5 days in NYC coming up. Review our eating itinerary?

[macaronette]

My husband and I live in Seattle but adore NYC and make a point to go once a year. We'll be there 9/1-9/5. I'm putting more of a focus this year on eating at great restaurants. Last year we only made one dinner reservation (Little Owl) and winged it the other nights. Here's what I've got so far:

Thursday
Dinner at Club A Steakhouse (got a LivingSocial deal, and the Yelp reviews were decent)

Friday
Breakfast at Balthazar
Dinner at Craftbar

Saturday
Lunch at Haru Sushi
Dinner at Via Della Pace

Sunday
Brunch at Jane
Lunch at Union Square Cafe
Dinner at...?

We'd love to have a "very NYC" dinner on Sunday night. Any suggestions? Also, yay or nay on Craftbar? We haven't made that reservation yet, so would be open to other, better suggestions.

Thanks!

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Via Della Pace
48 E 7th St, New York, NY 10003

Club A Steakhouse
240 East 58th Street, New York, NY 10022

[preciouskimmy]

Dinner: Try DaNico on Mulberry St. in Little Italy or The Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station--you won't be disappointed. Neither are trendy spots but more landmark restaurant with great food and history.
danicoristorante.com
oysterbarny.com

Good Luck!

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Grand Central Oyster Bar
89 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017

Da Nico
164 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10013

[Sandhya]

I totally concur in the recommendation of the Oyster Bar -- also has a nice list of wines by the glass.

[preciouskimmy]

If you go, don't forget to go to the whispering place at the arches, look for the uncleaned tile on the ceiling and the hole in the ceiling where a rocket was put through for display in the 1960's!

[macaronette]

Well, things feel a lot more real now that we've been able to actually make reservations. Being limited to exactly 30 days out is tough for a planner! Here's what we believe to be our final itinerary, although we know how things change:

Thursday
Dinner at Club A

Friday
Breakfast at Balthazar
Lunch at Union Square Cafe
Dinner at Craft

Saturday
Brunch at The Little Owl (perhaps not THE BEST brunch in the city, but holds emotional significance for us)
Open lunch wherever we might find ourselves
Dinner at Babbo

Sunday
Brunch at Minetta Tavern
Pizza lunch in East Village
Dinner at Apiary

Monday
Bagel Breakfast
Lunch at Katz before heading to the airport

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Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011

Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

Little Owl
90 Bedford Street, New York, NY 10014

Balthazar
80 Spring St, New York, NY 10012

[Sandhya]

For one of your lunches, I would suggest either Zabb Elee (East Village, totally fabulous Thai food) or Legend (Chelsea, amazing Sichuan). I heartily second Kathryn's endorsement of Russ & Daughters (try the German rollmop) and Motorino in the East Village. Also, if you are interested in wine bars, you might try Terroir or Ballaro in the East Village, both of which have good happy hour specials (B's lasts until 8 pm on Sundays).

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

Ballaro
77 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Terroir
413 E 12th St, New York, NY 10009

Motorino
349 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003

Legend
88 7th Ave, New York, NY 10011

Zabb Elee
75 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

[Simon]

-- love Zaab-Elee

-- re: Legend, it can be amazing, but all depends on which chef is in the kitchen...there have been a couple recent threads that echo my experiences there: wonderful best-Sichuan-in-town meals one day, then truly wretched food the next...i asked about it when there and was told it was a different chef's workday...for someone coming in from out of town, Grand Sichuan on 9th Ave/24th St might be a safer bet these days...

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Grand Sichuan
229 9th Ave, New York, NY 10001

Legend
88 7th Ave, New York, NY 10011

Zabb Elee
75 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

[mahalan]

I'd recommend dinner at Anissa. One of my favorite NYC restaurants. Definitely get the soup dumplings.

If you're downtown during a weekday afternoon, there's a storefront pizza place on the corner of Nassau and Maiden Lane that makes my favorite pizza - Friendly Gourmet Pizza. It doesn't look like much but it blows the more famous places in the city away.

