Five Night Foodie Itinerary - Help Narrow the Field
So, my parents are coming for a visit in mid-September, for five days and nights to fill with fabulous foodie experiences. They enjoy fine dining and have already been to many of NYC's best, including Per Se, Daniel, Jean Georges, Picholine, Aquavit, Babbo, Le Bernardin, The Modern, etc. They are not hugely adventurous in terms of ethnic cuisine, though, and my mother doesn’t eat much in the way of fish (so sushi is out). They have also decided they don’t want to do a marathon 7-courser this time around, so Eleven Madison Park and others of that ilk are out. The one place they have specifically requested is Del Posto (my father is obsessed with Mario Batali). Degustation is also a must - I think they would really enjoy the experience of seeing the chefs up-close-and-personal (and a friend of a friend just got a job there, so it would be nice to make that connection). We’ll stay in and cook one night as well.
Anyway, that leaves two more nights plus lunches to fill. They have been eating their way through the Michelin starred places in Chicago when they visit my siblings, and I know they would appreciate an intro to any of the starred places here - there are several that interest me, including Marc Forgione, SHO and Wallse. I’ve also been meaning to try Tocqueville for ages, and would like to include at least one Queens spot (we’re in Sunnyside). Lunches will probably be more casual but if there are any new and exciting Jean Georges-esque lunch specials in midtown we might do that one day.
Itinerary is currently as follows (dates for activities/restaurants can be flipped depending on availability of reservations):
Tuesday dinner: I was thinking M. Wells or Salt and Fat to save my parents a trip into Manhattan after their flight, but if they are up for it, maybe Tocqueville (more convenient to Queens than the others).
Wednesday lunch: Parents at MOMA. Hallo Berlin cart or Famous Halal Guys cart? My father saw some Travel Channel special about NYC food trucks and wants to try one.
Wednesday dinner: Degustation/SHO/Wallse/Marc Forgione/Tocqueville
Thursday lunch: We’ll be doing a little exploration of Chelsea Market and Eataly, so we’ll probably eat at one of the restaurants in Eataly (I know there’s better food to be had elsewhere, but I have to consider my father’s Batali obsession).
Thursday dinner: Cook at home with whatever we buy at CM/Eataly.
Friday lunch: Parents at the Met/Museum Mile. Not sure about the lunch offerings up here, would appreciate suggestions.
Friday dinner: Degustation/SHO/Wallse/Marc Forgione/Tocqueville
Saturday lunch/brunch: If we stay local, options include brunch at M. Wells (if we don’t go for dinner on Tuesday) or maybe Cookshop (followed by a walk up the Highline). Other suggestions for great brunches or lunches welcome (especially if they are in the vicinity of some fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon!).
Saturday dinner: Del Posto
Thoughts? Ideas? Other standout places I’m overlooking? Thanks in advance Hounds!
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biondanonima
Jul 16, 2011 07:23 AM
Upon further consideration, I have decided to strike Ko (fish issues), Morimoto (too sceney for my parents), SHO (it really does look great, but I have to cut somewhere and I don't feel like going to the financial district!) and Marc Forgione (we'll try it on a Sunday before taking my parents there) from my list. That leaves me with:
Tuesday dinner: Tocqueville or EMP 4-course
Wednesday lunch: Union Square Greenmarket, Chelsea Market and Eataly. I might even sneak breakfast at Trestle on Tenth in here if we decide to stay in Queens on Saturday.
Wednesday dinner: Cook at home with whatever we buy at CM/Eataly.
Thursday lunch: Parents at the Met/Museum Mile. Cafe Sabarsky, or if they want to come meet me in midtown, Ma Peche or La Silhouette.
Thursday dinner: Wallse/EMP/Tocqueville
Friday lunch: Parents at MOMA. Hallo Berlin cart or Famous Halal Guys cart. Ma Peche or La Silhouette would also be possible here.
