Going to NYC in about three weeks....need suggestions please!!!

[coldplaybabe]

I am thrilled to be going to NYC for the third time and this time my hubby is coming with!!! We are both from Texas and we love to eat!!! We are arriving on a Thursday and leaving Tuesday. We both do not really like fast food but we do like burgers if we do eat take out. Our favorite restaurants here are Ruth Chris, Houstons, Maggianos, Corner Bakery, Grimaldis, and Fogo de Chao. We are staying in Midtown and if the food is good we will venture out. My husband just loves meat in general and I love chicken. We would like to keep our dinner meals under 100 dollars.

Thurday: I was thinking Fig and Olive for dinner (I think we will be tired and jet lagged and it is close to our hotel.

Friday: We are going museums and I was thinking maybe Boathouse for lunch and we have reservations at STK for dinner.

Sat: shopping in Soho or Bloomingdales...was thinking about Serendipity for desert not really sure about lunch and dinner.

Sunday: We are going to the Yankee game and then probably after Coney Island

Monday: We have no plans but for sure I know I will be at Columbia in the early evening and need a rec for dinner.

Tuesday we leave and I was thinking Sarabeths for breakfast.

Any ideas are helpful and we love PIZZA!!!!! I heard that OTTO is good. For lunch I would like to keep it really fresh like salad or sandwiches. My hubby loves steaks!!!! I also need an req for somewhere near Battery Park =)

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STK
26 Little West 12th St, New York, NY 10014

[ropet]

If you want to spend some money but eat like a King, here is a list of Zagat's Top 20:
http://bit.ly/aBpjVM

Enjoy!

[nativeNYer]

Near Columbia, I would recommend:

Pisticci for really great Italian
125 La Salle Street (Between Broadway & Claremont)
La Salle is two blocks south of 125th.
http://www.pisticcinyc.com/
closed 3:30pm-4:30pm everyday

Dinosaur
Yeh, I know folks can easily argue it's not close to Columbia but if you can get to Brdwy and 125th St. and you walk west from there so you are positioned between Fairway and Brdwy, you'll be there in a few blocks and it is worth it. Since you mentioned chicken and other meat, I'd think you'd like this place. Just expect to wait or make a reso a two weeks before using opentable.com or by calling the place.
http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/

Folks also like Thai Market which is also in the Columbia nabe. Also, Noche Mexicana is great if you want Mexican. Amsterdam and W102nd. Oh, and you must hit Silver Moon Bakery. They also have sandwiches there but even just the bread and desserts are amazing!!

For pizza, I'd recommend Patsy's. They are scattered around Manhattan.

John''s on Bleeker is popular and, while you're there, try Keste and DEFINITELY risotteria.

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Thai Market
960 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10025

Silver Moon Bakery
2740 Broadway, New York, NY 10025

Pisticci
125 La Salle St, New York, NY 10027

Noche Mexicana
852 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10025

Patsy's Pizzeria
61 W 74th St, New York, NY 10023

Risotteria
270 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014

Keste Pizza & Vino
271 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
777 W. 125th Street, New York, NY 10027

[bobjbkln]

The OP is from Texas, I doubt that they would be interested in NYC BBQ (like Dinosaur).

[nativeNYer]

Such a good point, bobjbkln. Thanks for the reminder.

[coldplaybabe]

My husband has only been to NYC once for work and didn't really get to explore the city. I told him about Keen's and although he loves steak I think he feels that maybe only Texas can do it right. He is weird that way. I happen to love Boathouse and I really want to take him there because its sooo beautiful...especially at nightfall on the water. I have been to the Met twice already this year so I am really hoping he will just want to go to the natural history one. he would be more into that anyway. I checked out almost everyones suggestions and they all look great. I really want to eat my way through the city this time. I would love to know where to eat around Battery Park. I was thinking a very casual lunch that is truly delicious. Is Fig and Olive not good?? We eat Mexican food and steak all the time and I was thinking that maybe we shouldn't even bother with steak on this trip. i would also love to know about the best brunches in the city.

[shaogo]

There've been mixed reviews on this board of the restaurant (that's also a huge catering hall/wedding factory kinda place) that's actually *in* Battery Park.

You'll be so close to Chinatown, "Little Italy" and NoLiTa you'll be able to just nosh as you walk up and down the streets.

Silly little suggestion... I recall having a memorable lobster roll for lunch at the restaurant about five floors up in the Millennium Hilton, West and North of Battery park but within walking distance. It's gonna be a turn-off if you don't want to be right *on top of* Ground Zero but for a Hilton restaurant, that place was stylish, inviting and the food was very, very good. Just a thought.