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Annisa
13 Barrow Street, New York, NY 10014

Friendly Pizza
59 Nassau St, New York, NY 10038

[macaronette]

Thanks for all of the replies so far! I've adjusted the itinerary to look like this:

Thursday
Dinner at Club A

Friday
Breakfast at Balthazar
Lunch at Union Square Cafe
Dinner at Craft

Saturday
Unsure about breakfast
Unsure about lunch
Dinner at Apiary

Sunday
Brunch at Minetta Tavern
Pizza lunch in East Village
Unsure about dinner

Monday
Unsure about breakfast
Lunch at Katz before heading to the airport

Any help with the "unsures"?? Looking at the itinerary, we don't have a fabulous Italian meal, yet...

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Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

[kathryn]

Saturday
Unsure about breakfast -- I'd make a reservation at Locanda Verde
Unsure about lunch -- you need some Russ & Daughters in there!
Dinner at Apiary

Sunday
Brunch at Minetta Tavern
Pizza lunch in East Village -- Motorino, I hope!
Unsure about dinner -- good place to put in Scarpetta

Monday
Unsure about breakfast -- I'd do the Breslin
Lunch at Katz before heading to the airport

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

Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014

Apiary
60 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10003

Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013

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

Motorino
349 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003

[macaronette]

In looking at breakfast menus I'm noticing that not many (or any, so far!) places offer waffles. Is there a surefire place to go to get a good waffle for breakfast?

[kathryn]

Look into Petite Abeille, Wafels & Dinges (truck), and Amy Ruth's (fried chicken and waffles).

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Amy Ruth's
113 W 116th St, New York, NY 10026

Petite Abeille
466 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014

Wafels & Dinges
New York, New York, NY 10001

[loratliff]

Second Wafels & Dinges. Don't waste an otherwise good breakfast/brunch on waffles—track down the Wafels & Dinges truck and have a waffle for dessert! Theirs are the best I've ever had.

If you don't do Scarpetta for your Italian meal, you should, as someone else said, consider Babbo very heavily.

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Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011

Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014

Wafels & Dinges
New York, New York, NY 10001

[kathryn]

If you want to eat at Babbo you must call tomorrow at 10am Eastern. For Scarpetta, it's a bit easier to book. I think their policy is 30 days in advance, but they won't book up as insanely fast as Babbo.

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Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011

Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014

[macaronette]

I was told I wouldn't like Babbo, as I'm not into organ meats, veal, rabbit, duck, squid ink, etc. Looking at their menu, it didn't appear that they had much straightforward food that wasn't a little more on the "haute" side of things. Am I right?

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Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011

[Simon]

Scarpetta is better anyway, haute or not...also, consider Dell'Anima: i ate there tonight and it makes any Batali restaurant seem like an Epcot Center cafeteria by comparison...

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Dell'Anima
38 8th Avenue, New York, NY 10003

Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014

[kathryn]

Some of dell'anima's best dishes though are the sweetbreads, bone marrow, and octopus. It would be a shame to miss out on those....

[loratliff]

True, but I've liked a lot of the simpler dishes a dell'anima too.

Has anyone been to Spasso? I've walked by a million times and the menu sounds nice, but have yet to eat there.

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Spasso
551 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014

[kathryn]

IIRC, you will find organ meat, duck, rabbit, etc on almost every higher end Italian menu here these days.

[tlubow]

I don't think Minetta Tavern opens until 11:00 so keep that in mind when you think about lunch and dinner.

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Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

[RGR]

Re: Saturday lunch. I adore Russ & Daughters. However, it is strictly take-out. If you would prefer a sit-down restaurant, you might want to consider Tocqueville. The cuisine is superb, and the $24.07 3-course prix-fixe is a steal for food of such high caliber. Service is friendly and professional, and the elegant dining room is one of the most beautiful in the city. You can dress casually.

Tocqueville photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391@N03/sets/72157625626586975/

While I agree that Scarpette is a good choice, I highly recomend Ciano. We've had superb meals there, the most recent this past Sunday. The Chicken for Two Baked in a Clay Pot was astonishingly delicious. Attentive service and wonderful ambiance.

Ciano photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391@N03/sets/72157627332687474/

For breakfast on Monday, I highly recommend Maialino. The menu includes both traditional breakfast items and Italian fare, which we prefer. My favorite pastry is the Brioche Carmellato, Fabulous!

