Seafood/Raw Bar Recs in The Village

[sbkat]

I'm coming to NYC in October and meeting family and friends coming from Amsterdam. We are looking for a dinner of great seafood and raw bar. Have been looking at Aquagrill. Any other suggestions? We are huge fans of food - we eat it all! Many thanks in advance! There will be 6 of us. Also, any great sushi places for another dinner? Thank you all.

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Aquagrill
210 Spring St, New York, NY 10012

[Simon]

-- i think the food at Lure is mediocre at best

-- i'd never send an out of town guest toma generic dud like Mermaid

-- Aquagrill has very fresh oysters but i've always found the vibe kind of grimly professional and smug

-- the best oysters i've recently have been at DBGB (a fun place for a group) and at Balthazar

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Balthazar
80 Spring St, New York, NY 10012

Mermaid Inn
96 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10003

Aquagrill
210 Spring St, New York, NY 10012

Lure Fishbar
142 Mercer St, New York, NY 10012

DBGB
299 Bowery, New York, NY 10003

[sbkat]

Balthazar seems to be consistent, year after year, but we've done it before so we wanted to try something new. I love all that is Boulud and haven't been to DBGB yet. Did you sit in the bar area for drinks and apps Simon? Or did you do a full dinner? It looks like drinks and oysters would be a perfect pre-dinner solution. And their charcuterie looks great too.

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DBGB
299 Bowery, New York, NY 10003

[Simon]

at DBGB, i always sit at the bar (with the exception of one time when my date wanted to sit outside)...i usually just get oysters and glasses of wine, and sometimes their simple butter lettuce salad...have also tried and enjoyed a lot of their sausages (against all odds, the Coreene/Korean one is my favorite)...other appetizers have been hit or miss (e.g. "eh" tuna tartar)...the bartenders are extremely nice and jovial...

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DBGB
299 Bowery, New York, NY 10003

[sbkat]

That sounds like a perfect meal to me. We have some time on Sunday to venture over - I am guessing we can just walk in for a seat at the bar? There will only be 2 of us on Sunday.

[Simon]

Should be easy to get bar seats on a Sunday...please report back...

[sbkat]

Thanks everyone for your advice! I will definitely report back. We will be in NYC October 6-10. I'll report on the spots we visit. Visits will include Del Posto, Minetta Tavern, Oceana, Morimoto, DBGB and possible other eats along the way. Cheers!

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Del Posto
85 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

Morimoto
88 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Oceana
120 W 49th St, New York, NY 10020

DBGB
299 Bowery, New York, NY 10003

[michelleats]

Soto would be my pick for one of your meals. It's best for composed (but not necessarily cooked) plates, usually with thinly sliced raw fish sashimi of some sort. In season, especially, they have very good uni compositions. Nigiri is not their specialty, but it is still better than what I have had at Ushiwakamaru. The best sushi bar in the area is probably the one at 15 East. If you are looking for very good value, Kanoyama in the East Village has good fish and decent rice, too, and it's well priced. All six of you may not be able to sit at the bar, though, since it's very small. (IIRC, it fits about four.)

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

Kanoyama
175 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Ushiwakamaru
136 W Houston St, New York, NY 10012

[sbkat]

Oh boy, now I am confused! This is why I should stay in NYC longer than 4 days. Luckily, we get to the East Coast about once a year...

The plans for now are Friday night at Oceana and Saturday night at Morimoto. We picked Morimoto because one of our friends isn't that keen on nigiri and sashimi. I think his exact quote was "I'll just grab a burger afterward." Morimoto's entrees and cooked items would definitely appeal to him. Oceana got a vote, even though it's not in the Village, but it looks lovely and my raw bar brother would a happy guy.

We've been to BRB and BRS - love both, so we thought we'd try something different, plus the no reservations for a Saturday night for 6 could be a problem.

Combining the seafood/sushi meal at Lure could work, then we would plan another meal for Saturday. FYI, we're already eating at Del Posto, Momofuko Ssam for Duck lunch and Minetta Tavern.

Is Lure worth changing up our Fri and Sat dinners? Thoughts? Thanks so much!

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Del Posto
85 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

Morimoto
88 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Oceana
120 W 49th St, New York, NY 10020

[kathryn]

I don't think Lure is worth a special trip, especially if you're comparing against Morimoto. Plus, the atmosphere of Lure is very different. It's set up to look like you're eating inside a ship, so it feels like you're on a cruise. I personally find it a little cheesy (and drafty, bring a sweater).

BTW, 15 East is near Union Square, which is why I didn't include it.

Ushiwakamaru is a bit closer, being near Soho (just north of Houston St), but it sounds like the geographical constraints aren't really that important? Especially now since you're going to Oceana and Morimoto....

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Morimoto
88 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011

[ashea9167]

I think that if you really only want sushi then go with morimoto etc but lure is great as a seafood restaurant...Plus if your burger guys wants a burger they have an awesome one..

