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Good place to eat in the Big Apple

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Peytons place, Apr 11, 2009.

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  1. Blair Waldorf

    Blair Waldorf Member

    Fact. We ran a pretty hefty tab at River Cafe for my birthday last week, but I'll remember that meal far longer than I'll remember seeing any of the shows we saw during our stay.
     
    Blair Waldorf, Apr 13, 2009
    #37
  2. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    Just curious. Was it the view or the meal or both? If you say both, how much of it was the actual meal as opposed to the overall experience? Just curious.
     
    The Big Ragu, Apr 13, 2009
    #38
  3. Small Town Guy

    Small Town Guy Well-Known Member

    Shake Shack now has another place that's on the Upper West Side, around 80th and Columbus or so, forget exact street. Shakes don't do much for me, but the burgers...

    Flor de Mayo on the Upper West Side. We always go to the one at 83rd and Amsterdam, but there's another one on like 100th and Broadway. Peruvian-Asian. Amazing roast chicken, "best in the city." And good prices.

    Someone else mentioned Popover, which is a cool place. We go there for our anniversary every year.
     
    Small Town Guy, Apr 13, 2009
    #39
  4. Blair Waldorf

    Blair Waldorf Member

    For me, it was definitely the meal over the view. The view was a nice addition - but I thought the food was worth more than the $98/pp price for the three courses. I've dined at Michelin star restaurants in Paris and London before, and this was one of the most memorable meals I've ever had - the food was stellar, and the presentation was just so creative. I'm a sucker for great plating and imaginative presentation.

    I loved that the restaurant was so small and intimate, but yet, there was this spectacular, soaring view. I loved the personal service and attentiveness of everyone at the establishment. I loved the laidback pace of our dinner -- they encouraged us to take our time, were not intrusive and allowed us to fully enjoy the meal and the conversation with each other. After a while, it really felt as if the four of us were the only people in the restaurant.
     
    Blair Waldorf, Apr 13, 2009
    #40
  5. cougargirl

    cougargirl Active Member

    Just blow all your money and go to Cipriani.

    I'm totally kidding.

    Go to Stout on 33rd St. Great sports bar/Irish-themed place. Cheesecake at Juniors (already mentioned). Drinks at Sardi's. If you're in a ravenous sushi/japanese food mood, go to Ichi Umi on East 32nd.
     
    cougargirl, Apr 13, 2009
    #41
  6. Webster

    Webster Well-Known Member

    You can do Union Square Cafe -- one of my favorite places -- for 100 bucks per. I agree with Ragu about Babbo -- great place. Try cocktails at the Pegu Lounge on Houston.
     
    Webster, Apr 13, 2009
    #42
  7. Ben_Hecht

    Ben_Hecht Active Member


    And they're now at Citi Field, with another Danny Meyer standby, Blue Smoke.
     
    Ben_Hecht, Apr 14, 2009
    #43
  8. JackReacher

    JackReacher Well-Known Member

    I know JG said to stay away from Little Italy, but last time I was in town, I had dinner down there, and I couldn't have been happier. I can't remember the exact name of the place, but it had "Jr." in it, maybe Frank Jr.'s or something like that. Phenominal food, decent price.
     
    JackReacher, Apr 14, 2009
    #44
  9. EE94

    EE94 Guest

    Monk's
     
    EE94, Apr 14, 2009
    #45
  10. topsheep

    topsheep Member

    The Soup Nazi's place. Best soup I've ever had, and there isn't even a second place. 42nd and 5th.
     
    topsheep, Apr 14, 2009
    #46
  11. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    I'll second JG's sentiment. Little Italy is fun to walk around and it is perfectly fine to get dessert there. But there is so much great Italian food in NYC and none of it is actually in Little Italy. If you insist on eating down there (and it has been a while for me, so I can't vouch for recent quality), the only two places I'd consider are Il Cortile and Il Fornaio, both on Mulberry Street. The Grotta Azurra up on Broome used to be a favorite of someone I know, but then it closed down for a long time. I think it might be open again, but I don't know if it is the same owners and I haven't been there recently. I could take it or leave it, even back in the day.

    If you don't really care about the food, but just want a silly time (although this worked great at 19, I won't do it at 40), Puglia at Hester and Mulberry is a silly place to get drunk and eat some of the worst food ever (they should face civil action for calling themselves a restaurant). I am assuming he is still there -- although he has to be getting old -- but there is a guy named Jorge (Mexican musician in an Italian restaurant; stay with me). He wears an Elvis cape, has Elvis sideburns and comes out with a synthesizer and plays cheesy songs, including things like the Brady Bunch theme, the theme from Gilligan's Island and What's a Matter You (all of which get sung with a thick accent, while the diners sing along because they are drunk and can't feel their feet). If you are lucky, by the time he does his set, you have guzzled a lot of the house wine (don't make the mistake of ordering anything else; I always shake my head when people get beer there). It magically makes Jorge hysterical and you will end up dancing on the table with the overweight tourist in polyester clothes you are sharing your table with (the tables are long benches that you share with strangers). The house wine, like the food, tastes awful, but if you can choke down a glass, it numbs your taste buds, making subsequent glasses easier. We never quite figured it out, but we're fairly sure that when Jorge isn't performing, he sits in the back mixing Welch's Grape Juice and Everclear. When I was in my late teens and early 20s, we used to go there, get drunk to the point of puking, end up tearing the place up and getting kicked out. They once saw us coming and refused to seat us. I haven't been there in years.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 1, 2015
    The Big Ragu, Apr 14, 2009
    #47
  12. JackReacher

    JackReacher Well-Known Member

    The Original Vincent's. That's the place. I guess the consensus is to not eat in Little Italy, but I had a damn fine meal there. I'll defintely go back.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 1, 2015
    JackReacher, Apr 14, 2009
    #48
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