London foodies last minute anniversary trip

[SCONES4TEA]

This surprise trip is really exciting, but there's not much time for planning - and booking - where and what to eat, the most important part for us.

Places we love to eat/drink in London - Barrafina for tapas, Bocca di Lupo, the Archer St bar, St John Bread and Wine, Ottolenghi, River Cafe, Vinoteca. We love buzzy, friendly, great food, good service - not a fan of the hushed, touristy or over priced. We're both good cooks ourselves and love the atmosphere at Barrafina and Bocca sitting at the bar watching the chefs and interacting.

We're arriving this Fri 2pm and will leave Mon around 2pm and Sun is our anniversary. Staying in Times Square.

We'd like to plan breakfasts, lunches, pre dinner drinks/cocktails and dinner. Although I am thinking a late breakfast may rub out lunch as we're not huge eaters?
We'll plan our other itinerary around our meals (as it's a first trip for me these are some things we could include if food choices make it possible - Staten Island ferry, Roosevelt island tramway, evening stroll along the High Line? central park somewhere, a spot of clothes shopping) The forecast indicates mon could well be rainy and saturday sunny, sunday cloudy).
Prefer not to have massive waits in line to eat, but as its last minute realise there may be no option if we want a good eating/dining experience.?

We've read through posts and wonder about :

Fri
arriving hotel Times Square 2:30/3pm so a late lunch/snack?
and then MOMA (4PM - 8PM as its free entry then)
Cocktails?
Dinner?

Sat
breakfast - clinton st bakery? or Prune? or Locanda Verde?
maybe followed by staten island ferry?
snack
drinks
pre or post dinner evening stroll along the High line? Maybe both
dinner

Sun
Breakfast -
Lunch
Drinks
Dinner- somewhere fun/buzzy - our anniversary dinner

Mon
Breakfast
lunch/snack near Times Square, ready for the airport return trip

Like to have nyc burger street food too . . egg cream etc

Thank you

[Simon]

hi SCONES,

i lived in London for a few months in 2010, and i was a regular at St. John and SJBW, Bocca di Lupo, Barrafina, and Vinoteca...(as well as Wright Bros Oyster Bar, Durbar, Sedap, and Randall&Aubin)...a few thoughts:

-- Scarpetta...my fav Italian in NYC: i highly recommend going w/o reservation and sitting at the bar (and among my favs there: black cod, raw yellowtail, rabbit pasta, and the soup of the season)...nice bartenders and fun little scene sometimes too...this is my number one rec for you based on your London favs...

-- while you might enjoy The Breslin, Spotted Pig, et al, i don't recommend either on a short visit because London has a minimum of 50+ restaurants that surpass both in each and every way...(neither comes close to the yummy food at Great Queen St, for example)...

-- i did not see any Japanese on your list...it's something NYC does rather well compared to most Western cities...among the places of various types/foods that you might enjoy: Sakagura, Sobakoh, Ushiwakamaru, 15 East, Ippudo, and many more including many yakitori joints...

-- i love a wine bar in the Lower East Side called Ten Bells...nice wines, charcuterie, a nice oyster happy hour, dark and cozy, some Portuguease tapas...a bit like Vinoteca, though w/ less cooked food...highly recommended, given your London favs...

-- if you find yourself uptown and westerly, i like Boulud Sud, and the bar dining there is also good...

-- for my personal taste, i think you have better oysters in London than we do here...but i eat them regularly at Ten Bells, DBGB, and Balthazar...Grand Central can be fun, but only sit at the counter/bar itself; the tables are kind of grim, as is the cooked food...

-- if you feel like Sichuan one day, i like Cafe China, on 37th St, so consider as an option if it fits your wandering...

-- no great reason to do dimsum here, but if you're craving it, Red Egg is fun (they have a dimsum happy hour actually, which can be a nice boozey way to start the night)...i wasn't crazy about London's dimsum either, but i'm spoiled as i lived in Asia and LA and spent time in Vancouver...the decent dimsum at the various Royal China outlets in London is superior to most Manhattan dimsum...