Maialino photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391@N03/sets/72157626121435799/

http://thewizardofroz.wordpress.com

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Tocqueville
1 East 15th Street, New York, NY 10003

Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014

Ciano
45 E 22nd St, New York, NY 10010

Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010

[macaronette]

We got a reservation at Babbo and are going to give it a shot. Can't believe what a pain in the arse it was to get that stupid 6:15pm reservation. Hope it's worth it!

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Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011

[RGR]

Regulars on this board know that I refuse to do the "telephone tango." Ergo, no Babbo for me.

http://thewizardofroz.wordpress.com

[kathryn]

If you're up for it, try the grilled octopus antipasti. Also consider the goat cheese tortellini, the bucatini, the orecchiette for your pasta. Their pork chop is excellent as are the lamb chops.

[j.jessica.lee]

I know you already got a reservation for Babbo, but in case of future visits, I have to say I adore the pasta at Maialino for their absolute wizardry with simplicity. I also love Scarpetta. Enjoy your trip!

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Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011

Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014

Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010

[Simon]

i agree with a lot of what was said above:

-- skip VDP and Haru...both would be a waste of a meal...

-- Keens is great and wonderful NYC experience...i especially like the pub room in between the bar and main dining room...

-- Ushi Wakamaru is a great intro to traditional sushi...sit at the bar, and ask for a by-the-piece omakase...prices will vary depending on how much you eat: when i went there last Saturday, the two of us had sashimi, followed by soup, followed by by-the-piece nigiri, plus a fried soft shell crab, 2 drinks each...total was about 200 plus tip...it was my friend's first "real" sushi meal, and she loved it...

-- consider a meal at Scarpetta, especially at the bar...

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Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014

[kathryn]

You appear to be missing smoked salmon/bagels, pizza, pastrami on rye (mustard only, no mayo!), and you can do better on your brunch choices. Also, on the weekends, many places will be serving brunch and dinner on both Saturday and Sunday, not just Sunday.

I would do:

Thursday
Dinner at Keens - very New York-y atmosphere, on OpenTable

Friday
Breakfast at Clinton St Baking Co. -- amazing pancakes with melted maple butter, no reservations taken but the weekday wait isn't too bad
Lunch at Motorino EV -- you need some pizza in your itinerary, no reservations but Friday shouldn't be too bar
Dinner at Craft - Craft proper, not Craftbar, plus Craft is on OpenTable

Saturday
Brunch at Russ & Daughters and Katz's Deli -- order a bagel sandwich to share, and then order a pastrami sandwich to share
Dinner at Ushiwakamaru -- order a nigiri set or two, and some maki rolls, call to reserve

Sunday
Brunch at Minetta Tavern -- very New York-y atmosphere, great burger, French Toast, egg dishes, call to reserve
Dinner at Babbo -- call TOMORROW (August 4th) at 10am to make a reservation for Sunday, Sept 4th

Hard to find a place that does a good sushi lunch especially on the weekends.

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

Katz's Delicatessen
205 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002

Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011

Keens
72 West 36th St., New York, NY 10018

Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

Ushiwakamaru
136 W Houston St, New York, NY 10012

Craft
43 E. 19th St., New York, NY 10003

Clinton Street Baking Co.
4 Clinton St, New York, NY 10002

Motorino
349 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003

[chowdom]

Macaronette here is another positive review of Club A Steakhouse http://www.thelunchbelle.com/nycentri...

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Club A Steakhouse
240 East 58th Street, New York, NY 10022

[Cheeryvisage]

I'd been to Club A Steakhouse during the Restaurant Week extension last year. It was pretty good. I liked the ambiance and we enjoyed our meal.

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Club A Steakhouse
240 East 58th Street, New York, NY 10022

[City Kid]

How did you come up with Via Della Pace? I certainly would not waste a dinner there. I have found it mediocre at best and there are far better Italians in the East Village. I like I Copi for good, reasonable Italian in that neighborhood.

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I Coppi
432 E 9th St, New York, NY 10009

Via Della Pace
48 E 7th St, New York, NY 10003

[RGR]

As I said above, I've never even heard of VDP. While the food at I Coppi was o.k. the last time we ate there, which was quite some time ago, unless the Italian must be in the E. Village, there are far better options elsewhere.

http://thewizardofroz.wordpress.com

[City Kid]

In this case, RGR, I think there is a reason VDP flies under the radar. You are probably right about better Italians than I Copi elsewhere, but I thought it answered the request for classics well prepared. I had a lovely dinner there a couple of months back.

