622136 Sat May 23 16:51:54 -0700 2009 14 18 Manhattan 0 4709639 This is a request for both a restaurant and neighborhood recommendation. A few friends are heading to NYC in June to celebrate our 40th birthdays. Sunday we’re dining at Del Posto, Monday lunch at Jean George and Monday night a Yankees game. For Saturday night we’re looking for an interesting neighborhood with some nightlife where we could hit a bar or wine bar before dinner, have a fun dinner, then stroll around the neighborhood a little after dinner. Sounds like Tribeca or SoHo may be what I’m looking for. For the restaurant, we’re probably looking for contemporary cuisine or maybe French, not Italian, Asian, Indian, etc. Nothing too fancy, but consistently good and about $100 per person with wine. We’re staying at Hilton in midtown, but are willing to cab anywhere. Sat May 23 16:51:54 -0700 2009 14250 cajeska 1 4709958 Momofuku Ssam - the area around it is absolutely hopping on weekends. Sat May 23 20:15:16 -0700 2009 4709639 160718 uhockey 2 4709978 cajeska says "...not Italian, Asian, Indian, etc.," so Ssam Bar is not a good option. I would recomment Apiary, which is also located in that lively East Village area (3rd Av. & 11th St.). Excellent New American Cuisine; friendly, efficient service; attractive contemporary decor; and casual, pleasant atmospherics. http://www.apiarynyc.com Sat May 23 20:29:07 -0700 2009 4709958 13867 RGR 3 4710262 ?? I'm not really sure how pork or fried chicken can be called "italian, asian, indian, etc." Hell, Chang himself goes out of his way to call it "American" food and while I understand that is him making a social statement, I think it applies - there are steaks, pork chops, and raw fishes on his menu in addition to the more ethnic upscale dishes. The service is excellent and the scene is surely fun. It was just a thought. Not to sound overly jaded, but after taking many-a-chowhound's recs, I'd drop Del Posto in a heartbeat and go with Scarpetta - the place is absolutely amazing. Sun May 24 03:16:53 -0700 2009 4709978 160718 uhockey 4 4710386 And the hams at Ssam are wonderful too - and all very American. Sun May 24 06:10:22 -0700 2009 4710262 10985 MMRuth 4 4710567 I see your point. When described the way you do, Ssam's menu does fall under "contemporary" cuisine. Sun May 24 08:37:05 -0700 2009 4710262 13867 RGR 1 4711746 Why not something simple like Pastis or Balthazar? I think those are always fun choices - french bistros. Or Minetta Tavern- although tough to get in. Maybe John Dory? In the West Village - choices like August, Little Owl, Extra Virgin? Po? Although I know you said no Italian - it is delicious. Casual choices - Mercadito? How about Mermaid Inn for seafood? Both in East Village area. www.YummyInTheCity.com Sun May 24 18:23:46 -0700 2009 4709639 301812 YummyInTheCity 1 4711952 you can survive del posto despite some of the jabs they take from critics. just make sure you get the pasta with the lamb sausage and DO NOT GET THE RISOTTO. in fact, i recommend a pasta sampler- pasta is their strongest suit. good space to accomodate a group, but i wish you had chosen il giglio for a one shot italian. consider union square cafe if you can get a reservation for saturday night. that will but you in union square and there are some fun bars nearby for after. gramercy tavern, kellari parea and veritas (if youre wine people- although ive noticed their butter poached cod is absent from their current menu) are all on 20th st within a block of each other. some good bars and clubs near by their. if you goto the ssam bar per the other poster, call in advance and line up the special pork butt for 8. and honestly, if you end up at a place like scarpetta as the other person suggested, its so 'new' italian that you may not even count it against an italian in your list of meals. Sun May 24 20:34:25 -0700 2009 4709639 292174 conordog 1 4711987 Thanks everyone for the detailed and thoughtful replies. Great leads on the restaurants and I will look into them all. But I still need some help getting a feel for the neighborhoods. I'm coming from SF and I've been to NYC twice, but the last time was in '97 and I was much younger (I'm 40 now) and looking for different things. It sounds like everyone is pointing me towards the Village area. But what about Chelsea, SoHo and Tribeca? What are those neighborhoods like? I've done all the standard tourists stops in the past and now want to explore some interesting neighborhoods. Thanks. Sun May 24 20:58:44 -0700 2009 4709639 14250 cajeska 2 4712009 People are pointing you more towards the Villages as opposed to Soho, Tribeca because they are, on average: 1) more interesting food-wise 2) better executed and 3) more fun to walk around in in the evening. Chelsea has some great options as well, but not as densely populated with them. West Village in particular has lots of streets on diagonals that make it a fantastic set up for wandering about a bit and stopping into a random wine bar or gelato shop. Enjoy! Sun