picklesister's Profile
Brooklyn venue for 50-60 person Friday night dinner?
Colonie is wonderful (and gorgeous) and seats about that many. Rucola might be a bit too small but it's lovely and quaint. Either of those spots you'd have to buy out the whole restaurant. Local 61 is a very cool space that can fit that many people, but it's mostly meats and cheeses, that's more of a party than dinner. This one's a little out of the neighborhood you mentioned, but what about Palo Santo in Park Slope? Very fun spot with reasonable prices too. Best of luck, let us know where you land!
-----
Palo Santo
652 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Colonie
127 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201
61 Local
61 Bergen St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Rucola
190 Dean St, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Alternate to Brooklyn Fare
Colonie in Brooklyn has counter seating at the open kitchen (like Brooklyn Fare) and a chef who worked at Per Se and Noma. They'll do a tasting menu for you (with wine pairings if you want) and it's WAY cheaper than any of the places you mentioned. Cool spot! Beautiful restaurant, great food.
-----
Per Se
10 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019
Apiary - tasting menus
Went recently to take advantage of their phenomenal corkage-free Monday deal. We were interested in a tasting menu - options were 5 or 8 courses - but we had a vegetarian in the group, and asked for the largest menu that the kitchen could accommodate. We were told we could do five courses - which honestly was pretty lame, one of those courses was dessert, so you're telling me that the kitchen only has four vegetarian dishes up its sleeves? In August, the height of greenmarket season? I was annoyed (and I'm not the vegetarian) but hoped the reason was because they really wanted to nail the veggie dishes. Wrong. One of the vegetarian courses was a MESCLUN SALAD!!! Are you kidding me? Just greens and dressing? What gives? And there is even a beet salad on the dinner menu, at least give the vegetarian something more interesting since it's already in the kitchen waiting to be plated! After that I was too irked to even pay attention to what my friend was eating and focused on myself. Which was... not great. First course hamachi ceviche. Mine was good but two of my dining guests said theirs were oversalted. Next up hake in a veggie stew. Veggies were carrots and other boring all-year-round veggies (in a month when I'm craving heirloom tomatoes and summer beans and beautiful market items!), the whole thing was boring and depressing. Next up, more seafood, shrimp with gnudi. ??? That's the strangest pairing ever. The gnudi was ok and the shrimp was ok but together it was a mess. Our duck main course was delicious. For dessert they asked if we wanted cheese or dessert. We said some of us wanted cheese and some of us wanted dessert. They said no, we all had to do cheese or we all had to do dessert. THAT MAKES NO SENSE!!! Basically, the deal is: Apiary is not equipped to do tasting menus. They may have some good dishes here and there, but the level of creativity and hospitality that is required to successfully deliver tasting menus is simply not in Apiary's bag of tricks.
Input for Girls Weekend Lunches (this weekend)
No budget? Sit in the garden of the Barolo in SoHo - it's going to be a beautiful weekend, the garden is gorgeous.
-----
Barolo
398 West Broadway, New York, NY 10012
Restaurants that can host 120 guest weddings, with dancing
Looking for a Manhattan or Brooklyn restaurant to buy out for our wedding reception. I'm a lazy bride here and I can't deal with the table rentals, caterers, cater-waiters, decorations, and all related hassle of raw event spaces, so I'm looking for a restaurant so everything's built-in. I'd love a hint of outdoor space as well. Close to booking Public (they throw kickass weddings, I've been to several and they rocked) but looking for last minute suggestions. Many places don't allow dancing (Frankies Spuntino) or have noise restrictions and out-by times due to neighbors. Aurora Williamsburg for example was lovely and beautiful but they literally push the tables and chairs against the wall for dancing - that would just feel like dancing in a closed restaurant. Anyone know of a restaurant that does rockin' weddings?
Restaurants that can host a 120 guest wedding, with dancing
Looking for a Manhattan or Brooklyn restaurant to buy out for our wedding reception. I'm a lazy bride here and I can't deal with the table rentals, caterers, cater-waiters, decorations, and all related hassle of raw event spaces, so I'm looking for a restaurant so everything's built-in. I'd love a hint of outdoor space as well. Close to booking Public (they throw kickass weddings, I've been to several and they rocked) but looking for last minute suggestions. Many places don't allow dancing (Frankies Spuntino) or have noise restrictions and out-by times due to neighbors. Aurora Williamsburg for example was lovely and beautiful but they literally push the tables and chairs against the wall for dancing - that would just feel like dancing in a closed restaurant. Anyone know of a restaurant that does rockin' weddings?
