uwsister's Profile
Iconic NYC Restaurants?
Obviously I have no first-hand experience. I have a feeling that it wasn't since the emphasis seems to always have been on drinks and the "bar scene."
London Chowhound's NYC itinery - help needed!
Fette Sau is my favorite - it's in BK but pretty accessible by subway. I've also had good meals at RUB in Chelsea.
HELP!!!!!!!!!! Best Chinese Take-out in NoHo / Village / LES / SoHo?????
Huh - I actually love General Tso's Chicken. I'll have to try it there - I would've never thought to do it. Thanks for the report back!
Coming to NYC and had a few questions about reservation systems and brunch/lunch
I personally love desserts at Kyotofu - especially the different anmitsu they change up every so often. I also love their miso chocolate cake, sweet tofu, soy milk soft serve, etc. I think they have some of best "Asian-influenced" desserts in town. I've never had any savory food though.
visiting NYC - question about reservations, and itinerary check
Artichoke on 10th Ave. has plenty of seating - the OP could try that one though it's a little out of the way (right by High Line though!)
I love taking out-of-town guests to Sakagura. Great sake selection (according to my husband,) a large variety of well-made small plates, and the atmosphere is very authentic. I'm not a huge ramen person, but you probably can't go wrong with Ippudo.
London Chowhound's NYC itinery - help needed!
Thank you - I was just talking about this to another 'hound the other day. NYC BBQ is simply not as bad as some people make out to be, in fact it's better than most anywhere that's not South (anywhere in Northeast, LA, etc.) It's also the type of food that's really hard to find outside of the U.S. I think it's a perfectly good idea for someone who's coming from abroad to spend a meal on NYC BBQ unless he/she is traveling to South as well.
Iconic NYC Restaurants?
But it was started by the guy who founded TGI Friday's (which, incidentally, also had its first and original location in East side of Manhattan) - so most likely it was going to be a chain.
Suggestions for afternoon drinks/appetizers this weekend?
I've had it at Aldea. I'd been curious to try Nuela's, especially since it included a chunk of foie and fried duck egg, for a long time. For some reason though I could never remember it when I was in the area.
Suggestions for afternoon drinks/appetizers this weekend?
Really? Bummer... I didn't get to try their duck rice in time! You snooze, you lose... :(
best vegan food
I have not been to any other vegan restaurants mentioned in this thread, but this carnivore very much enjoyed recent dinner at Pure Food & Wine.
Good bakery in New York?
I don't think I've ever had napoleons or macarons there - pastries are obviously not their forte. In any case, there are few bakeries who have truly excellent macarons unless they specialize in them, so I don't think macarons are a good item to judge a bakery's standard. Their boulangerie stuff is definitely better. My husband's also a big fan of their chocolate chip cookies (I personally prefer Levain's big, slightly undercooked ones.)
Good bakery in New York?
I too love Silver Moon and Absolute. NYC vs. Montreal bagel comparison is always fun.
Bachelorette Dinner Lower East Side
Some might consider Stanton Social a bit passe - Beauty & Essex is newer and a bit hipper. Same chef though.
London Chowhound's NYC itinery - help needed!
I'm pretty sure BBQ in NYC is hell of a lot better than that in London. If the OP is not going to the South anytime soon, it's worth a meal.
London Chowhound's NYC itinery - help needed!
Seems that Niko's closed.
http://newyork.grubstreet.com/2012/05/niko-closed-probably-for-good.html
Great advice as usual - I strongly second Minetta Tavern's burger, breakfast at Clinton St. Baking Co. and happy hour at Maison Premiere among others. The last is my new favorite oyster happy hour in the city.
Torrisi's Newest Chef's Tasting Menu: Review + Photos
Well, Italian and Chinese cuisines may both be "ethnic" to you, but you are more familiar with Italian cuisine than Chinese, right? That's probably why you find even a run-of-the-mill Chinese restaurant food exciting, while you're only impressed by high-end Italian restaurant (though I personally think there are many affordable Italian restaurants with good food.) I think your opening statement can only be true if you are comparing NYC Italian food to food in Italy. Otherwise - I mean, I can't think of a city that has better Italian food than NYC in North America, whereas there are quite a few cities with better Chinese food than NYC (SF, LA, Vancouver, just to name a couple.)
Great pictures though, as usual!