May 24 21:14:36 -0700 2009 4711987 77038 orthorunner 2 4712198 My impressions: Tribeca is not that hopping; Soho is mostly out-of-towners (too expensive for people to really live there anymore, on the whole); and Chelsea is a bit sedate. Pay attention to what New Yorkers are telling you. :-) Mon May 25 00:39:58 -0700 2009 4711987 17058 Pan 3 4712936 TriBeCa is mostly families and now one of the most expensive places to live in the city. Sometimes we walk over to TriBeCa and head to Duane Park for dinner (one of the few reasonable choices in the neighborhood). NOT a good place to walk around after dinner. Agree with Pan's comments re: SoHo. We generally go to the East Village ( EV)/Lower East Side (LES) for dinner and to walk around afterwards. There are plenty of bar options. As others have already posted, West Village is another good option. Mon May 25 10:22:18 -0700 2009 4712198 73159 financialdistrictresident 2 4712273 In Chelsea, you can have some fun time with Spanish tapas and good wines at either Boqueria or at Tia Pol. These are something that SF doesn't do as well at. Mon May 25 03:16:48 -0700 2009 4711987 10578 RCC 2 4712455 chelsea isnt much of a sidewalk neighborhood although they do have some good restaurants. wouldnt plan an evening hanging out there. a nice walking trail is to start out in the meat packing district (14th at and 9th ave) -- maybe check out the maritime roof/courtyard if its a nice evening, their bar/restaurant does nice little pizzas if you want a snack/cocktail outdoors. you can then stroll through the meatpacking. pastis and spice market are two popular restaurants right next to each other there, but those arent the only options. plenty of places to dine or cocktail. you can then stroll through the zigzag streets of the west village just south of the meatpacking. more quaint restaurants- not quite as many bars- but cute streets and brownstones which are pleasant for a walkabout. at christopher or bleeker turn east past 7th ave which will seem quite busy and make your way easy towards wash square park and the village. im a big fan of the north square lounge located behind the north square restaurant under the washington square hotel on the NW corner of the park. this is just down the street from babbo. you can then make your way down one of sullivan or thompson or macdougal. try a kati roll from the kati roll company or a falafel from mamouns, maybe have a drink at XR bar (nice casual neighborhood spot). my favorite food in the area is the crab spaghetti at tre giovanni on laguardia place- seems like just an ordinary pizza place, but their pastas are brilliant for the takeout scale they offer- fun to sit at their sidewalk as well. cap that off with dessert at the famous bruno bakery on laguardia, try one of their signature tarts (this is NOT a cupcake joint). you can then follow w. broadway down (laguardia turns into w.broadway at houston) and start branching east along prince or spring past mercer broadway and mott through soho. youll pass an array of restaurants, shops and some bars. go too far east and youll be in the lower east side which is now home to a bunch of great bars and you can finish your night off with drinks. enjoy. not hard for you to hit multiple spots in a short period of time. Mon May 25 06:37:40 -0700 2009 4711987 292174 conordog 1 5045729 My advice: stay away from Balthazar unless you're looking to spend tons of money on a casual dining experience. First off, the food is way overrated and the grande appetizer platter they have is extremely bland. The place is as noisy as could possibly be with a lot of riff-raff dining there. I must admit the wait staff is especially friendly but they work on tips. My gf took me there to celebrate my 30th birthday and it was a disaster. We were ultimately seated in a booth by the entrance and had the luxury of feeling every vibration caused by people walking into the restaurant. The party next to us were two middle-aged couples from sheepshead bay brooklyn (was Randazzo's closed or something?). I was honored by their obnoxious behavior that only people from Sheepshead Bay Brooklyn could exhibit. Next, we ordered the grande appetizer platter which consisted of claims, oysters, crab and a bunch of other non-noteworthy delights. The seafood was as bland as possible but they presented us with three different sauces to gag on; one was worse than the other. The soup of the day was a lobster bisque; apparently they must have run out of lobster because the soup was almost like a clear broth. The duck confit was OK to say the least but they probably think its award-winning. I was so disgusted with the atmosphere, decor and food that I chose to skip dessert altogether and call it a night - At the low low price of $155 (tip included). Its fine for brunch I suppose but this is by far not a French restaurant and I'm sure if one keeps their expectations extremely low, they wont have much to complain about. Mon Sep 21 08:09:19 -0700 2009 4709639 1110842 Allen919