First Date, East Village, Degustation?
Hands down - Lavagna!
Not "out there" menu but totally solid, always delicious, definitely romantic but neighborhood-y and casual enough to not feel outwardly romantic. My favorite neighborhood date night place with my man.
Just a note on some previous suggestions: Cucina di Pesce's quality of ingredients is piss poor, although it's a cute place. And Terroir is AWESOME!!! but so tight and crowded that I think it 's tough if you're going out with someone for the first time.
And I agree with everyone who says to keep it chill for a first date. Tasting menu? No no no no no... That's more anniversary stuff.
-----
Lavagna
545 E. 5th St., New York, NY 10009
Cucina di Pesce
87 E 4th St, New York, NY 10003
Terroir
413 E 12th St, New York, NY 10009
Mi Nidito on 8th Avenue any good?
ExFlexitarian is spot on! Try to branch out of midtown for more interesting, creative, quality dining experiences. Centrico has always felt very corporate midtown-y to me (despite Tribeca location) but I can't agree more with Barrio Chino and Mercadito. Quirky and memorable, both of them.
One place near your hotel that I truly love is Caselulla, a wine and cheese bar with a small but fantastic menu, and open til 2am every night, can't recommend it highly enough.
-----
Barrio Chino
253 Broome St, New York, NY 10002
Centrico
211 West Broadway, New York, NY 10013
Best inexpensive restaurants in Manhattan
Try Motorino in the East Village for great pizza (actually expensive for pizza, but still in the realm of cheap eats). 'inoteca on Rivington on the LES is a total neighborhood favorite, seasonal Italian panino and wine bar, gently priced and great vibe. Mercadito (on Avenue B in the East Village), for great Mexican (they have a West Village location too but I prefer the East Village spot). Casellula is a jewel in midtown, lovely little wine and cheese bar with affordable, thoughtful, delicious food. Corner Bistro on West 4th St in the West Village for great burgers. Always my favorite: Sakagura, really cool Japanese spot in the basement of an office building, serves up Japanese small plates (not sushi) and has an amazing sake list. Ippudo on 4th Ave is great for ramen if you're into that sort of thing, but quite hard to get into, always a long wait. Tons of great cheap and legit dim sum places in Chinatown, I'm no expert on that as I rarely go out for dim sum but do a Chowhound search and you'll get a lot of solid recommendations.
Best coffee house to study with WiFi in the East Village/LES?
The Bean is the worst.
Try Arlo and Esme on 1st St between 1st Ave and 2nd Ave. I doubt the coffee's any good, but it's sunny, pretty, and the wifi's free. Every time I walk by, nobody seems to be in there (which is why I bet the coffee's no bueno). Yet every time I pass I think: if I worked from coffee shops, this would be my home base. Quite charming.
Al Di La... Overrated?
Go for the pastas, they are great. Everything else is completely disappointing. Fish, salads, sides - not worth it. Pasta worth it.
In Manhattan for half a day...any great pizza...
Nobody's mentioned John's Pizzeria!!??
CoconutMilk, New York has been in the midst of a pizza revolution in the last few years, with a growth of excellent traditional Neopolitan pizzerias (Motorino, Keste) and newer spots with a local, eco, fresher perspective (Franny's, Roberta's). But you're in New York for a hald a day - kick it old school!!!
John's Pizzeria in the West Village is a fantastic NYC pizza institution. You're a skip away from two newer midtown locations - one on 408 East 64th Street and another on 260 West 44th Street. Full disclosure, I haven't been to the newer locations, but the original is excellent, and I hear the newer spots are up to snuff.
Totonno's on 2nd Avenue is a good bet too.
Honestly, if I had a half a day to sample pizza, and if I HAD to stay in Manhattan, I'd head down to Bleecker St (take the F train to 4th St), have half a meal at Keste and half a meal at John's. Take leftovers to-go and give it to a friendly homeless dude.
-----
John's Pizzeria
260 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036
Totonno's
1544 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10028
EMP question…
They know exactly how long the menu takes, which is why they take reservations until 10pm, as opposed to 11:30pm which is standard for most NYC restaurants. I ordered the menu once starting at 11:30am (yes AM!) with friends who took a morning flight JUST to eat lunch at EMP. We were the first ones in the restaurant and the last ones to leave - at nearly 4pm! They will give you top-notch service start to finish. If they don't, call Danny Meyer.
