Need your locks for GREAT Monday night (later) dinner at happenin' joint!
All,
Fellow foodie from Montreal who needs your recommendations, please!
I'll be in town next week and am looking to book a table for 3 (myself and two colleagues) around 9:15-9:30 on Monday the 14th. I already have a rez at Catch in the MePa distract but can't get a read on whether this is a place to try based on food or a place to let evolve based on some service issues/other growing pains I've read about online. If you think it's worth it, let me hear it.
For dinners I've previously been to Ma Peche, ABC Kitchen, the John Dory (RIP), Morimoto, Nobu, STK, Gramercy Tavern and Esca - loved the food at pretty much all spots but want to keep trying new places, preferably in the MePa/Chelsea/Soho/Flatiron/Village area. I'm looking for a vibe that's bustling to cool/trendy (and on a Monday at 9:15/9:30!) but not ridiculously sceney. I really loved the "look" and atmosphere at STK when I was there a few years back. The food, of course, should be the star... I love seafood/raw bars but the variety of preparation/cuisine can be whatever you think is awesome.
So far I'm considering:
Catch (as mentioned)
Buddakan
Annisa (but this looks a little bright and formal, maybe?)
The Spotted Pig (just 'cause I've never been and it still seems to be full of win)
...but all of you likely are far more in the know.
Any recs are greatly appreciated... and if you can throw in some post-dinner spots to grab a drink near the restos you recommend (where there's no waiting in line BS), bonus points!
Thanks in advance!!!
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Gramercy Tavern
42 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003
Buddakan
75 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011
Spotted Pig
314 W 11th St, New York, NY 10014
STK
26 Little West 12th St, New York, NY 10014
Annisa
13 Barrow Street, New York, NY 10014
Nobu
105 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10013
Esca
402 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036
Morimoto
88 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011
Ma Peche
15 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019
ABC Kitchen
35 E 18th St, New York, NY 10003
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What's your budget? Also note that since you're coming next week, a lot of the hot/trendy/new places are going to be either fully booked or only have the less desirable times left. And some of the buzzier restaurants don't even take reservations or only take them for big groups. So you might end up waiting 1-2 hours....But eating at 9:30, 10pm, or later is not uncommon here.
> Catch (as mentioned)
They've only been open a month, so obviously there may be kinks they need to work out.
> Annisa (but this looks a little bright and formal, maybe?)
Do you already have a reservation? They book up in advance. I could only get 10pm for 3 on 11/14 using OpenTable.
> The Spotted Pig (just 'cause I've never been and it still seems to be full of win)
They don't take reservations, so you might be waiting a long time. BTW, The John Dory is back, in slightly different form, but is now located in the Ace Hotel. April Bloomfield also has the Breslin in the Ace Hotel, which is probably also of interest to you, since you said you are considering the Spotted Pig.
However, John Dory and The Breslin only take reservations for large group meals though, and Spotted Pig doesn't take reservations at all unless you're a friend of the chef/celeb/etc.
> For dinners I've previously been to Ma Peche, ABC Kitchen, the John Dory (RIP), Morimoto, Nobu, STK, Gramercy Tavern and Esca
If you liked Ma Peche, you might want to see if the other Momofuku restaurants are interesting to you. Note that Noodle Bar and Ssam Bar don't take reservations except for large format meals for groups. Plus these special meals book up fast. And Ko doesn't accept reservations for parties of 3, period.
You might also want to look at Red Farm or Fatty Cue if creative Asian influenced food is your thing. Fatty Cue takes reservations, Red Farm doesn't. Fatty Cue also has great cocktails, BTW, and a cool atmosphere.
For something like ABC Kitchen & Gramercy Tavern, I just went to Mas in the West Village and liked it. We actually felt like it was a West Village version of GT. I'm also intrigued by their new spot, Mas Grillade, but we haven't been yet.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/815768For something closer to STK in atmosphere, I would look into Public and Saxon + Parole.
