5 nights in NY. Hungry as hell...
Hey guys, just wondered if I could pick your brains a little.
Heading over from Australia in June. We've got 5 days/nights to play with. Big eaters, food/wine/cocktail obsessed and don't want to miss out. Happy in a fine dining place or a local pig out joint.
Here's a list of places we're keen to check out. Any thoughts one ones that are a MUST and ones that we could probably give a miss?
Momofuku Ssam, Noodle + Milkbar.
ShakeShack
Red Rooster
Spotted Pig
Mad For Chicken
Torrisi
Motorino
Minetta Tavern
Blue Ribbon (late night)
Roberta's
Blue hills
La Esquina
Ippudo
PDT/Crif Dogs
The Dutch
Burger Joint
Lukes Lobster Rolls.
Already have bookings at WD-50 + Eleven Madison. Missed out on Per Se I think. :(
Keen to experience more American focused cuisine as we don't get much of that here in Oz. Also interesting snack options like The Doughnut Plant ect....
Any hot tips would be massively appreciated.
Cheers!
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Per Se
10 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019
WD-50
50 Clinton Street, New York, NY 10002
Burger Joint
118 W 57th St, New York, NY 10019
Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003
Spotted Pig
314 W 11th St, New York, NY 10014
Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012
La Esquina
106 Kenmare St, New York, NY 10012
Ippudo
65 4th Ave, New York, NY 10003
Luke's Lobster
93 E 7th St, New York, NY 10009
Motorino
349 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003
Red Rooster
310 Lenox Ave, New York, NY 10027
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Skip Momofuku Noodle Bar if you are already going to Ippudo.
Are you doing Torrisi for lunch or dinner?
Skip Roberta's if you are going to Motorino already, unless you have already booked the chef's table. I liked my pizzas there a lot but not so much the kitchen dishes (was unable to book the chef's table).
Burger Joint is OK but not as high quality ingredients as others like Minetta or Shake Shack.
ETA: I like Luke's a lot but it is takeout / counter service as opposed to table service; for dine in, try Pearl Oyster Bar.
See also other itineraries from Aussie visitors:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/781406
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/783026
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/782728-----
Pearl Oyster Bar
18 Cornelia St, New York, NY 10014Burger Joint
118 W 57th St, New York, NY 10019Momofuku Noodle Bar
171 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003Ippudo
65 4th Ave, New York, NY 10003Motorino
349 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003›16 Replies-
re: kathryn
The flagship Luke's is not entirely take-out since there are half a dozen counter seats.
Luke's Lobster photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391@N03/sets/72157624069151409/
I agree that Pearl is another great option for a different style of lobster roll, which comes with excellent fries. But it's also a lot more expensive than Luke's.
Pearl photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391@N03/sets/72157621756115621/
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re: kathryn
Wow - thanks for all the feed back and tips. Greatly appreciated.
The LES side tour looks great - definitely keen to do that.
Torrisi's will be for dinner if we can get in. Will probably choose Motorino over Roberta's as I must try the brussel sprout pizza!
What about Diner or The Brooklyn Star?
If we were going to have one BBQ experience...where would you choose?
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Motorino
349 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003-
re: marksound
Im a hard-core Motorino lover, but it should be pointed out that Roberta's does a brussel sprout pie also (and i think - gasp - it might just be better than the one at motorino). i actually love both places a ton but they have different vibes - Motorino has, in my opinion, the best crust in the city, i love the lunch special, and the East Village location is very convenient to many other places i love, Roberta's is a bit more scene-ey, considerably larger, offers many options beyond just pizza (with which i have had better luck than kathryn, but i agree the other plates arent as uniformly awesome as the pizzas). Roberta's may feel a bit more out of the way but it is a very easy subway ride into brooklyn (its about a block from the morgan stop on the L)
For BBQ id send you to HIll Country, though the ordering is somewhat unusual (everything is sold by weight, there are set plates, you order at a counter and the meat cutters/side dishers mark the price on your meal ticket, which you give to the cashier at the end of your meal) hands down the best beef brisket in nyc (get the moist, not the lean) and pretty good (pork) ribs - the only meat id steer (ha!) you away from are the beef ribs which end up being a terrible value because of the pay-by-weight scheme and can be tough.
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Motorino
349 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003-
re: tex.s.toast
I was at Roberta's last week and there wasn't a brussels sprouts pizza on the menu. Maybe they took it off, given that it is spring? To that end, I'm not sure if Motorino has theirs year-round or if they take it off the menu in the warmer months.
