Newer and Noteworthy?
I just made reservations for SO at Convivio for tonight.
Need some newer suggestions . . .
. . .or reminders of established, tried and true, still amazing. . .
We enjoy Falai, SHO, Aldea. SO didn't care for WD-50, I have not been. He liked Maialino, went when they first opened. We've been to Kyo Ya. We weren't crazy about Corton, to be fair we only went once and when they first opened. No patience for the Mofungo Ko/David Chang restaurants.
Casual and inexpensive is fine too. Like a LaVagna, Rayuela, Table Tales Cafe or Big Wong.
Thanks.
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loratliff
Nov 30, 2010 12:45 PM
Why no patience for Momofuku/Chang? Doesn't sound like you know that much about him since you can't even get the name of his restaurant right... For what it's worth, Ma Peche is very good. Cannot speak for the others.
Public is a current favorite of mine. Also had a lovely lunch at Prune a few weeks ago.
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Ma Peche
15 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019›7 Replies-
re: loratliff
ellenost
Nov 30, 2010 12:54 PM
I agree with you about Ma Peche. They are turning out some of the most creative (and delicious) cooking anywhere for very reasonable prices. Since it's near my office, I go to Ma Peche very often, and always love the food. Service is both friendly and attentive.
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Ma Peche
15 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019-
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re: financialdistrictresident
ellenost
Nov 30, 2010 05:48 PM
What makes the food at Ma Peche so creative and delicious is that they can take ingredients that I would never order and turn them into some of my most favorite dishes. They have a cabbage and beef tongue dish mixed with fish sauce that is "yummy". I don't particularly care for cabbage or beef tongue, yet the combination of the ingredients worked brilliantly. At the other end of the spectrum, at dinner there is a duck dish that mixes some of my favorite ingredients (duck and spaetzle) and raises them to a new level. Another creative and delicious dish is the carrots with bone marrow. Love their new spicy lamb ragout with crispy rice noodles--packs quite a kick of flavors. These are dishes that on paper to me wouldn't appeal to me, yet when I eat them, my reaction is "wow, what great flavors!". I hope these examples give you a better idea of what I mean by delicious and creative. I highly recommend Ma Peche.
BTW, the reservation system for Ma Peche is much easier that that of Ko (which really isn't that hard either). Also, they do a fair amount of walk-ins without reservations.
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Ma Peche
15 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019-
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re: financialdistrictresident
loratliff
Dec 1, 2010 06:33 AM
No, they have great fish options too. The trout on their lunch menu is heavenly. Perhaps you're just incredibly picky and wanting to find something wrong?
...And you do not have to jump through hoops to get a res there. Walk-ins are accommodated quite easily for lunch and I think dinner too, even.
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Locanda Verde doesn't seem to have been mentioned in this thread. Have you been there? My brother and I had a delicious late-night dinner there a few weeks ago. I also liked the ambiance and room and we had good drinks (wine and beer, no cocktails on that occasion). I actually liked it enough to consider it for a possible birthday dinner with my girlfriend.
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Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013›2 Replies-
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re: Pan
I agree. I love this restaurant. Andrew & his crew rock.
www.shrinkinthekitchen.com
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ellenost
Nov 3, 2010 02:01 PM
I've become a big fan of Tom Colicchio's new restaurant Riverpark on E. 29 St. between the FDR and First Ave. Food is excellent, prices are "gentle", view is gorgeous, and service is very friendly and attentive.
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Riverpark
450 E 29th St, New York, NY 10016›33 Replies-
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re: ellenost
ellenost, made a reservation for Saturday night. Any suggestions?
I just read this thread:
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re: financialdistrictresident
ellenost
Nov 29, 2010 10:01 AM
My favorites have been the lamb cavatelli, the duck, the rack of lamb, the scallops. My sister loved the swiss chard ravioli. My aunt ordered the lobster salad that was huge (lots of large chunks of lobster)! Still love the beignets and the malt ice cream for dessert. Also still love the fries (definitely get the garlic aoili). Service was extremely attentive. I've had dinner at Riverpark twice, and look forward to many more visits. I hope you have a wonderful time. I look forward to your review.
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Riverpark
450 E 29th St, New York, NY 10016 -
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re: financialdistrictresident
ellenost
Jan 1, 2011 06:14 AM
Great dinner again last night at Riverpark. They added a few specials to their a la carte menu for NYE. I asked them to keep them on the menu since they were winners: foie gras torchon with diced bllod oranges--the foie was placed on brioche disks that stayed together when cut, and the blood oranges made a perfect marriage with both the foie and brioche.
