Change in plans...staying in the Upper WEST Side now!

[wendytexas]

We found a great deal on a studio apartment over the weekend, so we're staying on 85th near Central Park West instead of on the UES. This area is closer to the things we're doing, near a subway stop, and lots of good food options :)! Here's the plan so far:

Friday:
Arrive
Levain Bakery (gotta have another choc-chip cookie from there!!)
Perhaps Ruby et Violette if we can get there via an express train!!
Dinner at Rare or Ouest (one is casual, one is near the apartment)...but open to suggestions!

Saturday:
Doughnut Plant in the morning
Brunch with a friend at The Stanton Social
Late dinner at Balthazar

Sunday:
H&H Bagels for breakfast since we're going to the early Astros/Yankees Game
Lombardi's for pizza
Late evening snacks at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola since we're seeing a jazz show

Monday:
Breakfast at Good Enough to Eat on our way to the Museum of Natural History
Lunch at Shake Shack
Brother in law's birthday dinner at BLT Prime

Tuesday:
H&H Bagels for breakfast...need something portable to eat on our walk across Central Park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Lunch at Candle Cafe (sister in law is vegan, so we agreed to give it a whirl!)
Post-theater dinner at Aureole

Wedesday: Walking the Brooklyn Bridge. How far of a walk would it be to Chinatown if we take a subway to Brooklyn and walk back over the bridge? Would love to get some dumplings for lunch before we leave town. Would like to fit Katz's in here somewhere...thought about picking up a pastrami to go after our Stanton Social brunch and having it later for a pre-Carnegie hall snack to hold us over until Balthazar. We have a full kitchen in our studio!

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

Good Enough to Eat
483 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024

Stanton Social
99 Stanton Street, New York, NY 10002

Doughnut Plant
379 Grand St, New York, NY 10002

Ouest
2315 Broadway, New York, NY 10024

BLT Prime
111 East 22nd Street, New York, NY 10010

Levain Bakery
167 W 74th St, New York, NY 10023

Ruby et Violette
457 W 50th St, New York, NY 10019

H&H Bagels
639 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036

Dizzy's Club Coca Cola
Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 60th Street, New York, NY 10019

[Littleman]

Walk 4/5 blocks west to Zabars even if you don't buy anything. I've been in there a dozen times just looking. Have a nice trip. Stop by The Lucerne Hotel for a drink or have lunch/dinner there. It's 5/6 blocks south of you.

http://www.thelucernehotel.com/

[JMJD]

Just a few comments:
If you have other things in mind besides eating, I don't know if I'd go running around for incrementally better bagels/lox -- no matter what you get I imagine it will be better than TX. Barney Greengrass is closest to where you are staying and is fun and interesting.

If you want to stay close for dinner, a new Five Napkin Burger opened right next to Ouest. I still think Ouest is a better choice because you'll get burgers at Shake Shack, but that's a good alternate if you want something more casual. Would also recommend Celeste nearby for a casual "only in NY" type of Italian meal -- it's a scene of locals trying to schmooze the owner and get into tiny tables. Cash only.

For breakfast -- Sarabeth's is also open during the week I think and has more interesting options than Good Enough to Eat. (I like their cake/desserts but breakfast is nothing special...)

Walking the bridge to Chinatown is definitely do-able if you are a good walker and it's not too hot. I have done it many times.

If you do takeout pastrami at Katz's, get extra bread -- that way you can replace the bread if it get soggy when you heat it (very gently of course!)

-----
Barney Greengrass
541 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024

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

Good Enough to Eat
483 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024

Ouest
2315 Broadway, New York, NY 10024

Five Napkin Burger
2315 Broadway, New York, NY 10024

[wendytexas]

I had H&H bagels last trip and really liked them...as you said, nothing in Texas comes even close to any NY bagel! Breakfast tacos we do well...bagels? Not so much :lol:! We may do a harbor sunset cruise at 700 on Friday night (I know...totally touristy...but that's what we are!). We'll be at 42nd St., so we might just hit Empenada Mama and Ruby et Violette for dessert afterward on our way back to our apartment. We're having three "nice" dinners (Balthazar, BLT Prime, and Aureole), so we're thinknig that maybe we should give our wallet a bit of a rest on Friday ;)!

We're foodies, but we're doing tons of other stuff: museums, jazz shows at Village Vanguard and Dizzy's, and we're seeing Wicked.

-----
BLT Prime
111 East 22nd Street, New York, NY 10010

Ruby et Violette
457 W 50th St, New York, NY 10019

[RGR]

I'm not a fan of H&H bagels. I highly recommend the bagels at Russ & Daughters. Far superior and exactly what a great bagel should be. R&D is conveniently located right near Katz's, two blocks west on Houston. Of course, you should also consider picking up some appetizing. You could have it for breakfast with the bagels on Sunday before heading off to the Yankee game.

Photos of Russ & Daughters: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391...

