progressivenewamerican's Profile
Asian grocery store near uws/morningside heights?
m2m on 114th and broadway has a decent (well priced) selection toward the back of the store.
wedding cakes
what do you consider expensive? I highly recommend duane street patisserie (where I got my wedding cake). Amazingly delicious but also we worked around what sort of cake I would want in terms of looks etc.
Chinese - NYU Area
sammy's on 6th ave and 11th street is reliable, nothing special but good.
Still searching for rehearsal/welcome dinner space.
I had an amazingly well priced brunch at 5 9th for my wedding. You can pick basically three things per course out of their regular menu plus they have a beautiful upstairs for large parties.
Best affordable restos with ambiance in West Village
the new french is a great little place. The food is simple but interesting (and really well priced). They have a daily red and white wine special that is always an amazing deal
Where to buy oysters un-shucked
at the citarella at 125th, the oysters are more like $13 a dozen. Shucking is not hard once you buy a shucking knife.
Table Settings – Does this bug anyone else?
really because I just thought I was a stupid american...not an ugly one.
Met Opera - Do they serve cake?
do you mean a gala or intermission? at a gala there is a dinner set (with dessert) that is "free" if you buy the gala tickets.
Table Settings – Does this bug anyone else?
oh my god, who cares? as long as the food tastes good I could really care less whether my water glass was properly aligned or my napkin folded properly.
24 Hour Restaurant in Manhattan
waverly diner on 6th ave and waverly is a particularly good one.
Do you think it's strange when a restaurant...
no. it's common even at less than upscale places.
Communal Dining
Personally, I adore communal tables (you don't need to talk to people around you it's just a more laid back vibe while you're eating (without sacrificing elegance and decor, usually, b/c they tend to be very well designed) ). Avec restaurant in Chicago is possibly the best of the best in this regard. It's a beautiful, tiny room and honestly there was no other way to make it work.
But I'm curious, what is about communal dining that it seems that most here do not like?
Our 10th Anniversary in September: Not OIBLTIBS
You seem to be talking about several very, very different restaurants. I happen to live in the same building as Terrace in the Sky--to be honest it's more of a tacky bar mitzvah place in my opinion w/ expensive, not so impressive food--I've had to go there for university sponsored events. If you want the dining w/ a view with better (but still not amazing food) I would go w/ The river Cafe. However, Jean-Georges would probably be the best of the bunch (or Chanterelle which is great as well but a little more traditional if that is more your taste) w/ a beautiful ambiance and truly one of a kind food. It would definitely be a change of pace from being home with the kids.
In the same line, you might want to look up 11 madison park (again a beautiful space, very elegant and top notch food). Or maybe Gramercy Tavern (again more traditional, new american but again great elegant, if at little more casual ambiance). But if you want to get into these places in mid-september you should probably make a reservation soon (starting one month in advance) b/c the prime dinner times (depending on the day of the week, obviously a weekend will be much harder) will book up fast (though at least it's only 2 people).
Please Help a Tourist
If you mean soft pretzels as opposed to dutch (hard, dark) pretzels, then yes, the street vendors are the way to go. Don't miss getting the mustard.
Disappointed at Da Andrea
a tri colore salad has radicchio, endive, and romaine. Tomato, mozzarella, basil is a caprese salad.
Under $20 Entrees in Union Square for Dinner
i would just go to republic. It's cheap and satisfying if not "authentic" or "amazing" food. Plus the space even after all these years is great.
Food and Art: mix and match?
MOMA has a great cafe (and the restaurant attached, the Modern Bar room w/ several walk-in tables is actually an exceptional restaurant). I'd steer clear of the food at the MET however, it will be overpriced and not worth it--however the area surrounding it is not exactly brimming with amazing options either. Chelsea though you're in much better luck. Tia pol is at 10th and 22nd for reliable tapas and there's chelsea market at 9th ave and 15th that has a wide array of lunch options (the food from the italian store is especially good)
UWS casual restaurant for me & sophisticated 19-YO bro?
Honestly, there's a 95% chance that no one says anything about him being under 21 but it's not a bad idea to hedge your bets. You might want to go a BYOB restaurant--there are a bunch of good and very laid back places. On the upper west side you could try A on columbus and 107th and downtown you have Kuma Inn (asian tapas), Cube 63 (sushi), and tartine (french bistro and a beautiful place to sit) (which are alll better but of course farther away--all except tartine take reservations).
Went to Falai this weekend. I don't get it.
I find the food there delicious (if not huge portions..the pastas are a great deal) and honestly the white decor for me is one of its greatest selling points. To each his own.
HELP - Kuma Inn or Bread Bar at Tabla TOMORROW
They are two very different restaurants. Kuma Inn is in my opinion great--they always have 4 or 5 specials (all small plates so it makes a big difference) that are usually even better than the already good food. But it is much more of a--dare I say it--hipster, lower east side crowd than the bread bar at tabla (I love danny meyer but personally I'm just not crazy about Tabla etc but I think it is still very good food).
Little Italy
I agree, go elsewhere for italian food. It's now just a one block tourist trap (although you can get great chinese nearby).
La Houppa or Brio for business lunch?
So why does he want to eat Italian food? Of course RGR was joking but it is kinda good point. Besides, I agree Aquavit is a fantastic restaurant with an elegance space (and the lunch in the cafe is a steal). The arctic circle dessert is amazing.
Falai or Babbo?
Falai is in my opinion a much better restaurant than Babbo. The foie appetizer is amazing (split is with a few others b/c it's huge..the deep-fried one was the best in my opinion) and the pastas have a delicacy that you rarely get in New York. Babbo (although I still love Batali mostly due to his appearances on No Reservations w/ bourdain) is really over-rated--the portions are way to large and the pasta is just not much better than just making fresh pasta at home. You'll get great service and also a beautiful place to sit and eat at Falai (they also have a pretty garden in the back during the summer).
CUSTOM BiiRTHDAY CAKE
Duane Park Patisserie can make amazing cakes like that. I once was at a birthday where they created an oscar the grouch cake. The cake was the entire trash can and oscar coming out the top. Plus on top of that, the cakes are delicious!
Ginger Man
I personally liked the burger but they do have some fantastic food at Resto--the lamb ribs, the deviled eggs and a wide array of different moules frites dishes.
8 year old girl's birthday dinner
maybe something like Congee Village for both unusual and usual chinese food?
Eating without the din near Columbia University?
I meant, really downtown (the food gets better around the 20s, although there are a few good places in hells kitchen). In particular, Casaluella is a great seasonal/cheese-centric small plates place with a nice atmosphere, it can be quiet or loud depending on when you go. Because there are a lot of businesses near there,it's loud after work but come like 9pm it's quiets down.
BYOB tonight - Kuma Inn/Cube 63?
You can make reservations at both. I know that at 8pm there would be about an hour wait at Kuma Inn normally but I'm not sure at 9:30ish. Also, while Cube 63 is great for quality affordable sushi, Kuma Inn has some really outstanding dishes.
Eating without the din near Columbia University?
Go to Citarella on 125th, for almost any quality product it's the best in the neighborhood. Great fresh seafood, meat, produce and lots of little things that you probably can't get elsewhere uptown. Fairway is good for stocking up on basics (and if you want to cook for large dinner parties etc).
In general, I would suggest venturing further south for what you're looking for as far as "bistro" etc food is concerned. Honestly, with a few exceptions of "lunch" or "casual" places there really isn't much. However, between Citarella and fairway you can cook at home very well and for a good price.