Riverpark also served their traditional beef for 2 as a single portion. This dish was beef sirloin slices that were cooked perfectly to medium-rare with a delicious potato gratin. My sister, who has had the beef for 2, thought this preparation was much better. The beef had a great taste and was very tender.
We started the meal with a new appetizer of chestnut soup that was very hearty. My sister ordered for her main course a new pasta of beef shortrib ravioli that was also very flavorful and rich. This dish seems to have replaced the lamb cavatelli.
I ordered a delicious new dessert: cinnamon panna cotta that originally came with rosemary ice cream. Since I love the malt ice cream, I asked if this could be substituted, and my wish was granted.
Service, as usual, was both very friendly and professional.
This was my third visit to Riverpark, and I look forward to many more visiits.
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Riverpark
450 E 29th St, New York, NY 10016-
re: ellenost
Happy New Year, ellenost!
Glad to hear that you and E. enjoyed Riverpark last night. As you know, we've been there once for dinner and liked the food. We considered going there for lunch the other day; but they stop serving at 2, and there was no way we could make it before then. (Since they stay open throughout the afternoon, I'm guessing they then serve the cafe menu, which we didn't want.)
As you know, we ushered in 2011 at EMP. As delicious and festive (terrific band) as we'd hoped.
No photos on my Flickr yet. The backlog is mountainous, so it will take me a while to get them up. But I'm back to blogging. :)
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re: Pan
Hi Pan! Happy New Year to you! I'm happy to be back! I've posted about the reason for my long absence on my blog.
I don't remember the name of the band, but they are part of a much larger group that also provided the music at EMP's 11th anniversary dinner in Nov. '09. At that event, there were 11 musicians + a "girl" singer.
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re: fourunder
Thanks, fourunder! You're very kind. I've missed being with you and my Hound pals.
Interestingly, in November, I received an email from the Moderators informing me that Hounds had posted re: my absence. In the email, they included several of the posted comments, including yours. I was truly touched.
I guess I should make this post more food-centric. So, with regard to the o.p.'s request for "newer and noteworthy"...
I highly recommend Ciano. Wonderful food overall, and the insanely delicious veal meatballs are not-to-be-missed!
The food at Millesime is excellent, but I was turned off by the loud music from the cafe downstairs which can be heard in the dining room. Of course, as regulars here know, a major pet peeve of mine is high levels of noise in restaurants.
We've also been to Le Parisien, the tiny bistro that took over the space formerly occupied by Cosette. The food's very tasty, the new decor maintains the charming atmospherics and, thankfully, the new owner has completely refurbished the uncomfortably lumpy banquettes.
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re: RGR
Great to see you are back, RGR. You have definitely been missed. I agree regarding Ciano. We love it. In my post regarding Millesime, I noted the same complaint about the loud music. I have made a res at EMP for later this month but am still ambivalent about it. Is it really worth the higher price? Here's to a happy and healthy new year!
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re: RGR
I recall one of your last posts was on the request for low and slow roasted London Broil....but I can go back even further and remember the very first post I made here on this site......Dress code for EMP....you were kind to me there....as well as the London Broil request.....we have history...even though all my posts were deleted.
Now that's noteworthy....
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re: RGR
Thanks so much, RGR.
I've been spending most of my time on the New York State (exc. NYC) Board these days and didn't notice your absence until I posted this new topic. I was surprised that there was no RGR post. So happy to see you back!
Based on comments from you and rrems re: noise, Millesime will have to wait.
I'm looking for a restaurant for SO on the UWS for tomorrow night. I'm thinking Bar Boulud. Maybe Telepan or A Voce if they want to eat earlier . . .They just went to JG. No Per Se, Masa or Picholine . . . Sometimes I feel like a food detective. No make that a hound!
Healthy and Happy New Year everyone!
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re: financialdistrictresident
You've got me there, fourunder. I have no recollection about the London Broil. In any case, I'm glad I was able to help with that and with the dress code at EMP which, of course, remains the same. I've been on Chowhound for so many years, I haven't a clue what my first post was. I always find your posts thoughtful and enlightening.
fdr, Thanks for the welcome back! Re: Millesime. I had read a review on another food forum which said that the restaurant was not yet filling up since it was still under the usual radar, and which made no mention of music, loud or otherwise. We went on a Saturday night. Big mistake! Nearly every table was occupied, there was a live band downstairs, and their music was of the thumping variety. Ugh! We queried our waiter -- who, btw, gave us excellent service -- about when might be a quieter time to go there. He suggested Sunday and Monday evenings.
On the UWS, you can't go wrong with Bar Boulud, especially with if your SO likes charcuterie. Or how about Ed's Chowder House (which we liked) or the new Atlantic Grill (havent been)?
