Narrowing our selections down
Sweetie and I have been dreaming about a long vacation in New York for years now. Finally, we
have a working vacation (he's working, I'm on vbacation) coming up that will give us a taste of our dreams.
A few notes to set the frame:
We have tickets to see three shows (three of the RSC's plays) each at 7:30pm, so we'll be looking for EARLY dinner options (like, 5:30) so we can enjoy the meal in leisure before 'rushing' to Lincoln Center. These nights are Sat, Jul 9; Mon Jul 11; and Fri Jul 15.
We arrive on the 8th and leave on the 16th and are staying at the Sheraton on 52nd and 7th.
We have good palates, but not very sophisitcated ones. We can be adventurous, but don't like 'innards' or 'parts' very much, nor the whole molecular gastronomy movement. We basically like fresh food prepared in ways that bring out the food's best flavor.
We prefer not to look for Asian when we eat out for dinner, nor Mexican (ever). (Nothing against those cuisines, but we get a lot of great stuff in those cuisines here at home.)
We prefer places where we can hold a conversation without shouting.
Price isn't really a consideration. For a particularly great place, I'd like to spend around $500 (incl wine for me).
We're happy with 'quick bites' for lunch: sandwiches, (not so much pizza), Pho, etc.
Dinners, except the pre-theater ones, are where we like to just take our time, talking and enjoying the meal for several hours.
This is what I've outlined so far -- please offer any alternatives or support!.
Fri June 8th: late dinner, in hotel
Sat 9th: lunch near hotel; dinner in hotel
Sun 10th: lunch near hotel; dinner out
Mon 11th: lunch near hotel; dinner in hotel
Tues 12th: dinner out
Wed 13th: sightseeing, lunch anywhere, dinner anywhere
Thu 14th: sightseeing, lunch anywhere, dinner anywhere
Fri 15th: sightseeing, lunch anywhere, dinner anywhere
All 'in hotel' meals are easy substitutions for something y'all recommend, perhaps in the neighborhood of Lincoln Center or our hotel?
OK, here's our list of places to eat (in no particular order):
Lupa Osteria Romana
Recette
Cafe Boulud
Bouley
La Grenouille
Eleven madison Park
The Place
Alto
Daniel
The Modern Dining Room
Blue
wd-50
Scarpetta
Felidia
Annisa
Locanda Verde
Le Bernadin
2nd choice (maybe better than I think and should be 1st choice?):
Jean Georges
Esca
Maialino
Gramercy Tavern
Marc Forgione
If you think a dinner place is equally good for lunch, let me know that too.
I know its a long list, but I'm having a hard time narrowing down the totality of excellence that is New York!
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Lupa
170 Thompson Street, New York, NY 10012
Cafe Boulud
20 East 76th St., New York, NY 10021
Gramercy Tavern
42 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003
Jean Georges
1 Central Park W, New York, NY 10023
Felidia
243 E 58th St, New York, NY 10022
Annisa
13 Barrow Street, New York, NY 10014
Esca
402 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036
La Grenouille
3 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022
Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014
Marc Forgione
134 Reade Street, New York, NY 10013
Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013
Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010
Recette
328 West 12th Street, New York, NY 10014
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Just a note: the RSC plays this summer, while produced by Lincoln Center, are NOT being given on the Lincoln Center campus.
They're being given across town in the Park Avenue Armory, at Park Ave. & 66th St. (right around the corner from Daniel, if that's a piece of information that interests you).
