Wowing visiting friends near Battery Park/ Wall St.

I'll second Gigino as noted by Sneakeater and jaba for food-with-a-view. As you probably know, the marina behind the World Financial Center ("North Cove") has lots of outdoor seating and is plenty lively. Food options as linked below are servicable, especially with lots of booze. There are also outdoor food vendors on the plaza (last weekend was burgers and lobster rolls).

http://www.worldfinancialcenter.com/content/dining-27251.html

NB: the food trucks don't show up on the weekends.

Andy T. in Manhattan

Atera

You, sir, are correct: the sum total of my European dining experiences is Parisian brasseries - tripe sausages, shellfish platters and the like. I have also not been to other "counter" places in NYC such as Brooklyn Fare and Ko, so perhaps those may have similarities to Atera. We did go to Robuchon in midtown many years back; not many of those dishes contained lichen or looked like a rock!

Andy T. in Manhattan

Atera

Just want to provide a quick update on the beverage situation based on a visit last night. Don't know if anything changed because of the departure of their wine director this past week, but wines by the glass were available and there was absolutely no pressure to order any alcohol whatsoever. Everyone seem perfectly happy to let me nurse my rhubarb-beer cocktail through all 17 plates if I wanted to.

As for the food, I think the reviews in New York magazine and the New Yorker were pretty accurate. This is challenging, sui generis eating, chock full of contrasts (temperature, texture, flavor) and lacking easy reference points. The experience as a whole was immensely enjoyable, with an ultra friendly yet very pro staff who could explain as much or as little as the customer wanted. The tech aspects of the prep were mind-blowing (Lightner called it more "arts and crafts" than cooking when he dropped off a dessert) and even watching the team make coffee and tea was great fun. Would this be the first place I'd drop $150 on my maiden voyage to NYC? Maybe not, but I don't think any of the old-time 'Hounds here will be bored in the least.

Andy T. in Manhattan

Continental breakfast near marriot downtown

There's a bagel place across the highway from and a bit north of the memorial (cross using the covered bridge by the gift shop), right behind the Goldman Sachs building (next to Blue Smoke and the movie theatre). There's also a Payard bakery in that corridor (across from Shake Shack) but I can't swear it's open on Sunday mornings. The Financier bakery in the WFC (the covered bridge leads you right into the WFC; then, just head toward the Winter Garden) is open on Sundays, I think at 10, as well.

Andy T. in Manhattan

Eccles in Manhattan?

By coincidence, I had eccles cake last night at North End Grill, and it was listed as such on the menu. On today's menu, it's called "currant and almond puff pie" instead!

http://northendgrillnyc.com/menu/#!/dessert

Anyhow, since NEG is a schlep (unless you live in Tribeca or FiDi), and I'm not sure they would do take out of a dessert, I'd definitely call first regarding availability.

Andy T. in Manhattan

Recommendation near American Girl Store? midtown east?

Beacon is certainly kid-friendly, but you might not find the prices so. Menu at link below; not prime 'hound material (like Ma Peche or Seasonal nearby) but has plenty for both young and old.

http://beaconnyc.com/

PS, as you probably already know, the AG store is not on Lex but on Fifth, and 49th.

Andy T. in Manhattan

NYC Restaurant advice needed for trip w/ 10 yo, but staying at Andaz or Ritz BP

Right next to the Ritz BP, and convenient to the 9/11 Memorial, is Inatteso Pizzabar Casano. Plenty of kids in there at all hours, but not a kiddie menu in the least. You should be able to walk in for lunch and dinner at any time, so this is a good fall-back if you're too tired to wander far from the Ritz. BTW, since you mentioned the North End (I assume you're from Boston), the North End Grill, which is across the highway from the 9/11 Memorial, has nothing to do with Italian Food ;) .

Andy T. in Manhattan

NoMad vs EMP for 50th dinner

Just by chance, I recently turned 50, love EMP and was just at NoMad this past weekend. Sat in the Atrium and had a great time, but the overall feel is more of a date place than a special occasion place, if you know what I mean. I agree with most of what's in the thread started by chloes; lotsa EMP's greatest hits, but served much more casually and rustically. I guess it depends on what your guy likes; if y'all want to "rekindle the flame" (nudge, nudge), it's the right vibe for that. It did make me feel (a little) younger ;) .

Andy T. in Manhattan

Radio City area, 6 people, ~$75pp max?

