Jorel's Profile
Looking for amazing but cheap Italian place for casual birthday dinner
I'll second the rec for Frankie's 17 on Clinton St and offer another: Bianca on Bleecker. Nothing on the menu is over $15. I really like the Gnocco Fritto, the Lasagnette and the Lasagna.
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Frankies 17 Spuntino
17 Clinton St, New York, NY 10002
Bianca
5 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10012
Which restaurant in nyc or nearby serves great pork chops?
Babbo's pork chop is, by far, the best I ever had. A phenomenal dish. So good I asked the server to pack the bone to take home with me.
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Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011
Little Giant Review
Great review. Thanks! I'm going tonight. All three dishes and the biscuit sound great. Does anybody else have any recommendations on what to order / what to avoid?
Nudel in Lenox, MA - best restaurant in the area
I'll attach some stars to this review.
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Nudel
35 Church Street, Lenox, MA 01240
Nudel in Lenox, MA - best restaurant in the area
We're up in Lenox, MA (from NYC) six or seven times a year and have been in constant search for a good restaurant in central or southern Berkshire county, and we've finally found it - Nudel in Lenox. Wheatleigh is good, but uber pricey and I've heard good things about Old Inn on the Green in New Marlborough, but Nudel is the best moderately priced placed I've tried in the area.
The menu changes nightly and is seasonally driven and, when possible, locally sourced, so recommendations on particular dishes will be moot. But, having gone twice in one weekend, I have to say that the chef, Bjorn, is very talented. His two preparations of octopus were phenomenal, and he worked magic with local radishes. Spaghetti bolognese with bone marrow was fantastic, as was Yukon Gold gnocchi. Braised octopus, octopus and mussel tacos, radishes with soft polenta and BBQ ribs with cheddar grits were all fantastic.
It's a small place, no reservations, and it caters to foodies for sure, but approachable and affordable. Highly, highly recommended. For the money, compares with my favorites in NYC even.
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Wheatleigh
11 Hawthorne Road, Lenox, MA
Fall Eleven Madison Park lunch menu
Anybody out there have the $28 lunch at EMP in Sept or Oct? Haven't been this fall and interested in what's especially good on the current menu: http://www.elevenmadisonpark.com/lunch.pdf
Thanks in advance!
Gramercy Tavern tonight - Tasting menu, which substitutions?
Any quick thoughts as to what I should politely request to sub in on this season's tasting menu are greatly appreciated. We're there at 7pm tonight.
Thanks!
Best Restaurants on Curry Row?
I'm a fan of Saravanaas on 26th & Lex. Great dosa and utthapam.
Week in NYC; Review my line up please
Yeah, I'm with kathryn (as I often am): dining solo at the bar at Babbo is one of the best NY dining experiences one can have. I also like doing so at Veritas. Others have had good experiences doing so at Scarpetta, but on the one occassion I went there (on July 4 of all days and and I sat in the dining room) I was underwhelmed.
I was also underwhelmed by Perilla, but I am definitely in the minority on that one; there are many posters here who I respect a lot who like it.
As for the rest of your list, I would agree with others to skip Del Posto, Bar Americain, Morandi and Taboon and Thalia.
Aldea, Convivio, and Clinto St Baking Co will require getting there at the right time (early) but each is well worth it. Go to Clinton St during the week, not weekend.
I think you are smart to through DiFara on to your list, and, as kathryn suggested, search the Outer Boroughs boards for Flushing recs. I love the underground mall food court. I'd add Sripraphai and either Spicy Meena or Deshi Biryani to your list of outer borough musts.
Ssam bar is awesome. Highly recommend. Dinner is fine there on a weeknight. Co and Porchetta are nice lunch recs. I'd hit Veloce Pizzeria for a sausage slice and Despana for good Spanish sandwiches and, of course, Banh Mi Sau Voi on Lafayette for banh mi, as other lunch recs. And you'll save $ for dinner.
Have fun!
Need help from the Babbo pasta experts
Thanks everybody. I'm down to deciding between two
- Gnocchi with Braised Oxtail
- Lamb’s Brain “Francobolli”
Any last minute votes from those that have tried both?
Need help from the Babbo pasta experts
I'm going for the sixth or seventh time Friday. I want to try a new pasta and am in desparate need of advice from the experts that have been to Babbo many times. I have already had:
Goose Liver Ravioli (my favorite)
Pumpkin Lune (excellent)
Goat Cheese Tortellini (excellent)
Mint Lover Letters (very good)
Beef cheek ravioli (very good)
Maccheroni alla Chitarra (only ok)
I want to try something else. I like everything and appreciate the more nuanced pastas. I'm considering almost everything other pasta and have mixed reviews from others on:
Gnocchi with Braised Oxtail
Spaghettini with Lobster
Garganelli with mushrooms
Lamb’s Brain “Francobolli”
Stinging Nettle Pappardelle w Wild Boar (did this replaced Chianti stained papparedelle?)
Pappardelle Bolognese
Linguine with Clams, Pancetta and Hot Chiles
Black Spaghetti with Mussels, Spicy Salami Calabrese and Green Chiles
I really need expert advice. the Gnocchi and chianti stained papparedlle get the next most pub, but experts, like kathryn, seem not to love it.
I need help. If you've been to Babbo multiple times and have any "expert" advice, I'd really appreciate it.
Plan B for Babbo?
Blue Hill is great. I really like Commerce, too.
Lupa is good. Ushi Wakamaru for sushi.
Least crowded Whole Foods in Manhattan?