Enjoy and please report back w/ your impressions

[loratliff]

Since you mention St. John, I feel like you must try either the Breslin or the Spotted Pig here. Neither take reservations and waits can be long, but Chef Bloomfield is friends with Chef Henderson and I think you would find the food and atmosphere very much to your liking, given the other places you enjoy. Spotted Pig is close to the High Line, so while the wait would be long, it would work for your Saturday dinner. (You could also do brunch at either.)

[Sneakeater]

OTOH, if you're visiting here from London, is English-derived food really a good use of dining slots?

[sam1]

st john bread and wine is very different than the regular st john (i like the former...loathe the latter). since i like a lot of the places the OP mentioned in london, i think these suggestions are right up their alley.

here's my 2 cents:

Fri
arriving hotel Times Square 2:30/3pm so a late lunch/snack? shake shack or burger joint for a burger...or perhaps grand central oyster bar for a beer and some urchin and clams?
and then MOMA (4PM - 8PM as its free entry then)
Cocktails? check out bar hagi...hardcore japanese izakaya. not cocktails but good scene.
Dinner? check out danji...a few blocks from moma...gets crowded but great new school korean.

Sat
breakfast - clinton st bakery? or Prune? or Locanda Verde? avoid all three...super crowded. if you want to wait, go to shopsins. otherwise, try blue ribbon bakery.
maybe followed by staten island ferry?
snack
drinks...north of the ferry in tribeca, try some wine at terroir...and any of their excellent small plates. EXCELLENT wine bar.
pre or post dinner evening stroll along the High line? Maybe both
dinner...dell'anima for pasta is a good idea near the high line...stick to their pasta offerings.

Sun
Breakfast
Lunch - chinatown for dim sum? try red egg or jin fong for the massiveness
Drinks - drinks at superfine in dumbo before dinner...5-8 blocks from vinegar hill house
Dinner- somewhere fun/buzzy - our anniversary dinner...go across to brooklyn for dinner at vinegar hill house. get the pork chop. no reservations but so worth it.

[Pan]

Definitely not Jing Fong. London has better dim sum than that.

Since the original poster has a substantial budget for food, I think Red Egg is not good enough to recommend, either; it's fine but not really special. Chinatown Brasserie and the new place I keep forgetting the name of that's also pricey and serves dim sum would probably be the places to recommend. At Chinatown Brasserie, I'd recommend only the dim sum and the cocktails; I couldn't say anything about any other food, but others have warned that it's not nearly up to the level of their dim sum.

[sam1]

red egg and jin fong arent 'amazing' by any stretch but i figure its a good alternative to brunch without much of a wait.

[SCONES4TEA]

These are interesting suggestions - really appreciating your input - and have been busily researching and discussing options together.

Some thoughts . .
We're very happy to do Danji Fri late dinner.
My boyfriend has a hankering for a bacon, pancakes type of breakfast or brunch at least once, and as we have good dim sum in london we could forgo this option. This why we were thinking of a clinton st, locanda, prune choice - or is Egg a better bet? We were thinking if we booked the wait wouldn't be as long?
If it helps - we are keen in London on Wahaca and Ottolenghi and Peter Gordon for brunch options
We looked up Shopsins and were amazed - and somewhat baffled by the length of the menu - what on earth to choose!
We love oysters, especially on arrival - so Grand Central - or Pearl Oyster? which would be best - or most fun?
We're not sure about Sun dinner - not blown away by the thought of Empellon Cochina or Vinegar Hill (wow, we are sounding super fussy!)
(If we were in London, a place we might book is The Wolsey or The Delaunay. Maybe a lunch at Le Gavroche ) .
Can we book at Death and Co - or best to arrive 5:45pm and get in line? If we did this early we could then stroll up the Highline to somewhere else to eat late if that were possible?
Any rooftop bar recommendations - or bars with a 'view'?
Appreciate all thoughts.

