Thanks so much! Can't believe I missed that.

We're heading to NY next weekend (July 27) and have reservations at WD-50 for Friday night. For Saturday, I'm trying to decide between the two Fatty Cue locations. We're staying on the LES, so could get to either. Any thoughts? Also, any really fantastic LES restaurants or bars that we shouldn't miss?

Thanks so much to you both for these very helpful comparisons!

I'd be interested in hearing a head-to-head comparison from those who know both well in terms of overall quality, service, and atmosphere. Both look great based on the web sites and generally positive comments on this board. Thanks so much for any thoughts!

I'll be in Rome next Monday around lunchtime, having flown in that morning, and heading to Florence on the new high-speed train. Are there any recommendations for a good lunch near the Tiburtina station? Many thanks!!

Just wanted to thank you all for the reviews -- hit the Gibson, Columbia Room (scored a last-minute reservation), and Jaleo this past weekend. I lived in DC for seven years but wasn't into the cocktail scene at the time, so your thoughts were tremendously helpful. Columbia Room was SUBLIME -- I did the tasting menu and they had me at the very first cocktail, a blend of Calvados, rum, and brandy with apple cider and lemon sugar. My friend, normally an abstemious sort who sticks strictly to wine (if anything) had two cocktails! Wonderful drinks at the Gibson and Jaleo (that recommendation for the gin/Fever Tree tonic cocktail was right on the mark) as well. But Columbia Room was my favorite -- the combination of the serene setting, knowledgeable but not pretentious bartenders, and truly stellar drinks was a winner. Better than any experience I've had in NYC.

We'll be in Penn Station en route to Fire Island late in the afternoon tomorrow, hoping for an early dinner around 5 pm. We were thinking of Cho Dang Gol -- does anyone have alternative recommendations? Thanks so much in advance for your thoughts!

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Cho Dang Gol
55 W 35th St, New York, NY 10001

I totally concur in the recommendation of the Oyster Bar -- also has a nice list of wines by the glass.

For one of your lunches, I would suggest either Zabb Elee (East Village, totally fabulous Thai food) or Legend (Chelsea, amazing Sichuan). I heartily second Kathryn's endorsement of Russ & Daughters (try the German rollmop) and Motorino in the East Village. Also, if you are interested in wine bars, you might try Terroir or Ballaro in the East Village, both of which have good happy hour specials (B's lasts until 8 pm on Sundays).

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Russ & Daughters
179 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002

Ballaro
77 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Terroir
413 E 12th St, New York, NY 10009

Motorino
349 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003

Legend
88 7th Ave, New York, NY 10011

Zabb Elee
75 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Wonderful -- thanks so much. I will keep this information in reserve for our next visit. And thanks for the feedback on Porchetta.

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Porchetta
110 E 7th St, New York, NY 10009

Thanks, Kathryn! We only had time for a short visit to the High Line yesterday, so I'm hoping we'll be able to do more of an extended tour (weather permitting) when we return, and I'm glad to hear that the ice pops are an additional inducement.

Re aquavit, I will have to try Vandaag. I'm by no means a connoisseur, but was intrigued when I saw White Slab Palace was so close to my apartment -- unfortunately unavailing.

For porchetta, in addition to the places you mentioned, what do you think of Porchetta itself?

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Porchetta
110 E 7th St, New York, NY 10009

White Slab Palace
77 Delancey St, New York, NY 10002

Vandaag
103 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

On to Sunday: We began the day with espresso from Roasting Plant, just down the street from our apartment. I liked the concept of the place, but I thought the espresso was good, not great. We headed to Buttermilk Channel in Brooklyn, and had a fantastic brunch: standouts were the pecan French toast and maple-bacon roasted almonds, with (of course) a side of bacon. Were I to return, I wouldn't change a thing. From there, we went to Atlantic Ave and had Middle Eastern sweets (coconut-stuffed dates were my favorite) and pork dumplings from the Rickshaw Dumpling Bar, which were miraculously light and flavorful.

