LA Hound SOS! Help Refine My Reastaurant List for a 10 Day NYC Visit !
Ten lunches. Ten Dinners. I need your help! This is what I have so far. Some things are book, some not. What do the New York Hounds have to say? Location and Price not a problem. Thanks!
Milos
Little Owl
Quality Meats
The Modern
Gramercy Tavern
Aldea
Public
Perilla
Hearth
Babbo
Telepan
Momofuku Ssam
Blue Smoke
Esca
Barbutto
Brooklyn Fare (Wait Listed)
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Perilla
9 Jones Street, New York, NY 10014
Barbuto
775 Washington St., New York, NY 10014
Gramercy Tavern
42 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003
Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011
Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003
Hearth
403 East 12th Street, New York, NY 10009
Telepan
72 W. 69th Street, New York, NY 10023
The Modern
9 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019
Little Owl
90 Bedford Street, New York, NY 10014
Esca
402 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036
Quality Meats
57 W 58th St, New York, NY 10019
Milos
125 West 55th Street, New York, NY 10019
Blue Smoke
116 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016
Public
210 Elizabeth Street, New York, NY 10012
Aldea
31 West 17th Street, New York, NY 10011
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re: PaulineF
sgordon
Oct 28, 2011 07:41 AM
For me, on pastas Marea > Esca. On entrees, Esca > Marea. On crudo & antipasti, about even. I find overall meals - doing the full four courses - more enjoyable at Esca, overall. It's not like their pastas are bad, just nothing that quite compares to the glory of the octopus fusilli. On the other hand the secondi at Marea I've found to a dish underwhelming.
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Esca
402 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036Marea
240 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019
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sgordon
Oct 25, 2011 06:14 AM
From your list...
Fan of: Public, Esca, The Modern, Momofuku Ssam Bar, Babbo, Barbuto
Not terribly crazy about: Aldea (yeah, I'm in the minority on that one), Perilla (underwhelmed), Telepan (also underwhelmed)
You won't have a bad meal, but I wouldn't go out of my way for: Gramercy Tavern (at least not lately), Hearth, Blue Smoke, Little Owl, Milos.
I might consider replacing any of the latter two categories above with...
Marc Forgione - New American, but Forgione has been a bit more creative than, say, Gramercy or Telepan of late, and his food is gutsier, heartier. There are some can't miss perennial dishes (BBQ Oysters, Chili Lobster) but most of the menu changes regularly.
Eleven Madison Park - read the reviews on the site. They have some haters, for sure, usually from those who prefer the more ultra-formal Haute French style of service, but the overwhelming opinion is positive. I notice from your list above it's mostly unfussy / unstuffy places. Of the four-star restos in NYC, EMP is easily the least stuffy in terms of ambience / service. They're also the most playful in terms of the food, IMHO.
Del Posto - if you can't get into Batali's (real) flagship Babbo, Del Posto - while a touch more expensive - would certianly provide a heck of a meal. Actually, they're worth hitting for lunch - their $29 lunch deal for three selected courses (app, pasta or entree, dessert) plus freebies is a steal. And it's only a $10 supplement to make it a "true Italian" four-courser, where you get pasta AND entree. Totally worth it, best high-end lunch deal in town.
Aquavit - Modern, refined Nordic/Scandinavian, good for something different you don't see too often. (Although everyone keeps saying Nordic is the "Next Big Thing" - we'll see...) Really upping their game of late in the main dining room, and a good deal for your $$ (the prix fixe is for four courses, not the usual three many restos do at the same price point) - our last couple meals there have been excellent, the last one out-of-the-park so. Service is up and down, but hasn't been actively bad (for me) for some years.
WD-50 - not sure if you've got anything quite like Wylie out there, that kind of fun experimental cuisine seems to be bigger here (& in Chicago) than out in LA. And yes, it's controversial - but it's one of those "you have to decide for yourself" kind of places. I find his food (mostly) delicious, and more playful than pretentious. Regardless, an "every foodie should try it once" destination.
One thing that's been brought up that I'd probably skip is a steakhouse. Keen's is great, certainly. But it's just steak. It's not as if they're doing anything particularly creative with it. If someone was coming from, I dunno, Peoria, I might say go experience a great steak. But I suspect you have excellent dry-aged steaks somewhere in your little hamlet on the West Coast.
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WD-50
50 Clinton Street, New York, NY 10002Aquavit
65 E 55th St, New York, NY 10022Perilla
9 Jones Street, New York, NY 10014Barbuto
775 Washington St., New York, NY 10014Eleven Madison Park
11 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010Gramercy Tavern
42 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011Keens
72 West 36th St., New York, NY 10018Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003Del Posto
85 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011Hearth
403 East 12th Street, New York, NY 10009Telepan
72 W. 69th Street, New York, NY 10023The Modern
9 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019Little Owl
90 Bedford Street, New York, NY 10014Esca
402 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036Milos
125 West 55th Street, New York, NY 10019Blue Smoke
116 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016Public
210 Elizabeth Street, New York, NY 10012Marc Forgione
134 Reade Street, New York, NY 10013Aldea
31 West 17th Street, New York, NY 10011›6 Replies-
re: sgordon
Thank you for taking so much trouble with this reply! I will do lunch at Del Posto for sure, sounds like an amazing deal.
