617315 Mon May 04 19:57:30 -0700 2009 3 18 Manhattan 0 4654596 Hi, fellow chowhounds. I'm a Boston hound who studied your Manhattan board for a trip to NYC this past weekend with my mother. The only reason I'm not envious of you is that I'd become morbidly obese if I lived in NYC. Your moderate level restaurants are less expensive and better than the comparables in Boston, and it's even possible to have three very good courses all at one meal. Here, one or two very good courses is the norm; there's always at least one that's forgettable or regrettable. We stayed in Times Square and went to the theater 4 times in 3 days, so wanted to stay in the neighborhood for dinners. I understand Times Sq. is not known for culinary greatness, but most of the places we landed in because of my research here were terrific. John's Pizzeria (Times Sq.): somewhat disappointing. I wasn't expecting greatness based on what I read here, but hoped for better. The thin, crispy crust was very good, but the flavor was just okay. Since it was a post-theater meal we were ravenous and ate every bite, though, so it certainly wasn't bad. Marseille: I loved it. Lovely service and atmosphere. Started with the Mediterranean salad. All the veggies were fresh and the feta and dressing were delicious. Then had the vegetable terrine with couscous. Again, terrific veggies perfectly cooked in a delicious sauce/broth. Ended with the espresso parfait, which was something like tiramisu, but better. Dessert is where most Boston restaurants fall short, but that parfait was parfait! Pegu Club: I met a friend here, and we almost left because of the noise level. It seemed so sophisticated from the website! I guess at midnight on a Friday I should have known better. We ordered drinks while trying to decide where to go instead, and they were so good that we decided the cocktails were more important than being able to hear each other talk. It did quiet down a couple of hours later and turned out to be a great night. I had a Zelda (gin, lemon, bitters, muddled cherries), a variation on a French 75 (champagne, gin, lemon, apricot brandy), and another one with champagne, St. Germain and a few other things. Neither of us wanted to get any more drunk at that point, but we couldn't resist tasting more of these heavenly concoctions, so we decided to share a drink with "Killer" in the name. It tasted like a fart in a glass (it even arrived at the table flaming), and my friend told the server so and asked if we could substitute it for something else. She graciously offered to surprise us with her own selection based on what we'd already had and loved, and brought out something like a mojito with champagne in it. I never liked cocktails with mint, but now I do. Every cocktail here except the Killer Fart was outstanding. Bleecker Street Pizza: On my friend's recommendation, we stumbled into this hole in the wall post-Pegu at 4:30am, and I got a slice of cheese. I know my judgment was off because even the Pringles I ate from the minibar when I got back to the hotel tasted good, but I think this was the best pizza I've ever had, and we've got great pizza here in Boston at the original Pizzeria Regina's. Trattoria Trecolori: More love. Started with the caprese, which I never get out of tomato season, but the server assured me they were great and he was right, as were the mozzarella, basil, olive oil, and balsamic. Then had the housemade fresh fettuccine with arugula in a tomato-cream sauce. Fantastic. I even escorted what I couldn't finish of it on the train home with me. For dessert, I had the tartufo, which I never order because it's boring, but the restaurant (charming with brick, wood, white table cloths) was warm so I wanted a cold dessert: three big lumps of vanilla and chocolate ice cream coated with amazing dark chocolate, topped with a big, ripe strawberry and whipped cream. It was ten times better than a Haagen Dazs bar, and I like those. Our Italian waiter was efficient and charming. Juniors: I had the chocolate mousse cheesecake and wasn't that impressed. (But ate every bite, showing once again that even the stuff that wasn't great was pretty good.) Ess-A-Bagel: Holy crap. I got a sesame bagel with cream cheese on the side. It was the best thing I've ever had made of bread. So chewy on the outside and dense and FRESH on the inside. Wow. This is something that cannot be found in Boston. Why don't all New Yorkers weigh 400 pounds? Mon May 04 19:57:30 -0700 2009 105892 pollystyrene 1 4655212 Pollystyrene - we don't weigh 400 lbs because we have to walk everywhere! Tue May 05 06:07:23 -0700 2009 4654596 94227 egit 1 4655286 Most of the quality cocktail lounges in NYC get pretty packed and busy on a Friday night. The mojito with champagne is one of Audrey Saunders' signature drinks. It's called The Old Cuban. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQE/is_8_14/ai_109403071/pg_4/ Tue May 05 06:44:33 -0700 2009 4654596 10936 kathryn 2 4656138 Thank you for the info and link. After leaving the Pegu Club, I realized I've got to step up my mixology at home. (My friend had their Sidecar and we both agreed that it had nothing on mine, but the rest were a different story.) Thanks to that article, I just might be able to shake up some dazzlers on my own. Tue May 05 10:57:23 -0700 2009 4655286 105892 pollystyrene