but the best dim sum in Chinatown, by far, is at Dim Sum Go Go, where it's all made to order. The best dim sum in New York, by far, is at Chinatown Brasserie, on Great Jones (=3rd St.) and Lafayette in the East Village, and it also has terrific cocktails, but be warned that it's expensive and sceney. Also made to order, without carts.
If you really need carts, you could try Chatham Restaurant, on Bowery and Chatham Square, where I had a good lunch on Christmas Day. They had carts that day, at any rate, and the food was quite good and definitely a cut above the normal quality of the big eating halls (Jing Fong, Harmony Palace, Golden Unicorn, though truth be told, I haven't been to those for a few years), though a couple of levels below the fine quality and craftsmanship of Dim Sum Go Go, across the square.
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I'm guessing it's the former Gum Fung in Flushing (their itinerary suggests they may be on their way in from Long Island that day).
dagoose - I'm a big fan of Flushing, and Jade Asian is just north of LIRR. From Rockville Centre you'll have to transfer at least once, but it's worth it. I'd be tempted to eat my way around Flushing and blow off dinner at Centro Vinoteca, but that's your call :)
For more on Flushing, ask around on the Outer Boroughs board, http://www.chowhound.com/boards/19 - for Rockville Centre, the Tristate Region board, http://www.chowhound.com/boards/20
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I would do Momofuku Ssam for dinner as opposed to lunch in spite of the wait. The lunch menu is limited to ssam, pork buns and rice bowls (unless that's the only things you want). And I wouldn't do Korean BBQ here. You're near Federal Way with decent Korean restaurants.
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Okay, I have just returned. I will be posting a full report on my blog in the next few days, and some sort of shortened trip report to chowhound, both as a thank you and to help future hounds that are visitng. But the main thing was that I wanted to thank all of you for your help, our eating in manhattan was absolutely fantastic. We ate many incredible meals and had wonderful walks all over town.
Thanks to you, manhattan hounds, for doing such a great job for out of town people, despite the fact that you probably get a million of these requests. You really helped make my trip an incredible chow-venture.
I love you guys. Really. My tummy and boyfriend do too!
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