Back in Manhattan, we trudged through the heat to Momofuku Ssam Bar. This lunch, though good, was one of the two disappointing experiences of the trip. Although it was solid in every category, I ultimately found myself unmoved by the flavors, which may just be an aesthetic idiosyncrasy: we ordered spicy honeycomb tripe that seemed oddly lacking in spice, and had a crispy pork bun that my husband thought was the equivalent of a Big Mac. We most enjoyed the pickled vegetables and the introduction to Bruce Cost unfiltered ginger ale. Afterwards, we couldn't resist stopping by Milk Bar for a compost cookie: again, while it was perfectly lovely (chewy, chocolaty), I wasn't blown away.

Needing a respite from the heat, we sought air conditioning and reorganized our original evening plan, which had been to have dinner at Craft. We decided instead to go to Death & Co and Mayahuel, then to have appetizers at Zabb Elee and end at Motorino. Unsurprisingly, the evening took a slightly different direction.

We arrived at D&C precisely at 6 pm, having been warned by other threads about the perils of showing up late -- only to hear that they weren't open yet. So we walked around and found ourselves right outside Crif Dogs, behind a party that was obviously going into PDT, and I thought, "Why not?" Although we didn't have a reservation and had to wait for a while in the phone booth (couldn't decide if this was hilarious or annoying), we were seated relatively quickly at the bar. I then had what was my best drink of the weekend: the Benton's Old-Fashioned, with bacon-infused 4 Roses bourbon, maple syrup, and angostura bitters. (Kathryn, thanks immeasurably to you for pointing out that PDT is the only place that offers bacon-infused bourbon in the city!) I was astounded by the mastery of pacing in the flavor -- the bacon surfaced only at the very end of each sip, and then only as a polished, smoky essence of bacon, not a literal marriage of bacon and bourbon. Truly revelatory.

After PDT, we returned to Death & Co, where I had the Bergen Street: Krogstad aquavit, Plymouth Gin, fresh lime juice, housemade vanilla syrup, Galliano L'Autentico, Vieux Pontarlier absinthe. I was impressed that the absinthe flavor didn't dominate the cocktail -- particularly since I'm not a fan of anise -- and I generally enjoyed the combination of so many flavors, but having just been overcome by PDT's disarmingly (and deceptively) simple cocktail, I wasn't quite ready for another epiphany.

By then, I was ready to eat again, so we went to Zabb Elee. The hostess said with precision that a table would be ready for us in 15 minutes. We had seen an Italian bar/restaurant (Ballaro) next door and I noticed that the happy-hour special included both arneis and trebbiano, so we adjourned there for our wait. We chatted with the (very friendly) Italian bartender and enjoyed our wine (Arneis '08 (Piemonte), Trebbiano d'Abruzzo '08 Trebi (Abruzzo)) very much, so we would definitely love a chance to get to know the wine list better. The happy hour specials (all wines by the glass for $6 between 6 and 8 pm) struck us as very generous, given the wines on the list.

We then returned to Zabb Elee. This was one of the most unexpected experiences of the weekend: from previous threads, I was ready for a wonderful meal, but I was not prepared for such exquisite spices and flavor. We had larb ped and som tum kortmuar (papaya, rice noodle, pickled cabbage, pork sausage, crispy fish, Thai eggplant, tomato), and were rendered speechless. I'm counting the days until we return.

We ended our evening at Motorino on 12th Street. Following Kathryn's recommendation, we had the spicy soppressata pizza -- divine! -- and my husband had a glass of red wine (La Spinetta, Il Colorino di Casanova '05 Pisa) that was the best of the weekend.

Lastly, Monday: We had breakfast at a cheerful window table at Clinton St. Baking Company, where I couldn't resist the signature pancakes with chocolate chunks and maple butter. I'm sure paeans have already been written to the pancakes and the maple butter, but I have to say I experienced a moment of real cognitive dissonance when the server assured me the maple butter was just that -- maple syrup and butter -- as I was deeply convinced that pecans or walnuts must have been added to make the flavor even richer and nuttier.

Our final meal of the weekend was at Legend Bar in Chelsea, where we had gone to see the High Line. I was concerned that the recent NYT review would mean that we would be greeted by hordes of fellow patrons, but the restaurant was all but empty at noon and we were able to feast on cold tofu with scallions, dry spicy dried chicken with garlic and chili, and bacon with leeks.