[sbkat]

15 East looks great. Isn't Morimoto in Chelsea Market? My self and my brother are really adventurous eaters, so 15 East looks solid in its traditional sushi and sashimi offerings. The other 4 diners for the night on the safer side of things.. rolls, cooked dishes, etc., which is why Morimoto might be a better fit. Although I see 15East serves lunch. My brother and I might have to sneak away for a couple hours on Saturday...

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

Morimoto
88 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011

[kathryn]

Yes, Morimoto is in the Chelsea Market building. You may have to walk outside to get into the restaurant though. I also don't classify that area as being part of the Village (which is what you said you wanted originally).

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Morimoto
88 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011

[sbkat]

Got it - Thank you Kathryn!

[Simon]

You should dump Lure asap

[nmprisons]

No, Lure should not replace anything on that list.

[ashea9167]

If your considering Soho I LoVE lure fishbar...i think that both their sushi and fish entrees are great and its a good scene and good for groups

for just sushi i think that blue ribbon sushi is good...and you may be able to squeeze into one of their boths...only downside is their no reservations policy, but there is a bar down the block and they will call you when your table is ready

i had a great sushi/sashimi meal at soto, but the admosphere leaves much to be desired in my opinion

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Soto
357 6th Avenue, New York, NY 10014

Lure Fishbar
142 Mercer St, New York, NY 10012

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

[kathryn]

Lure is OK but I find their raw bar is a little overpriced, and I've gotten shell fragments in my oysters there before. The sushi there is not really great. Not bad but not great either. Blue Ribbon is a little bit better than Lure, but both are middle of the pack when it comes to nigiri.

[nmprisons]

the oyster shuckers at Lure are just plain terrible when compared to the better places in town. they go in at the joint, which pushes tons of nasty into the shell, they break shell into the oyster left and right, etc., etc. and, it's overpriced. you can do better.

do you have to stay in the village? what is your budget?

i would look into Oceana or splurge and go for Le Bernardin.

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Le Bernardin
155 W. 51st St., New York, NY 10019

Lure Fishbar
142 Mercer St, New York, NY 10012

Oceana
120 W 49th St, New York, NY 10020

[sbkat]

Oceana is on the books for Friday night. We love Le Bernardin (had a fantastic lunch there last visit), and we would love to check the 'new' place out. But. Time restraints and other family members wish to dine at other places put a wrench in returning this time. Have you been to the recently opened Le Bernardin yet? I saw a thread earlier that had less than stellar remarks, which is a shame. I think LB is one of the finest meals I have ever had.

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Le Bernardin
155 W. 51st St., New York, NY 10019

Oceana
120 W 49th St, New York, NY 10020

[nmprisons]

Good choice on Oceana. I haven't been to LB since it reopened, but I just can't imagine the food is any different due to a remodel. It has always had its fair share of critics, but I am most certainly not one of them.

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Oceana
120 W 49th St, New York, NY 10020

[sbkat]

Good to know that Oceana is a wise choice, having not been. It doesn't seem to be a stuffy environment, which is what we are looking for, although we love find food and surroundings. The six of us can tend to enjoy ourselves a bit. Good fun, laughter and wine hopefully won't be a problem? ;)

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Oceana
120 W 49th St, New York, NY 10020

[Chuck Lawrence]

Had great oysters at Balthazar recently. Then someone ordered the escargot, and we got a second order for the table. All the food was really good.

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Balthazar
80 Spring St, New York, NY 10012

[kathryn]

See also Blue Ribbon Brasserie (not in the Village but close by in Soho), Pearl Oyster Bar (no reservations), Mermaid Oyster Bar, Jeffrey's Grocery (no reservations).

For sushi nearby, try Ushiwakamaru. There is also Soto but it is known more for its cooked dishes. Greenwich/West Village is not a great sushi neighborhood.

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Pearl Oyster Bar
18 Cornelia St, New York, NY 10014

Soto
357 6th Avenue, New York, NY 10014

Blue Ribbon Brasserie
97 Sullivan St, New York, NY 10012

Ushiwakamaru
136 W Houston St, New York, NY 10012

Mermaid Oyster Bar
79 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

Jeffrey's Grocery
172 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10014

[sbkat]

Oceana gets good reviews from CH. I know it's in midtown, but it looks like it might be worth a cab ride! Morimoto in Chelsea seems like a festive place to celebrate for another dinner. I think my brother would love it. What do you think of these two choices? Any other recommendations are greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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Morimoto
88 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Oceana
120 W 49th St, New York, NY 10020

[kathryn]

I've not been to Oceana and can't comment.

Regarding Morimoto, it's definitely fun and tasty. Very varied menu. But just on nigiri, it's not that great, just on a pure sushi basis. I think it's the other dishes that make it interesting. Really depends what you're looking for. It can get pricey. But the atmosphere is a bit of what you're paying for.

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Morimoto
88 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Oceana
120 W 49th St, New York, NY 10020