bmoskowitz's Profile
One dinner. 4 guys--need recommendations and evaluation of other choices
Thanks. I actually just made a reservation at DNA for Thursday night. Maybe I should try for something else to replace Cavalli. I'll look at your suggestions. Thanks.
One dinner. 4 guys--need recommendations and evaluation of other choices
I'm coming to Montreal for the first time next Thursday with 3 other guys. We're leaving the wives and kids back in New York City.
We have reservations at Au Pied on Friday and Ristorante Cavalli Saturday. But we need a late dinner venue for Thursday and don't have a reservation (couldn't get one at Garde Manger). Any suggestions? How about suggestions for lunches?
We're psyched about Au Pied, but is Ristorante Cavalli a good choice for dinner?
How about some good bar recommendations? We're not into the club/dance scene but like a good cocktail bar with a lively crowd.
Thanks,
Brett
Trip Report: March 26-30
Brett Anderson published his 10 best roast beef poor boy list on Sunday. Since you were asking about it, I thought you might want to read this:
http://www.nola.com/dining-guide/index.ssf/2012/04/rb_top_10_blog_entry_dnp.html
Restaurant recommendations for anniversary weekend!
You've listed some great choices. I would add Herbsaint to the list. It is the same chef/owner as Cochon but more of an upscale feel and a more romantic setting. If the weather is not too warm you can eat outside.
I've only dined at CP once (for Thanksgiving). It was great that day. It seems that they are getting better reviews lately and may be making a comeback after some down years. Lunch is supposed to be better than dinner. You might do a search of this board for more info on CP. Galatoire's is fantastic and festive--I've only eaten downstairs where the action is. Can't go wrong there. Brigsten's is also great and a bit more of a romantic, quieter setting. We also like Martinique Bistro, which is Uptown. You can eat in their patio area. You might also do a board search on Upperline, which is a great Uptown restaurant that's almost 30 years old now. They have had some chef changes, but always seem to come out on top. The owner is a local legend for her hospitality and well-run dining room. She handpicks great chefs.
Best Bakery in New Orleans area...thoughts?
I Love Cake Cafe. They did my birthday cake recently. Vanilla cake with chocolate frosting. Great breakfasts too.
Best Bakery in New Orleans area...thoughts?
Check out Flour Power in Chalmette. That's where my wedding cake was made. http://www.flourpowernola.com/
Sweet Olive
Too bad. I checked out the space a couple of weeks ago and it looked weird--right off the lobby. But the food was supposed to be very good. I hope they find a suitable space.
Trip Report: March 26-30
Thanks. Other places I would recommend for a roast beef poor boy include Parkway, Crabby Jack's, and Domilise's. The Parkway version with extra gravy is very good. They make a duck poorboy at Crabby Jack's that is awesome. Brett Anderson, the critic for the Times-Picayune, is doing a whole series on the RB poorboy where he has already reviewed like 25 places. Look that up to get more info. There are lots of good places I have not yet tried.
Definitely get to Bullet's on a Tuesday to see Kermit. It is a great venue. I'm going to plan my trips so I'm in town on Tuesday evening from now on.
What are your top 5 best dining out "destination neighborhoods" in New York City
I thought it would be fun to start a thread about the best neighborhood for dining out in New York. I don't have any particular rules here except neighborhoods with a high volume of restaurants that offer a variety of high-quality choices worthy of a trip across town. This could include lunch spots; casual places; pizza or burger joints; tapas bars; cocktail bars with small plate menus; ethnic food; great steak houses; or fine dining. You get the idea. I think this has probably changed a lot in the past 5-10 years. Here is my current list (with some representative favorites in each neighborhood):
1. Williamsburg (Fette Sau, Peter Luger, Dressler, Dumont Burger)
2. Tribeca (Kutsher's; Lotus Blue, Bouley, Landmarc, Silver Lining, Terroir, Weatherup)
3. West Village (Empellon; Spotted Pig; Blue Hill; Minetta Tavern)
4. Chelsea (Collichio and Sons; Cookshop, Chelsea Market; Hill Country; Del Posto)
5. Madison Square Park/Flatiron (Shake Shack; Eleven Madison Park; Eataly; A Voce; Gramercy Tavern)
I live in Manhattan and can't claim to visit Brooklyn a lot when eating out, but I have to think Williamsburg currently has the most interesting selection of good restaurants of any neighborhood in town (such as some well-regarded places I haven't tried like Marlow & Sons, Egg, St. Anselm, and Gwynnett St). I'd love to hear what others think.