I'm gonna sound like a Shelly Fireman shill, but when I hear "6 people" and "fairly safe" around Radio City I always think Redeye Grill:

http://www.redeyegrill.com/about.html

Or, for Italian, Trattoria Dell Arte:

http://www.trattoriadellarte.com/

Menus are on the websites; you'll come in under $75 pp comfortably...

Andy T. in Manhattan

April vacation with two kids

For post-9/11 memorial dinner, don't forget about the new branch of Blue Smoke (ribs, burgers, wings, but at "city prices"), on the same "block" as the Shake Shack kathryn mentions. These are across the highway from the memorial exit, about 5 minutes away. Bubby's is about a 15 minute walk (in Tribeca) and tack on another 10 for Landmarc (times based on the presumably short legs of your kids).

So you're seeing Newsies! Congrats on scoring tix! There's a Red Lobster and Ruby Tuesday right across the street, but I'd make the hike to 9th Ave between 41st and the mid-50's for more interesting stuff (do a "Theater District" or "Pre-Theater" search on this board). Our pre-theater go-to's are Lan Sheng (Szechuan Chinese) on 39th (don't quote me) and 6th and Cho Dang Gol (Korean) on 35th and 6th, but YMMV depending on the kids' taste.

Andy T. in Manhattan

Best Soon Doo Bu in k-town now that BCD is gone?

I'm waiting for a reply too, since my SO is a big BCD fan. Guess the pickins are slim. We've been going to Cho Dang Gol over on West 35th (first place on the north side, off 6th), pending a new Manhattan BCD branch (too lazy to go out to Flushing or even Elmhurst). SO thinks CDG's SDB is acceptable; I love their massive pile o'pork tofu trio, spicy stir-fried goodness topped off with 3 slabs of their housemade bean curd (there's an appetizer portion for non-gluttons ;) ).

Andy T. in Manhattan

North End Grill -a special birthday destination?

If you don't need a scene, you've picked the right spot; NEG is about as non-sceney as it gets. It's in Battery Park City, behind Goldman Sachs, fer cryin out loud! (I live in the neighborhood so I'm allowed to rag on it ;) ) RGR gave it a thumbs-up on the "Displaced NYC Foodies" thread today, so you know the food is more than solid (although there was a very poor review from another CH stalwart recently). The big question is how "special" is it? If you're gonna travel down here from, say, the Upper East Side and have all sorts of great expectations, it's not that kind of special. The staff is great, the open kitchen is impressive, and it's an amazing addition to Way Downtown; it's just not an "occasion" place to me. Haven't been to Acme, but check out Cuozzo in today's Post for a nice write-up.

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North End Grill
104 North End Ave, New York, NY 10282

Andy T. in Manhattan

Advice for April visit

sgordon: you have to choose dessert whether you do four or five courses. If the former, you can have any three of the savory courses, even one app, one fish "entree" and one meat "entree".

cheeryvisage: I only noticed that the foie and lobster had supplements, since that is what my SO and kid got ;) . I am a cheapskate and rarely get anything that has a supplement. That being said, I'd say that about one-third of the current menu has supplements.

fooder: agree about the service. Perfectly OK by me at SHO, but not even close to what is done at EMP and other Michelin threes. For ex, the young man who described the three amuses was completely incomprehensible. And, restrooms are hard to find there if you've never been, and no one volunteers to show you the way (unless you ask, of course).

nextguy: much as my SO loves Chef H, I'd pick Corton over SHO as well. Corton is a much more unique experience (unless you've been to Twist in Vegas).

Andy T. in Manhattan

Advice for April visit

Was at SHO just this past weekend. Yep, still with supplements on the foie and the lobster. We hadn't been for a while and discovered that they stopped serving beer altogether (may not be an issue for most) and no longer do petit fours or have that chocolate/candy cart at the end of the meal. But, still got the foie/truffle tater tot amuse! SO and kid still love the food there; Chef H did stop by the table and tell us he was aiming for three Michelin stars (!).

Andy T. in Manhattan

Bay Area Chow Hound in Manhattan right now for 5 more days - need recommendations!

Not in Midtown, but I'll throw out Brushstroke for Japanese down in Tribeca. Outstanding, tasting menu format. While you're downtown, there's also high-end Korean at Jungsik; not sure there's anything quite like it in the Bay Area. No offence to cheeryvisage, but we felt Brushstroke blew Jungsik out of the water, although The Chef (name escapes me) was out the night we went to the latter; you may want to call ahead if you go...