On the way back to the apartment before packing up for our departure, we stopped at Babycakes and picked up a gluten-free mini chocolate cupcake and a spelt-flour chocolate cupcake. These constituted the other disappointment of the trip: I've done a lot of flourless baking and I expected a depth and richness of flavor that just wasn't there.

So -- that's it! We will be returning to NYC in two weeks for a day (Saturday) between trips to Fire Island and upstate NYC. Our current plan is to try Company, since my husband is a devotee of Jim Lahey's bread recipes -- any thoughts? We're also thinking of going to Fatty 'Cue, since we had originally wanted to go there on Sunday and just couldn't do it.

Again, thanks so much to you all for your invaluable advice!

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Babycakes
248 Broome St, New York, NY 10002

Roasting Plant
81 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002

Ballaro
77 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Rickshaw Dumpling Bar
61 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10010

Crif Dogs
113 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10009

Death & Co.
433 E 6th St, New York, NY 10009

Mayahuel
304 E 6th St, New York, NY 10003

Clinton Street Baking Co.
4 Clinton St, New York, NY 10002

Motorino
349 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003

Legend
88 7th Ave, New York, NY 10011

Zabb Elee
75 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Fatty 'Cue
50 Carmine St, New York, NY 10014

Many, many thanks to you all for taking the time to offer such wonderful and comprehensive advice! Here's what we ended up doing -- I'll submit in segments to avoid overly long posts:

Saturday: We arrived in the LSE around 11:30 and went straight to Russ & Daughters, where we had belly lox on a mini everything bagel and a German style rollmop -- pickled herring rolled around onion. All fabulous. We were duly warned that the belly lox was extremely salty but I thought it was perfect. I also appreciated the option for a mini-bagel (looked quite substantial to me!) given the days of eating that awaited us.

Next, we stopped by Laboratorio del Gelato on Orchard Street on the way to the Tenement Museum and had dark chocolate cinnamon gelato: intense and not overly sweet.

Following a fantastic museum tour, my husband napped and I roamed toward the East Village. I encountered a People's Pops stand and tried a rhubarb-jasmine ice pop. At first, it didn't taste like anything much, but as soon as it warmed up and I was able to get to the rhubarb chunks, it felt like summer on a stick. Unfortunately, it then immediately became a sopping mess -- of course, at precisely the point in the East Village where there are no public trash cans. Not a huge problem, though. ;)

Next, I happened to see Quartino on Bleecker Street, where I stopped by for a much-needed bottle (or four) of water and a refreshing prosecco with pomegranate juice. I loved the bar area, which managed to be open to the outdoors while remaining cool (quite a feat on that sweltering day), and glimpsed an alluring garden area where I returned with my husband on Sunday -- not as great an experience in the summer, as it turned out to be more of a greenhouse than a garden. We also found ourselves disappointed with our vermentino -- I'm usually such a foe of overchilling that, if anything, I prefer white wine to be brought out closer to room temperature, but this time, I found it tepid and, unusually for that Italian white, it lacked any depth.

After another interlude back at our apartment to cool down, we ventured out for the evening. We started with drinks at Terroir, where we had a delectable anchovy-and-white-onion appetizer, free (before 6!) sherry, and an intriguing Lebanese red wine (Musar Jeune, Chateau Musar, 2009). The staff members were extremely helpful and made us a list of several places to visit that are off the map. Then, it was on to Kanoyama, where we sampled a few specials of the day: isaki, sock-eye salmon, katsuo, katsugodai, madai. I had decided to keep the dinner reservation at Degustation, so we couldn't eat much at Kanoyama, but what we did try convinced me that we need to return: the fish was butter-soft and virtually melted in our mouths.

After that, it was time for Degustation, where we had the five-course tasting menu. Although some people might find the setting contrived, I was mesmerized by the chefs and loved the chance to see them at work. My husband and I thought the meal was perfect, and especially liked the ajo soup with garlic, coconut water, and cherries, as well as the sturgeon with broth -- everything was exquisitely prepared and presented, and the flavors really shone through. After our exchange here online, I was startled to see Wesley Genovart's name as the chef still on the menu; when I inquired about this, I was told (in a tone of voice that discouraged further questioning) that he remains the executive chef.