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re: RGR
ellenost
Jan 1, 2011 02:58 PM
Welcome back RGR!
Definitely looking forward to hearing about your NYE dinner at EMP. I just booked another reservation at EMP for the end of the month. We're eager to try the new tasting menu. Wishing you a happy and most importantly, healthy new year!
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re: ellenost
Thanks, ellenost! I truly appreciate your kind sentiments. :)
EMP's menu for NYE was a 7-course tasting. The "main" was the signature duck with turnip and kumquat. Other dishes were chestnut veloute, foie gras terrine, seared scallops, and lobster. I will post the entire menu on my blog.
We will be at EMP again in three weeks for Mr. R.'s birthday.
We just got back from having dinner at Manzo in Eataly. Outstanding! Agnolotti in brown butter sauce, the guinea hen for two stuffed with black truffles, polenta with tomatoes and cheese, and dessert (the torrone and the budino). So many other tempting things on the menu. Can't wait to go back.
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re: RGR
Steve R
Jan 2, 2011 06:56 AM
Yes, welcome back RGR. I, and several others, have been wondering whether you got tired of all these food boards :-) and just took a break. Sorry to hear it was more than that and happy to hear the recovery process is going well. I guess I'll have to try Riverpark.
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Riverpark
450 E 29th St, New York, NY 10016-
re: Steve R
Thanks, Steve R! So, it never occurred to you that I might have been banned? lol But you're right. Many do get tired and leave voluntarily. I can think of several who no longer post whose opinions I miss.
While I liked Riverpark, I was even more impressed with Ciano and Manzo. If you haven't been to them yet, definitely put them on your "go to" list.
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re: kathryn
Hi kathryn! You're very sweet to say that. Actually, the moderators and I had been having a few "issues" before I fell silent. So, it really surprised me when they were so nice about sending that email informing me that Hounds were wondering where I was. They said it's not something they normally do.
I think we were at Ciano about a week or two after they opened, and the service couldn't have been better. It was a Sunday evening, and while it was busy, it wasn't packed. In any case, the excellent service would have meant nothing if the food hadn't been as wonderful as it was. In addition to the amazing veal meatballs, which we shared, we shared a salad, followed by sea bass aqua pazzo for Mr. R. and lamb chops for me. I'm blanking on my dessert, but Mr. R.'s tiramisu semi-freddo was an appealingly fresh take on this "old reliable."
http://thewizardofroz.wordpress.com-
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re: Rich D.
Rich D., There are two nice-sized but not humoungous meatballs, so you should have no problem polishing them off by yourself. I have no hesitation in recommending the other dishes we had: arugula salad, lamb chops, "burrida," and tiramisu semi-freddo. Oh, and the other dessert I blanked on was the tasty fig tart. I'm hoping to have the photos up very soon.
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re: RGR
RGR & rrems, thanks for the Ciano suggestion. SO is heading there tonight . . .too bad it's without me :)
I hope he tries the veal meatballs.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/747213
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Ciano
45 E 22nd St, New York, NY 10010-
re: financialdistrictresident
fdr, I hope your SO enjoyed Ciano.
When I posted in Jan., my Ciano photos were not up. They are now.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391@N03/sets/72157625626680453/
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re: RGR
owlwoman
Feb 7, 2011 11:04 AM
How I was looking forward to Ciano's fireplace and wonderful warm bread....how disappointed was I when we were sat upstairs in their dark, cold "private" dining room....I think the 2 stars have gone to their heads.
We were also told the pastas are now "appetizer" portions and if we would like them as an entree, the price would be doubled. The ceaser salad is another $2.00 more since they added a few pears.....
They tried to make up with the service, our bread kept arriving cold, which they kept replacing, but it still lost its heat. The meatballs are still excellent, but part of our enjoyment during the first visit was the room. I politely asked them to move us downstairs, but there was some excuse about snow being on the roof, didn't quite get it. We had a relatively early reservation and the room did not look that full. So, as us mere mortals have been relegated to a lesser room, we will not be back.
Also, at Riverpark on Fri. night, when we were sat in behind the bar, I asked if we could be moved to one of the tables by the window, they very graciously accomodated us. We are the customer, correct?
Just a side note as to why I am such a big fan of Danny Meyer, never once have I ever felt like a "nobody" in anyone of his dining establishments, from EMP - Union Square Cafe - Gramercy Tavern - Blue Smoke, I have always felt my business was appreciated.
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Gramercy Tavern
42 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003Blue Smoke
116 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016Ciano
45 E 22nd St, New York, NY 10010Riverpark
450 E 29th St, New York, NY 10016 -
re: RGR
RGR, he enjoyed Ciano a great deal. Had an ? app and ? pasta. Also, the veal and sweetbreads. No dessert. Excellent service (his server was from Maine). I'll try to find out more . . .