Relax and enjoy!
Dinner tonight along the PATH line in Manhattan?
Cafe Asean is cheap, cute Pan-Asian a few blocks from the 9th Street Path Station. You'll love it.
-----
Cafe Asean
117 W 10th St, New York, NY 10011
Classic Cocktail Bar/Lounge...
Brandy Library is totally chill. Granted I've usually been on Thursday nights, but I've never seen it packed, and Tribeca empties out for summer weekends so you'll be fine. They have never rushed me out, I often spend 45 minutes nursing a Chartreuse and they are always cool about it. They stay open til 2am I think, but it's worth calling ahead with the reservations/last call questions.
Also try Pegu Club.
-----
Pegu Club
77 W Houston St, New York, NY 10012
Brandy Library
25 N Moore St, New York, NY 10013
Best Manhattan Fish Shack Suggestions
Ditch Plains is almost exactly what you're looking for.
Also check out Bondi Road. But I think Ditch Plains is your place.
-----
Bondi Road
153 Rivington St, New York, NY 10002
Ditch Plains
29 Bedford St, New York, NY 10014
VISITOR FROM OZ
Momofuko Ssam Bar (casual Korean by the city's hottest chef David Chang)
Sakagura (hidden sake bar with great Japanese small plates)
Blue Hill (insanely delicious all locally grown and raised food, though not an exciting buzzy vibe)
Casa Mono (great tapas bar courtesy of Mario Batali)
Blue Ribbon (THE place to go for oysters and Champagne, open til 4am, the later you go the cooler it is)
-----
Casa Mono
52 Irving Place, New York, NY 10003
Blue Hill
75 Washington Place, New York, NY 10011
Sakagura
211 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017
Looking for cozy italian or tapas bar
Not Anfora! The acoustics are terrible, it's not cozy at all. We tried to go, walked in, walked right out, we couldn't imagine sitting there for one drink let alone a few hours.
Il Posto Accanto was a spot on recommendation. Also check out Casellula, delicious cheese-focused wine bar in midtown. You might like Grape and Grain, 'inoteca, and
Bar Henry as well.
-----
Casellula
401 W 52nd St, New York, NY 10019
Grape and Grain
620 E 6th St, New York, NY 10009
Il Posto Accanto
190 E 2nd St, New York, NY 10009
'inoteca
323 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10010
Bar Henry
90 W Houston St, New York, NY 10012
Anfora
34 8th Ave, New York, NY 10014
Best Sidewalk Tables
Belcourt is perfect, that was a great recommendation. Cafe Charbon also has amazing people watching, it's right in the heart of the Lower East Side (corner of Stanton and Orchard), but the food is only ok. Extra Virgin in the West Village (W 4th St) has a small sidewalk seating area, and tons of celebs live in the neighborhood so that's a great spot, lots of fashionable Euro-tourists around too.
-----
Belcourt
84 East 4th Street, New York, NY 10003
Extra Virgin
259 W 4th St, New York, NY 10014
Late Night Cafes/Places to Write after Midnight
Veselka in the East Village (2nd Ave and 9th St) is 24 hours and has good light. It's a Ukranian diner, a neighborhood classic. I used to go there to study late at night when I was taking classes. Not sure about the wifi situation...
-----
Veselka
144 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003
Help me decide between Milos or Pylos!
Never been to Milos but Pylos is LOVELY! Very interesting menu, not just the standard Greek fare. Very small and cozy, quite affordable, very sweet staff, highly recommended!
-----
Pylos
128 E 7th St, New York, NY 10009
Spotted Pig
If you'd asked for a glass of red wine, and they'd charged you $17 for the glass they gave you when there were other (cheaper) glasses available, that's wrong.
But you asked for a Cab, which implies Cabernet Sauvignon. You asked, they gave it to you, they charged you for it. Their Cab costs $17. You could have easily asked for a wine list and chosen a cheaper glass of wine. But when one asks for a Cabernet, they want a Cabernet; just as when one asks for a burger, they want a burger. If you merely wanted a full bodied glass of cheaper red wine, you should have asked; I am sure they would have brought you one.
40th birthday party for a fun hip chick....private room needed!