[MVNYC]

I do agree with the general consensus that H+H is not a good example of a NYC bagel. However as a bread product, a fresh out of the oven H+H is a good treat. When you go in just ask for what's hot and get whatever that is, you won't be disappointed. If you happen to be there when a salt bagel comes out, you will be more than happy.

[kathryn]

Do note that Ruby et Violette only stay open until 10pm. I'm not sure where your sunset cruise will be.

http://www.rubyetviolette.com/indulge...

-----
Ruby et Violette
457 W 50th St, New York, NY 10019

[wendytexas]

The cruise departs the 42nd street pier...it's from 700-900. From a map, it looks like we can walk one block over and 8 blocks up to Ruby et Violette immediately after. Hopefully they won't be too picked over at the end of the day on a Friday. Then it looks like there are several casual places to grab a quick bite in the area. We could do Empanada Mama...and there's a deli near our UWS apartment that's open late. The name escapes me...

-----
Ruby et Violette
457 W 50th St, New York, NY 10019

[JMJD]

You will never starve in NYC late at night -- there are LOTS of places open so you don't have to resort to delis. Empanada Mama is OK for before your cruise -- nothing spectacular. Search for Hell's Kitchen or check out options in the Time Warner Center, which is somewhat on the way (Landmarc, A Voce or Bouchon Bakery for something casual.)

For dessert closer to where you are staying (in case you need it) check out Edgar's Cafe on 84th right across from Ouest -- it's just off Broadway on the sidestreet, or if you like things that were in movies, Cafe Lalo is always mobbed and was in the movie "You've Got Mail" -- the desserts aren't great but it's a fun place. Lalo is open very late and I think Edgar's is open at least until 10 if not later.

-----
Bouchon Bakery
10 Columbus Cir, New York, NY 10019

A Voce
41 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10010

Ouest
2315 Broadway, New York, NY 10024

Cafe Lalo
201 W 83rd St, New York, NY 10024

Empanada Mama
763 9th Ave, New York, NY 10019

[uwsister]

I also like Edgar's Cafe a lot - much better than Cafe Lalo, which IS perpetually crowded.

IMO Russ & Daughters' bagels aren't that great. I do buy their glorious smoked fish stuff and herrings, but my bagel of choice is Absolute Bagel near Columbia University. Check it out if you happen to be in that neighborhood! (St. John the Divine is in that area & it's beautiful and popular with tourists, and that Seinfeld diner if you're a fan...)

-----
Absolute Bagels
2788 Broadway, New York, NY 10025

[MVNYC]

There are lots of places open at night as the previous poster said. While I applaud you for planning out your trip, one of the great things about NYC being 24 hours is that you can throw a bit of spontaneous choices in there and not be disappointed. Not everything needs to be so regimented. Two of the things I enjoy late night after some beverages are the Indian spots on Lexington and the upper 20's which the cabbies eat at and the 24 hour Korean joints in Ktown

[RGR]

After your cruise, you could stop into Bar Boulud (on B'way, b/t 63rd & 64th) for their superb charcuterie. If there are no tables available, there is bar seating as well as a circular community table. They are open until midnight.

Bar Boulud photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391...

[wendytexas]

We'll likely be in jeans, so that sort of limits us to very casual places on Friday night :lol:! It's the only night where we don't have a show or live music to go see, so it's the one night we won't be dressed up.

[RGR]

I don't see any reason why you can't go to Bar Boulud in jeans.

[coasts]

i can think of reasons why you shouldn't go to Bar Boulud at all, but jeans are fine there.

[City Kid]

There are very few places in NYC you can't go in a decent pair of jeans, so that shouldn't limit you much.

[Pigeage]

BB not always open that late - was in recently and they were turning people away at 10:30PM.

[JungMann]

Empanada Mama is really not that great. Even the cold empanadas from the Pushcart Lady on 96th Street are better. There are plenty of better options for late night bites in/near Hell's Kitchen. Like MVNYC, I have been known to hit up K-Town for barbecue after a late night in HK. There are also some Indian places on 10th Avenue that I used to stop by when I hung out further West. There's enough out there to suit pretty much whatever you are craving at 9:30.

-----
Empanada Mama
763 9th Ave, New York, NY 10019

[coasts]

i'm curious to hear the board's opinion on Good Enough to Eat. i live nearby and have been just enough to confirm that i don't want to go back. their pies may be good, but breakfast is forgettable, as is dinner. being from Texas, you probably get way better southern style breakfast than GETE will turn out. i'd go for Nice Matin instead if you're looking to stay close.

-----
Good Enough to Eat
483 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024

Nice Matin
201 West 79th Street, New York, NY 10024

[LNG212]

Finally - another person who doesn't care for Good Enough to Eat. DH and I think it's basically fine but that better (and much better) is to be had elsewhere. This weekend we were jokingly referring to it as "Not Good Enough To Wait" as we chuckled at all the people lined up.

[whitneybee]

It is definitely not "Good Enough To Wait." The boyfriend lives down the block from there so we went once on a weekday, and we never bothered going back. I enjoyed my meal but not enough to wait on that line on a Sunday morning!

