Wilfrid's Profile
Minetta Tavern - Photography Now Banned
A few facts. The Constitution (which, as Sneak said, applies to governments) does not permit making laws against taking photos in public places. Owners of private premises, like restaurants, can make their own rules.
Given that it's entirely legitimate to take photos of diners before they set foot inside a restaurant and as soon as they leave, I think concerns about the privacy of diners are trivial. If you are with someone you don't want to be photographed with, don't go out together.
While restaurants have a legal right to prohibit taking pictures, a prohibition against non-flash photography is itself rude and intrusive. I might have some respect for it if restaurants also banned people from texting, checking messages, or using cellphones on the premises.
Eccles in Manhattan?
North End Grill is the place, whatever they're now calling them (locals didn't know what an Eccles cake was). I grew up in the UK and this is far and away the best Eccles cake I've ever tasted. If you don't want a full dinner, you can probably get it at the bar.
best vegan food
Dirt Candy and Blossom are very good, but I don't see anything being better than Pure Food & Wine.
Solo dining at WD-50 bar
While this may not be WD-50's intention, the new pricing means that you can order every dish on the tasting menu a la carte for $190 (in non-tasting portions)? They might as well offer it at the bar, therefore.
Reminds me of when Tailor refused to substitute a dish on their tasting menu for me, so I ordered the tasting - with substitution - a la carte, for about the same money.
Bobwhite Lunch vs. The Cardinal ?
The fried chicken at Bobwhite is much better. No contest.
name 5 overrated, or over hyped or famous restaurants whose food doesn't live up to reputation
Maybe pig ear? Quack quack!
Monkey Bar? Saw RGR's photos...how is the food???
I went to Monkey Bar last week too. The food I had was okay, but not destination-worthy. I didn't get cheese or dessert because service went totally AWOL after my entree was cleared and I eventually gave up.
RGR linked to my review above.
Better than Peter Luger's?
Steakhouse? No. Restaurants serving steaks as good or better? Arguably one or two: the rib eye at Minetta Tavern, for example.
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Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012
Game Birds
Bayard Meat Market on Bayard Street in Chinatown has always had partridge when I've visited, two to the bag, not expensive. Citarella and Dean & Deluca might have squab or quail. Grouse is out of season, although you might get it frozen by mail order.
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Citarella
424 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011
57 Bayard Meat Market
57 Bayard St, New York, NY 10013
Where to get Giblets and Gizzards
First up, check the recipe. "Giblets" is a generic term for chicken offal. It includes the heart, gizzards and liver - there are no additional parts called "giblets." Now here's the good news: packs of chicken gizzards are available from most supermarkets, usually near the chicken livers. If you have any difficulty finding them - you shouldn't - go to a supermarket in a neighborhood with a big Latino community. But they aren't scarce. They're cheap too.
If you were set on getting coxcombs or testicles, your best bet might be one of several live chicken markets in town, like this one: http://www.yelp.com/biz/manhattan-live-chicken-market-new-york. Just google for them.
What about Chez Josephine?
There's a lot to tell and you should check out their website. The restaurant was opened by two adopted sons of the star Josephine Baker, one of whom - Jean-Claude - still presides. It's a warm, theatrical spot with live piano music. You may see artists currently appearing on Broadway eating there. The food is straightforward classic French; the boudin noir is recommended.
http://www.chezjosephine.com/
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Chez Josephine
414 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036
Roast goose - preferably Chinese
Non-Chinese, Rolf's on Third Avenue.
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Rolf's
281 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10010
Le Veau d'Or - How to Best Explain It
The outpouring of enthusiasm is heart warming, if a little surprising. The food really wasn't good when I ate there. You'll do much better for French bistro food at L'Absinthe or any of Boulud's places. Good luck to them, though.
New Year's Eve Suggestions? - 4 People, low-key
And bear in mind that this is not the night of the year to find "low key" bars, especially downtown. It's a big payday for bar owners and staff, so they are going to raise the volume and whoop it up all they can to bring people in. Best suggestion for low key drinks: go out January 1.
Best sushi in Manhattan
15 East is excellent, the chef is charming, but Yasuda gets a broader range of fish, and the rice - if you care - is definitely better. Nothing wrong with 15 East, but Yasuda is best unless you are OK with Masa/Kuruma Zushi stratospheric prices.
Anniversary dinner - this Fri. - must please a vegan
I like the food at Dirt Candy, but it's a brightly lit, tightly-packed little room. For an anniversary I'd suggest Pure Food & Wine or Blossom.
