/

sam1's Profile

help! unidentified Tribeca tiny restaurant

its gotten so packed that its very uncomfortable for a drink these days. go early or late.

food is passable...don't go for food though.

Birthday party bar in West Village/Chelsea/nearby?

i havent been in a year but entwine on washington is a good idea for this. they have a nice backyard garden, decent drink list...nice spot...

Minetta Tavern - Photography Now Banned

thank you.

Lte dinner Soho area

not a bunch of stuff near your hotel. you ought to walk north about 10 blocks to tribeca. late night, i love walkers for solid bar/grill food with a great crowd. if you like wine, i love terroir in tribeca for their small plates.

London 'Hound seeking list refinement, advice and tips (bit long)

some answers to your questions (in order):

-memorial day tends to find the city a bit emptier than usual. even with tourists coming into the city, you generally see the streets a bit emptier with locals getting out of town. restaurants arent significantly quieter but its slightly easier to find a table...slightly.

-russ and daughters doesnt have any seating so i would occasionally pick up something for my apartment or some appetizing stuff for a family dinner. the bagels are not great but they're not horrible either. in my opinion, its a cute place to check out but id rather eat at second ave deli where i can sit down and enjoy my meal.

-redhead is fine...i suppose you dont have good southern/comfort food in london and its close but its not a destination restaurant. some other options in the east village: ippudo (amazing ramen...super packed but not late at night), masak (indonesian on 12th street), or perhaps motorino for pizza.

-im not a fan of momofuku ssam...just horribly overrated. that being said, i LOVE their duck lunch...particularly the duck over rice. id only consider going to ssam bar for that. i recommend all of your party get the same thing.

-clinton st baking company seems like a disaster these days. their pancakes are great but i couldnt wait on that line. i love prune for weekday lunch (great price, great crowd, nice atmosphere) but shopsins is a favorite. wed and thur is the best days to go but friday isnt horrible. you lineup on the wall like a prisoner if there's a wait. it has a bad reputation for service but if you have manners and aren't an a$$hole you'll find that it's awesome. get the pancake sampler.

-very few places call you back so its not such a huge thing.

-bars are subjective. i like wine and go to terroir in the east village religiously. great list, great vibe, great small plates. highly recommend for wine. im not a cocktail person...these places have sprung up everywhere and they just are lame to me. i prefer solid bars for a good drink. i like tom and jerrys bar on elizabeth, dba for beer, 124 rabbit club for beer, black and white on 10th street, shoolbreads on 2nd ave.

-may 25th dinner...go to ippudo for ramen and pork buns...they take reservations the same day in person so walk over and make a reservation. otherwise, be prepared to wait.

-may 28th dinner...i love casa mono on irving. just a great vibe, amazing spanish raciones.

-may 29th dinner...i recommend you go to dinner...perhaps walk off your meal...walk over the brooklyn bridge and have dinner at vinegar hill house near DUMBO.

-may 30th dinner...take the train and go to franny's in park slope for pizza and small plates...great food.

of your other listed restaurants, i think keste is better than motorino for pizza and highly recommend you go there for a chill lunch or inexpensive dinner. lunch is pretty empty...dinner, wait can be 20-30 minutes. shake shack is a must...particularly on a nice day in madison square park...but be prepared for a line...its worth it. crif dogs i find gross...i just dont see the appeal of mediocre hot dogs. i think pdt is lame but thats a personal thing. big with tourists from what i have seen. danji is great...gets crowded so prepare to wait but good food. joe's pizza is just a place for a slice...not a destination. tavern room at gramercy is a great idea...solid food and good prices. caracas arepa bar...i dont like it but you can do worse for a snack. baohaus on 14th is ok for a snack but not great either.

London foodies last minute anniversary trip

red egg and jin fong arent 'amazing' by any stretch but i figure its a good alternative to brunch without much of a wait.

London foodies last minute anniversary trip

st john bread and wine is very different than the regular st john (i like the former...loathe the latter). since i like a lot of the places the OP mentioned in london, i think these suggestions are right up their alley.

here's my 2 cents:

Fri
arriving hotel Times Square 2:30/3pm so a late lunch/snack? shake shack or burger joint for a burger...or perhaps grand central oyster bar for a beer and some urchin and clams?
and then MOMA (4PM - 8PM as its free entry then)
Cocktails? check out bar hagi...hardcore japanese izakaya. not cocktails but good scene.
Dinner? check out danji...a few blocks from moma...gets crowded but great new school korean.