Friday dinner: Del Posto or Degustation
Saturday lunch/brunch: Brunch at M. Wells or Trestle on Tenth, depending on our plan for the day.
Saturday dinner: Degustation or Del Posto
I am leaning heavily toward EMP, despite my father's objections - it seems like they are doing some of the most inventive cooking the city has to offer. As long as there's a 4-course menu option I don't think he'll mind. The menu at Wallse looks good to me, but I have seen some mixed reviews and some suggestions that it's just getting a bit tired.
The other question now is schedule. I've shifted things around to hopefully allow a good mix, but I'd like to make sure our longest dinners will be on Friday and Saturday night. I haven't been to EMP, Del Posto or Tocqueville, but I assume all of them will be a bit more of a drawn out affair than Degustation, right?
›9 Replies-
re: biondanonima
biondanonima
Aug 24, 2011 09:11 AM
Alrighty, now that the time has come to make reservations, here's what I have so far:
Tuesday dinner: Tocqueville
Wednesday dinner: Cook at home with whatever we buy at CM/Eataly.
Thursday dinner: ???????????????
Friday dinner: Degustation (I was lucky to grab a reservation for 4; 6:30 or late late was all they could offer)
Saturday dinner: Del Posto
Thursday night is still up for grabs. I'm leaning toward EMP, but since they don't take reservations until 28 days out, I still have a day or two to allow my indecision to get the best of me and consider other contenders. Some of the more recent reviews of EMP are making me waver, but I have been wanting to check out Chef Humm's cuisine for a long time. Thoughts? Is there another place that would round out the itinerary better than EMP?
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re: biondanonima
EMP all the way. Two of my five top five fine dining meals in NYC came from that kitchen (2 more from Per Se and 1 from Le Bernardin). One of them was the four-course menu you are thinking of back in July. Go for it.
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Per Se
10 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019Le Bernardin
155 W. 51st St., New York, NY 10019 -
re: biondanonima
EMP is fabulous, but it is a white tablecloth place all the way, and I thought your folks were looking for something less formal. IIRC, EMP just about tops the list for formal in New York. and it's only tasting menu.
What about Aldea for Thursday night?
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Aldea
31 West 17th Street, New York, NY 10011-
re: ChefJune
biondanonima
Aug 24, 2011 01:32 PM
Yes, I think this is why I'm having a hard time pulling the trigger. Tocqueville is white tablecloth too, but having looked at the menu I know my parents will really enjoy the food. Unfortunately, I can't really look at the EMP menu and know they'll be happy. EMP offers a 4-course menu so I'm not concerned about having to do a marathon, but I do worry that EMP and Tocqueville on the same itinerary might be a bit of white tablecloth overkill.
Aldea looks very interesting and like a nice contrast to the others. I also just made a backup reservation at Public, which has an intriguing menu as well.
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Aldea
31 West 17th Street, New York, NY 10011-
re: biondanonima
biondanonima
Aug 24, 2011 05:58 PM
I just realized that I could book EMP for lunch on Wednesday instead of dining at Eataly - not sure if my dad will go for that, given his Batali obsession, but we'll see. That would free up Thursday dinner for something else...
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Eataly
200 5th Ave, New York, NY 10010-
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re: nmprisons
biondanonima
Aug 25, 2011 08:12 AM
Yeah, hopefully they'll go for it. The lunch deal at EMP, if it is indeed the same food/experience as at dinner, seems like a steal.
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re: biondanonima
biondanonima
Aug 28, 2011 03:36 PM
So, the parents went for it! EMP for lunch is on. I will call to confirm the availability of the duck, etc. This actually works out perfectly, as DH wasn't too hyped about EMP but really wanted to do Public.
Tuesday dinner: Tocqueville
Wednesday lunch: EMP!
dinner: Cook at home with whatever we buy at CM/Eataly.Thursday dinner: The Public
Friday dinner: Degustation
Saturday dinner: Del Posto
Thanks very much to all of you for your help with the decision making process! Expect reviews in a few weeks!