I just had dinner at Alinea in Chicago and I feel WD-50 would be to similar an experiance. I think that style of cooking is fun (usually very expensive), but once or twice a year is enough for me.
I'll ditch Gramercy as you recomend, I had my doubts anyway.
Still torn about EMP, maybe lunch is a good compromise. Thanks again for all the help!
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WD-50
50 Clinton Street, New York, NY 10002Del Posto
85 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011-
re: HitTheBall
sgordon
Oct 27, 2011 06:36 PM
Dufresne, luckily, doesn't require the four-hour (and $200+) commitment. There's a full a la carte menu, and the tasting is far shorter (8-9 courses usually). It's different than what Achatz does - there are full entrees, dishes you can really dig into, rather than a parade of bites and techniques. I haven't done Alinea, but friends have, and they opinon was Dufresne's food is heartier, less intellectual / more playful. And of course they have different flavor profiles. They also do dessert tastings, so it can be a fun place to pop into for dessert & cocktails.
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re: sgordon
sgordon, you MUST get to Alinea one of these days.
I've done Alinea twice and the portion size comment is not entirely accurate. Some of the dishes at Alinea are definitely big enough to dig into. I'm not sure I'd call WD-50 more playful either. There's no bacon on a swing, or bite you eat without using your hands, or food in a test tube you have to suck out, or candy coated globes that explode in your mouth, or dessert plated directly on the table on a Silpat mat (currently with a chocolate sphere that shatters when thrown down on the table).
Overall, I think WD-50 is more intellectual and less accessible because the flavor profiles are more out there, whereas Alinea never really strays far into the challenging flavor profiles.
If the OP just did Alinea, I think WD-50 will pale in comparison. And I do like the place. It's just no Alinea.
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WD-50
50 Clinton Street, New York, NY 10002-
re: kathryn
sgordon
Oct 28, 2011 07:38 AM
I guess to me - and again, I haven't been there - it's not really an appropriate comparison, the main reason being the flavor profiles. Yes, they both use modern techniques, but in terms of the ingredients on the plate they're coming from very different places. It's a bit like saying there's no need to go to Del Posto if you've been to Daniel because they both use saute pans. Dufresne and Achatz (and Bowles and Cantu and whoever else) each have their own style of cuisine. In the end it's about balancing flavors, not the antigriddles and gels and emulsifiers.
For me, I like what Wylie does in terms of flavor, and I think he's more adventurous than a lot of the other "molecular gastronomy" types for that reason. Sometimes he's deconstructing the familiar (his Eggs Benedict, the Peekytoe Crab Roll, Ham & Swiss on Rye) which is kind of old hat with those types - but other times he's putting flavors together that one wouldn't expect, but work wonderfully. Scallops and spice bread, sea bass and cocoa, etc. Or combining things around a particular element - i.e. a recent dish of duck, cheddar cheese, kimchee, and apples. It all sounds a bit odd at first until you realize the duck, while the main protein, isn't the central flavor - it's the apples that tie it all together, actually, as they're a classic pair with the other three components.
But all that aside, I think he & I just have similar flavor profiles, so what he does "clicks" with me. Not always - there are some duds here and there, just as I'm sure there are some less than exciting bites at Alinea among the 20+ courses - but overall, putting the techniques and fancy equipment aside and just talking in terms of flavors - I "feel" what he's doing.
But then the subject of WD-50 has been discussed at length on these boards before... (and will be again & again, I'm sure...)
I have to admit, I'm not in a big rush to go to Alinea. Not a big fan of extended tasting menus. I prefer a little choice in what I'm getting, and my palate tends to get tired after about six or seven dishes. Also, it's more fun if everyone at the table is getting different things rather than everyone having the same dish. Even at WD, I'll go a la carte - we might order multiple apps, kind of "make our own" tasting - it's just more fun to me that way.
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WD-50
50 Clinton Street, New York, NY 10002Del Posto
85 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011
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A couple thoughts
Babbo - only if you don't mind rudeness and loud music with your expensive and delicious meal
Telepan - very calm, good food, helpful staff, perhaps not among the top places.
Blue Smoke - decent barbecue in relatively elegant surroundings. If you don't care about surroundings, there's better 'cue at, e.g. RUB (in same neighborhood)-----
Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011Telepan
72 W. 69th Street, New York, NY 10023Blue Smoke
116 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016›2 Replies-
re: plf515
plf, sorry that you had a bad time at Babbo, but I would definitely recommend going if the OP has/can get a reservation. Babbo is an NYC institution and the best of Batali, IMO. Osteria Mozza in LA has a few similar dishes, but definitely not the same experience as going to Babbo.