Family Friendly Restaurants Near Roosevelt Hotel and Children's Museum
I agree that Domenica would be a good place for dinner. Near the children's museum is also the Besh restaurant in the WWII museum. I think it is pretty close to Julia Street.
For breakfast, if you don't mind a cab ride you have some great options. I think Elizabeth's in the Bywater is a lot of fun and I LOVE Cake Cafe in the Marigny. Of course, your little one with flip out over Cafe Du Monde so you should go there at least once. You can probably get a decent breakfast in your hotel coffee shop too, as JazzyB notes. If you are there on a Saturday, check out the farmer's market also on Julia Street.
Super Linda in Tribeca is always packed
Haven't tried Tre Sorelle yet, but I want to. I like Da Mikele on Church for pizza.
Commander's Palace Questions
I met a woman last week who was turned away from Galatoire's for dinner because her two young boys were in shorts--but they were dressed in very nice collar shirts, belts, and nice shoes and looked very nice. She ended up at Antoine's, I think. They are sticklers at dinner time.
my New Orleans trip report (late March 2012)
Nice report. I also visited NOLA last week from New York ( I posted a report over the weekend) and also had a great meal at the Green Goddess. I love Herbsaint, Parkway, and CP--all great. I've never tried Lilette (though I visit NOLA about twice a year) and your post reinforces my reasoning. It just doesn't seem that interesting. Sounds like you had a great time. And I applaud you for having the cajones to go to the same restaurant twice in one trip--I can't bring myself to do that.
Good Chinese 1st, 2nd or 3rd Ave. 14th - 60th?
Agree that Phoenix Garden is awesome--best Chinese in that area by far.
name 5 overrated, or over hyped or famous restaurants whose food doesn't live up to reputation
Locanda Verde does have very good food, but they can be quite rude and the service can be quite unprofessional at times. It is a bit too cool for school and I won't be back.
My wife and I were not impressed with Scarpetta. It was fine but overhyped.
I live on the same block as Forgione--this place is just not that good. And that celebrity chef keeps stealing my cabs :) I was relieved to see him at the airport in New Orleans last Friday because I was leaving and he was coming so I knew I'd get a taxi in New York that night.
name 5 overrated, or over hyped or famous restaurants whose food doesn't live up to reputation
Keens may be the best old-style steakhouse in the city. The mutton chop is legendary and if you haven't tried their cheeseburger, it is a must. They also have a great bar. What's not to like here? I shared a T-bone recently that was awesome. The wines by the glass is a limitation, but I still found something I liked to pair with the steak.
Super Linda in Tribeca is always packed
I live across the street and tried the place a few weeks ago. The food was average for the neighborhood and overpriced. The reception was indeed cool and the service was satisfactory at best. Skip it and go next door to Lotus Blue. I haven't been down to the lounge.
Great Tribeca/Soho ethnic restaurant?
I agree that Lotus Blue would be a great choice.
I'm looking for a custom cake baker
Jennifer Wood made a cake for my daughter's birthday last year and did a great job. She's based in Tribeca. Email her at jennrossiwood@yahoo.com. Tell her Perri Dorset (my wife) sent you.
40th Birthday week in NOLA--Frequent visitor looking for a great mix of old and new
Here's a report of my visit to NOLA this past week. Thanks to all who provided input and suggestions in response to my pre-trip appeals for info.