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Del Posto
85 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011
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I love Degustation. SHO and Tocqueville are also favorites. I haven't been to Wallse in a long time but definitely enjoyed it, though I recently have come to really like Seasonal, which I think has a more interesting take on Austrian food. No one has mentioned Ciano. I think it should not be missed. Chef Shea Gallante, formerly of Cru, is doing great things. Another newer place that might really please your parents is La Silhouette. The atmosphere is upscale casual, food is contemporary French (the chef formerly worked at Daniel, and the owners at Le Bernardin). It's one of my favorite new places. If you happen to be near Soho at lunchtime, you might want to try Rubirosa. In addition to wonderful pizzas, they have great Italian-Anerican dishes like chicken parm, manicotti and fried mozzarella and zucchini that are a far cry above a typical red-sauce joint. It's very noisy at night but quieter at lunch. The chef is Al DiMeglio, formerly of Olana and Osteria del Circo.
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Tocqueville
1 East 15th Street, New York, NY 10003Wallse
344 W. 11th St., New York, NY 10014Degustation
239 E 5th St, New York, NY 10003Seasonal
132 West 58th Street, New York, NY 10019Ciano
45 E 22nd St, New York, NY 10010SHO Shaun Hergatt
40 Broad St, New York, NY 10004Rubirosa
235 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012La Silhouette
362 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019›1 Reply-
re: rrems
biondanonima
Jul 15, 2011 04:40 PM
rrems, thank you for weighing in! Of the suggestions you posted, the one that appeals to me most is La Silhouette - I took a look at their menu and it looks delicious, plus their lunch prix-fixe is a STEAL. With Del Posto and Eataly, we're full up on Italian, so that lets out Ciano and Rubirosa - also, we went to Olana on my parents' previous visit (and were not blown away). Seasonal looks good too, although the menu at Wallse appeals to me more. I will definitely add La Silhouette to the contender list though!
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I really love Corton, and it's the last dinner that blew me away (back in May). If you search the board there are a few very strong reviews, the one that convinced me to go was uhockey's. If you want to dine at Eataly I also highly recommend Manzo, which does take reservations.
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Corton
239 West Broadway, New York, NY 10013Eataly
200 5th Ave, New York, NY 10010Manzo
200 5th Ave, New York, NY 10010›11 Replies-
re: sheio
biondanonima
Jul 15, 2011 09:54 AM
Corton is one that I had dismissed because it looks like they only offer tasting menus, which my parents didn't want to do this time around. Do they offer an a la carte or a 3-course prix fixe?
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re: biondanonima
ellenost
Jul 15, 2011 10:16 AM
Corton offers both a tasting and a 3 course a la carte menu. I chose the tasting menu when I had dinner there in February. Food was excellent and creative. It is a white tablecloth restaurant. If you're considering Corton, you should also consider Eleven Madison Park for their 4 course dinner.
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Eleven Madison Park
11 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010Corton
239 West Broadway, New York, NY 10013-
re: ellenost
biondanonima
Jul 15, 2011 10:57 AM
Hm, good to know that these are both available. My dad vetoed EMP since they've been there before, but pre-Humm and only for brunch, so I know it's a totally different experience now. I may hold off on these two until they are in the mood for a 7-courser, as I think that's the best way to get the full EMP experience, at least from what I've read. Maybe by then he'll have forgotten brunch!
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re: ellenost
biondanonima
Jul 15, 2011 02:32 PM
Hm, this is making my decision even harder - I sort of prefer 4 courses too, especially when there are 4 diners, because it means I can sample 16 things!
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re: ellenost
ellenost,
Corton is no longer offering a 3-course prix-fixe (what you described as "a la carte"). Now it's either a 6-course prix-fixe for $115 (with a choice between two options for the "main" dish) or the 8-course tasting menu for $155. The menus are on the website: http://www.cortonnyc.com.
