Manhattan [General]

2012 May 24
Looking for Manhattan food tips, street food, Fresh pasta, steak

Also any other recommendations..

Thanks

2012 May 24
I asked last June, I was takign my folks for their anniversary, but had some great meals. I copied the places I experienced below, but the whole thread is full of good suggestions I was only in town for 3 days so didn't get as much as I would've liked.
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City Bakery totally worth it. I walked down and grabbed some pastries for everyone one morning, and in addition tot he pretzel croissants (delicious) I also grabbed a couple of Bakers Muffins (made with pull apart dough and stuffed with apples cinnamon and raisins.) They also had some Maple Bacon biscuits which were my personal favourite. Big Hunks of bacon in a soft moist biscuit with just a hint of maple flavour.

Everybody needs to go out to Long Island and try M. Wells Diner, it is out of this world. I had the meatloaf and my uncle came along and got the burger. We split an order of escargot (served on roasted marrow), everything was delicious. The staff and patrons gave off too much of a snotty hipster vibe, but that wouldn't stop me from going back anytime I'm within 100 kms of the restaurant.

Milos Estiatorio was very tasty, the restaurant ships in fresh fish from the Mediterranean, daily, so their selection changes form day to day as well. The chef/owner, seasons every fish with a little lemon and olive oil, the idea is to accentuate that fish as much as possible. The four of us got a whole Dover Sole, 4 Bay Scallops and a whole Mediterranean type of Sea Bass, and just had a bit of each. The fish was just incredible, so flavourful and fresh. Not Cheap, but I highly recommend it.
www.milos.ca

We also went to an Italian wine bar in Greenwich Village on the last day, can’t remember the name. It was fairly good, nothing spectacular, they had a se4lection of about 20 different crostini toppings, so we got a few of those and shared them, the chicken liver is worth mentioning, smooth and rich.

I had Heritage Pork Meatballs, Polenta, for my meal the meatballs were very good, polenta and tomato sauce just average.

2012 May 24
Milos is a classic. The original is on Park in Montreal, and most recently he opened another in the Athens Hilton.

For steaks, no shortage of places in the Big Apple. From Morton's to McCormick and Schmick, to Ruth's Chris. But many good lesser known ones like Keens mid-town, and Striphouse downtown. I would not recommend Capital Grille, I find it to be an overpriced chain.

We stayed a block and a half from Times Square, close to some good breakfast joints. Galaxy and Cosmic diner on 8th ave and 9th ave respectively. Junior's near the Marriott Marquis at Times Square apparently has good breakfast too and is famous for cheesecake. Go into the Marriott for the cool elevators and rooftop resto for a drink.

Carmine's on 44th(?) east of 8th, classic Italian-American place. Family portions generally, but I think they have plates for singles or doubles too. Sardi's is a good place for post-theatre drinks. The Sherry Netherland Hotel just south east corner of the park, good libations.

Good waffle stand at Bryant Park east of Times Square.

Avoid Lombardi's for pizza in Little Italy. Pomodoro's sicilian pie was fantastic years ago, haven't been since.

2012 May 24
If there are a few of you, go to Craft (Tom Colicchio's original NYC restaurant) and eat family style. Expensive but awesome.

2012 May 24
If you're looking for a place to have some drinks, i'd recommend McSorley's Old Ale House. It's a very special experience. Make sure you wait to be seated, and be prepared to sit at the same table as others.
www.mcsorleysnewyork.com/

2012 May 24
Hi,

We just got back from NYC, and spent our weekend eating. Here are some suggestions....


The best meal we had was at St. Anselm, near the Bedford subway stop (L) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Get there early so you don`t have to wait as they do not take reservations, but you will not regret it (if you get there at 6PM or later, you may face a wait of up to two hours, not kidding). We had the butcher steak with the pan-fried truffled mashed potatoes and long beans, and everything was perfect. And very, very reasonably priced. Where else can you get an organic, grass-fed steak for $15?