After dinner, we stopped by Ten Bells (one of the recommendations from Terroir) and had an interesting muscadet, on our way to Milk & Honey, where we had a midnight reservation. As countless others have surely found, we were flummoxed by the inconspicuous entrance and walked right by, only to be redirected by friendly patrons who said airily, "Push the left-hand buzzer, not the right -- that's how they get you!" Once inside, we had a bit of a wait as we were early, but were then seated at a booth in the back. I have to say, for sheer atmosphere, I llked M&H better than PDT or Death & Co -- the music was well-chosen but unobtrusive, the servers were appropriately solicitous, and there was enough light and space to concentrate on the drinks and the conversation. After explaining my likes and dislikes to our server, I received a gin, ginger, and lime concoction garnished with candied ginger -- bracing, sweet, strong, and spicy, all at once. Absolutely loved it.

The night ended for me at 'inoteca, where I requested a grappa cocktail and a porchetta sandwich. Alas, the bar lacked a critical ingredient (a reprise of my experience earlier in the evening when I stopped by White Slab Palace in search of aquavit, only to find that they were out of ALL TYPES -- this was inconceivable to me), but the bartender very kindly gave me a free glass of miele grappa, neat, which was quite fine with me. I had high hopes for the porchetta sandwich, but found the porchetta rubbery and tasteless.

Next: brunch in Brooklyn, Sunday night bar crawl!

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Russ & Daughters
179 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002

Degustation
239 E 5th St, New York, NY 10003

Kanoyama
175 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

'inoteca
98 Rivington St, New York, NY 10002

Please Don't Tell
113 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10009

Quartino
11 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10012

Terroir
413 E 12th St, New York, NY 10009

Death & Co.
433 E 6th St, New York, NY 10009

The Ten Bells
247 Broome St, New York, NY 10002

Milk and Honey
134 Eldridge St, New York, NY 10002

White Slab Palace
77 Delancey St, New York, NY 10002

Il Laboratorio del Gelato
95 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002

People's Pops
118 1st Ave, New York, NY 10009

Thanks! Also, since you had commented earlier re: degustation: have you been there since the change in chef?

Yet another question: trying to decide between Yasuda and Kanoyama for sushi -- any thoughts, esp since Chef Yasuda has moved on? I've read the other threads passionately espousing the virtues/evils of Yasuda, so would be interested in your thoughts as well. Many thanks!

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Sushi Yasuda
204 E 43rd St, New York, NY 10017

Kanoyama
175 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Would love to know more about it -- I did make a reservation at Degustation but don't want to expend the precious dinner slot if folks here think it's not worth the risk of a new chef.

Many thanks for the tips on all fronts! This is invaluable advice.

Thanks so much to everyone for the responses. Kathryn, for sushi, $60 per person for just food -- both maki rolls and nigiri sushi would be great.

What do you all think of Degustation? Too contrived?

This is amazing! I'm enormously indebted. Many apologies for not providing fundamental information on budget et al in my original post. I'm willing to spend $80 per person (not including drinks) for one great meal, but will need to economize on the other meals. I just made a reservation at Craft for Sunday evening, but if you were to choose between Craft, Babbo, and Scarpetta, which way would you go?

For sushi, I'd love to spend between $40 and $60 per person. For Mexican, it's more like $30-40, and I'm not looking for anything in particular -- we're so deprived that any authentic and good Mexican experience would be welcome. Same with Thai, and we routinely enjoy very spicy food. Re wine bars, do you have any preferences?

Thanks so much again for your thoughts, which are incredibly helpful!

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Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011

Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014

My husband and I are traveling to NYC this weekend from the Cleveland area -- he's from CT, so we've been to NYC several times in the last few years, but this is the first two-day period when we should be able to dedicate ourselves singlemindedly to eating. I have been a frequent visitor to the Chowhound boards, but to make sure I'm getting the latest information, I would love your recommendations for the following. We will likely be based in Manhattan, but can travel to Brooklyn.

Best sushi
Best Mexican food
Best food cart
Best Thai food
Best bar vis-a-vis cocktail and wine selection
Best Italian

Also, unrelated to the above: what do you all think of Prune and Craft?

If there are any places that you think absolutely can't be missed that don't fall into the above categories, I'd be grateful if you'd weigh in with those picks as well.

Thanks so much for your thoughts!!