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re: ellenost
I, too, really like that menu. With multi-course prix-fixes, I sometimes run up against the problem where one or two courses don't appeal to me. But in this case, everything sounds great.
Btw, when they made the change a few weeks, the cost for the 6-course was $99, and they announced that it would change to $115 on July 6th. I had hoped to be able to go before the price hike, but we couldn't work it out. Not that the $16 difference is outrageous. But $99 was really a steal.
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biondanonima
Jul 14, 2011 06:54 PM
Ok, got some new input from the parents tonight. They definitely want to come into Manhattan on Tuesday night, and my Dad has decided that he's "over" anything that he defines as a "white-tablecloth kind of place," whatever that means. We had a less than stellar tasting menu experience at a place called Ria in Chicago this spring, and I think that's what he wants to avoid - it was pretty boring, lots of foams and mousses and muted flavors, and he wants things that are a little more interesting and bold, I guess.
Anyway, I don't think any of my original contenders fall into this category, but I'm considering adding Momofuku Ko as a contender (if I can get a reservation - I would definitely have a backup) and perhaps Morimoto (for composed dishes, not sushi/omakase).
So, given Tuesday in Manhattan and Kathryn's suggestions, now we're looking at:
Tuesday dinner: Tocqueville (more convenient to Queens than the others) or Momofuku (simply because I know that I'll have to take what I can get there).
Wednesday lunch: Parents at MOMA. Hallo Berlin cart or Famous Halal Guys cart.
Wednesday dinner: Del Posto (could be any night really, but I didn't want to do it too close to Eataly day to avoid Italian overload).
Thursday lunch: Parents at the Met/Museum Mile. Will check out Kathryn's suggestions.
Thursday dinner: Degustation/SHO/Wallse/Marc Forgione/Tocqueville/Ko/Morimoto
Friday lunch: Union Square Greenmarket, Chelsea Market and Eataly.
Friday dinner: Cook at home with whatever we buy at CM/Eataly.
Saturday lunch/brunch: Brunch at M. Wells (we'd go early and then head out on a little road trip) or maybe Cookshop (followed by a walk up the Highline if we stay local).
Saturday dinner: Degustation/SHO/Wallse/Marc Forgione/Tocqueville/Ko/Morimoto
Degustation and Del Posto are definites. Of the others, which would you choose? Both on their own merits and as part of an itinerary that includes Degustation and Del Posto?
›15 Replies-
re: biondanonima
Are you three people, or four? Ko has exactly one corner of the counter to seat 4. The rest is seats for parties of two only. You can easily do three people at Ssam Bar though.
For more casual/interesting, off the top of my head, I'd look at Spotted Pig, Prune, Txikito, maybe Minetta Tavern, Joseph Leonard/Fedora.
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Spotted Pig
314 W 11th St, New York, NY 10014Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012Txikito
240 9th Ave, New York, NY 10001-
re: kathryn
biondanonima
Jul 15, 2011 06:01 AM
There are four of us - I logged into Ko's reservation site and it looks like they have 10 slots nightly for parties of 4. Still makes it hard to get a reservation though, I'm sure. However, I've been reading posts regarding Ko and I'm not sure it's a good choice for us given my mother's seafood aversion - there seems to be some debate as to whether the chefs are cool about subbing out dishes. Perhaps Ma Peche would be a better choice if we want to do a David Chang? I've been to Ssam Bar and wasn't super impressed, but I'm willing to give his places another shot.
As for the others - Spotted Pig doesn't take reservations so that's out. Prune might be a good choice - I assume my father has read or at least heard of Blood, Bones and Butter, so that might be interesting for him. I was considering Minetta Tavern for brunch, but for some reason the menu doesn't really sing to me. Txikito looks great - might it be a bit too similar to Degustation? I'm not familiar with Joseph Leonard or Fedora, will look into those. Thanks!