Sat
breakfast - clinton st bakery? or Prune? or Locanda Verde? avoid all three...super crowded. if you want to wait, go to shopsins. otherwise, try blue ribbon bakery.
maybe followed by staten island ferry?
snack
drinks...north of the ferry in tribeca, try some wine at terroir...and any of their excellent small plates. EXCELLENT wine bar.
pre or post dinner evening stroll along the High line? Maybe both
dinner...dell'anima for pasta is a good idea near the high line...stick to their pasta offerings.

Sun
Breakfast
Lunch - chinatown for dim sum? try red egg or jin fong for the massiveness
Drinks - drinks at superfine in dumbo before dinner...5-8 blocks from vinegar hill house
Dinner- somewhere fun/buzzy - our anniversary dinner...go across to brooklyn for dinner at vinegar hill house. get the pork chop. no reservations but so worth it.

Best sushi Special rolls in ny

i think sushi samba is a good idea for you.

L'artusi Versus Dell'anima versus Sorella versus Da Andrea

if i had one choice...for the first time...id go to dell'anima. the place has a good vibe, the pastas are excellent, and ive had nothing but great service. on the negative side, the menu rarely changes significantly so im a bit bored there...and the entrees are not outstanding. but thats my top pick.

i went to l'artusi only once...pretty much when they first opened. i wasnt wowed by the food and preferred things at dell'anima instead. the space is big and it just didnt impress me. people keep talking about it lately. perhaps its improved but im in no rush to go again.

sorella...super salty. cute place. i like it overall but wont rush back. very salty actually. i remember the chicken liver crostini and their homemade candy bars for dessert. not a great wine list surprisingly. i like it but dont love it. seems like its lost its luster amidst the newer restaurants serving small plates.

da andrea is the outlier here. more of a regular spot for me since i live nearby. solid pastas, great entrees, great service. not hype-y...just solid.

if you really put a gun to my head, id skip all of them and eat pasta at the bar at babbo for the same price.

Needed: good Mexican delivery in Greenwich Village

call me crazy but ive had better burritos at chipotle than dos toros.

where to have some good artichoke dip?

freemans...by far the best artichoke dip.

Apizz or Da Andrea or other?

da andrea is my go-to restaurant but i wouldnt call it a destination sort of place...especially since you're from out of town.

i like dell'anima on 8th ave...especially the first time. the menu doesnt change enough for me but their pastas are excellent and its a good atmosphere.

Keith Haring @ The Brooklyn Museum.

i walked from the museum to talde the other day. i used to live in the slope so i figured id enjoy the long-ish walk.

talde wasnt great though. its merely okay for the neighborhood.

The Dressler

its a solid bistro in the area but i wouldnt characterize it as a destination place.

in williamsburg, i like traif quite a bit. see if you can make reservations in advance. i think they take reservations for all party sizes.

if i can steer you to one restaurant in brooklyn, its vinegar hill house...

Hearth or Il Buco for private party?

maybe for another thread but if i was so unimpressed by il buco's food, will i like alimentari?

Hearth or Il Buco for private party?

ive had dinner at hearth and ive had the chef's table at il buco. it basically comes down to better food (hearth) or nicer atmosphere (il buco).

i really am not a fan of il buco's food. it was a nice night but the place felt very forced and very formulaic and fake. i felt like i was in the italian pavilion at epcot center.

ISO West Village Bar/Lounge with Food for Group Event

ive seen plenty of small group gatherings at anfora on hudson/8th ave. solid italian wine list...not sure if they have a full liquor license though.

other options:

-jeffreys on christopher
-8th street wine bar

where to go while waiting for Ippudo?

black and white is a solid bar on 10th street around the corner...

Milk and Honey – worth the membership?

i drink red wine and scotch...of good quality so i dont need to have it watered down with sugar and bitters and all sorts of funny stuff.

if you like it, then thats great. for me, these types of bars fly in the face of what i seek in drinking culture. a place where people and connection comes secondary to frilly drinks and costumes from the 1920s.

Milk and Honey – worth the membership?

because what was once an interesting concept has spawned reality tv shows and has convinced people that bars are meant to have men wearing 1920s garb and bowties rather than enjoying quality spirits and enjoying the moment.

