Nick F.'s Recent Activity
Chowhound Post
Need lunch spot in Times Square/Midtown/Theater District on Sat. 1/3
No! Wish I had seen earlier!
Will forward recs from two other threads-
Piece of Chicken- 45th bet 8th and 9th
Daisy May's BBQ- 46th and 11th
Chowhound Post
Best fried chicken?
Ditto the Egg recs. Not in Manhattan but Williamsburg ain't far away and god that Chicken Sandwich was good.
Also ditto Piece of Chicken. It's 1 dollar for a yummy fresh fried piece of chicken! I don't even know how they make money.
Would like to add Dirty Bird to Go, my favorite nabe place to the mix. They have yummy sauces too for dipping, even if they are a bit bougie.
Also F Blue Ribbon Bakery. Overpriced and hoity-toity.
Chowhound Post
Virgil's BBQ-- A review
looks like terrible service from touristy junk.
Next time, ask us and we'll give you a better BBQ place in midtown. :)
http://www.daisymaysbbq.com/
http://www.hillcountryny.com/
Chowhound Post
Chow Challenge: Impress Me!/Help, please? :o)
Thanks, RGR. You've been here even longer than me, so I appreciate the advice. Any preference between those three?
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Best Downtown Italian (but no Batali please)
Rec Bar Pitti (6th bet. Houston and Downing)? Anyone else like Bar Pitti?
'Scheap, good and they even let you sit outside on these balmy winter days.
Get the cheese-ball if they have the specialty on their menu.
Chowhound Post
Chow Challenge: Impress Me!/Help, please? :o)
So, hi.
Name's Nick.
I've been on this board a while though recently I've been on a bit of a hiatus due to school and the such. Still, I'd like to think of myself as a pretty decent hound.
Problem is, as a college student, I necessarily skew towards the very cheap, that being my most constant source of food and thus my base of knowledge.
However, I am going away on Wednesday to Israel on Birthright (those who know the program, feel free to leave advice/comments) and the 'rents told me they'd take me to any restaurant I wanted.
Problem is, as I said, I don't know fancy joints.
So I rely on you people. You, wonderful, people. Help me, a dedicated hound of everything from Venezuelan to Vietnamese Sandwiches find a good place to eat for Tuesday night. Something that might impress my foodie-ness and be nice for my parents and me.
THE RULES-
1. They need to be gettable- It's early Monday as I post this. Babbo ain't going to take me on this short notice. Other places that might be available-er, preferred.
2. I am a poultritarian- I know, lame, right? Restaurant needs to have at least one entree that is either Vegetarian or has Chicken (without ham or the like).
3. Any cuisine is fine- As long as it fits the previous two rules. I do like Indian though, but that's not top priority.
4. It needs to be below 125th in Manhattan- Don't want to drag the 'rents up to Harlem or out to Queens late night.
5. They need to have Wine OR BYOB- My dad drinks wine. Everywhere he goes. No wine equals sad dad, equals I can't order delicious chocolate dessert.
So them's the rules. If no one replies, I am probably just going to go to an old staltwart: Perry St. in the nabe. For those interested, the upscale places I've been to include the aforementioned place, Tabla, Spice Market, Cafe Boulud, The Modern, Tamarind, Devi, Landmarc and Union Square Cafe.
Thank you in advance. And I love you, Hound-dogs.
-Nick F.
Chowhound Post
Indian weekday buffet lunch in the Village?
Ahah, you've come to the right place.
Easy answer is: They're all bad. Indian food+hot plates usually= bad idea.
However, they are also one of my guilty pleasures when I feel like having some saag with my tikka and not paying 24.50 for it.
My (bad) guilty pleasure is Indian Taj, since it's by me (Bleecker bet. Sullivan and MacDougal). The food is acceptable if never great and the service gives you water on time and doesn't glare at you, which is about as nice as can be said.
Ghandi Cafe (Bleecker bet Cornelia and 7th Ave) also does one if I recall. They are explicitly Indo-Pak, so they might do their goat some more justice if that's your bag, though my experience with them has been mixed as well.
Finally, an actually fairly good and interesting lunch buffet is to be found over at the Leela Lounge (3rd and Broadway). This one's actually a fairly new development, but everything I had there (except the corn palak kebabs) was very good. Most importantly, they insisted on bringing me fresh, buttered naan as opposed to the dry stuff you get in most buffets. Classy, I think.
These are all, necessarily, not transcendent. But they do fill my Indian buffet urge I seem to get on a bi-weekly basis.
Let me know what you think!
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Please help! Need dinner rec with live music
rec Caffe Vivaldi.
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Lunch In Flatiron/Chelsea (20th st.) area
Would rec City Bakery. They do a stellar, delicious buffet lunch which is overcosted, but high quality.