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re: biondanonima
The ten slots for Ko is deceiving. They do two turns nightly and when reservations become available, only two of those ten boxes will be turned on for 4 tops. But given the fish aversion, perhaps the menu is too rigid for you. Also one of the famous dishes there is topped with caviar.
Regarding Ma Peche and Ssam, take a look at the room, as I think Ma Peche's windowless room might feel too stuffy to you. If the objective is hip, loud, casual, opposite of white tablecloth, the atmosphere at Ssam is what you want. It's also a bit cheaper than Ma Peche.
Txikito's online menu doesn't include the daily specials. Also it's more of a standard tapas bar, and the dishes feel less composed than Degustation's.
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Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003Degustation
239 E 5th St, New York, NY 10003Txikito
240 9th Ave, New York, NY 10001Ma Peche
15 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019-
re: kathryn
biondanonima
Jul 15, 2011 06:47 AM
LOL, my parents are the exact OPPOSITE of hip and loud! I've been to Ssam and I think they would absolutely hate the atmosphere. I really think what my dad is looking to avoid is the excessive formality of Daniel or any place with stodgy food.
Good to know about Txikito - I will float that as an option!
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re: biondanonima
ellenost
Jul 15, 2011 09:15 AM
I'm a big fan of all of the Momofuku restaurants, but my two favorites are Ko and Ma Peche. Since there is only one slot for dinner for a party of 4 at each of the early and late seatings at Ko, Ma Peche might work better for you. There is greater choice of the foods at Ma Peche (no choice at Ko, but the chefs will make substitutions/deletions for allergies). If your family likes duck, you should consider a reservation at Ssam Bar for the whole rotisserie duck. I'm trying it tonight for a party of 2, but I understand that a party of 4 would be the perfect size. If you are interested in the whole rotisserie duck, you will need to make a reservation at the Momofuku website. BTW, while reservations are available at Ma Peche, it is not required to make one in advance. I generally do make a reservation though.
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Ma Peche
15 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019-
re: ellenost
biondanonima
Jul 15, 2011 12:05 PM
Ellenost, another question about Ma Peche - have you been for lunch? It's just around the corner from my office, so I could have my parents meet me there on one of their museum days. If lunch is good, it would be a great way to work David Chang into this trip without using up a dinner slot.
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re: biondanonima
ellenost
Jul 15, 2011 02:24 PM
Yes, I go to Ma Peche quite often since it's only 2 blocks from my office. Lunch is great too, and they have a $25 prix fixe which gives you a choice of 3 appetizers, 3 main courses, and a choice of either a corn cookie or chocolate cookie from Milk Bar. There are also sandwiches and other dishes you might like. The dinner menu has more options than the lunch menu.
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Ma Peche
15 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019Momofuku Milk Bar
15 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019
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re: biondanonima
We've dined at SHO several times. All have been excellent experiences. I presume you know it's a white tablecloth restaurant. Chef Hergatt uses very interesting flavor combinations, sometimes including ingredients not seen on other menus. And while he does use foams, they are used advantageously.
SHO photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391@N03/sets/72157626669210098/
Tocqueville is one of our favorite restaurants, especially for lunch. I wouldn't call the cuisine bold, but it is always delicious. Again, I presume you know that it's white tablecloth. The elegant dining room is one of the most beautiful in the city.
Tocqueville photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391@N03/sets/72157625626586975/
Re: lunch near the Met Museum. One restaurant kathryn didn't include in her list of options is Cafe Boulud, another of our favorites, and where we always go when we visit the musuem. While it is Daniel Boulud's second-tier restaurant, in every way that counts, it's first-rate! Chef Gavin Kaysen is cooking some of the best food in the city right now. So, even though there are white tablecloths, your parents should give it serious consideration.
Cafe Boulud photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391@N03/sets/72157626251539228/
When you go to Eataly, if it's a nice day, you might want to consider eating at Birerria, the rooftop (15th floor) beer garden. Very tasty food, and they are now serving their own beer brewed on the premises.