Yeah, Sunday afternoons and anytime from 5:30-8:30 pm are bad, but I went today (Monday) at 12 noon and it was very enjoyable.
Your 10 favorite Manhattan restaurants?
I certainly can't think of a Mexican or Tex-Mex restaurant in Manhattan that I would rank anywhere near most of the places listed on this thread. I mean, there are a few decent places on the UWS and I like the tacos at Pinche, but it's still not even close for me.
Anything new & good on Babbo summer menu?
A) I've been to Babbo a half-dozen times.
B) I post semi-frequently about Babbo
C) I've searched the board already
D) I'm not asking what to order or for ordering strategy
Just wanted to know if anybody has been in the last two months and knows if there is anything worth trying on the menu this summer, or if anything has been particularly good the last month or two.
Babbo Pasta Tasting Menu
If interested in sampling lots of pasta at Babbo - and there is nothing wrong with that - I think you can do better by (if there are two of you) each ordering two or three pasta courses and sharing them. I think some of their best pasta dishes are not on the tasting menu.
Babbos and Commerce, or Gotham and Gramercy
I'd lean toward Gramercy Tavern. A much better restaurant, I believe, and a slightly more relaxed atmosphere.
Babbo is, indeed, not uptight at all, but the downstairs dining room is definitely more lively than upstairs. I would call now and request to be seated downstairs if at all possible and then remind them when you show up (on time). They typically can't guarantee it, but do their best to accommodate the request.
Your 10 favorite Manhattan restaurants?
You eat way better than I did when I was 17. Kudos.
Your 10 favorite Manhattan restaurants?
I'm surprised at the absence of some popular NY fine dining establishments, especially those serving fine French cuisine: Les Bernardin, Daniel, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, La Grenouille, Picholine, Adour, Aureole, etc.
I've only been to Les Bernardin (and loved it) and haven't gone to the others simply because of price. Maybe, especially in these economic times, other 'hounds are as thrifty as I, but with Per Se on the list, I would have thought a few of these would have made the top 10, too.
Mexican in NYC?
Anyone looking looking for fajitas at an authentic Mexican restaurant will also be disappointed. Not that there is anything wrong with fajitas or Tex-Mex cuisine... I'm just sayin'.
Civetta
I ate at Emporio the night after it opened and don't remember much other than I was not impressed. perhaps it's worth another try. However, I find myself regularly satisfied at Bianca when I want neighborhood Italian and the prices can't be beat - $12 for their Lasagna is a steal and $15 for a decent steak.
Veloce Pizzeria report - brief
I went back last night to give it a second shot and liked it much more - still not amazing, but worthy of a night out.
This time, I split the calamari and a sausage pizza with a friend + two beers for me.
The calamari was very nice - one of the better versions of "lightly breaded and flash-friend" calamari I've had - and the greens were a nice touch. Worth ordering if you're here, but not worth searching out.
The sausage pizza was very good, almost excellent. The crust had the same flaky and tender texture as before with light charring on the bottom, perhaps a bit less than my first time. However, I thought the sausage held its own against the substantial crust and really worked well. It was a very good pizza, though not a great one. I can't imagine this ever being my favorite pizza in NY (or even in my top 5), but it was good. I think that I am with kathryn in so much as I simply prefer Neapolitan style pizza better.
Perhaps only the sausage pizza (of the five on the menu) will have toppings that can rise above the heft of the crust, but I'll give the margherita one more shot.
Civetta
And Bianca is better and less expensive than both of those, in my opinion.
Peasant strikes a nice balance: surely more refined food than Bianca, and it charges more, but it is unique and the prices aren't in Civetta's range. I live nearby, too, and I can't imagine going unless this place is the second coming of Babbo or something.
Did I just get unlucky at Scarpetta?
The portion sizes were quite generous.
I don't believe you can order a half portion of pasta.
Your Ideal meal at Scarpetta?
Steakrules: did you go yet? Would love to hear your report and how it compares to mine (http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/638064) as it seems we will have eaten much the same there.
Your 10 favorite Manhattan restaurants?
In Manhattan (no cheating by putting Sripraphai on Flushing joints on here)
- Babbo
- Gramercy Tavern
- Le Bernadin
- Eleven Madison Park
- Momofuku Ssam Bar
- Blue Hill
- Sushi Yasuda
- Shake Shack
- Commerce
- Veritas
Una Pizza Napoletana would have been on this list last week. Bouley just misses the cut for me as does Alta, followed by Saravanaas and Bianca. Popular places that weren't close for me: Craft, Perilla, Grand Sichuan (really?) and Scarpetta.
I've never been to Daniel, Per Se, Jean Georges, Momofuku Ko, Convivio or Corton.
Una Pizza Napoletana Has Closed
Well, his Buffaline is $16 in Williamsburg, and not as good as the pies formerly made at UPN, but we'll just have to wait three weeks and see I guess.
Una Pizza Napoletana Has Closed
I'm sure it will be a bit less expensive for a pie, but not as good, a tradeoff we all debate daily. $21 for a UPN pie of this quality is very much worth it to me and many just as a $22 pasta at Babbo is even though I also like past dishes at Biance for $12.
If there is a silver lining in UPN closing - and this guy has to squint really hard to see it - it's that the debate over whether $21 is too much to pay for a 'pizza' - ostensibly because we all grew up eating 'pizza' that was much cheaper - will die.
Did I just get unlucky at Scarpetta?
Antipasti around $12-15, Primi $18-22 and Secondi $25-35 if I recall correctly. And I agree that it is annoying. It is easy to change the prices. Scarpetta's website is cumbersome to use as well.