Would also highly rec for takeout and funkiness Tebaya over on 19th and 7th. Really deliciously unhealthy Japanese Wings/Fried Chicken. Make sure to get the combo plates with the wings!
Chowhound Post
W. Village Lunch
Second Market Table.
Also, Dallas Jones is delicious for Lunch (though currently unairconditioned), they have an excellent cheap lunch special.
Also would def rec Pink Tea Cup over on Grove, an oldie but a goodie and a lot of fun.
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Dosa cart Washington Square?
Would love to know too, been wonderin the same thing.
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Need good chinese restaurant anywhere dowtown
Rec Grand Sichuan St. Mark's over on St. Mark's bet 2nd and 3rd for East Village. MaMa Buddha for the West Village. Liberty View for BPC.
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Good Indian?
I still like Utsav or Tamarind for upscale and Lassi and Sangam for down.
Utsav and Tamarind are both classy joints, Utsav is a theater district place with a beautiful view and amazing service. Tamarind is more Park Av style with a brightly lit room and a very good lunch to recommend.
Lassi is a great, fresh takeout joint down in the Village with an unusual menu and the kind of flavors you won't really find a lot of other places. Finally, Sangam is my new pet restaurant, a Biryani joint on Bleecker that is dirt cheap and delicious.
Enjoy!
Chowhound Post
Sangam (New G. Village Indian)- Review
Bob- They don't make it so spicy unless you ask. Onions might be on request as well. Next time, tell them how you like it and I'm sure they'll make it that way.
-NF
Chowhound Post
Fantasy Pastry tour of NYC
Second Claude's.
It's touristy but for the cupcake... Magnolia of SNL fame?
Also, Hong Kong Egg Cake Lady on Canal between Mulberry and Mott.
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What's New NY? West Village hotspots
Something terrible. Avoid.
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Patisserie Claude's Croissants-What's Wrong with ME??!!
Alright!
Enough of this madness!
As the great defender (self-appointed) of Claude on this board, I must intervene!
Look. The guys a nutter. And he's old. The best story I have about him is that my pops went in there to get a croissant at around 6am while jogging and presented Claude with a 20 for two pain au chocolat.
Claude crumpled up the 20 and threw it in my dad's face.
The guy's obviously got character. His mannerisms and eccentricities are a natural intersections of French and New york grumpiness (frumpiness?) that I find quite delightful.
But the guy's been here twice as long as I've been alive! Maybe his croissants were better in the day. If you ask me, they're still delicious when gotten FRESH (I do not believe in microwaving croissants). But, having been to Paris, I could only conclude that Claude's Pain au Chocolat was the best I'd ever had.
Now look, you can call me spoiled. I certainly had Claude's first. But still, his croissants are fantastic in terms of price, quality and therefore value. The other places you would find croissants that you are mentioning (Balthazar, Ceci-Cela) would charge twice as much and usually deliver, if you would ask me, a lesser to almost-as-good quality.
While I am not denying the validity of a disappointment with Claude's, being a film student, I would like to compare your experience to a recent film: Charlie Wilson's War. Now, those who saw that movie might have been disappointed. They know it was made by a master who has done great work (Nichols). They know it's got the best people (Hanks, Roberts, Hoffman). However, it wasn't as good as The Graduate (Nichols' best work) or other films they could hold it up to. However, if you were just to experience the movie for what it was, for the work of an aging master, for its quality and performances, you might enjoy it more as opposed to being disappointed.
For me, the worst thing that could happen from this thread is people turn off to Claude's or think that they're some overhyped dinosaur. The truth is though, Claude's is a damn good pain-au-chocolat and a Village landmark. I think even in its twilight when lessened, the work of a master should be appreciated for what it is: still damn good.
Addendum- The fact that Max Brenner is being compared to Claude's is my point. God. What has this world come to.
Chowhound Post
What's New NY? West Village hotspots
Got some good recs there, but as a college student, let me give you a bit of the downscale every-day fare that's moved into town.
Noodle Bar- Good, dependable Asian place replacing no. 28 (or was it 26?) over on Carmine. Great Lo Mein. Good Pad Thai. Notable for lack of good Asian previously in the area. Around 10-15 bucks.