Birreria photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391@N03/sets/72157627081889382/
I'm not a fan of Cookshop as our one experience there was disappointing in every respect: mediocre food, haphazard service, tight indoor seating, and an excessively high noise level. If you do the Highline, I highly recommend eating at Trestle on Tenth. We love dining in their lovely secluded garden, servers are friendly and attentive, and the food's really good.
Trestle on Tenth photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391@N03/sets/72157624610117613/
http://thewizardofroz.wordpress.com
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Cafe Boulud
20 East 76th St., New York, NY 10021Tocqueville
1 East 15th Street, New York, NY 10003Cookshop
156 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011Trestle on Tenth
242 Tenth Avenue, New York, NY 10001SHO Shaun Hergatt
40 Broad St, New York, NY 10004Birreria
200 5th Ave, New York, NY 10010-
re: RGR
biondanonima
Jul 15, 2011 06:53 AM
RGR - thank you for your comments. As I just mentioned in response to Kathryn's post, I think my parents want to avoid very very formal places like Daniel as opposed to any place with white tablecloths. As long as the food is interesting, bold and creative, they'll enjoy it. It sounds to me like Tocqueville is one of the more "traditional" spots in my list, but having looked at the menu I know there are a number of dishes they would enjoy, and I think it would provide a good contrast to some of the other options. Perhaps I'll bump it down in the rankings, though.
Thank you for the Cafe Boulud and Trestle on Tenth recs - will look into those!
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re: bronwen
biondanonima
Jul 15, 2011 09:15 AM
Bronwen, thank you - that is a great suggestion if they are up for the park after the museum!
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re: RGR
biondanonima
Jul 15, 2011 08:40 AM
Trestle on Tenth looks terrific - I need to have the Bure Roesti, right now! They don't list prices on their website - can you give me a price range on brunch? It's not hugely important but I'm always curious when places don't give any indication. Thanks!
ETA: I just checked out your photos of ToT and saw that you had included prices in your captions - very helpful! Lovely photos, too, of all the restaurants. The bread tray at Tocqueville is screaming my name!
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re: biondanonima
Thanks for the compliment about my photos, biondanomina! :)
Yes, it's a mystery to me as to why there are no prices on Trestle's website menu. As much as I like the place, that really annoys me.
I think your take on Tocqueville is quite correct. If you do decide to go, the signature scallops with foie gras is not-to-be-missed! And my absolute favorite of the breads is the brioche roll. An OMG! experience for me every time.
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re: RGR
biondanonima
Jul 15, 2011 02:25 PM
Yes, your photos and plumpdumpling's recent review (among others) totally sealed the deal - we ARE going to Tocqueville! With Degustation and Del Posto set in stone, that leaves just one more night. DH likes the idea of Txikito with Wallse as a second choice, I'm a little more torn. SHO just looks so tempting to me - I do wonder, though, if my mother will be a little hamstrung by the menu there given that she doesn't eat fish/seafood. I also have very little desire to go all the way to the financial district on a weeknight - that's a consideration for my parents, too. Of course, now that I know there's a 4-course possibility at EMP, I may sneak that back into the running as well. Decisions decisions!
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re: RGR
The copy of their menu on menupages.com does have some prices; not sure if they are accurate.
http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/...
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> Tuesday dinner: I was thinking M. Wells
I'd do Tuesday dinner instead of brunch unless your parents are OK with waiting a long time to eat. They take reservations for weekday dinner (Tues-Thurs). Also I assume your folks are adventurous to eat some of the items on the menu like bone marrow, brains, etc.
> Wednesday dinner: Degustation/SHO/Wallse/Marc Forgione/Tocqueville
Have you already reserved at Degustation? If your mother doesn't eat any fish at all, I'd call to confirm that they can accommodate that. They don't have a huge menu and it's possible some of the non fish dishes may use roe as a garnish.
