Find Me This Restaurant, Please.

[TommyJay]

Dinner Monday or Tuesday night.

Intimate but fun. Delicious but unpretentious. Something very New York. Preferably in the South End. Some place that welcomes jeans, a polo shirt, and sneakers.

The Butcher Shop? I was thinking Coppa but that can get busy and very not-intimate, very quickly. Alas, Ginger Park is closed.

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Coppa
253 Shawmut Ave, Boston, MA 02118

[bgavin]

Erbaluce (if Tuesday).
Union Street Grill.

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Union Street Grill
4 Union St, Milford, NH 03055

Erbaluce
69 Church Street, Boston, MA 02116

[5thAndNowhere]

Id say Orinoco

I second Myers + Chang and the Gallows

[Kat]

When you say "New York" are you thinking East Village?

[Karl S]

Or Staten Island?

[Luther]

Stapleland, where the ambulance don't come

[LeoLioness]

What makes a restaurant "very New York"?

[Luther]

I got a gun, let's go to a Broadway show.

[Karl S]

Got me. I'd never expect to find it in Boston. And that's a fine thing, lest you misunderstand me.

[Wannabfoode]

this confuses me too, as i typically find many NY restaurants to be EXTREMELY crowded, and you sit right on top of other patrons, since space is such a commodity.l

I'd suggest metropolis to the OP

[LeoLioness]

I was thinking more that there are thousands of restaurants in NYC, very different from one another, so what is the common thread that makes them "very New York" other than, you know, existing in New York?

On a recent weekend in NYC I ate at the very old school Patsy's in Spanish Harlem and a diner in Rego Park. Is that what the OP had in mind?

[bear]

I was thinking Metropolis, too, since it's small and cozy and good for conversation.

[opinionatedchef]

i'm not sure you'd feel comfortable at erbaluce in jeans and sneakers . By intimate, i'm guessing you mean small? my rec would be myers and chang and toro, both NY LOUD and lively, large varied menus of small and larger plates. If, by intimate, you mean quiet, i'm not sure about anywhere in the so. end like that. Union Bar and Grill is quietER than most other So. End small spots, and has terrific service, so i don't think you'd be overlooked. Handsome dark room;comfortable banquettes; no crazy rushing buzzy atmosphere; can be considered romantic i think. I am not a fan of estragon. Maybe the butcher shop..... Let us know where you end up!

[TommyJay]

re: "intimate"

Imagine Coppa off-hours - not packed as I've usually seen it. I'd like to be able to talk to my date but I don't need the place to be over-the-top with candles and waiters that make me smell corks.

I haven't been to Toro. Is there a time to go for dinner on Monday or Tuesday night where it isn't PACKED?

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Toro
1704 Washington St, Boston, MA 02118

Coppa
253 Shawmut Ave, Boston, MA 02118

[MC Slim JB]

I routinely see very casually-dressed patrons at Erbaluce; I wouldn't sweat the dress code. I recommend it very highly. But it's closed on Monday.

Given the range of restaurants in New York, I'm not sure what "very New York" means. "Intimate but not crowded" is another poser. If you don't want packed, The Butcher Shop is not your answer; it is crowded pretty much every night of the week. Coppa has been a bit slower lately, particularly after peak hours, but it doesn't take many patrons to make it feel crowded. But it is reliably excellent, and has a very pleasant patio.

Some other indie restaurants in the South End I would recommend: Teranga (Senegalese), Orinoco (Venezuelan), Myers + Chang (pan-Asian), The Gallows (gastropub), B&G Oysters (New England seafood and raw bar), and Metropolis (eclectic).

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

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Teranga
1746 Washington Street, Boston, MA

Erbaluce
69 Church Street, Boston, MA 02116

Coppa
253 Shawmut Ave, Boston, MA 02118

[lipoff]

Coppa and Toro are the most "New York", but not so intimate. Erbaluce, however, is the very definition of intimate and delicious, and close to the South End. The basement of the South End Buttery has a very nice, romantic vibe too.

I like Estragon, but it has that slightly corporatey vibe. I had a surprisingly good meal at Union recently too, although I think it has that similarly slightly corporatey feel of a restaurant group restaurant.

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Toro
1704 Washington St, Boston, MA 02118

South End Buttery
314 Shawmut Avenue, Boston, MA 02118

Erbaluce
69 Church Street, Boston, MA 02116

Coppa
253 Shawmut Ave, Boston, MA 02118