Monday, March 26: Arrived in the morning, met my parents at the Windsor Court, and immediately headed uptown to try the roast beef poorboy at Parasol's followed by the same at Tracey's. My father and I split a poorboy at each establishment (dressed with swiss and extra gravy on the side) and pronounced Parasol's the far better poorboy (though Tracey's wasn't bad either). Parasol's was right up there with the best RB poor boys I've had.
We headed back to the hotel in time to greet my wife and daughter who flew in separately from me. My wife and I managed to walk to Lee Circle to get a glimpse of the Modern and Baroq, which looked great. We also managed to peak in to Sweet Olive in the Saint Hotel, which looked nice. We then had dinner in the hotel at the Grill Room with our daughter (it was part of the package we purchased) and had a nice, if uneven, meal. The service was very good and we had a very nice sazerac to start. My gumbo, which I ordered off the bar menu, was dark and smoky and my wife enjoyed her Belgian endive salad with a Niman Ranch farm egg. My wife didn't really like her red snapper with pasta and crabmeat, though. I enjoyed my grouper with shrimp, potatoes, andouille, corn, and shrimp boil. We liked our peanut butter semifreddo for dessert and our daughter managed to stay happy throughout the meal and liked her pasta, as well as her PB&J amuse. So a good meal overall.
Though I didn't get specifics, my parents LOVED their dinner at August on Monday. They raved about it.
On Tuesday, we had lunch at Dooky Chase. I was kind of prepared for slow service, but was looking forward to the atmosphere, the gumbo, and the fried chicken. The service was indeed quite slow (though earnest), but the place has a transcendent charm to it. I found the fried chicken to be very good and liked the gumbo as well. Overall, the food was not great and, although I was glad I went, I don't think I will go back. My wife and my parents had a similar reaction to the place.
Tuesday evening my parents babysat and I took my wife to Bullet's Sports Bar to catch Kermit Ruffins. They have BBQ out front as well as a food truck serving a variety of poor boys, burgers, and other stuff. We had reservations for Coquette on Tuesday, but ended up staying at Bullets and having a very good oyster poorboy from the food truck (I can't remember the name. Can someone help?). Both the show and the poorboy were very satisfying.
On Wednesday, we rented a car. We were able to drive all over the city and went out to Don Phuong in New Orleans East for a great lunch. I tried a couple of the Banh Mi sandwiches made on homemade French Bread and they were great. The bread was the star and I came to find out that they supply other restaurants, including the Green Goddess. Others had the pho, which was also very good. Definitely worth the trip. We toured Pontchartrain Park before lunch and afterward drove down through Chalmette and then through the Lower 9th Ward before hitting Freret Street for a snowball for my daughter. I didn't eat but walked by Dat Dog, which looked fun.
Wednesday evening we all went out to the Bywater to try Bacchannal. Though the music was not up and running yet, we had a good time sitting in the garden drinking a couple of bottles of wine and eating the very good food. My pork chop was delicious. Our cheese and bread were excellent, and my wife loved her freshly made salad. We will be back to hear music and enjoy more food that will soon be made in a new kitchen.
On Thursday we had my birthday lunch at Galatoire's. We went at about 1:45 to avoid the crowds and got right in. My wife had also arranged to have a birthday cake served (it was my 40th) that she picked up from Cake Cafe earlier that day. Suffice it to say that our meal was absolutely fantastic. This was my second visit to Galatoire's and the second home run I've had there. Our server, Andi, was very nice and helpful and we ended up the last patrons of the lunch service so had the place to ourselves at the end. We started with the appetizer platter containing the crabmeat maison, shrimp maison, shrimp creole, and oysters en brochette. We enjoyed some perfect dirty martinis and I had a fine glass of pinot gris, turtle soup, pompano with crabmeat Yvonne, birthday cake, and finished with a cafe brulot and some sweet potato cheesecake. Needless to say, none of us could eat dinner that night. But it was the perfect birthday lunch.
