Help!

[Fine]

I just now heard from a relative that we're to meet for dinner this very Thurs at 8 pm.

What to do? I have only 5 evenings in the city; I've spent about 30 hours perusing menus and comments on this board. You've all been so kind and helpful.

Left to my own devices and my West Coast internal clock, I'm fine eating very late and going some place that would permit me to just pop in. But what to do now, so close to the date and at probably the most popular dinner hour.

Any and all hints very welcome and appreciated.

[Littleman]

Where would you like to dine. What part of NYC? What kind of budget are you talking about. If you have only 5 nights in NYC you should be able to find a lot of fine dining. What kind of food are you looking for.

[Fine]

Thank you.

Some of your fellow NYC hounds have been hand-holding and more than patient.

I don't want/mean to offend anyone, but I had two meals in the SFBA in the past few days that were so amazing and so different from any of the quite literally dozens of menus and reports I've been reading, I am beginning to feel we're on more than different coasts--planets, anyone?

Both restaurants--Stellina (sp?) in Point Reyes and Gather in Berkeley--adhere to a strong commitment to organics, etc., not just a wishy-washy "whenever possible." I love strong flavors and Gather outdid itself. The former was wonderful but more delicate in approach.

I do digress.

I plan to take myself to ABC one night; probably to Momowhatever bar another (the one without reservations); to, probably, Stage Deli for sturgeon.

I long for out of fashion lobster fra diavolo--not having much luck except one spot with 4 1/2 lb lobs.

I love H-K Chinese, Middle Eastern and/or Greek, Eastern European, Korean. I checked one Chinese place and the prices left me actually giggling. Two of us can eat at what we consider the city's best H-K restaurant, pigging out on 4-5 dishes, including even live prawns, and get out for a hundred bucks.

Had great lamb chops last year at the otherwise pretty disappointing Smith & Wollensky; don't know where they get 'em, but they were a taste I remembered from my L.I. childhood and I know those were local. I also really like fried chicken, but, again, most places do not specify whether or not their birds are organic.

There's so darn little provenance on restaurant web sites, and, I digress again, I confess I'm shocked at how many "feature" the "poster fish" for the efforts to save most from extinction: Chilean seabass, Atlantic salmon, cod.

If I could find grass-fed Jewish deli meats, that would be way high on my list.

Open Table had over-900 places for 8 on Thurs, but I have to pack, file, make dinner, get some shut-eye, and fly east; no more time for this self-indulgence.

Nonetheless, I will be checking back till I leave.

Thanks again.

PS Since I'm staying on the UES, which seems pretty barren, I guess anywhere; price not a major concern; delicious-sustainable (or at least not egregious), authentic --I have a high tolerance for boredom when it comes to food and don't seek "thrills" in the sense of "inventiveness."Generally speaking I really prefer regional ethnic cooking to foams, etc.

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Smith & Wollensky
797 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022

Stage Deli
834 7th Ave, New York, NY 10019

[gutsofsteel]

If it's smoke sturgeon you're after and you want to eat in a sit-down place...go to Barney Greengrass.

You want a great lamb chop? Order the mutton chop at Keens.

Spigolo is an Italian restaurant on the UES that's worth going to. I also really love Cafe Boulud, also on the UES, if you want a pretty upscale meal.

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Barney Greengrass
541 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024

Cafe Boulud
20 East 76th St., New York, NY 10021

Spigolo
1561 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10028

[ml77]

Just did a quick review of Open Table. Here are some possible options:

Cacio e Vino is a Sicilian restaurant in the East Village that serves very good, authentic cuisine. Not necessarily a fancy place, and it can get a bit noisy, but it has a very homey feel to it.

Apiary is also in the EV. New American cuisine in a quieter, more formal than C&V. It's not stuffy though. And the food is very very good.

Convivio has an opening at 830. More formal still. Very good southern Italian cuisine. Pricier than the first two options above. Midtown East.

Park Avenue Autumn is a completely seasonal restaurant. The menu and decor have recently been redone for Autumn. UES.

I Trulli Authentic cuisine from the Puglia region of Italy (heel of the boot). Good but not on the same level as those mentioned above. Murray Hill.

I'd make an Open Table resy quick. At least then you have that in your back pocket. Good luck.

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Park Avenue Cafe
100 E 63rd St, New York, NY 10021

I Trulli
122 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016

Cacio e Vino
80 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10003

Convivio
45 Tudor City Place, New York, NY 10017

[Fine]

Talk about above and beyond.

I hope I have the opportunity to repay your efforts in the near future in San Francisco.

I know I shouldn't be doing this on C-hound, but ....

[kathryn]

I also see openings at Esca (a 7:45 reservation, the chef David Pasternack has been known to go out and catch some of the fish on the menu, this is also a Mario Batali restaurant) and Hearth (this seems pretty "localvore" ish to me and the food is very good, the people who run this came from Craft)...

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Esca
402 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036

[gutsofsteel]

Correction: Marco Canora came from Craft (after having been at Gramercy Tavern), but Paul Grieco came from Gramercy Tavern.

Their bios are on the Hearth website.

I also heartily recommend Hearth, it's a terrific restaurant.

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