One day in NYC

[dcrulz]

Hello friends!

I'm flying with my wife into the city for just one day (a Tuesday, specifically), and we want to have as much awesome food as possible. We'll arrive at JFK around 9am, and have to be back by 7 or 8 that same night.

Last time we did this, we spent WAY too much time on an ill-fated Little Italy trip, eating mediocre pizza and Italian food.

I already know that we're going to be eating at Hop Kee (snails in black bean sauce and Cantonese crab!) at some point during the day, but beyond that, we're open to just about anything.

Ideally, we want to have some unique food experiences, things that we can only get in New York.

The caveat is that since we'll be traveling without luggage or a change of clothes, I'd like to stick to places that won't frown on us showing up in jeans and sneakers. We're totally okay with getting take-out, as well.

We're adventurous, willing to try just about anything, with an affinity for Asian, Italian, and French food.

I've found a bunch of places that I'd love to go to, but the trick is figuring out how many we can hit in just one day, with the majority of our time available when most restaurants are serving lunch.

Subways are fine, walking is fine, we just want to get to try as many things as possible.

I've looked at some of the self-made foodie tours of Manhattan, but the majority of them seem to span multiple days.

Anybody have any great ideas?

Thanks in advance!

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Hop Kee
21 Mott St, New York, NY 10013

[tldmatrix]

katz
russ and daughters
momofuko noodle bar
momofuko ssam bar
locande verde
torrisi
the breslin
minetta tavern
http://teenchefteddy.blogspot.com/

[kathryn]

Note: the thing to get at Katz's is the pastrami on rye.

Russ & Daughters is known for smoked salmon. It's a retail place without seats but they will make you a bagel sandwich to go. I recommend one with smoked salmon of your choice, cream cheese, capers, tomato, red onion. They have mini bagels as well. There are also benches outside the store.

It's spelled "Momofuku" with a "u" at the end not "Momofuko." Note also that both close for 1-2 hours in the afternoon between lunch and dinner.

Torrisi is a sandwich joint by day (you'd probably want to avoid the lunch rush), and a sit down restaurant by night that is first come first served. It's tiny and if you don't want to wait a long time, show up at 5:30pm to put your name down on the list for a later seating.

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

[Riverman500]

Start off at Barney Greengrass (Amsterdam Ave. bet. 86th and 87th St.) for a breakfast of smoked salmon and bagels.

Then make your way south, splitting portions if necessary:

- Jacques Torres (Amsterdam/74th) - hot chocolate

- Ma Peche (edited to specify upstairs bar area) (56th bet. 5th and 6th) - charred rice noodles with spicy lamb and bok choy, pork ribs, or one of the banh mi sandwiches. Also get a sample of the cereal milk soft serve at the Milk Bar on your way out (but avoid the salted caramel pistachio soft serve)

- The Modern Bar Room (53rd bet. 5th and 6th) - tuna tartare, egg in a jar, chocolate dome, beignets

- La Maison du Chocolat (Rockefeller Center) - macarons

- The Breslin (29th and 6th) - lamb burger and amazing fries

- Casa Mono (17th and Irving Place) - duck egg with mojama (cured tuna), razor clams a la plancha, bone marrow with radishes, any of the croquettes (do not stuff yourself)

- Otto (5th Ave. and 89th Street) - gelato

- Lupa (Thompson and Houston) - carbonara

- Kee's (Thompson and Spring) - handcrafted chocolates (buy a dozen for your trip)

Then finally Hop Kee before leaving for the airport.

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Barney Greengrass
541 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024

Lupa
170 Thompson Street, New York, NY 10012

Casa Mono
52 Irving Place, New York, NY 10003

Hop Kee
21 Mott St, New York, NY 10013

La Maison du Chocolat
63 Wall St, New York, NY 10005

The Breslin
20 W 29th St, New York, NY 10001

Ma Peche
15 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019

[kathryn]

BTW, 2 of the Ma Peche dishes you listed are only available on the bar menu, not the dining room menu. The banh mi is available in the dining room during lunch, but not dinner.
http://www.momofuku.com/restaurants/m...

For Bar Room at the Modern, I would swap out the tuna tartare for the Long Island duck breast as I don't find it that much different from other restaurants' interpretations, but the egg in a jar, chocolate dome, and beignets are all excellent.

Bar Room at the Modern, Casa Mono, Otto, and Lupa are good calls because they serve continuously throughout the day. The latter three also get slammed during dinner time so a relaxing afternoon snack is definitely a good way to go.

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Ma Peche
15 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019

[Riverman500]

I did mean the bar at Ma Peche, thanks for pointing that out.

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Ma Peche
15 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019

[Riverman500]

Otto is on 5th Ave, and 8th Street - sorry for the typo!

[kathryn]

Some ideas here:

One night stand in the East Village
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/619683#4686517

2 chefs, one day - sub in Pegu Club or Little Branch for Tailor which has since closed
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/554169#4004307

RGR's Lower East Side Gustatory Tour -- note: sub in Pickle Guys for Guss' Pickles:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/493333

Flying in Friday, Leaving Sunday morning -- I think the only thing that might be out is a fancy lunch at Eleven Madison Park or Jean Georges but most other places would be happy to have you
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7428...

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Pickle Guys
49 Essex St, New York, NY 10002

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

Jean Georges
1 Central Park W, New York, NY 10023

Little Branch
22 Seventh Ave South, New York, NY 10014

Pegu Club
77 W Houston St, New York, NY 10012

[RGR]

kathryn, Thanks, as usual, for mentioning my tour. If there is no wait at Katz's, it takes about two hours to do it. I would also add on Sugar Sweet Sunshine for cupcakes and the Essex St. Market for a taste of Saxelby's cheese and Ronni-Sue's Chocolates.
s
As far as fancy lunches go, while Jean Georges recently began requiring jackets at lunch as well as at dinner, there would not be a problem wearing jeans and sneakers at EMP, both of which I've seen at lunch.

http://thewizardofroz.wordpress.com

[dcrulz]

Thank you all so much for the awesome responses!

I'll post here when we make up our mind about where we're going, and hopefully have some pictures from the trip!