We had only been to Cru once, for SO's birthday. I still remember the incredible wine list! I'm sure he appreciated the Cru connection.
He even mentioned Falai in the same breath as Ciano.
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re: financialdistrictresident
fdr, Glad your So enjoyed Ciano.
owlwoman,
I sympathize with you about being shunted to "Siberia." It didn't happen to us at Ciano, but many years ago, when we went to Union Square Cafe for the first time, we were seated on the upstairs balcony, which truly felt like Siberia. Because we were hosting a guest, I didn't make an issue of it. But it took me years to get over it. and consider going again. That and the fact that the food didn't wow us, and service though passable was not of the high caliber one has come to expect at a Danny Meyer establishment.
A couple of years ago, we finally decided to give it another try. What a difference! We were seated in the main dining room, service was excellent, and the food was delicious.
Since you previously had a good experience at Ciano, perhaps after a (long) cooling off period, you might consider giving it another try.
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Some of my favorites include
Newer- Marea, Minetta Tavern, Scarpetta, Convivio, Alto, Maialino
Standbys- Babbo, Il Mulino, Crispo, La Grenouille, Daniel, Gotham Bar and Grill, Craft, Eleven Madison Park.-----
Eleven Madison Park
11 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011Il Mulino
86 W 3rd St, New York, NY 10012Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012Crispo
240 W 14th St, New York, NY 10011Gotham Bar and Grill
12 East 12th Street, New York, NY 10003La Grenouille
3 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014Convivio
45 Tudor City Place, New York, NY 10017Marea
240 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010›2 Replies-
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re: financialdistrictresident
goodhealthgourmet
Jan 7, 2011 07:19 PM
if you do make it to Gotham, the yellowfin tartare and the grilled octopus are both excellent.
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LeahBaila
Nov 3, 2010 06:14 AM
Picholine
Scarpetta
L'asso
Macao Trading Co. (had a fabulous prix-fixe recently)
Dhaba
Laut (go for the Beef Rendang, a dish that's truly out of this world)
Good
L'Ecole
The New French-----
Picholine
35 West 64th St., New York, NY 10023L'Ecole
462 Broadway, New York, NY 10013The New French
522 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014Laut
15 E 17th St, New York, NY 10003Macao Trading Co.
311 Church Street, New York, NY 10013›1 Reply -
Steve R
Nov 3, 2010 05:27 AM
Well, come over the bridge and a whole new world opens up. And its as close to you (given your screen name) as some of the places you're listing. But, okay, let's stick to Manhattan.
Informal and good (since you like Lavagna, as do we): Spina (Ave B).
Sorella (Allen St), Redhead, Dhaba, Congee Bowery, Lan Sheng, Piccolo Angelo, Harrison(?), Terroir Tribecca.
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Congee Bowery
207 Bowery, New York, NY 10002Lavagna
545 E. 5th St., New York, NY 10009Terroir
413 E 12th St, New York, NY 10009Sorella
95 Allen St, New York, NY 10002Spina
175 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009Lan Sheng
60 W 39th St, New York, NY 10018›1 Reply -
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Nuela
Annisa (absolutely fabulous since the reopening)
Toloache
Recette
SD26
Bistro de la Gare (owned by the former chef of Jarnac)-----
Toloache
251 West 50th Street, New York, NY 10019Annisa
13 Barrow Street, New York, NY 10014SD26
19 East 26th Street, New York, NY 10010Recette
328 West 12th Street, New York, NY 10014Bistro de la Gare
626 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014Nuela
43 W 24th St, New York, NY 10010›2 Replies -
Hearth? Joseph Leonard (when it reopens) or Jeffrey's Grocery? Po? Scarpetta? Degustation? Casa Mono? El Quinto Pino? Peels? Osteria Morini? Pearl Oyster Bar? Motorino?
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Pearl Oyster Bar
18 Cornelia St, New York, NY 10014Casa Mono
52 Irving Place, New York, NY 10003El Quinto Pino
401 W 24th St, New York, NY 10011Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014Joseph Leonard
170 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10014Motorino
349 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003Osteria Morini
218 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012Jeffrey's Grocery
172 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10014›3 Replies-
re: kathryn
Thanks, kathryn. SO went to Hearth recently. I have not been. Seeing Hearth reminded me I need to return to Terroir (another place where I'll leave smelling like food) and have not been to Gotham. SO had a very good experience at Gotham. Been to Po several times, no hurry to return. Been to Degustation. Really liked Casa Mono, went when it wasn't crowded, left smelling like food.
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