First draft itinerary - any comments?

[uniqueusername]

Thanks to a couple of questions and extensive perusal of the boards, my current eating itinerary for a NY trip in mid-May is looking something like the below. Would appreciate any comments or suggestions - anything I'm missing or bad timings? NB the trip is for my husband and I, it's his first trip to New York, I have been a few times before.

Arrive NYC mid-afternoon Wednesday.
Late lunch - Shake Shack UWS
Dinner - Colicchio & Sons or Craft (or maybe the Tavern room at Gramercy Tavern?)

Thursday
Breakfast - Clinton Street Baking Company
Lunch - Dim Sum in chinatown - any suggestions?
Dinner - Babbo (if we can get a table) or Scarpetta
Dessert - Chikalicious

Friday
Breakfast - Sarabeths
Lunch - Katz's
Dinner - Sushi (not sure where yet)
Dessert - Dessert Truck

Saturday
Breakfast - A diner for some great eggs, not sure where yet
Lunch - Pizza or Hot Dogs
Snack - 2 little red hens/sugar sweet sunshine for cupcakes or cheesecake
Dinner - Keens

Sunday
Brunch - Any suggestions?
Afternoon - Picnic in central park - either deli style or just cakes depending on how full we are from brunch!
Dinner - Pearl Oyster Bar

Monday
Brunch - TBC, possibly revisit a prior favourite
Then depart

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Pearl Oyster Bar
18 Cornelia St, New York, NY 10014

Gramercy Tavern
42 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003

Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011

Shake Shack
Madison Ave and E 23rd St, New York, NY 10010

Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014

Colicchio & Sons
85 10th Ave, New York, NY 10011

[dietndesire]

Dessert Truck, as noted above, is not a truck any longer.
It is also no longer any good.
It was a bit overpriced when it was a truck but I had to admit the ingredients and execution were very good. Now they have a following and no care. And the prices are outrageous.

Pearl Oyster is not open on Sundays.

If you arrive mid afternoon, you will certainly not be eating before early dinner time at best.
Cramming Shake Shack and a full dinner at a proper restaurant seems ambitious.

Then again, you have 3 full meals crammed into every day. Do you usually eat that much?

Not sure any diners are using the finest eggs available.

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Pearl Oyster Bar
18 Cornelia St, New York, NY 10014

Shake Shack
Madison Ave and E 23rd St, New York, NY 10010

[KateMW]

If you do get a table at Babbo, I would have dessert there. I had the BEST polenta cake there when we went. I wish I could find the recipe actually.

[carub]

on Arrival day go to CRAFT
Thursday
Lunch - best Dim Sum, JING FONG (Elizabeth st in Chinatown - upstairs)
Dinner - Scarpetta

Friday
Dinner - Best Sushi in NY, TOMOE (Soho) (looks like a hole in the wall but absolutely the best sushi, the best sushi - mainly local japanese go)

Saturday
Breakfast - cookshop (chelsea) or Empire Diner (chelsea)
Lunch - If you go for pizza, Artichoke Pizza (east village) or Sullivan St Bakery (Midtown West)
Snack - Cheesecake, JUNIORS (times square)

Sunday
Brunch - Bar Boulud (Upper West Side) or Cafe Gitane (Nolita)

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Bar Boulud
1900 Broadway, New York, NY 10023

Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014

Empire Diner
210 10th Ave, New York, NY 10011

Cafe Gitane
113 Jane St, New York, NY 10014

[woodleyparkhound]

The Empire Diner is closing and will serve its last meal on 5/15/2010.

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Empire Diner
210 10th Ave, New York, NY 10011

[sgordon]

Wednesday: That late lunch at Shake Shack could turn into an early dinner depending what time you get there and how long the lines are.

C&S was great the one time I went there, but reviews have been mixed so far. As to Gramercy's front room - like Shake Shack, it can get very crowded, and there can be a wait. Weeknights usually aren't too bad, but you never know. If you go that route, have a backup plan.

Thursday: For Chinatown I'm fond of Oriental Garden, Fuleen's, and Ping's. Not sure which if any have Dim Sum, as I'm more about just ordering the fresh seafood.

Babbo's a great choice if you can get a rezzie, otherwise there are many great high-end Italian options: Scarpetta is great, Marea or Alto are good options, Del Posto is spectacular, and the less-sung-about Falai can be brilliant - they've really upped their game since their early days.

To reiterate what others have said: stay for dessert. Especially if you wind up at Babbo, Del Posto, or Falai. All are fantastic in that department (especially Falai, who started as a pastry chef... raspberry souffle with black truffle gelato... mmm....)

