Suprise weekend in NYC!

[justxpete]

Hey all - I'm waiting in the airport on the way to NYC - I made us reservations for Per Se tomorrow night - but any suggestions as to where else we should go (without having made reservations prior)? I'd also really like to avoid line ups as well, of possible. We're staying at the Taj and our flight arrives at 9pm. Any place close to the Taj that we should check out?

[porker]

Don't know how you feel about charcuterie...
http://www.salumeriarosi.com/
Salumeria Rosi is around the corner of Central Park.

[Ann900]

Do you mean The Pierre (which is a Taj hotel) on Fifth Ave and 61st?
It would also help if you would give us an idea of food likes and dislikes.

[justxpete]

That's the one, Ann.

No real restrictions on cuisine - the SO does have a shellfish allergy, however.

[kathryn]

Within a short walk of your hotel are Marea, Bar Room at the Modern, and Ma Peche. Seasonal isn't too far either.

Other than that, your question is way too broad to answer without knowing how far you're willing to travel (like downtown) or how much you're willing to pay (price range per person before tax, tip, drinks) or what kind of food you like. Is this a trip where you want to go all out? Or do more casual meals plus Per Se?

How long are you here? What else do you have planned? Are you brunch people or lunch people? Most restaurants open on Saturdays mid-day will be serving brunch and not lunch.

[justxpete]

Price isn't really a concern - but A mix of casual and semi-casual would be great. We're only in NYC until Sunday night - so just a quick in and out - the main point of which is Per Se.

We're very open to anything - so there are no specific cuisines we're looking for. We're willing I travel, but I have no desire to spend an hour in a cab.

Lastly - we're more brunch people than lunch people, but given out limited amount of meals, I don't want to miss out on any amazon lunches we might be able to have (if we can get a reservation?)

Lastly - thanks for your help.

[justxpete]

Just made a reso at ma peche for tonight at 10:30. Hopefully we make it! Thanks again.

[kathryn]

Off the top of my head, I'd think about:
Saturday lunch at Babbo -- call to reserve
Saturday or Sunday brunch at Minetta Tavern -- on OpenTable
Pizza at Motorino -- line is usually much longer at dinner, for brunch you won't have much of a wait
Takeout breakfast at Russ & Daughters -- eaten outside on one of their sidewalk benches
A pastrami sandwich, shared, at Katz's Deli
A pretzel from Sigmund Pretzel

Though you might be really full Sunday morning, so I'd keep that in mind.

[justxpete]

Ma peche was great. Thanks for drawing attention to it. Confused about the many poor reviews online.

[kathryn]

Glad you liked it! They've had some chef changes recently and menu changes. I recall some of the earlier poor reviews were about the takeout lunch (which is pretty different from the dinner menu and experience).

[ellenost]

What dishes did you have at Ma Peche? I'm looking forward to returning soon to Ma Peche.