More of a diner-style experience than EMP
OK, a couple cents from me. I like Shopsin's (it has its detractors on the board) and I'd also recommend Clinton St. Baking Company for breakfast. I think they do an excellent version of a quintessential "American breakfast" - you know, fluffy blueberry pancakes, buttermilk biscuit with an egg with bacon on the side, etc. I'd say Minetta Tavern's Black Label burger is worth it - it really is the best burger I've ever had (my husband goes one step further- he says it's one of the best things he's ever eaten, period.) Consider the rest of the menu too. I've had most of the "mainstay" dishes, and I've never had a bad dish there. Don't forget the souffles. Lastly, consider Smorgasburg in Brooklyn for your market/street fairs section.
Niko – Solid New Sushi / Japanese Restaurant in Soho
Looks like it may have closed:
http://newyork.grubstreet.com/2012/05/niko-closed-probably-for-good.html
Kin Shop or Wong?
Wow - see, I'm just about the opposite. I love runny yolk with just about everything, scrambled eggs gotta be soft and moist, and prefer soft-boiled eggs over hard-boiled. Anyway, Wong is definitely on my list, especially their duckavore dinner.
David Santos at City Grit - Crazy Good
re: tip,
I paid in cash, after the dinner, along with the price of the meal - this was one of the earlier dinners so there was no system for advance payment.
The dinner I had (truffle dinner) was at David's home in Roosevelt Island, and the setting was indeed very conducive to meeting other diners and getting to know them. I enjoyed that immensely - even met a couple of 'hounds! :) I'm a little disappointed to hear that City Grits isn't quite like that, but I'm sure it'll be a fabulous time nonetheless.
Late-weeknight faves on LES or lower EV?
(Insert a picture of the Dude here)
"Yeah, well, you know, that's just like, your opinion, man."
Zankou-style Chicken in Manhattan
To me, Zankou is all about that crack-like garlic sauce.
Pio Pio is a well-known Peruvian chicken place in NYC, but I've never eaten there. I'm sure other 'hounds have though - do they have a garlic sauce and is it addictive?
Desmond's - Groupon Deal
Never heard of this place, sorry you had such a bad experience - but I do want to say not all Groupon experiences are this bad. In fact, I've almost always had good experiences, and the few times when the experience was less than satisfying, Groupon's always refunded the price (their customer service is amazing - I've never been refused a refund, though I've never asked for it unless it was warranted.) I've also never had a place charge me 22% auto-tip - that's ridiculous! (Some places did charge auto-tip, but always below 20% which is the minimum I would have tipped anyway, most likely more since I'm getting a discount.)
My rule is I only buy Groupons/Gilt City vouchers (another site I use for "deals") for places I would go and pay full prices anyway, and that's served me pretty well. Also look up the restaurant, check out the menu, and see how much you're REALLY saving - they do often exaggerate the savings. I've done pretty well sticking to these rules. Just last Sunday my husband and I had brunch at inoteca in LES. The voucher was $30 for two brunch prix-fixe (two courses) and two cocktails. Food alone would have been $44 at full-price, that plus a Mimosa and a Bellini (I can't find price for their cocktails) I'm sure the total would have come to at least $60, so it was actually more saving than Gilt City had advertised, which was 40% off.
Whenever I discuss Groupon or Gilt City or those "deal" websites, I get reminded of that "Overheard on Goldman Sachs elevator" quote - "Groupons are food stamps for middle class." Always makes me laugh.
P.S. If you are truly unhappy with the experience, write what you wrote here to Groupon Customer Service, and I am confident that they will refund the price of Groupon. Stress that you did not expect 22% auto-tip, especially on the amount you didn't even spend, and it was not mentioned anywhere on the Groupon. Only if you want to, of course.
Island Creek Oysters
Personally I love Island Creek oysters. I usually get my fix during our bi-annual trip to Boston, but I bet you could find them at Maison Premier (I know it's in BK - oops) or GC Oyster Bar. I vastly prefer New England/Canadian/Pacific NW oysters to Long Island oysters, so Blue Points don't hold much appeal for me.
Kin Shop or Wong?
Oh, yet another reason for me to go there - I love a fried egg on almost anything.
I know it can be a huge turn-off for some people though. I have a friend who won't eat eggs unless they are completely done e.g. well-done, hard-boiled, etc. He thinks gooey egg yolk/white is gross.
David Santos at City Grit - Crazy Good
I haven't bought the tickets yet either - waiting to confirm that my husband can trade days at work - but David told me the space is quite big so most likely I'll be able to get tickets. So keep checking back and do it when you have your heart set on it! I definitely recommend it - like I said, the truffle dinner he cooked was one of my best meals last year.
Manhattan trip report
I'm glad some of you found my babbling interesting! Thank you :)
Buy Home made mandoo in Manhattan
Mandoo Bar sells them - it's on the same block as the other two places you mentioned. You can see the workers making mandoo from outside.