Friday was our last day in town and we managed to hit Cafe Du Monde in the morning, after which I picked up a muffuletta from Central Grocery for the plane ride home that evening, and then we still had time for a fantastic lunch at the Green Goddess. I had a great bloody mary and couldn't resist the chance at another banh mi sandwich on the same Don Phuong bread, this time with pork belly and shrimp. My wife loved her fried oyster salad with pickled veggies and my mother loved her shrimp and grits. My daughter had fun learning about black salt from Hawaill and watching our server extract water from fresh coconuts. It was a great meal and we will be back.
My wife watched in awe (really it was disgust) as I wolfed down my 1/2 muffuletta on the plane ride home. I savored the sandwich as the final meal of a very successful trip.
Although I haven't lived in NOLA since I was 5 years old, I continue to be drawn to it and it feels as much like home as anywhere else I've lived. Can't wait to go back and dream of buying a place there one day.
-Brett
Tuesday Lunch in the Quarter
Just last Thursday I had a fantastic lunch at Galatoire's, and I don't think you'd have trouble getting in on a Tuesday.
Although just outside the FQ, Restaurant August is supposed to have a great 3-course lunch for $20. The food is always good and it is certainly considered "upscale." But I can't say enough about Galatoire's so I'd make that first choice.
Trip Report: March 26-30
Here's a report of my visit to NOLA this past week. Thanks to all who provided input and suggestions in response to my pre-trip appeals for info.
Monday, March 26: Arrived in the morning, met my parents at the Windsor Court, and immediately headed uptown to try the roast beef poorboy at Parasol's followed by the same at Tracey's. My father and I split a poorboy at each establishment (dressed with swiss and extra gravy on the side) and pronounced Parasol's the far better poorboy (though Tracey's wasn't bad either). Parasol's was right up there with the best RB poor boys I've had.
We headed back to the hotel in time to greet my wife and daughter who flew in separately from me. My wife and I managed to walk to Lee Circle to get a glimpse of the Modern and Baroq, which looked great. We also managed to peak in to Sweet Olive in the Saint Hotel, which looked nice. We then had dinner in the hotel at the Grill Room with our daughter (it was part of the package we purchased) and had a nice, if uneven, meal. The service was very good and we had a very nice sazerac to start. My gumbo, which I ordered off the bar menu, was dark and smoky and my wife enjoyed her Belgian endive salad with a Niman Ranch farm egg. My wife didn't really like her red snapper with pasta and crabmeat, though. I enjoyed my grouper with shrimp, potatoes, andouille, corn, and shrimp boil. We liked our peanut butter semifreddo for dessert and our daughter managed to stay happy throughout the meal and liked her pasta, as well as her PB&J amuse. So a good meal overall.
Though I didn't get specifics, my parents LOVED their dinner at August on Monday. They raved about it.
On Tuesday, we had lunch at Dooky Chase. I was kind of prepared for slow service, but was looking forward to the atmosphere, the gumbo, and the fried chicken. The service was indeed quite slow (though earnest), but the place has a transcendent charm to it. I found the fried chicken to be very good and liked the gumbo as well. Overall, the food was not great and, although I was glad I went, I don't think I will go back. My wife and my parents had a similar reaction to the place.
Tuesday evening my parents babysat and I took my wife to Bullet's Sports Bar to catch Kermit Ruffins. They have BBQ out front as well as a food truck serving a variety of poor boys, burgers, and other stuff. We had reservations for Coquette on Tuesday, but ended up staying at Bullets and having a very good oyster poorboy from the food truck (I can't remember the name. Can someone help?). Both the show and the poorboy were very satisfying.
On Wednesday, we rented a car. We were able to drive all over the city and went out to Don Phuong in New Orleans East for a great lunch. I tried a couple of the Banh Mi sandwiches made on homemade French Bread and they were great. The bread was the star and I came to find out that they supply other restaurants, including the Green Goddess. Others had the pho, which was also very good. Definitely worth the trip. We toured Pontchartrain Park before lunch and afterward drove down through Chalmette and then through the Lower 9th Ward before hitting Freret Street for a snowball for my daughter. I didn't eat but walked by Dat Dog, which looked fun.