[MVNYC]

Do you enjoy any of the higher end sushi restaurants in Seattle? If so you will probably be disappointed in Haru which isn't very good. Are you looking for a sushi specific lunch on Saturday or are you just going to be near a Haru?

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Haru
205 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036

[macaronette]

I heard from a friend who's a former NY'er that she loved Haru. We've never actually had sushi before and she said that was the place to go for our inaugural experience! Is there someplace else you'd recommend?

[j.jessica.lee]

Hi macaronette!

If that is the case, I have other recs for you. However, I also want to know what kind of sushi experience you are looking for. Do you like the fusion roll, tempura, spicy roll kind of sushi place? Or are you looking for a traditional nigiri, focus on fish, classic kind of place? And what sort of budget are you looking for for lunch? Which neighborhood were you planning to be at that point?

[small h]

I've only eaten at Haru once, and it was lousy and overpriced. I also have friends who love it, but these are not the friends I ask for dining advice.

Blue Ribbon Sushi might be good for a first-timer, since they have a very broad menu. I'm a big fan of Takahachi also - I think for the price (not very high), it's pretty solid. Note that only the Tribeca location serves lunch. Both Blue Ribbon and Takahachi have plenty of non-raw-fish items, so if you decide you hate raw fish, you'll still have a lot of options.

http://www.blueribbonrestaurants.com/rests_sushi_man_main.htm
http://www.takahachi.net/

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Blue Ribbon Sushi
119 Sullivan St, New York, NY 10012

Takahachi
145 Duane St, New York, NY 10013

[uwsister]

Second Blue Ribbon for a first-timer.

[gutsofsteel]

Do NOT go to Haru.

[j.jessica.lee]

Yes, please do not go to Haru. I would feel horribly if you spent a meal there during your trip! If for lunch, Yasuda has a nice prix fixe set at lunch. Kathryn also recommended 15 East's lunch deal on another thread and I agree. For dinner, Kanoyama is great and has a wider selection of cooked dishes and also more variety in sushi snd rolls so there is something for everyone. Ushiwakamaru - I have heard good things, never been. This place is much more strictly sushi and sashimi, FYI.

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15 East
15 East 15th Street, New York, NY 10003

Sushi Yasuda
204 E 43rd St, New York, NY 10017

Kanoyama
175 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

[RGR]

I've never heard of Club A Steakhouse. Since you are looking for a "very NYC" dinner on Sunday, I'd drop Club A on Thursday and have dinner at Keens on Sunday. Keens has been in its 36th St. since 1885, Thus, in addition to delicious steaks, chops (including the signature mutton chop), sides, etc., there is the unmatchable charm of the Old NY ambiance -- walls filled with authentic American memorabilia and old clay smoking pipes suspended from all the ceilings + pipes belonging to famous people dating as far back as the 19th century displayed in cases in the vestibule.

Keens photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391@N03/sets/72157623279345424/

Having both brunch and lunch on Sunday seems rather odd to me.

I've never heard of Via Della Pace. With so many terrific Italian restaurants to choose from, why this one?

http://thewizardofroz.wordpress.com

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Keens
72 West 36th St., New York, NY 10018

[macaronette]

Great point about the brunch/lunch thing. Although the brunch will be early, I'll move the lunch to another day.

Thanks!

[RGR]

Looking at your schedule, you could do lunch at USC on Friday. During the past few months, we've had two superb lunches there.

USC photos here; http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391@N03/sets/72157626776011615/

and here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11863391@N03/sets/72157626286667925/

http://thewizardofroz.wordpress.com

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Union Square Cafe
21 East 16th St., New York, NY 10003

[ChemWork]

macaronette

It will help the regulars on this board if you give some sort of idea of type of cuisine/budget/location you are looking for. I think "very NYC dinner" is open to too many different interpretations.

[macaronette]

Chem - Sorry about that. I thought seeing the places we've already decided on might help inform on our tastes.

We love good food, but don't consider ourselves "foodies". We try to stay away from the more eclectic and stick to classics done really, really well. Simple is good. We don't mind paying for a good meal, up to $250 total including a few glasses of wine.