October Trip, excited to eat, have some ideas...
Husband and I are travelling to NYC in October to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. First time in NYC for me and hubby hasn't been there in years. We will be in the city for 3 days and staying in Times Square. I have read that there is nothing notable to eat in Times Square, so we won't make that mistake. I need your suggestions for some must-haves, an Italian dinner, and the bar scene. We are from Southern California so we are not interested particularly in Mexican, Thai, or Vietnamese or even sushi.
Decided On:
Pizza - Motorino or Artichoke (square slice)
Bagel - Russ & Daughters
Cookie - Levain
Questionable?
Gelato - Grom
Italian (anniversary) dinner - Rubirosa
Lunches - Balthazar, Momofuku, Torrisi Italian
Other dinners - The Spotted Pig, Casa Mono?
Any other suggestions for lunches/dinners would be greatly appreciated. We love Mediterranean food and tapas bars....don't want to break the bank anywhere, but we aren't cheap either.
As far as bar scene goes, we are pretty casual. Perhaps a suggestion for a fun, casual place and one that is a little more upscale. We love strong and unique cocktails (nothing sugary).
By gator28
on Aug 10, 2011 01:25 PM
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I've been to Rubirosa exactly once. It was good, but didn't meet the very high expectations I had for the place. It also doesn't strike me as very first-anniversary-ish.
As for Russ & Daughters -- which I love -- the only reason to go there for a bagel is if you're getting a bagel sandwich with smoked salmon. If it's just a bagel you're looking for, no reason to travel that far.
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Russ & Daughters
179 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002
Rubirosa
235 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012
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Good to know about Rubirosa. Maybe Scarpetta would be a better option?
Oh and I'm definitely all about the smoked salmon. It's my favorite breakfast in the world.
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I personally love the Norwegian smoked salmon. I've bought similar at Dean & Deluca and Citarella, and Russ & Daughter's fish is far superior.
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Russ & Daughters
179 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002
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Rubirosa is good but definitely too casual for an anniversary dinner.
Scarpetta is great but just be aware that it has a branch in Beverly Hills (you seem to post a lot on the LA and San Diego boards). If you're seeking a high end Italian restaurant that's not part of a chain, I'd recommend Babbo or Marea. Other good choices: Lincoln, Ciano, Ai Fiori, and Maialino.
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Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011
Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014
Ciano
45 E 22nd St, New York, NY 10010
Marea
240 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019
Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010
Lincoln
142 W 65th St, New York, NY 10023
Rubirosa
235 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012
Ai Fiori
400 5th Ave, New York, NY 10018
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Scarpetta would be a better option but they have one now in LA, don't they? I'd try somewhere else instead. Locanda Verde, Babbo, or Maialino?
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Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011
Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014
Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013
Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010
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Rubirosa is great for what it is, a very casual, relatively inexpensive place serving great pizza and well-prepared red-sauce Italian-American, not really a special occasion sort of place. I would go with Ciano or Maialino for the anniversary dinner.
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Ciano
45 E 22nd St, New York, NY 10010
Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010
Rubirosa
235 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012
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> Pizza - Motorino or Artichoke (square slice)
Motorino is excellent. Great choice. Artichoke can be hit or miss; hopefully your visit will be a hit.
> Bagel - Russ & Daughters
Great choice. Note that it is all takeout, though. And R&D is all about the smoked salmon with cream cheese, capers, tomato, and red onion. Untoasted bagel. Taste a few of the smoked salmons before you order your bagel sandwich since you appear to be such a big fan of smoked salmon! They have mini bagels, too, BTW.
> Gelato - Grom
Depends if you're looking for more cream/coffee/chocolate based flavors or not. I like their gelato but they have very few fruity flavors. Check the web site flavors list before you go. And it's also quite pricey. But if you choose to visit the West Village Grom you'll also be able to peruse the flavors at Cones, L'Arte de Gelato, and Victory Garden, which is nice.
> Lunches - Balthazar, Momofuku, Torrisi Italian
Which Momofuku? There are several... Momofuku Ssam Bar, Momofuku Noodle Bar, Momofuku Ko, Momofuku Milk Bar, Ma Peche?
For Torrisi, I'm sure you know that their lunch menu is very different from their dinner menu. The lines for their sandwiches can get pretty long.