[wendytexas]

Does Nice Matin do breakfast during the week? Might be an option to consider. We had thought about Sarabeth's, but read iffy reviews and decided to try Good Enough to Eat instead.

-----
Good Enough to Eat
483 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024

Nice Matin
201 West 79th Street, New York, NY 10024

[RGR]

NIce Matin does do breakfast during the week.

Website: http://www.nicematinnyc.com/

Re: that tide-you-over pastrami snack from Katz's, I would recommend that you not buy a sandwich because by the time you get to eat it later in the day, the bread will have become totally soggy from the juicy meat, to say nothing of the meat becoming cold. Instead, since you have a kitchen at your disposal, I would suggest that you buy the pastrami by the pound along with several slices of rye bread. Get some pickles, and make sure they pack a small container of deli mustard. When you're ready to eat, reheat the pastrami by steaming it and assemble the sandwiches.

[wendytexas]

Awesome suggestion...thanks! I'm seeing a Katz's pastrami sandwich the Saturday of my trip as a pre-Carnegie Hall bite to tide us over until our 1030 dinner reservations at Balthazar :)!

[foodismylife]

nice matin great french bistro and burger
barney greengrss and russ and daughters for smoked fish
h and h aint good sub murray's in the village
arturo's pizza on houston
joe's shanghai for soup dumpling in c town
cafe sabarsky for austrian in neu galerie near the met

[j. marie]

Barney Greengrass and Russ and Daughters are both great for smoked fish but really overpriced. Better off picking up smoked fish at Zabar's.

Cafe Sabarsky is very nice.

-----
Barney Greengrass
541 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024

Cafe Sabarsky
1048 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028

[downtownchica]

H&H isn't great, but Murray's is way out of the way. I recommend Absolute Bagels, which is just a bit further north. Better, cheaper, and friendlier than H&H.

Oeust over Rare. If sister in law will be with you, consider Telepan as its veg friendly and would probably be better at accommodating a vegan.

-----
Telepan
72 W. 69th Street, New York, NY 10023

Absolute Bagels
2788 Broadway, New York, NY 10025

[j. marie]

Candle Cafe is very good. Your sister-in-law might want to check out vegan friendly Mana Organic Cafe at 92nd and Amsterdam. They have a great macro plate and yuba rolls in broth. Everything is very fresh and tasty.

[kathryn]

> Dinner at Rare or Ouest (one is casual, one is near the apartment)...but open to suggestions!

What are you looking for? The UWS has a number of dining options, why did you choose Rare and Ouest?

> H&H Bagels for breakfast since we're going to the early Astros/Yankees Game

Go to H&H and buy some bagels. Then go across the street to Zabar's to buy some smoked salmon and cream cheese, etc. You could also probably pop into a deli/grocery and get some tomato, red onion, and capers, as well as plastic bags the night before. Make yourself a sandwich at home (H&H won't make sandwiches).

> Lombardi's for pizza

If you're coming from the Yankee game, I'd hit up Patsy's in East Harlem on the way down, it's less wet/soupy/undercooked than Lombardi's.

> Late evening snacks at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola since we're seeing a jazz show

Also consider Bar Boulud, which is also close by, open late, and has great charcuterie (some of the best in the city).

> Wedesday: Walking the Brooklyn Bridge. How far of a walk would it be to Chinatown if we take a subway to Brooklyn and walk back over the bridge?

Depends where in Chinatown you want to go. I'd say it's a 15 minute walk or so. Or you can take the 6 train from City Hall/Brooklyn Bridge to Canal Street if you want.

BTW you can use Google Maps to get point to point directions in New York City that include both public transit and walking. You can easily estimate the amount of time it takes to get somewhere just walking.

-----
Ouest
2315 Broadway, New York, NY 10024

H&H Bagels
639 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036

Bar Boulud
1900 Broadway, New York, NY 10023

Dizzy's Club Coca Cola
Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 60th Street, New York, NY 10019

[wendytexas]

That's good to know...in Texas, we're so lacking in public transportation that we have to drive EVERYWHERE!! I'll see if everyone might be up for pizza at Patsy's...we had Lombardi's last time and loved it, but we're game to try something different. Husband will want to squeeze Lombardi's in somewhere, though ;)!

Friday night is sort of open...it's just the two of us in town that evening. Ouest is appealing because the menu looks good, and it's near where we're staying. We have a 600 a.m. flight that morning and might just want to hang nearby. We just thought Rare looked fun and casual. We're open to suggestions to places that are (1) convenient to UWS via subway and/or walking distance from our apartment, (2) on the casual side, and (3) excellent food. Trying to keep it to $50/person for this dinner.

-----
Ouest
2315 Broadway, New York, NY 10024

[whitneybee]

I've never been to Rare, but my boyfriend and I had a great dinner at Ouest a few months back. I guess it just depends on whether you're in the mood for something casual or a bit more upscale.

-----
Ouest
2315 Broadway, New York, NY 10024