I'm not the biggest fan of EMP, but I agree with some of the others in going there instead of Gramercy Tavern. Also, lunch is a relative "bargain". Milos, you can go when you drive/fly to Vegas - they have a ridiculous lunch prix-fixe at $20.
I personally like Hill Country over Blue Smoke and RUB. It's one of Frank Bruni's favorite places, as well, if you care for that info. But debating BBQ could be a separate (and long) thread in itself.
I also agree with Minetta Tavern. And I'd even recommend a place like Marc Forgione (yes, the Iron Chef) over places like Little Owl, Public, Perilla, or Telepan.
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When is your trip? What reservations do you have already?
Which restaurants are for lunch and which for dinner? Some that you listed are only open for dinner. Others do weekday lunch but not weekend lunch. Others do brunch on the weekends. A few that you listed are also closed Sundays.
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re: HitTheBall
Perilla and Little Owl have better dinner than brunch, which is why I'm asking.
Also Momofuku Ssam on the weekdays has a duck only lunch menu--very different from the dinner menu. Their weekend lunch menu is also smaller than the dinner menu. So for the most variety, do dinner.
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Perilla
9 Jones Street, New York, NY 10014Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003Little Owl
90 Bedford Street, New York, NY 10014-
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re: HitTheBall
Also, if you're not much of a brunch person, but want to get into Minetta Tavern (and not eat at 10pm), go for brunch. They have excellent non-brunch dishes, like their Black Label burger, pasta, and 1/2 of their cote de boeuf (on the menu as the prime rib).
It will be challenging to find non-brunch lunch on the weekends for the restaurants you have listed. I
've done weekend lunch at Bar Room at the Modern & Esca and been very happy, just two places to keep in mind as you build your final itinerary.
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Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012Esca
402 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036-
re: kathryn
kathryn, do you know if the cooking technique is different between the Minetta Tavern brunch vs dinner cote de boeuf? I would assume the brunch prime rib is traditionally roasted whereas the dinner "full" version is grilled or broiled and then perhaps put in the oven for a few minutes?
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Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012
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Simon - there's a Scarpetta in Beverly Hills now, so no reason for the OP to go there.
But yeah, knowing your hometown favorites would definitely help - there are quite a few of us who spend lots of time in both cities.
My quick two cents:
Milos - never been
Little Owl - any particular reason? IMO not special enough for a visitor
Quality Meats - I say do Minetta Tavern instead
The Modern - Bar Room or Dining Room? Either way probably worth keeping
Gramercy Tavern - haven't been in a while but recent reports are disappointing
Aldea - probably keep
Public - never been
Perilla - sure if you're a Top Chef fan, otherwise maybe
Hearth - never been, but probably a solid rec
Babbo - keep if you can get in
Telepan - not bad but probably not worth a spot on the itinerary
Momofuku Ssam - definitely keep
Blue Smoke - you can do better for BBQ IMO
Esca - maybe, are you looking for seafood in general or specifically this type?
Barbutto - never been
Brooklyn Fare (Wait Listed) - never been, but if you can get a res, go for it›3 Replies-
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re: HitTheBall
I don't watch Top Chef either. I've been to Perilla twice, and yes, the food was good (esp. spicy duck meatballs) but I didn't seek it out either - I happened to be in the neighborhood and was hungry. So I don't know if it's special enough to recommend it to a visitor. But then again you do have ten days, so that's a little more time than a typical visitor.
I do highly recommend Eleven Madison Park instead of Gramercy Tavern, and Minetta Tavern instead of Quality Meats. Both have excellent food and are very NYC, IMO. Also fine dining is something that NYC does much better than L.A. so EMP fits the bill - unless you want to splurge for Per Se, if price is truly not a consideration - but that's whole 'nother can of soup.
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hi, HitTheBall
For the many NY hounds who've lived and/or spent time in LA, it might be helpful to hear some your LA favorites and/or things you are particularly craving...(full disclosure, i lived in LA for several years)...
the thing i did notice right away is that several of my fav NY places are not on the list...so, i'd suggest looking at:
-- Scarpetta
-- Kin Shop
-- Keens Chophouse
-- DBGB
-- Cercle Rouge
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Keens
72 West 36th St., New York, NY 10018Cercle Rouge
241 W. Broadway, New York, NY 10013Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014DBGB
299 Bowery, New York, NY 10003Kin Shop
469 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011›1 Reply-
re: Simon
I know there's great inexpensive Thai in the LA area, is there something similar to Kin Shop? Or would it not compare favorably since there's great traditional Thai available?
Second Keens. DBGB is good but perhaps Bar Boulud or Boulud Sud would be more unique.
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Bar Boulud
1900 Broadway, New York, NY 10023DBGB
299 Bowery, New York, NY 10003Boulud Sud
20 W 64th St, New York, NY 10023
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