Hill Country would be really fun. It's central Texas style BBQ which is typically sold by weight, not really about the sauce, eaten with your hands, and brisket and sausage focused. But their pork ribs are actually pretty good as well. Everything is given to you on butcher paper which can be fun. For pulled pork, I'd go to Dinosaur BBQ instead but it's a bit far uptown and may feel like a trek.
Also I don't see a place for fried chicken on your list. My favorites are Amy Ruth's, the Redhead, and Pies 'n' Thighs in Brooklyn.
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Hill Country
30 W 26th St, New York, NY 10010Amy Ruth's
113 W 116th St, New York, NY 10026The Redhead
349 E 13th St, New York, NY 10003Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
777 W. 125th Street, New York, NY 10027Motorino
349 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003-
re: kathryn
It's been quite a long time since our last visit to Hill Country. I found that the fatty brisket, which I prefer, could be rather uneven. Sometimes perfect, olther times so much fat that there was barely any meat. Out of curiosity, I tried the lean brisket once. Like shoe leather. Blech!
I'm really a ribs fancier but never cared for their pork ribs, which I felt were too dry and not very meaty.
The sausage and the beer can cornish hen (whole): delicious.
As for the sides, none of them ever struck me as being particularly great. The best of the lot: the sweet potato bourbon mash.
One other problem I found was that because service is cafeteria style, and the line does not always move quickly, by the time I got to the table, hot food -- especially the meats, which are gotten first -- would no longer be hot.
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re: RGR
Hill Country sounds fun and definitely unique. I read Dinosour BBQ does great wings so may have to squeeze in both! Don't mind a trek anywhere and would welcome the chance to see other neighbourhoods.
How could I forget fried chicken! Heard it's pretty good on the late menu of Blue Ribbon? Staying in SoHo so that could be an option. Pies n' Thighs looks good too. What about Mad For Chicken?
Bars I'm keen to check out are: Terroir EV, 6 Bells, Anfora, Angels Share, Death & Co, Pegu. Any others doing serious cocktails? Keen to try some barrel aged negroni's and martini's.
How we are going to do all this in 5 days I'm not sure but will give it a damn good try!
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Hill Country
30 W 26th St, New York, NY 10010Terroir
413 E 12th St, New York, NY 10009Death & Co.
433 E 6th St, New York, NY 10009The Ten Bells
247 Broome St, New York, NY 10002Anfora
34 8th Ave, New York, NY 10014-
re: marksound
Best cocktail bars:
Death & Co (great, huge menu, always surprising)
PDT (new school + lots of ingredients + interesting infusions)
Mayahuel (temple to tequila and mezcal)
Pegu Club (most of Audrey's menu have become modern classics - gin gin mule, jamaican firefly, french pearl, the fitty fitty, pisco punch, etc. and she trained so many people working today)
Lani Kai (Julie Reiner's classy and elegant tropical / Hawaiian bar ... most of the bartenders working today also came through her other bar Flatiron Lounge) -- just tried some of their new menu, it's great
Milk & Honey (the bespoke cocktail bar that kickstarted a movement)Yes, I know that's a ton. Not sure I'd put Angel's Share up that high these days. There's more details in the threads I linked to
For barrel aged cocktails, try The Dutch, Summit Bar, PDT, Fedora, Rye (in Brooklyn), Dram (also in Brooklyn), Gramercy Park Hotel, and I think Del Posto does as well. Call ahead, quantities are typically limited, and I'm not sure all of them will still have them by June.
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Del Posto
85 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011Angel's Share
8 Stuyvesant St, New York, NY 10003Please Don't Tell
113 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10009Pegu Club
77 W Houston St, New York, NY 10012Fedora
239 W 4th St, New York, NY 10014Death & Co.
433 E 6th St, New York, NY 10009Gramercy Park Hotel
2 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10010Milk and Honey
134 Eldridge St, New York, NY 10002Mayahuel
304 E 6th St, New York, NY 10003Summit Bar
133 Avenue C, New York, NY 10009The Dutch
131 Sullivan St, New York, NY 10012Lani Kai
525 Broome St, New York, NY 10012-
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re: kathryn
...and apparently Dram has sold out of their barrel aged Martinez BUT I think they've got something else up their sleeves, so it remains to be seen if it's ready in time for your trip.