Frankies Spuntino

actually, the west village one is pretty unremarkable. im not a huge fan of the franks' empire but i like prime meats. the one on hudson is close to my apt and i was excited about it but the room has no character...with low ceiling and a weird layout...its very noise-y and with the lack of features, its just a bunch of tables next to one another.

the food is unremarkable...as it is in the other frankies restaurants...but this one is particularly boring. i assume this was a cash grab...selling frankies to the west village. thats fine but its not a place im interested in frequenting.

-----
Frankies 570 Spuntino
570 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014

Milk and Honey – worth the membership?

i havent been to milk and honey since 2004. do people still go here?

Best Manhattan Brunch

cookshop has taken a dive in quality...at least for me...in the last 2-3 years. i used to love their bialy and smoked fish...and then they took it off.

nothing was ever fantastic at cookshop but it was a good, artsy crowd. these days, its got lots of tourists from the highline.

ive moved on.

-----
Cookshop
156 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Does anyone know of a restaurant or bar that would be showing Milan San Remo on Saturday?

Figured I'd ask my food site of choice for some help. Arguably one of the most exciting one-day cycling classics is scheduled for Saturday morning. I was hoping that someone may be able to steer me to a restaurant or bar (perhaps italian?) that would be showing the race.

Thanks.

Visiting from LA! (Never posted on the NY boards before... kinda nervous!) :)

i love LA's food scene and live right by union square so here's my thoughts:

stick to places and food that you can't find in LA.

For your two dinners...here are some ideas:

-minetta tavern...call now for the best table. otherwise, expect a 1 hour wait for a table or 2 seats at the bar. minetta is packed but for good reason...its a meat mecca. amazing veal chop, cote de boeuf for 2, souffle...it's all excellent. great vibe...expensive but if you're not drinking, $150 is doable.

-txikito...chelsea...great tapas restaurant. lots of octopus and pork, great scene, good service...very authentic but modern. across the street, have a glass of wine at el quinto pino if you have to wait for a table. same owners...great place.

-id seriously consider going to brooklyn one night for dinner. before i get yelled at by moderators, you should go to vinegar hill house. its something you wouldnt find in LA with great food. you have to order the pork chop though. place gets packed...no reservations.

tertulia is a lame version of txikito in my opinion...all hype and little substance...in terms of tapas quality. its popular but more hype than real. flex mussels is not a destination spot but its fine for a local dinner. alta is a nice restaurant but i never enjoyed the food quite like other tapas places. the dutch is very hype-y, very much filled with out of towners...yet i liked my meal there. havent been back.

-----
Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

Alta
64 W 10th St, New York, NY 10011

El Quinto Pino
401 W 24th St, New York, NY 10011

Txikito
240 9th Ave, New York, NY 10001

Flex Mussels
154 W 13th St, New York, NY 10011

The Dutch
131 Sullivan St, New York, NY 10012

Tertulia
359 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011

TOP 5 DISHES To EAT in NEW YORK

langers in LA has better pastrami...and im a born and raised ny'er.

Cotan; the best kept Sushi secret in NYC!

when i didnt want to spend $65-75/person at ushiwakamaru, cotan was my joint for the last year.

i have to admit...while the fish quality was always consistent, the service got remarkably weaker throughout the year. the one chef just gets swamped and you can be waiting over an hour for your order.

sweet waitress there...real shame theyre gone.

Landmarc TriBeCa

havent been to landmarc in years...just sort of a restaurant that's time has come and gone for me.

Help--which of these are NOT kid friendly??

i think prune is so small that it would definitely uncomfortable with kids.

tocqueville...very quiet and somber place...may also be awkward.

ive had dinner at the dutch with my girlfriend next to some kids...really ruined our meal but the place is loud enough for it to work.

-----
Tocqueville
1 East 15th Street, New York, NY 10003

Prune
54 E 1st St, New York, NY 10003

The Dutch
131 Sullivan St, New York, NY 10012

JAPADOG! Great dogs, great price, great place.

i have to share my 2 cents. i was pretty disappointed...especially considering the hype. my fault was that i happened to order the pork tonkatsu dog...with no hot dog...i assumed they all had hot dogs inside.

the pork cutlet was tough and chewy...and the breading came right off. the bun was of decent quality but coated in mayo and condiments, it all tasted like a big mess.

i may come back to try something else but this is far from a destination...and far from a regular spot for me.