For something more in the Mario Batali range, you might get lucky if you call up Babbo, but you probably won't get a reservation on such short notice. It's worth trying.
I'd call up Babbo or Locanda Verde (Tribeca), just to see if they might have something... or grab an early table at dell'anima or Scarpetta on OpenTable.
Other places that I'd put on your radar:
Tertulia (no reservations unless you're a big group though
)The DutchFor post-dinner cocktails where there's no line, I don't think it will be a huge issue on a Monday, but these places allow standing:
Employees Only
Pegu Club -- they have a line later on in the week but I think Monday should be OK
1534
Lani Kai
Flatiron Lounge
The Tippler -- I believe they have a line on weekends usually but not weekdays-----
Gramercy Tavern
42 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003Spotted Pig
314 W 11th St, New York, NY 10014STK
26 Little West 12th St, New York, NY 10014Annisa
13 Barrow Street, New York, NY 10014Nobu
105 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10013Esca
402 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036Momofuku Noodle Bar
171 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003Mas (Farmhouse)
39 Downing St, New York, NY 10014Morimoto
88 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011Employees Only
510 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014Public
210 Elizabeth Street, New York, NY 10012Momofuku Ko
163 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003Dell'Anima
38 8th Avenue, New York, NY 10003Flatiron Lounge
37 W 19th St, New York, NY 10011Pegu Club
77 W Houston St, New York, NY 10012Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013The Breslin
20 W 29th St, New York, NY 10001Ma Peche
15 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019ABC Kitchen
35 E 18th St, New York, NY 10003The Dutch
131 Sullivan St, New York, NY 10012Lani Kai
525 Broome St, New York, NY 10012The John Dory Oyster Bar
1196 Broadway, New York, NY 100011534
20 Prince St, New York, NY 10012Tertulia
359 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011Catch
21 9th Ave, New York, NY 10014The Tippler
425 W 15th St, New York, NY 10014Fatty 'Cue
50 Carmine St, New York, NY 10014RedFarm
529 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014Saxon + Parole
316 Bowery, New York, NY 10012›4 Replies-
re: kathryn
Thanks for the detailed response! Lotsa good info in there.
I'm intrigued by both The Dutch and Saxon + Parole based on location, atmosphere, and menu (and fact you can make reservations; not sure I want to risk a long wait at one of April Bloomfield's spots) - which of the two would you pick, if you could choose? While both appear to have raw bars, is there one whose seafood offerings holds the edge over the other?
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re: liquidrawhide
The Dutch is pretty popular, and was tough to get in at one point, so try to make a reservation there ASAP. You can always cancel if you change your mind.
Having eaten both chefs' food multiple times (Chef Farmerie of Saxon and Parole also does Public, Monday Room; and Chef Carmellini does the Locanda Verde as well as The Dutch) I'd say Carmellini is a slightly stronger cook. So I'd focus more on the cooked foods at The Dutch, the raw bar at Saxon and Parole.
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The Monday Room
210 Elizabeth Street, New York, NY 10012Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013-
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re: eeee
Just wanted to thank you both for some great recommendations - in the end did Saxon + Parole on Monday (awesome! great atmosphere and phenomenal food; had the split grilled lobster, a mushroom pot, and the mixed raw seafood tower as an appetizer), and then, when the opportunity presented itself after a day of meetings on Tuesday, ended up at the Breslin around 11:00 and had a great, lighter dinner there (kale & white bean soup, grilled fish over cumin-flavored sweet potatoes as a main).
Oh, and Monday after S + P we managed to try both Death & Company and PDT for drinks, so that was fun. I only saw after I got back that they finished Nos. 4 and 1, respectively, on the list of "The 50 Best Bars in the World" that was published about 10 days ago.
I think Locanda Verde and The Dutch will be on my list of new places to try the next time I'm in town... you folks are definitely lucky to have such awesome spots to enjoy on any given night!
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Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013The Breslin
20 W 29th St, New York, NY 10001
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