Try the private room at Mercat in Noho. It will fit your budget, really good tapas, great wine choices, very trendy, sophisticated, fun but not cheesy vibe.
-----
Mercat
45 Bond Street, New York, NY 10012
5 day trip to NYC for 30th Birthday - Breakfast suggestions wanted..
NOT in the area, but Pulino's just opened on the corner of Bowery and Houston -- I mention it because it's the same owner as Balthazar, which you mentioned, and also in the same neighborhood -- and the breakfast is fantastic. It's adjacent to some of the city's best shopping, and a block from the New Museum, so I'm sure you will find it convenient once you get there. Egg pizza - what better way to start the morning!
-----
Pulino's
282 Bowery, New York, NY 10012
Review this San Francisco Hound's List!
Looks like you're well on your way to a great weekend. Your choices are pretty much fail-safe, keeping in mind a few things:
- Breslin is brand-spankin'-new and therefore (a) uneven and (b) tough to get into.
- Most of these restaurants, particularly Casa Mono, Degustation and Lupa, get credit for "cheap eats" but are actually quite expensive by the time the bill comes.
- Your Brooklyn choices are spot-on. Franny's is solid. DiFara's is amazing - really out of the way but worth the trip. Al di La is also worth a try for great pasta. Roberta's is wonderful if you want to brave that trek as well (scratch Franny's for Roberta's if you're willing to brave the out-of-the-way neighborhood - food is equal but vibe/space is cooler at Roberta's).
- Prune is crazy-popular for brunch and very good. If you can't stand the wait (it's long) try the equally awesome but underrated Belcourt around the corner (4th St and 2nd Ave).
- Don't forget Shake Shack for amazing, cheap-as-anything burgers. Bring a magazine for the line.
-----
Lupa
170 Thompson Street, New York, NY 10012
Casa Mono
52 Irving Place, New York, NY 10003
Shake Shack
Madison Ave and E 23rd St, New York, NY 10010
Belcourt
84 East 4th Street, New York, NY 10003
The Breslin
20 W 29th St, New York, NY 10001
Where to go for a light lunch in the East Village...?
Pylos is perfect! Excellent Greek food in a lovely setting. 7th St near Avenue A.
Also Belcourt, Mediterranean bistro on a sunny corner of 4th St and 2nd Ave. Very sweet service.
West Village Favorites?
Malatesta is cheap and a lovely neighborhood spot, but the food is only ok. Ingredients are not the best and not reliably fresh.
You will love L'Artusi, great Italian at a reasonable price with a great wine list.
Extra Virgin is also a wonderful French/Italian/Mediterranean bistro stand-by. I've never been for brunch, though I hear it's very good. The dinner is energetic and delicious.
Pearl Oyster Bar and Mary's Fish Camp are fantastic in the seafood department.
Little Owl is ok but overrated and good luck getting in.
The outdoor garden at August is a must in the summertime - well-executed French country standards under the stars - aaaah!
Grey Dog's is the best bet for cheap and awesome (albeit very collegiate) lunch and brunch.
Don't forget Keste for pizza!
What to Eat near Affinia 50
7 blocks south, on E 43rd between 2nd and 3rd Ave, are two amazing Japanese options. Sushi Yasuda has some of the most amazing sushi in the city. Sit at the bar and order the omakase. Sakagura is a fantastic sake bar hidden in the basement of an unassuming office building. Great menu of small plates, mostly cooked (sushi is available but not the reason to some here).
For some good, home style Mexican, try Zarela on 2nd Ave between 50th and 51st. For equally delicious but more restaurant-style Mexican, there's Rosa Mexicana on 1st Ave and 58th St.
Casa Lever on Park and 53rd is a good business-y power lunch spot.
Are there Restaurant Week themes?
Restaurants participating in Restaurant Week are VERY busy, and terrines can be prepared ahead of time and plated fairly quickly and easily. I don't think it's about value, I think it's to help ease the pressure on the kitchen.
Any fine dining restaurants that open till late?
Whoa! I was excited to respond to this, but man did Kathryn represent! Her list is pretty incusive. My only addition is Casellula (open til 2am every night). Otherwise great job Kathryn.
And by the way, always call to check hours ahead of time. Many restaurants open with the grand idea of being open late rah-rah-rah, then they get bored and tired after a few months and start closing at 11pm like every other place in town.