Friday: it seems you're going to be around the LES, with both Katz's and Dessert Truck on the list. If you're doing sushi for dinner, Sachiko's is a great joint - probably the best in that part of town. And it's a real "locals" place. If you want to venture North into the East Village, though, Kyo-Ya (a "hidden" basement restaurant) is amazing, and flies in exotic fare from Japan regularly. You can get your abalone fix - for a price, of course. Kanoyama is another in that area that has great seasonal exotica.

Saturday: Breakfast - Shopsin's. Just look over the 800+ item menu online before you go. Also, be prepared to wait for a table.

Dinner - eh, I wouldn't bother doing a steakhouse, frankly. I'm sure you have good steakhouses where you come from. Keen's is fine, and it's fun old world NYC, but... it's still just a steakhouse - and a VERY overpriced one at that, however good it is. This is a point where you could fit in any of the other restaurants above (or that others suggest) that's a real "only in NYC" meal, like WD-50, 11MP, Tabla, or any of the other many suggestions I'm sure you'll get.

Sunday - if you want to wait in line, Prune has a solid brunch. Otherwise maybe a classic smoked fish place? Barney Greengrass, Russ and Daughters (you'd have to get it to go)

Dinner - I'd skip Pearl. They're good, but nothing worth making a special trip for. Again, use that time to hit a real only-NYC place. You can get oysters and lobster rolls anywhere on the East coast - better and cheaper, frankly, than anywhere in NYC. Momofuku Noodle or Ssam Bar could be a fun option.

Well, that's just one New Yorker's opinion....

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Barney Greengrass
541 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024

WD-50
50 Clinton Street, New York, NY 10002

Russ & Daughters
179 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002

Eleven Madison Park
11 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010

Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Shopsin's General Store
120 Essex St, New York, NY 10002

Del Posto
85 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Fuleen
11 Division St, New York, NY 10002

Kanoyama
175 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Momofuku Noodle Bar
171 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003

Oriental Garden
14 Elizabeth St, New York, NY 10013

Falai
68 Clinton St, New York, NY 10002

Kyo Ya
94 E 7th St, New York, NY 10009

Marea
240 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019

Tabla
11 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10010

[carub]

Shake Shack is not crowded uptown.

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Shake Shack
Madison Ave and E 23rd St, New York, NY 10010

[kathryn]

It is dependent on when you go (especially if school has just gotten out for the day). The layout could also be better as the line blocks the stairway. Even if it's less crowded than the Madison Square Park one, there's still no guarantee you'll get a seat, and it the weather's bad, you can't go into Central Park to enjoy your meal.

[Simon]

-- Definitely go to Scarpetta over Babbo...nicer vibe, better food, just plain better all around...

-- for the sushi, consider Ushi Wakamaru or 15 East...

-- personally, i'd vote "no" for Sarabeth's...

-- i'd say Ch-town Brasserie is a must-avoid...Red Egg serves my favorite dimsum...

-- Keens is a great place...i recommend the mutton chop, the prime rib, the oysters (always fresh and yummy), and the various whiskys...i also like sitting in the pub-room the best, where they serve a nice fried chicken salad...

-- Recently, i've enjoyed a few meals at Maialino, the Danny Meyer place in the Gram Park Hotel...they are open all day and it's a pleasant place for a snack....the fried artickokes and the fried cod appetizers are my favorite things...

-- another good, all-day Italian snack and wine place is Quartino, on Bleecker...it's nominally pescaterian (all veg except for one fish entree and a Provencal-style tuna sandwich...lots of whole-wheat pastas)...not a destination place on a short-trip, but a decent target of opportunity if you're near there and want some wine and a healthy snack...

Have a nice trip...

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15 East
15 East 15th Street, New York, NY 10003

Quartino
11 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10012

Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014

Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010

[foodismylife]

took my Taiwanese friends to Chinatown Brasserie and they absolutely loved it, never been to Red Egg so I cant compare but will go
Chickalicious is wonderful, lovely people, lovely food
Look for all the Asian tourists with their guide books, always have a good time talking to them, this is a nyc treasure
while you are there go to Moshe's Bakery on second and sixth for old world jewish bakery.
closed early fri aft and all day sat kosher

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Chinatown Brasserie
380 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012

Red Egg
202 Centre Street, New York, NY 10013

[ps22]

If you need a sushi recommendation, check out posts by sushiman - h/she knows their stuff.

[uniqueusername]

Excellent, thanks!

[kathryn]

> Breakfast - Clinton Street Baking Company
> Lunch - Dim Sum in chinatown - any suggestions?

Breakfast at Clinton St can be pretty heavy & filling, not sure that dim sum would be the best idea after that but for Dim Sum in Chinatown, I like Red Egg. No carts, though, it's a more modern and made to order style. If you can get out of Chinatown and are willing to pay a little more, I think Chinatown Brasserie is much better, but it's also a bit more upscale/fancy. Also no carts.