[kathryn]

The type of breakfast you seek usually doesn't take reservations. Egg only takes dinner reservations IIRC. It sounds like what you want is Clinton St or Egg though.

Best items at Shopsin's:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/825444

Grand Central Oyster Bar will have more varieties but there have been complaints on here about their shucking technique and cooked dishes. Pearl has fewer varieties but a great bouillabaisse, lobster rolls, fried oysters, dessert. Different atmospheres and it depends what you want to eat.

If you want a bit of a scene Friday afternoon, maybe the oyster happy hour at The John Dory, just south of Midtown?

Death & Co doesn't take reservations. Arriving at 6pm will be your best bet. The High Line will be a long walk from there though. I would stay somewhere in the East Village for dinner. The challenge will be somewhere fun and buzzy, but still available at the last minute and celebration-worthy.

I just checked OpenTable and I see some availability at Acme, which is pretty hot right now. It's a short walk away.

Also this map:
http://ny.eater.com/archives/2012/05/...

[kathryn]

For Friday, I'd do:
Late lunch at Bar Room at the Modern as it is open all day
MOMA
Drinks at Rum House
Late dinner at Danji

Both the Bar Room and Danji are small plates so you can tailor the meal against how hungry you are.

On Saturday, Prune and Clinton St will have huge lines. Make a reservation at Locanda Verde instead.

There's a few food vendors on the High Line though I don't think they're all up there yet. Chelsea Market might be good for a snack.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/844638

Txikito for dinner is an excellent idea on Saturday Call ASAP for a reservation.

On Sunday, I'd do maybe an open air market with food stalls like New Amsterdam Market or Madison Square Eats. Or maybe some pizza, like Motorino.

You could also make a reservation for brunch at Minetta Tavern. Excellent food, atmosphere, feels very NY.

Then drinks at Death & Co early (like 6pm) and dinner at Empellon Cocina (7:30 and 8:30 reservations for Sunday still available on Open Table right now). Creative Mexican cooking, pretty buzzy right now, they just got a good review in the New York Times.

[SCONES4TEA]

Hi Katharine

Thanks for the recommendations - quick question - is Txikito better than Tia Pol?!

[Pan]

It's different, but yeah, I think it's better. I liked some of the tapas at Tia Pol but everything at Txikito. I think Kathryn will agree.

[Pan]

First, it may not be too late for you to get reservations. Check Opentable first for availability.

Since you'll already be at MOMA, The Modern or The Bar Room at the Modern are two logical places where you could have dinner. Check menus and prices to see if they seem appealing.

The High Line goes from the Village through Chelsea, so do a little searching of this board under "High Line," "West Village," "Chelsea," and the like. Since it sounds like you like wine bars with small plates, consider Txikito, a delicious Basque-style tapas bar, and Aria, a very good Italian wine bar. If you have to pick one, I'd highly recommend you go with Txikito, because while Aria is reliable and quite good, Txikito is special. It's not cheap, but you're paying for quality. Reservations are highly recommended, especially on a Saturday night, if you can get them. Otherwise, your wait might be really long (1 1/2 hours or more).

The best-known places to get an egg cream are probably two places in the East Village. One is the corner convenience store on 2nd Av. and St. Marks Place. Another is a tiny storefront on Av. A just north of 7 St.

Can you give us a little guidance of which neighborhoods you might want to be in on Sunday? Any feelings about how much you'd like to pay?

[SCONES4TEA]

Thanks Pan for the Txikito tip, the menu looks great, we'll certainly pay for something outstanding, we'll see whether we can get in on Saturday night.. We'll go for The Bar Room at The Modern, rather than The Modern if we can get in there too.
So . . Sunday - we don't have a plan as yet, although whatever we do I'm sure we'll head back to the hotel to change to go out for drinks and dinner (Times Square). If it's like London, any district is possible? Budget . . $200 ish - is there way too little, or too much?
Appreciate your help and suggestions.

[Pan]

$200/2 people is quite an adequate budget for most restaurants in New York. It excludes the most expensive ones.