> Other dinners - The Spotted Pig, Casa Mono?
I'd actually do Spotted Pig for lunch, because SP is far less crowded. For Casa Mono, definitely make a reservation. They only take a few of them, and hold most tables for walk-ins, so definitely make sure you're on top of that.
Maybe Pylos for Greek (close to EV cocktail lounges, romantic atmosphere, takes reservations via phone) and Txikito for Basque tapas (much more traditional than Casa Mono, takes reservations via phone/email, don't miss the sofrito/chorizo/quail egg pintxo, croquettas, padron peppers, suckling pig, torreja dessert).
Also the chef who used to be at Boqueria is opening up a place very soon (in the next week) called Tertulia, which features cuisine inspired by the bars of Asturias (cider houses), which I'm excited about.
More on Spanish tapas in NYC:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/797801
If you like non-Spanish small plates, check out this thread, too:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/752178
Best mixology / bespoke cocktails:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/609073
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/709227
None of our cocktail lounges are particularly upscale but for a divine cocktail experience, try sitting at the bar at Eleven Madison Park. Very civilized environment. Delicious complimentary bar snacks (honey peanuts, French olives, fresh waffle chips). Excellent cocktails. They just won a Best Restaurant Bar award too at Tales of the Cocktail.
I also don't see a big brunch on your list either: research Shopsin's, Clinton St. Baking Company, The Breslin, Prune, Locanda Verde...
I know you said you didn't really want Asian foods but if you like hand pulled noodles, cumin, and lamb, research Xian Famous Foods, as I don't think you can get Xi'an food in Southern California. And not that expensive either!
http://xianfoods.com/
There's also a lot of Fujian food here if you're interested, which I don't think has really penetrated SoCal that much. Might be fun to walk around that part of Manhattan Chinatown, far from the fake purse-and-watch-land of Canal St.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/761615
And if you like Japanese yakiniku, check out Takashi, which only uses sustainably-raised cattle with no antibiotics or hormones. It's some of the best beef I've ever tasted: beef belly, beef cheek, ribeye, short ribs, tongue, sweetbreads, mmmm. Not cheap, but worth it.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/777521
I'm not sure that lobster rolls are all that common in SoCal these days either. Check out Luke's Lobster, Red Hook Lobster Pound, or Pearl Oyster Bar. The first two also have roving trucks. There's some discussion about Connecticut vs Maine style lobster rolls here (personally I like both the mayo style and the butter style):
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/799653
BTW, I highly recommend RGR's self guided Lower East Side Gustatory tour but sub in Pickle Guys for Guss' Pickles:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/493333
And if you have an iPhone, you can download the New Yorker's Goings On application. It's free. You might like Calvin Trillin's eating and walking tour. The audio is available in the application.
This thread might also be helpful. Obscure picks for West Coast hound:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/786665
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Russ & Daughters
179 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002
L'Arte del Gelato
75 7th Ave S, New York, NY 10014
Eleven Madison Park
11 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010
Casa Mono
52 Irving Place, New York, NY 10003
Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003
Shopsin's General Store
120 Essex St, New York, NY 10002
Spotted Pig
314 W 11th St, New York, NY 10014
Balthazar
80 Spring St, New York, NY 10012
Pylos
128 E 7th St, New York, NY 10009
Momofuku Noodle Bar
171 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003
Boqueria
53 W 19th St, New York, NY 10011
Momofuku Ko
163 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003
Prune
54 E 1st St, New York, NY 10003
Artichoke
328 E 14th St, New York, NY 10003
Grom
233 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014
Txikito
240 9th Ave, New York, NY 10001
Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013
Clinton Street Baking Co.
4 Clinton St, New York, NY 10002
Momofuku Milk Bar
251 E 13th St, New York, NY 10003
The Breslin
20 W 29th St, New York, NY 10001
Ma Peche
15 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019
Torrisi Italian Specialties
250 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012
Motorino
349 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003
Tertulia
359 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011
Victory Garden
31 Carmine St, New York, NY 10014
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Wow, thank you so much for all the suggestions! This list will make our lives a lot easier...so many options. Very interested in the Fujian food, never seen that before. Many thanks.
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