> Dinner - Babbo (if we can get a table) or Scarpetta
> Dessert - Chikalicious

The desserts at Babbo are quite good, so not sure why you need to go elsewhere for dessert. Also I find the portions at Scarpetta so large that I'm often too full for dessert. Also notice that Chikalicious closes around 10:45pm (which means the kitchen closes a bit earlier than that, and they may not seat parties past a certain time).

> Breakfast - Sarabeths
> Lunch - Katz's

Which Sarabeth's? Note that Katz's is on the Lower East Side and might be pretty far away from whichever Sarabeth's you end up choosing.
> Dinner - Sushi (not sure where yet)

If you want to dine close to the Dessert Truck storefront, you might want to consider somewhere in the East Village or Soho. In the East Village, Kanoyama is a good price/value but the waits can be really long on Friday nights. Ushiwakamaru is in a similar price range and takes reservations but I would call and book sooner rather than later.

> Brunch - Any suggestions?

Locanda Verde is excellent.

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Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011

Kanoyama
175 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Chinatown Brasserie
380 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012

Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014

Red Egg
202 Centre Street, New York, NY 10013

Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013

[uniqueusername]

Thank you! Excellent advice! We were planning on going to Clinton Street for an early breakfast before heading over to do the tourist pilgrimage to Ellis Island, so it will probably be quite a while before we got back for lunch in Chinatown anyway - I think we could manage the dim sum! :D

Thanks for the advice on desserts - maybe another night would be better for Chikalicious, but I'm so enamoured with the idea of a restaurant that just serves dessert, that I can't leave NY without trying it!

All the suggestions look great, I will liaise with the husband! :D

[kathryn]

Ah! That makes more sense. I actually would budget a few hours for an Ellis Island trip, as you are bound by the ferry schedule and the sometimes long lines (due to security) to get onto the ferry (I think they recommend arriving 45 min in advance or something). And don't forget to account for how long it will take to get down to the ferry pickup from the LES. Luckily, Red Egg serves dim sum all day.

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Red Egg
202 Centre Street, New York, NY 10013

[foodismylife]

forgot to tell you u must go to laboratorio de gelato, this guy invented ciao bello and his flavors are different and amazing
dont pass up the sorbets as well
fig is off the hook and sea grape is life changing
moshe's bakery on se3cond ave for old world jewish pastries and cakes
the nut cake with either raspberry or apricot jam is beyond wonderful

[kathryn]

Be forewarned that Il Laboratorio de Gelato closes on the early side, so make it a late afternoon snack, not a post-dinner destination.

[uniqueusername]

you are definitely talking my language, I LOVE gelato! It's on the list!

[steakrules85]

I like your list. If you like gelato I highly recommend Grom and L'Arte del Gelato.

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Grom
233 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014

[foodismylife]

standard grill for breakfast or brunch
reserve for outside
michelada is a nice drink for only eight bucks
great eggs and salads and reasonable
odeon for any time early or late
pearl is a nice choice
want to venture to brooklyn?
golden unicorn for dim sum in chinatown but chinatown brasserie is superior and great peking duck as well as dim sum
for pizza you must make the pilgrimage to DiFara's in Brooklyn and Motorino for breakfast/brunch pizza
Diner or Egg in Williamsburg also for breakfast/brunch

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Motorino
349 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003

[kathryn]

Second Chinatown Brasserie, Di Fara, Motorino, Diner.

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Chinatown Brasserie
380 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012

Motorino
349 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003

[uniqueusername]

Thank you! Looks like some great options! We will most likely head out to Brooklyn one day, it would be a shame not to!

[carub]

chinatown brasserie does not have delicious dim sum, its more of a trendy spot. if you want the great experience of eating Chinese in chinatown, i would HIGHLY recommend JING FONG!

[kathryn]

I disagree. Jing Fong has atmosphere, yes, but also sometimes gummy dishes with ingredients that could be fresher, rubbery shrimp, carts that never make their way to you, etc. You can also taste a quality difference in the wrappers and shrimp. The wrappers at CB are much more delicate and the shrimp is cleaner tasting, to me.

CB is probably at the top in Manhattan in terms of dim sum (but if you want the high quality, fresh dim sum AND carts, go to Flushing).

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Jing Fong
18 Elizabeth St, New York, NY 10013

[whitneybee]

You should note that the Dessert Truck is no longer operating as a truck, but as a storefront on the LES, at 6 Clinton Street. You may want to plan your dinner that night accordingly if you'd like to go there.

[uniqueusername]

thank you! Noted!