EDITED TO INCLUDE: The Hilton's restaurant is called "Church & Dey." They've changed the look from dark to tweedy since I've been there (I looked at their website). One would think that perhaps the menu offerings have become different. But heck, I *really* loved that lobster roll a few years ago.

[gutsofsteel]

Don't bother with a steakhouse, really.

[coldplaybabe]

We are staying off 56th and seventh avenue....I wanted to go to boathouse so that i could walk through the park and maybe visit the met and the museum of natural history. we are not sure exactly what museums yet but i know for sure natural history. maybe i should try and go shopping on fri or monday to beat the crowds. can anyone recommend a good brunch in Soho?? the yankee game is at one and we have the entire day and night to do whatever. we love taking the subway and it would give us a chance to relax. i have never heard of governors island and i will check that out. we are tourists and we don't really mind the whole scene.

[kathryn]

This might work better for Friday:
Breakfast at Barney Greengrass [classic 70s old school New York restaurant famous for smoked salmon]
Natural History Museum visit
Late lunch at Shake Shack [very close to the museum]
Strolle across Central Park to the Met
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -- end with drinks on the roof at the Roof Garden Café and Martini Bar which is open until 8pm on Fridays, bring your sunglasses, it's quite bright up there. Also the roof sculpture right now is a HUGE bamboo treehouse!
Back to the hotel to change, and dinner at Keens Steakhouse

For brunch in Soho, I love the atmosphere at Balthazar. It's a bit loud, noisy, cramped, but nicely decorated. Faux French brasserie style, very New York. Make reservations! The wait can be really long otherwise.

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Barney Greengrass
541 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024

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

Roof Garden Cafe
1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028

[bobjbkln]

Just to point out that Keens will be your splurge. Depending on what you drink and over eat (appetizers, sides and desserts is more than you need) you can run $75 to $125 pp.

[daffyduck]

yeah, keens can get expensive. if u do go i think it would be best just to focus mainly on the meat i dont think anything else is that great. there oysters are good though, but if i went to keens again id just order a steak or mutton chop and eat it with the bread they give.

[ml77]

FYI, coldplaybabe, the reason people are asking is that the Met and the Nat History museums are on opposite sides of the park. The Met is on the eastern edge of the park at 82nd st and AMNH is on the western entrance at 79-81st Streets. If you went to the boathouse before either museum then you'd spend a lot of time backtracking. Kathryn proposes one possible itinerary below that would minimize this.

FYI, the Boathouse generally doesn't get great reviews here for its food. Beautiful location, though, so if that's what you're looking for that day then it's definitely the place to go.

[kathryn]

Yes and do note that getting across the park as a pedestrian isn't really a "straight shot" -- the pathways wind and curve, and can be a bit hilly at times, so it might take you a while to get from Central Park West to 5th Avenue (Central Park's eastern border).

[gutsofsteel]

If you want to eat near the Met Museum, a great place is Cafe Sabarsy, inside the Neue Galerie on the corner of 86th & 5th. A lovely Viennese cafe, with good food and the best cakes in the city.

[daffyduck]

hey thanks for the rec guts. cafe sabarsy seems like a great date spot to go after visiting some of the museums in the area. i just checked out the menu and all of it seems interesting, but im not too knowledgible with viennese food. is there anything you would recommend or that I should avoid?

[gutsofsteel]

I love their salads, and everything on their SCHMANKERLN list. And do not miss the cakes, which are on display so you can drool over your choices before deciding.

[shaogo]

I concur with guts. Cafe Sabarsky (let's check spelling) is a thrilling taste of Austria that's incredibly civilized. the food is presented with a breathtaking flair for detail. But get ready to pay over $200 for a great bottle of Austrian wine. They've got some of the best in the City.

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

[gutsofsteel]

They have plenty of reasonably priced wines as well, and wines by the glass too.

I like Cafe Sabarsky very much, and I go there often, but "a breathtaking flair for detail?" And while the food is good, I wouldn't call it "thrilling."

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

[thew]

either one of those museums is a full exhausting exploration on its own

it's a solid 2 hour ride from the bronx to coney island

[Ann900]

By far the best choice near Columbia is Community Food and Juice on Broadway and 113th St- directly across the street from Columbia.
FYI- there are lots of restaurants on the stretch of Broadway from 100th Street up to 114th- if Community doesn't suit you, just walk down Broadway-most places have menus posted outyside.