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Jung Sik
2 Harrison St, New York, NY 10013

Brushstroke
30 Hudson St, New York, NY 10013

Andy T. in Manhattan

Battery Park/WTC Area with 38 children

There's a new pizza place (Caravelli's) in the World Financial Center food court right across from the Memorial that may be able to accomodate you, given its proximity to the outdoor seating in the North Cove Marina:

http://www.worldfinancialcenter.com/eng_content/caravellis-27732.html

You might want to call ahead if you're doing a weekend day (not sure how geared up they are on Sundays)...

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Caravelli's
220 Vesey St, New York, NY 10282

Andy T. in Manhattan

kid friendly restaurants around Orpheum theater (2nd ave)

RGR of course is providing top picks for quality at a very reasonable price point. If you are limited to the area around the theatre, the north side of St Marks between 2nd and 3rd has a whole bunch of fun, but not RGR-quality, Asian joints. There's a couple of Japanese snack places (full of college students, the east-most one you walk down a couple of stairs to enter), an Asian noodle joint (closer to 3rd), and, our go-to, Grand Szechuan (mid-block, up a flight of stairs). There's also Spot Dessert Bar for afterwards. I think there's also a new sticky bun place, but not sure where on St Marks it is.

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Grand Sichuan
23 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10003

Spot Dessert Bar
13 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10003

Andy T. in Manhattan

Blue Smoke Battery Park

POT: sounds like you're staying at the Marriott or the W next to the WTC site? Since I'm not from BBQ-heavy parts of the country such as Texas or North Carolina, my opinion must be taken with a large grain of salt. I like sauce-heavy ribs, as opposed to dry rubs, so I prefer Daisy May or Dinosaur (both on the West Side, so you can catch the 1 train to the latter or the A/E to the former) over Rub or Hill Country (both also on the West Side, A/E or 1 trains are fine). However, the most 'Hound praised BBQ in NYC is probably in Brooklyn at either Fette Sau or Fatty Cue (NB, the latter is listed on their website as temporarily closed).

jon: I think POT wanted to order less than the stated amount, not more ;) .

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Hill Country
30 W 26th St, New York, NY 10010

RUB BBQ
208 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011

Daisy May's BBQ
623 11th Ave, New York, NY 10036

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
777 W. 125th Street, New York, NY 10027

Andy T. in Manhattan

Blue Smoke Battery Park

Sadly, there was already a 45 minute wait when we arrived at 7 PM this past Saturday, so we went elsewhere. I forgot to ask the front desk if they smoked their meats on-site, or simply trucked them down from their East 20's location and reheated them; the answer to that would help you make your decision. I highly doubt that a Danny Meyer joint would set minimum order requirements (short of The Modern or EMP), but if you call to ask about the cooking, you might as well ask about the ordering. FWIW, even the original Blue Smoke doesn't get great BBQ reviews on this board (except for the wings); if you search, you'll find that Daisy May's. Hill Country and Rub are better received. But, I do know that location is sometimes everything ;) .

Andy T. in Manhattan

North End Grill - Now Open!

My SO (who calls all the restaurant shots) also liked that lunch menu a lot, and is planning on strolling over for lunch sometime soon (we live in BPC). I'm wondering whether the menu and the Danny Meyer name will be enough to attract diners from outside the area; heck, even from Tribeca? I assume that, like at the now-shuttered Grill Room in the WFC, most of the biz will be weekday, expense account meals from Goldman, Cadwalader, et al. Will the prices be a turn off for neighborhood folks? The soon-to-open adjoining Conrad Hotel should help fill the room, but tourists and business meals don't necessarily add up to destination dining...

Andy T. in Manhattan

9/11 Memorial on Saturday

The interesting thing about this question is not necessarily one of location or food quality. The issue may be what type of meal one would be in the mood for either before or after such a somber and solemn activity. While Cheeryvisage's Bouley rec can't be faulted on quality and value (although one may question whether 5 courses and travel time to/from Tribeca can be fit into 2 hours), I myself may not be in the mood for such a meal after visiting, say, the Vietnam Memorial or Pearl Harbor. If the weather allows, a short stroll to the World Financial Center's waterfront would provide lower quality eats but perhaps more of an opportunity for decompression and reflection.

Andy T. in Manhattan

Worthwhile places to eat at in Battery Park City?

Sadly, Southwest will be closing in that location at the end of September (Brookfield's WFC renovation). They'll be moving to a less scenic locale 2 blocks south on South End Ave, where the late lamented (tho only by residents) Garden Cafe used to be.

