Anything that was hot in New York 2 years ago.

what, do you expect foie gras for restaurant week?

Hey Chicago hounds! I'm visiting from New York for two nights in a couple of weeks. I already have reservations at Alinea (so excited) for one night but wanted to know if I should book L2O or Tru as my other dinner. I would love any input from people who have been to both as to what the differences are and which would be more of a can't miss. Also, what is the way to go as far as ordering in either place? Thanks!!

-----
Alinea
1723 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614

L2O
2300 Lincoln Park West, Chicago, IL 60614

I had delicious pizza at Keste - the margherita and the pizza del re were both really good. Be warned, however, that it's not like a traditional NY pie. The crust is not crispy, it's more chewy than anything else. As long as you're ok with that, Keste is great.

Take Amtrak to Philly and go to Pho 75 there. Honestly, pho is not a strong point of NYC.

Does anybody know where I can get fresh lemon verbena? Are there any stalls at any farmer's markets in particular that have a lot of fresh herbs? Are there any stores in LA that might carry it? Thanks.

Meme is awesome, and BYOB for the time being... Make sure to get the pork dish for 2. One of the best pork dishes I've had in a while.

That sounds/looks awesome. Do they have a bar and can you eat at it?

Insieme has a great private room and the minimum is $2500. Craft has one too, and I think that one's $3000

Dinner with my parents and a couple of cousins on a monday night. Which is better? Quality? Price? All opinions welcome.

FWIW, i love the place at brunch, not so sure about dinner. But if you want breakfast for dinner (who doesn't), the eggs benedict with chorizo are awesome

Wow kobe, my top three choices exactly

Agree on both points. I'm one of the few in the camp that didn't really like the food at degustation. That being said, it's an awesome space - much more intimate and serene than MSB, which is very high-energy and can get raucous at times.

I know this may be scandalous for this board, but I would choose Blue Hill over EMP. I was underwhelmed by EMP when I went (no thanks to the super high expectations set here), and was really happy with a meal I had at Blue Hill a few months ago. The food at Blue Hill is very fresh and flavorful, but light enough so that it doesn't put you in that food coma at the end of the meal. The room is more low key, but still elegant. So, my pick would be Blue Hill.

I was unimpressed with a voce. decent food, but i thought the room was horrific...

1) banh mi from saigon in chinatown
2) 5 for a dollar dumplings
3) gray's papaya

don't bother with burgers. in n out is better than anything you'll find here.

I totally agree with daniel, in that you should go somewhere else. Del Posto is a mess of a high end restaurant.

Knowing that that is probably not an option, just order some nice wine, and try to drink enough that you won't remember the food. Do not, under any circumstances, order the lamb. It was the biggest disaster of a dish i've ever seen. Literally, ever. The gnocchi is gummy, the gnudi, flavorless. I did have a nice mixed mushroom app and good dessert. And kobe is correct that the lardo is outrageous.

Just sit back, enjoy your company, take in the gorgeous room, and don't expect much.

if you're going during the day, stick with noodle bar, as the ssam bar menu is only ssams until 5:30. After that, ssam is a better bet, as the menu is bigger and more varied. right now, if you go to noodle bar, you have to get the shrimp and corn, which is outrageous. the pork buns are great at either place, and if you go to ssam, i would suggest the artichokes.

Red hook ballfields on the weekend.

They actually all have bars to eat at with full menus. My favorite of the four would be Hearth if you can snag a seat at the pass. Craft I would vote against, as the concept makes it better to eat there with a group of people, and I was underwhelmed with A Voce's food.

what is wrong with asking if you need change. more often than not, the customer doesn't, and it just minimizes confusion.

craftsteak. had a meal there after the opening chef was fired and it was excellent. the blt restaurants are like a bad version of craft

momofuku ssam bar friday night, lunch on saturday at caracas arepa bar, worked last night, lunch today at the dumpling place on eldridge, dinner tonight at casa mono. pretty typical of the manhattan chowhound board if i may say so myself, but my brother was in town, so i had to show him some stuff.

I really like Dietz and Watson all beef hot dogs. I think they're a philadelphia company (where i went to college), but i see them in NY. Nothing like one of those at 2 am...

you have plenty of good italian in the north end, so i would stick to something that is more of a philly experience - the BYO. my favorites are marigold kitchen in university city (new american with a middle eastern twist), matyson in center city (standard new american) and melograno in graduate hospital area (italian)

i think the best casual great food you're going to find is at momofuku ssam bar for dinner and casa mono for lunch or dinner. if you want to take it up a notch and have a nice-ish dinner but still somewhat casual, go to hearth, the bar room at the modern or perilla. all of these places are putting out innovative food that you simply don't find in LA. the list of places you went last time in NY aren't what i would consider the cream of the crop by any means. better luck this time. oh, and being from LA myself, i can tell you to stay away from any sushi, burger and mexican restaurant. it's a waste of time.

craft doesn't have a tasting menu...

since you'll be in the theater district, i would consider insieme for lunch or dinner. it's certainly more upscale and interesting italian than vice versa. another place i would try for lunch is casa mono, in the flatiron district. great spanish inspired small plates in a laid back setting. also, don't bother with shake shack, as in-n-out is half the price, twice as good, and takes one fifth the time to get (i'm from LA and i miss it terribly) have fun!

I think that's a bit of an overreaction. I don't think they're trying to pull a fast one on you and scam you into getting the dish because they think you'll want it if it has 2 sides. They're just letting you know how they plate the dish. Also, a classical omlette is just eggs. I agree that the fillings are a little pricey, but I don't think that warrants the venomous comments on your behalf. I was there today for lunch and had a great meal for not that much money with good service. No complaints.

hearth (at the pass), blue hill, perilla