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Community Food & Juice
2893 Broadway, New York, NY 10025

[Littleman]

Bistro 1018 at 1018 Amsterdam should take care of your Columbia U. dining needs but it ends service at 11PM. They have a diversified menu and outdoor seating which is very nice. Have a great trip

http://www.bistroten18.com/

[Geo8rge]

Yankee game(Bronx) -> Coney Island(S. Brooklyn), fairly long trip by subway. I could see it being as much as 2-3 hrs each way (MTA trip planer has it at about an hour and a half), including walking to and from stations. Governors Island might work for you, check hours of operation.

Coney Island: See posts about Totonno's pizza and the various Russian/eastern europrean restaurants. On your way to Coney Island you can stop at DiFara's Pizza.

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Totonno's
1544 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10028

[kathryn]

Dom has been closing Di Fara the last few Sundays due to the heat so no guarantees they'll be open. Keep an eye on their Facebook page.

[City Kid]

Keen's is a great suggestion for steaks and others meats, notably the mutton chop, along with a museum-like slice of old New York. Also, not a chain like Ruth's Chris, totally unique.

Please note that the Soho branch of Bloomingdale's is quite small -- mostly select edgy designers -- and not a substitute for the flagship store. If you do go to the main Bloomie's on Saturday (in July not too packed) and like Cuban food, I highly recommend Cabana a block up Third Ave. between 60-61 Streets. The lunch specials are a particulary amazing deal for that neighborhood. I would suggest skipping Serendipity, which is a real tourist trap.

[kathryn]

> Thurday: I was thinking Fig and Olive for dinner (I think we will be tired and jet lagged and it is close to our hotel.

Where is your hotel? There may be a tastier alternative nearby. Can you tell us the intersection?

> Friday: We are going museums and I was thinking maybe Boathouse for lunch and we have reservations at STK for dinner.

What museums are you going to? The Met? Guggenheim? Whitney? Natural History (which is actually on the UWS whereas the others are UES)? Museum of Modern Art (which is in Midtown)? Dependent upon where you are the Boathouse may not actually be that convenient.

For your steak dinner, I would also consider Keens, which is a slice of New York history and a really great place to go as an out of town visitor.

> Sat: shopping in Soho or Bloomingdales...was thinking about Serendipity for desert not really sure about lunch and dinner.

There is a Bloomindale's in Soho, too, BTW. For lunch, most places will be swamped and serving a brunch menu (brunch is all weekend here in NYC). I highly recommend making a reservation if you can. Soho has a richer dining scene than the area immediately around Bloomingdale's on 59th which tends to be rather touristy due to the park and the Apple Store and hotels/department stores.

> Sunday: We are going to the Yankee game and then probably after Coney Island

Geographically they are VERY far apart from each other and will take a while on public transit (probably 1.5 hrs on the train). Are you sure you want to do this? Also for dining options near either Yankee Stadium or Coney Island I would post to the Outer Boroughs board (my favorite option near Coney Island is Totonno's but they close on the early side). What time is the game?

Don't leave NY without eating these foods
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/610739

Pizza in NYC
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/692820#5454962

BTW, I highly recommend RGR's self guided Lower East Side Gustatory tour:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/493333

Best breakfast and brunch:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/707772

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STK
26 Little West 12th St, New York, NY 10014

Totonno's
1544 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10028

[bronwen]

If you go to Bloomingdale's you can eat there at Train Bleu. You can eat at NYY Steak at Yankee Stadium. The Boathouse is a good choice if you do the Met or the Frick. Don't go to Coney Island, you really don't have time this trip and it would be too far on the subway.

[shaogo]

I can't believe Le Train Bleu is still open. Yes, it's a viable place to go if you're in the Bloomingdales building, unless you want to go down a few blocks and over to La Grenouille (sp?) for one of the finest lunch bargains in New York; not inexpensive, but a good value.

Coney Island's still a hoot. You can't get a chow mein sandwich any more at Nathan's; but just eat what you can fit -- don't miss the crinkle-cut fries, the hot dogs -- nor the frogs legs. Yes -- they have frogs' legs at the Coney Island Nathan's. There's also a serviceable Italian joint right there in the thick of things (the name escapes me but they're very good).

You've got a great "slice" of the Big Apple planned and I'd hazard a guess you'll love every single choice you make, from food-cart to white-tablecloth!

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La Grenouille
3 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022

Le Train Bleu
1000 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10022

[coldplaybabe]

for 2 maybe a little more

[Noodle fanatic]

Under $100 per person or for 2?