> Thursday lunch: We’ll be doing a little exploration of Chelsea Market and Eataly
You might also want to stop into Kalustyan's or Beecher's Cheese before/after. If you can switch the shopping day to a Weds or Fri, you could go to Union Square Greenmarket and then Eataly. If you go to the Greenmarket in the AM (before 10am), you'll definitely see chefs milling about and picking up their orders, which can be fun, as they are usually in their chef whites.
> Friday lunch: Parents at the Met/Museum Mile. Not sure about the lunch offerings up here, would appreciate suggestions.
If you don't mind walking a little further away from the Met, there's Luke's Lobster on 81st and 2nd, a Shake Shack on 86th Street btwn Lex and 3rd, or Cascabel Taqueria on 2nd and 80th (if Mexican is OK).
You might want to research Cafe Sabarsky, Square Meal, or Untitled for something more upscale. See also:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/793684> Saturday lunch/brunch: maybe Cookshop (followed by a walk up the Highline
)Don't forget that the Highline goes up to 30th St and includes the Lot on Tap, a temporary beer garden with some food trucks.
http://www.thehighline.org/the-lotAlso Del Posto has a JG esque lunch deal if you're interested in that.
http://www.delposto.com/menu.cfm?rest...Your dad might also be interested in Po, Batali's first restaurant, and a neighborhood gem. One of my favorites in the West Village, for sure. If you find yourself near Washington Square Park, too, stop into Otto for some gelato (the restaurant, not the stand they have in the park). Casa Mono is also good for a mid-afternoon drink and snack if you're near Gramercy Park.
For another "chef's counter" type situation, go to Chikalicious for dessert.
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Kalustyan's
123 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10016Union Square Greenmarket
Broadway and E 17th St, New York, NY 10003Casa Mono
52 Irving Place, New York, NY 10003Del Posto
85 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011Cafe Sabarsky
1048 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028Square Meal
30 E 92nd St, New York, NY 10128Eataly
200 5th Ave, New York, NY 10010The Lot on Tap
10th Ave W 30th St, New York, NY 10001›3 Replies-
re: kathryn
I know that Kathryn knows this, but as her wording left it unclear, you and your father should understand that Mario Batali got his first recognition at Po, but has had no connection with the restaurant whatsoever for many years. So whereas your father might find it interesting in a "Mario Slept Here" kind of way, there's no current trace of Mario there.
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re: Sneakeater
biondanonima
Jul 14, 2011 04:14 PM
Thanks Sneakeater - I knew (and I think my Dad knows) that Po is no longer a Mario place. I had heard mixed reviews about it over the years and so had never included it on my must-tries, but if it's back to being good, it's definitely an option!
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re: kathryn
biondanonima
Jul 14, 2011 04:28 PM
Kathryn - thank you so much for your comments. I have heard that the wait at M. Wells for brunch can be terrible, but since we live in the neighborhood and my parents are early risers, I figured we could beat the rush if we decided to do that. My father will be adventurous enough to try some of the offal, and they lived in Montreal for several years so I figured they'd enjoy the Quebecois touches.
I haven't reserved at Degustation but I will mention dietary limitations when I do. Oddly enough, when I was there I had only one course out of six that involved fish, and I am a big fan of seafood. I don't think we'll do the tasting menu - I created my own 6-course menu last time for only $10 more than the prix-fixe, and it allowed me to try a lot more stuff (since my dining partner ordered six different courses, instead of having to have the same set menu). Hopefully that will allow my mother to avoid sea creatures.
Thanks for the heads up about the Greenmarket - I think they would love to see the chefs picking up their stuff, so I will switch that to Weds or Fri. Great suggestion! I will check out your recs for the UES as well. They have been to Casa Mono (loved it) but not Otto, so if we're in the area a gelato stop is a great idea. I think we'll have to stick with dinner at Del Posto simply because it's too far from my office for me to join them during the week! :)
As for the others, if you had to pick one (or two), would you choose Tocqueville, SHO, Marc Forgione or Wallse?
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