Start your day at the Donut Plant (23rd in Chelsea), also a smaller one in the Lower East Side. We had the blackout donut, the crème brulee donut (yes, it is filled with actual crème brulee), the pistachio cake donut, and the coconut cream donut. The coconut one was a bit too sweet, but the others are amazing. Have them with coffee, and your day will start out on the right foot. It is really near the Highline, which is the elevated park made from an old rail line, so you can walk your donuts off while seeing interesting and beautiful things. Miles ahead of Suzy Q....

We also had very good pizza at Motorino in the East Village. It is thin-crust, crispy, with perfect cheese. Not cheap ($15 a pizza), but very good, better than Libretto in Toronto. Try Keste too, if you haven`t....

Amazing pancakes can be had at the Clinton Street Baking Company, but you have to get there super-early (go on a weekday at 8 AM) and you will not have to wait too long. If you go on a weekend, or later in the morning, you will likely face a wait of an hour or more. We had the banana walnut pancakes which were perfectly fluffy. It is a big serving, so plan to share that and something else.

Sullivan St Bakery also has delicious treats.

Puddin`in the East Village - try their butterscotch, which was very good, and their banana too. All they sell is pudding, and it is well made pudding. NOthing artificial.

We also had frozen yogurt at Bloomingdale’s cafeteria called “40 Carrots”. It is a huge serving, but I love it.


I second the recommendation for City Bakery. Try the chocolate chip cookies at the City Bakery. They are excellent. They also make very good hot chocolate. We had a “shot” of hot chocolate, which was enough as it is very rich.


For a cheap and delicious meal, have falafel at Taim in the West Village. Their falafel is always perfectly fresh. Be warned there are a few stools, no real seating. We sat outside in the sun to eat.

We of course had to go to Trader Joe`s to stock up on our favourite treats to bring back home.

Dean and Deluca has lots of beautiful things to look at, but very pricey.

Finally, we brought sandwiches from Parm for the airport. Delicious, but expensive.

Have fun!


2012 May 24
Craft is great. If you are near the NY library at brant park I sometimes get sandwich and take outs at craftwich.

I also like Gotham Bar and Grill. They do a decent prix fix menu for weekday lunch 2 courses for $25 and dessert option is $7.

2012 May 24
The Food truck scene in NY is really big and you can get some really good food. Cuban to Hawaiian to Korean. ny.eater.com/tags/food-trucks

2012 May 28
Definitely Barney Greengrass for brunch; where else can you get a uniquely New York Jewish deli experience? You can enjoy your latkes with apple sauce and sour cream, and lox and scrambled eggs (really good, I still think about them sometimes when I'm bored) while listening to the cacophony of New York accents around you. And I enjoyed Lupa (one of Mario Batali's restaurants) for Italian; it's cheaper than Babbo and a little easier to get a reservation.

2012 Jun 25
I lived in Manhattan for 4 years here is my cheat sheet i send to everyone who asks me about food (which is a lot) for a weekend recomendation.

Key restaurant recommendations for NYC:

1. Alta – Mediterranean Tapas – West Village - www.altarestaurant.com

2. Kittichai – Thompson hotel really good Thai food. Tuna tartare, chocolate ribs. - www.kittichairestaurant.com/

NYC Asian fusion Scene in SOHO (2nd favorite, awesome location, great for walking around after):

3. Le paradou –all you can drink champagne brunch place in Meatpacking , duck sandwich and burger are great. - www.paradounyc.com/

4. Kefi – Greek – Upper West Side – www.kefirestaurant.com/ - try the grilled octopus with beans, and the sheep’s milk dumplings with lamb sausage and pine nuts.

5. Ilili – Middle Eastern – Midtown (5th Ave, bw East 27th and East 28th street) - www.ililinyc.com/Menus.html - the duck shawarma is the bomb…


2012 Jun 25
The green papaya, its a hot dog joint on the UES. Outstanding.