Little Owl- Might have been here last time you were here. If so, check out Market Table. Both are fairly inexpensive Dinner/Brunch joints where the chefs are actually there to talk to. Both of them currently village institutions. Around 25+
Maremma- This is second hand, but reports from the P-rents tell me that this place has improved massively from its original iteration into a beautifully done and quirky Italian place. Dunno, but worth a shot. 20+
Five Guys Burger and Fries- Over on Barrow Street replacing the cursed 7th Avenue corner location. Have heard excellent things about it such as: super-cheap, fast, delicious, free peanuts. 5-10
Pio Maya- My favorite Mexican in the area. A cute, unpretentious joint with delicious rotisserie chickens over on 8th St. Easily affordable on the budget and a nice atmosphere as well, as the people who run it are wonderful. Ask for your guac inside your burrito. 5-15
Sangam- My pet place around here, which just opened a few months ago. A new Indian joint over on Bleecker which specializes in a type of chicken-fried-rice known as Biryani. It's 7 bucks for a heaping helping (no tax) and is currently my pick for the best deal you can get in this here West Village (now that Mamouns is 2.50 :p)\
Hope this helps!
Chowhound Post
Dinner near AMC Village 7 (12th and 3rd)
NB, Ssam bar is hard to get into/occasionally somewhat expensive depending on your scale. Would also check out Piola on 12th and Bway or Mexicana Mama Centro on 12th bet Bway and University.
Chowhound Post
Chowhound Challenge...hidden gems for dinner tonight near USQ around 10:30 PM
republic is good and inexpensive, but always overcrowded.
USC is unquestionably the finest food in the area.
Could always try Blue Hill, which is excellent food at WSP and nice ambiance
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W. 16th and 7th ave. - inexpensive delivery?
glad you enjoyed!
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Indian Take-out in Murray/"Curry" Hill
dkstar is also very smart and you got some good recs there.
That said, Curry and Curry is, in my mind, the best Indian takeout in that nabe, over on 33rd. Cheap and yummy. Lines at lunch. Roomali is good if you're in the mood for a non-traditional Indian burrito fix.
Chowhound Post
Good Indian Food in Manhattan
NB, Devi is out of business now I believe.
For Indian I have three places I would recommend in Manhattan-
Tamarind- Fancy place over on 22nd or 21st in the Flatiron distict, elegant and light, attentive service, expensive.
Utsav- Really impressed me the last time I went. Over in the Theater district. Excellent prix-fixe, ridiculous service, great portions,nice view as well (the place faces a giant elevated window). Seemed like quite a value, and of course, the food was excellent.
Indus Valley- Possibly, for my money, the best Indian food I've had in NYC. More downscale than the other two places, this is the restaurant I chose for my high school graduation. It lacks in the other categories (Tamarind and Utsav are experiences; this is just a nice Indian place), but the food was splendid.
Hope this helps and let me know if you need any more specifics.
-NF
P.S.- nativeNYer is very smart and I would probably pay attention to what she (?) said too, as I don't know that place.
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Shopsin's
I had a Soggy Bottom Chicken Grinder there the other day which was based on the Coens' "O Brother Where Art Thou" apparently, as well as an italian hoagie. It was dripping with stock and garlicky oil, smothered in onions. Delicious and ultra filling, but a gastronomical nightmare. Oh man. Still, the milkshakes are as good as ever.
Chowhound Post
W. 16th and 7th ave. - inexpensive delivery?
Completely agree about the mac, it is sub-par. Lemme know what you think of Pio. For me it is unpretentious and "good". I'm interested to hear your take.
-NF
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What are some new restaurants in NY with great food? Don't care about price or type of cuisine.
Blue Hill is amazing, but Little Owl is more down home. Market Table is new so still working out jitters. Between the three, I might try Blue Hill for Saturday Dinner and Little Owl for Sunday Brunch
Chowhound Post
Sangam (New G. Village Indian)- Review
I'm glad that most of ya guys like em, but I hope I hear back from more peeps so I can find out if I'm just crushing or if it really is that good. Lemme know when you try, bob.
Chowhound Post
W. 16th and 7th ave. - inexpensive delivery?
Yuck, yuck, yuck.
Dirty Bird to Go for excellent Fried/Rotisserie chicken and sides (I don't like the Mac and Cheese, but potatoes and veggies are good)
Taim is a good choice, also see Hudson Falafel and Moustache for modern spins. (Though they are much better at sitdown than order in)
Grand Sichuan is about knowing what to order. Anything American sounding will be at least decent.
Mexican- Pio Maya for sure for Rotisserie Chicken, Platanos and pretty decent Tortas. Good tacos, too.
BBQ- RUB has a lunch special sandwich sometimes that will suit your budget and they're much better than (yuck) Dallas.
Hope this helps.
J's is actually not too bad.
Chowhound Post
What are some new restaurants in NY with great food? Don't care about price or type of cuisine.
Would also say Little Owl isn't overrated.
In same vein, try Market Table.
Also a fan of Perry St., the Jean-Georges joint.
Also, for cheap eats, try Sangam. :p Though I'm a sucker for that place.
Chowhound Post
Sangam (New G. Village Indian)- Review
Oops! My bad :) Bleecker between 6th and Macdougal. And I mourn Roll and Dough as well, that place was super-awesome-value.