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Blossom
187 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011
Pure Food and Wine
54 Irving Place, New York, NY 10003
Minetta Tavern
sgordon, you're overlooking the fact that there are no bones in the ground steak. They are not weighing the steak and deducting the bones.
This isn't a precise science, but 8oz at $2.58 per oz is over $20. Yes, there are cheaper cuts blended in. But incidentals aren't restricted to onions, bun and fries. As I said, they have to employ people to cook it, pay the rent, pay the bills and make a profit.
Remember, I didn't say it WASN'T over-priced. Just that it isn't OBVIOUSLY over-priced. It seems to be in the right ballpark.
Minetta Tavern
I am puzzled, then, about what Pat La Frieda does. There was heavy coverage of Minetta trying various Pat LaFrieda blends, and indeed to the blend being adjusted. What does that mean if LaFrieda is not grinding the meat?
Minetta Tavern
The question whether the Black Label is overpriced with respect to the ingredients is an interesting one. I did a little digging on it in the past. It's a blend of ribeye, skirt and brisket from Creekstone Farms, blended by LaFrieda. The patty is over half a pound in weight, but I don't know how much of it is ribeye.
Ribeye available retail from Creekstone Farms costs only about $1.50 an ounce, but the only ribeye they sell online is not prime. The ribeye in the Black Label blend is claimed not only to be prime, but to be the same cut served as a steak at the restaurant - quite evidently prime and dry aged. If so, it's likely to be something like $2.50 an ounce at least. But now I'm speculating.
In any case, IF there were five ounces of it in the patty at $2.50 per ounce, the cost of the patty alone would be $12.50, plus the (lower) cost of flank and brisket. Add bun, fries garnish, and ingredients can't fall too far short of, say, $18 (it's serve deluxe). Then they need to cook it, pay their bills and make some money.
All I am saying is that it's not obviously over-priced. It might be if my calculations are wrong. In any case, the Brindle Room serves a dry-aged burger at about half the price: recommended.
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Brindle Room
277 E 10th St, New York, NY 10009
Need some "Dive/Neighborhood" Bar Recommendations
Day 2, Winnie's at 104 Bayard in Chinatown. Very soothing in the afternoon (karaoke at night). Chinese run bar, mixed clientele.
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Winnie's
104 Bayard St, New York, NY 10013
Best coq au vin in Manhattan
Often available as a special and it's good. Nice atmosphere too.
Best coq au vin in Manhattan
No, Le Veau d'Or is not charmingly shabby. I respect the owner for soldiering on - he's in his late eighties - but the food is not good, and you can't rely on the kitchen actually having everything that's on the menu.
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Le Veau d'Or
129 E 60th St, New York, NY 10022
Is there any really good bread out there?
I haven't had a disappointment with Pain D'Avignon yet.
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Pain D'Avignon
120 Essex St, New York, NY 10002
Boulud Sud or Tocqueville?
Promenade is a good suggestion. I think you might find Gotham a little tired.
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Gotham Bar and Grill
12 East 12th Street, New York, NY 10003
La Promenade des Anglais
461 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011
Boulud Sud or Tocqueville?
Tocqueville is smaller, quiet, more formal and has a shorter menu, essentially French/market-driven. Boulud Sud is big, buzzy, and has a long French-middle eastern menu.
As for preference, I moderately like each of them, so it would depend on the occasion and - for me - whether I wanted to be uptown or downtown.
Without checking the menus, I would think Tocqueville is more expensive too.
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Tocqueville
1 East 15th Street, New York, NY 10003
Boulud Sud
20 W 64th St, New York, NY 10023
DB Bistro Moderne review - just so-so
Yes, that's common, and the business with the steak sounds awful. But for better or worse, the cost of wines by the glass ($10-$20) is pretty normal too, and almost not bad for midtown.
Definitely best to eat here after 8.
In search of new takes on classic dishes in NYC and boroughs.
Vitello tonnato, with sweetbreads standing in for veal. I first ate it at Lincoln, but I believe Promenade des Anglais now has a version.
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La Promenade des Anglais
461 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011
Best Burgers in NYC.................
If that's an "English pub," there's no such thing as an American saloon.
Need Help Finding A Restaurant In West Village
Take a look at Mas (Farmhouse).
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Mas (Farmhouse)
39 Downing St, New York, NY 10014