›1 Reply -
i would bump recette from the first tier. i found the food to be intersting, but not mind-blowing, and somehow just not that satisfying. instead, based on your stated preferences, i'd strongly look into making a reservation at blue hill. pretty straightforward food, but super high quality ingredients and cooked to perfection. one of my favorite meals in nyc.
if you're intent on a batali experience, see if you can get into babbo instead of lupa.
i also agree that jean georges should be bumped to first tier. both were great but i preffered my meal there to daniel.
another suggestion, although admittedly out of the way down in the financial district, is SHO-----
Blue Hill
75 Washington Place, New York, NY 10011SHO Shaun Hergatt
40 Broad St, New York, NY 10004 -
Generally a really good list. Lupa is great but if price is not a consideration, I would go to Ciano instead. Better food, more comfortable and easier to reserve. Ai Fiori should be added. Drop The Place. I would substitute Oceana for Esca, really great seafood and exceptional desserts. WD-50 is molecular so not sure why you listed it, but maybe consider Degustation instead. It is innovative but not molecular. Locanda Verde is too rushed and noisy. Annisa is a must.
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Degustation
239 E 5th St, New York, NY 10003Oceana
120 W 49th St, New York, NY 10020The Place
310 W 4th St, New York, NY 10014Ciano
45 E 22nd St, New York, NY 10010›4 Replies-
re: rrems
I agree about Oceans and Ai Fiori. Others on your list that I consider great choices are Daniel, EMP, Bouley, Scarpetta, Maialino, and Cafe Boulud. I loved La Grenouille but agree that the others would probably serve more "creative" food. Unless you are lookig for old school Frend then go for it! Locanda verde was great for brunch.
I would skip GT, Del Posto, and any of the Momofukus.
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Cafe Boulud
20 East 76th St., New York, NY 10021Del Posto
85 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011La Grenouille
3 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014Bouley
163 Duane St, New York, NY 10013Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010Ai Fiori
400 5th Ave, New York, NY 10018-
re: steakrules85
What didn't you like about Momofuku Noodle Bar, Ko, Ma Peche? I remember seeing your Momofuku Ssam Bar & Milk Bar review but not the others.
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Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003Momofuku Noodle Bar
171 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003Ma Peche
15 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019
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re: rrems
agree about lupa. it's good for what it is, but if price doesn't matter and you're not here all the time, i'd skip it. ai fiori is amazing. the place is great, but similarly to lupa, not really a "destination" restaurant. also agree that oceana is great, although haven't been to esca. didn't love degustation last time i went, but i think i'm in the minority about that. of all the recs i agree that annisa is for sure a must. interesting, inventive, and just downright delicious. haven't ever had anything but a great meal there.
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steve h.
Apr 5, 2011 01:14 PM
Marea, Bar Boulud, Telepan are pretty good candidates before your performances at Lincoln Center. All are within walking distance. A Voce at Columbus is another option.
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Telepan
72 W. 69th Street, New York, NY 10023Bar Boulud
1900 Broadway, New York, NY 10023Marea
240 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019A Voce
10 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019 -
sgordon
Apr 5, 2011 12:54 PM
Well, for the nights of the shows, I'd go with whichever places are closest - that way you can keep rushing to a minimum. Of the list above, I'd go with The Modern, Le Bernardin, and Esca.
Alto has closed, so you can cross that one off.
For your five other dinners, of the list above, I'd go with...
EMP
WD-50
Cafe Boulud
Marc Forgione
...and one Italian: Locanda Verde, Maialino, or ScarpettaBut were I to tabula rasa list five restaurants to try, I'd say:
EMP
WD-50
Cafe Boulud
Momofuku Ssam Bar (or Ko, if you happen to get in via the Ko Lottery - try a week beforehand for each open day and you'll probably hit one of them. But have reservations booked elsewhere just in case.)
...and one Italian: Falai is my personal favorite for high-end (a bit more creative than the others, also I'm fond of Northern / Florentine flavors) - but Del Posto, Babbo (if you can get in), LV & Scarpetta are all good. You won't have a bad meal at any of them, certainly.Another unlisted option that might be to your taste - fresh food prepared to highlight it - is Prune. Wonderful.