A friend of mine went to Fedora the other night and it looks like they are out of theirs as well. However, there's a new place called the Beagle that recently opened and theirs might be ready in time for your trip. Good luck!
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re: kathryn
agreed re: skipping Momofuko Noodle...personally i despise all the David Chang stuff, but i can understand the desire to try Saam...but Noodle is just lame regardless...
i'd say try some of the nice Italian choices we have like Scarpetta (esp at the bar), Maialino, and for a sunny casual meal near the Hudson i love Malatesta as a neighborhood joint...
also love the Kin Shop rec...one of my favs...
enjoy your trip and please report back w/ impressions :)
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Malatesta
649 Washington St, New York, NY 10014Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010-
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re: marksound
If you can't get into Milk & Honey, its sister bar Little Branch would work. Show up at 7pm for the best chance at getting a table. I like LB a lot but it doesn't have a bar w/ stools that you can sit at so I don't end up there quite as much.
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Little Branch
22 Seventh Ave South, New York, NY 10014
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Re: Ssam Bar. The all-duck lunch is not-to-be-missed!
All-duck lunch photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391@N03/sets/72157626584612365/
I think you mean Blue Hill NYC (in Greenwich Village)?
If there are two of you, per se almost never puts tables for two on OpenTable. So, it's worth a call to see if they have anything. Friday/Saturday/Sunday lunch is often the easiest reservation to get there. If nothing at all is available in the dining room during your stay here, you could eat in the Salon. You don't need a reservation, but you will need a jacket.
As mentioned by H Manning, I would strongly suggest including Keens, which has been in its 36th St. location since 1885. Thus, in addition to fabulous steaks, chops (including the signature mutton chop not found anywhere else), side, etc., there is the unmatchable charm of the Old NY ambiance -- walls filled with authentic American memorabilia and row-upon-row of old clay smoking pipes suspended from all the ceilings + smoking pipes belonging to famous people dating back to the 19th century in display cases in the vestibule.
Keens photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391@N03/sets/72157623279345424/
I don't see anything on your list about such quintessential NY foods as pastrami, smoked fish, bagels, etc. So, you might want to consider taking my famous self-guided Lower East Side Gustatory Tour.
Here's the link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/493333
Note a couple of changes: Guss's Pickles has closed, so substitute The Pickle Guys, on Essex just off Grand. And the correct address for Economy Candy is 145, not 108.
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These are all good choices. The only other quintessentially "American" places that I can think of are Gotham Bar & Grill, Craft, Keens, and Peter Luger.
Besides La Esquina, another good Mexican place is Empellon.
Besides the Momofukus, look into Ma Peche and Kin Shop for pan-asian.
Since you're considering Spotted Pig, I'd also recommend The Breslin.
If you can't get into Torrisi, try Rubirosa.
Before you book Roberta's, try to get a reservation at Brooklyn Fare. The mostly seafood 20 course tasting menu is amazing.
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Keens
72 West 36th St., New York, NY 10018Gotham Bar and Grill
12 East 12th Street, New York, NY 10003Craft
43 E. 19th St., New York, NY 10003The Breslin
20 W 29th St, New York, NY 10001Ma Peche
15 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019Torrisi Italian Specialties
250 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012Kin Shop
469 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011Rubirosa
235 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012Empellon Taqueria
230 W 4th St, New York, NY 10014›5 Replies-
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re: kathryn
The OP inquired about Momofuku Ssam, Noodle & Milkbar. I assume he (or she) knew these restaurants are pan-asian, which is why I suggested Ma Peche and Kin Shop as alternatives.
I didn't want to assume too much about the OP's culinary agenda.
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Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003Ma Peche
15 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019-
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re: H Manning
sgordon
May 19, 2011 11:48 AM
I would not consider Momofuku Ssam pan-Asian, at least not at dinner - the new all-duck lunch menu might lean that way, though.
While there might be some dishes that touch on Asian flavors, there are just as many that don't. Asian-influenced? Sure, but so are Jean George & Bouley and no one would call them pan-Asian. Shoot, I've had entire meals at Ssam that didn't include one single Asian flavor. Except the pork buns, which seem to get ordered at every meal...
Noodle Bar I could almost say the same about - other than the buns and ramen, it's really another New American joint with a variety of world influences scattered about.
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Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003Jean Georges
1 Central Park W, New York, NY 10023
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