Wednesday evening we all went out to the Bywater to try Bacchannal. Though the music was not up and running yet, we had a good time sitting in the garden drinking a couple of bottles of wine and eating the very good food. My pork chop was delicious. Our cheese and bread were excellent, and my wife loved her freshly made salad. We will be back to hear music and enjoy more food that will soon be made in a new kitchen.
On Thursday we had my birthday lunch at Galatoire's. We went at about 1:45 to avoid the crowds and got right in. My wife had also arranged to have a birthday cake served (it was my 40th) that she picked up from Cake Cafe earlier that day. Suffice it to say that our meal was absolutely fantastic. This was my second visit to Galatoire's and the second home run I've had there. Our server, Andi, was very nice and helpful and we ended up the last patrons of the lunch service so had the place to ourselves at the end. We started with the appetizer platter containing the crabmeat maison, shrimp maison, shrimp creole, and oysters en brochette. We enjoyed some perfect dirty martinis and I had a fine glass of pinot gris, turtle soup, pompano with crabmeat Yvonne, birthday cake, and finished with a cafe brulot and some sweet potato cheesecake. Needless to say, none of us could eat dinner that night. But it was the perfect birthday lunch.
Friday was our last day in town and we managed to hit Cafe Du Monde in the morning, after which I picked up a muffuletta from Central Grocery for the plane ride home that evening, and then we still had time for a fantastic lunch at the Green Goddess. I had a great bloody mary and couldn't resist the chance at another banh mi sandwich on the same Don Phuong bread, this time with pork belly and shrimp. My wife loved her fried oyster salad with pickled veggies and my mother loved her shrimp and grits. My daughter had fun learning about black salt from Hawaill and watching our server extract water from fresh coconuts. It was a great meal and we will be back.
My wife watched in awe (really it was disgust) as I wolfed down my 1/2 muffuletta on the plane ride home. I savored the sandwich as the final meal of a very successful trip.
Although I haven't lived in NOLA since I was 5 years old, I continue to be drawn to it and it feels as much like home as anywhere else I've lived. Can't wait to go back and dream of buying a place there one day.
-Brett
40th Birthday week in NOLA--Frequent visitor looking for a great mix of old and new
Thanks, ktroia! You've given me some things to consider.
I figured Bacchannal would be a good choice because there will be music and a lively atmosphere. But I need to call them to make sure they allow kids and that they encourage bringing kids.
I will try the BBQ at Bullets, but my wife doesn't eat meat and we're going to Coquette after the show so I'll try not to eat too much.
Dozen Best Fried Chicken Restaurants list from nomenu.com
Fair enough. I'm happy he's doing his thing. He's a unique resource.
Dozen Best Fried Chicken Restaurants list from nomenu.com
I do refer to his opinions. I was just agreeing that there may be a conflict with him including restaurant advertising on his website and also I agree that one reviewer can't possibly stay current on all restaurants in NOLA. Many reviews are several years old.
Dozen Best Fried Chicken Restaurants list from nomenu.com
I tend to agree with JazzyB. I think you have to take his reviews with a grain of salt. And there's no way his reviews can stay current. He hasn't even been to Root yet. But you can get some idea of a restaurant's atmosphere, service, and food by reading his reviews. But cross check any restaurant reviews with Chowhound and Brett Anderson.
40th Birthday week in NOLA--Frequent visitor looking for a great mix of old and new
Come to think of it, my 5-year-old never buys a round :)
It is a good suggestion. I'll call ahead.
Best spots in the 7th ward??
You read my mind, noradeirdre. And add Willie Mae's to that list of places for fried chicken. And I'm pretty sure you'll be staying not too far from Bullet's Sports Bar in the Treme, where you can catch Kermit Ruffins at 7pm on Tuesdays.
ROOT
Thanks. I think we are going to give it a try. Sounds like you prefer Sweet Olive?
40th Birthday week in NOLA--Frequent visitor looking for a great mix of old and new
I don't have any local family anymore (I was born in New Orleans but we moved away when I was a little kid) so I will have to "fake" it. But now I have some names from a local source! Thanks so much.