If I were to do one Japanese meal I'd go with Soto - definitely not something you'll find elsewhere. Not for sushi/sashimi but for his composed dishes. If you're a fan of uni, go with the (unofficial) Uni Tasting: basically order everything on the menu with it - Uni Mousse, Uni & Lobster Miso Soup, Smoked(!) Uni, etc etc etc - and a couple other dishes to break it up. You'll have one bang-up meal. His recently-awarded second Michelin Star was well-deserved (even if I take issue with Michelin...)
For lunches, we've got a few good ones. Some of the above (Lupa, Maialino, a few others) and also:
Del Posto (great deal at $29)
Jean George (another great deal - prices vary, more customizable than DP)
Momofuku Noodle Bar (or Ssam Bar, but I prefer Ssam for dinner)
Colicchio & Sons Tap Room (I like it better than the main dining room)
Xi'an Famous Foods (a must-try, a style of Chinese cooking you don't see terribly often - just look them up and you'll see heaps of praise for the place. Also, go to the Chinatown location as the St. Mark's one is a constant mob scene)
If you like high-end Indian, Tulsi and Devi both have good lunches.
...and why not, Shake Shack.For Pho I like Pho Grand or Cong Ly, also Xe Lua's not bad - they make a great shrimp and grapefruit salad that goes down very nice on a hot summer day. We've also got some great, rustic Chinese hand-pull noodle joints too - Sheng Wang, Super Taste, Lam Zhou are all solid.
Not so into:
Daniel (I think they're getting a bit tired, and that Cafe Boulud outshines them in every possible way)
La Grenouille (Nice, but if you're only here for a week I'd say stick to more creative "Only in NYC" options. They make fine old-school Haute French food. But you can find that in any major metropolitan area.)
Gramercy Tavern - though it pains me to say it, as they've been a favorite for years. It feels like they've fallen off a bit lately. Chef Anthony was burning on all cylinders when he took over... but the last year or so it's felt a little uninspired. It's still good, certainly, just hasn't really been a stand-out.-----
WD-50
50 Clinton Street, New York, NY 10002Cafe Boulud
20 East 76th St., New York, NY 10021Soto
357 6th Avenue, New York, NY 10014Eleven Madison Park
11 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010Gramercy Tavern
42 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003Jean Georges
1 Central Park W, New York, NY 10023Cong Ly
124 Hester St, New York, NY 10002Devi
8 East 18th Street, New York, NY 10003Shake Shack
Madison Ave and E 23rd St, New York, NY 10010Del Posto
85 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011Le Bernardin
155 W. 51st St., New York, NY 10019The Modern
9 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019Sheng Wang
27 Eldridge St, New York, NY 10002Super Taste
26 Eldridge St, New York, NY 10002Xe Lua
86 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10013Esca
402 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036Momofuku Noodle Bar
171 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003Falai
68 Clinton St, New York, NY 10002Pho Grand
277 Grand St, New York, NY 10002La Grenouille
3 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022Lam Zhou Handmade Noodle
144 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002Momofuku Ko
163 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003Prune
54 E 1st St, New York, NY 10003Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014Marc Forgione
134 Reade Street, New York, NY 10013Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010Xi'an Famous Foods
88 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002Colicchio & Sons
85 10th Ave, New York, NY 10011Tulsi
211 E 46th St, New York, NY 10017›2 Replies-
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re: yebo
I realized that after I posted, my source didn't mention that and I didn't check.
Overall: thanks everyone, more feedback is appreciated, so I can start culling and planning. Other than the Ko lottery, do you anticipate any problems with getting reservations at the various places?
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Alto is closed. Consider Ai Fiori or Lincoln instead (Lincoln is located in Lincoln Center). Jean Georges should be bumped up to first choice. I would add Picholine and Bar Boulud for pre theater meals. Otherwise, great list.
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Jean Georges
1 Central Park W, New York, NY 10023Picholine
35 West 64th St., New York, NY 10023Bar Boulud
1900 Broadway, New York, NY 10023Lincoln
142 W 65th St, New York, NY 10023Ai Fiori
400 5th Ave, New York, NY 10018