Andy T. in Manhattan

Worthwhile places to eat at in Battery Park City?

A five-minute stroll from the WFC will get you down to Inatteso; lunch menu below.

http://www.inattesopizzabar.com/index.html

And, down at South Cove, there's LIberty View, for some Chinese with a nice view.

Neither joint is destination dining (which doesn't exist in BPC, at least until Cardoz's North End Grill opens), but are a tad better than PJ Clarke's or Au Mandarin in the WFC.

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P.J. Clarke's
250 Vesey St, New York, NY 10281

Liberty View
21 South End Ave, New York, NY 10280

Inatteso
28 West St, New York, NY 10006

North End Grill
104 North End Ave, New York, NY 10282

Andy T. in Manhattan

Pret a Manger's Yoga Bunny Missing?

FWIW, the Pret on Broadway near Century 21 downtown only had the exact same beverages you mentioned above the last two weekends in a row. I'll ask about it if I make it a trifecta and go again this weekend ;) .

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Pret a Manger
179 Broadway, New York, NY 10007

Andy T. in Manhattan

Best delivery/take out to Battery Park City

Gems, eh? As Meatloaf once, said, "you're lookin' for a diamond in a mountain of rocks"!

Here's a semi-recent thread:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/711210

Anyhoo, welcome to the nabe! If you check out eater.com, there's a recent entry about a Steve Cuozzo article in the Post regarding all the splendorific stuff coming to the WFC, which I'll believe when I see. And, as you probably know already, there's all that Danny Meyer biz coming to the area around the Death Star (Blue Smoke, et al).

Andy T. in Manhattan

Tall Order: Outside Sunset Dining- is it possible in Manhattan?

Your post was sitting right on top of a Battery Park City lunch question, so I'll just throw out the two World Financial Center options, PJ Clarkes and Southwest. They both have outdoor seating right on the North Cove Marina, but Southwest may have the slightly prettier view. Unfortunately, neither may be appropriate for a romantic anniversary (burgers and nachos, beers and margaritas).

Gigino at Wagner Park may have a little more atmosphere (check out the pic at the link below!), but I've never eaten there so take this rec with a huge grain of salt...

http://www.gigino-wagnerpark.com/

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P.J. Clarke's
250 Vesey St, New York, NY 10281

Gigino at Wagner Park
20 Battery Pl, New York, NY 10004

SouthWest NY
225 Liberty St, New York, NY 10281

Andy T. in Manhattan

Need informal dining restaurant for North Cove Marina/ World Financial area

I think Bloombee meant Toloache Tacqueria on Maiden Lane, which is a smidge closer than West 50th but a bit of a hike from the WFC. I say, unless the teens are food snobs, just plop them down in PJ Clarke's or Southwest and be done with it. They ain't destination joints but they won't kill you either. (BTW, had the pork tacos last weekend at TT and they were pretty darn tasty).

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P.J. Clarke's
250 Vesey St, New York, NY 10281

SouthWest NY
225 Liberty St, New York, NY 10281

Andy T. in Manhattan

THE GRILL ROOM? Good,bad or just ugly.

Well, it's certainly not ugly. The food is servicable, middle of the road, non-destination, non-Hound fare. Raw bar, grilled fish, some pastas, steaks and burgers. Most of the crowd is from Nomura, Cadwalader, Goldman, so the service is efficient. It's so business-oriented they're not open at all on the weekends. Your friends might have more fun with essentially the same view downstairs, outdoors on a nice summer night or day, at Southwest, with their extensive selection of margaritas. You can usually get a cab outside Gateway Plaza, which is about a quarter of a block away from the southern WFC exit. Menu below:

http://www.worldfinancialcenter.com/resources/1430/the_grill_room_menu.pdf

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SouthWest NY
225 Liberty St, New York, NY 10281

Andy T. in Manhattan

Need rec for a quick, good early sat night dinner near 34th and 8th with a tired 8 year old

K-town (main strip is on 32nd between Broadway and 5th Avenue, as Pan suggested, is a good idea. Perhaps a smidge closer are Go Go Curry (Japanese curry, pork cutlets, etc) and BonChon Chicken (Korean fried chicken) on the north side of 38th between 7th and 8th Avenues. Go Go is closer to 8th, BonChon to 7th. I'm not sure how late they're open on Saturday night, so a quick call may be in order if your kid's in the mood for some Asian comfort food.

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Go Go Curry
273 W 38th St, New York, NY 10018

Andy T. in Manhattan