ManhattanLawyer's Profile
Lively downtown spot under $50 per person?
Rubirosa, Balaboosta, Vandaag, Empellon, Rouge et Tomate
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Balaboosta
214 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012
Vandaag
103 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003
Rouge et Blanc
48 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012
Rubirosa
235 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012
Empellon Taqueria
230 W 4th St, New York, NY 10014
Question about Gallo Blanco and Barrio Cafe
Hi,
For various reasons it looks like I will be eating at both of these restaurants on the same day. Is there a preference between going to one for dinner vs. lunch? Meaning, should I have lunch at Gallo Blanco and dinner at Barrio Cafe or vice versa?
Thanks!
Two great meals at Yuba
Tonight was the 2nd night I had a terrific meal at Yuba, a newish Japanese restaurant on 9th St between 3rd and 4th Aves. Both times the restaurant has been close to empty which is so sad because, honestly, it was great.
First time I had their signature appetizer yuba (tofu skin) with uni, as well as a few other apps including some dumplings. Then had the sushi omakase. It was very generous in terms of the number of pieces we got and some different types of fish, too. The eel was particularly delicious, as was the shrimp sushi (they later presented the fried heads to us at the end of the meal), among other things. The bill came and we were surprised that the omakase came out to only $60 a person. I liken it to Seki and Seki would have been double that price for what we got.
Tonight had the omakase with both sushi and other hot dishes, like fried corn cake, shiso peppers. Seared toro and seared scallop sushi were both good as was monkfish liver in yuzu sauce. That was only $75.
Service is so friendly. They remembered us the second time and gave us some items on the house both times.
It's always amazing to me how some restaurants catch on so quickly and others don't and I will be really sad if this closes. I'm counting on fellow CHers to check it out!!
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Yuba
105 E 9th St, New York, NY 10003
Please help finish my Chicago eating itinerary!
Hi everyone,
I just wanted to report back on my trip since you were all so helpful with your suggestions.
Our flight to Chicago was delayed so we didn't make it in time to go to Girl and Goat so we went to the Purple Pig, which was great. Given that it was 11 PM we didn't want to order too much but this is definitely a place I could see myself returning often. Service was also quite good.
We shared some cured meats: lingua agrodolce, fuet, jamon bellota - the lingua agrodolce was outstanding. We also had roasted butternut squash with pepitas and ricotta salata (very good); razor clams with oregano, lemon, and olive oil (good flavor and I'm not even a huge razor clams fan), and wagyu sirloin tips with fingerling potatoes, red onions, olives, bone marrow vinaigrette (great acidity from the olives). For dessert we had the apple and quince crostata which was an individual serving size. Very cute and good flavor. This was a wonderful place.
Brunch at Bongo Room was great. The portions are huge!! And we only got the 2 pancake order which is considered a "half-portion!" I had the red velvet pancakes and the Thai chicken sausage with ginger. Husband had the apple tarte tatin pancakes and the canadian bacon. Both were very good - and different!
Lunch at Lou Malnati's was the Chicago classic with cheese, sauce, and sausage. Very good flavor to the sauce.
We snagged a res at the Aviary which was a lot of fun! The cider drink where they bring you the cider to watch infuse was great. Also had the chartreuse one, the ginger one, and whatever the one that resembles an old fashioned is. Really enjoyed this place.
After Aviary we walked a block to the Publican. Fantastic atmosphere. Reminded me of a beer hall in Prague. Food was terrific. We had the La Quercia Rossa ham cured ham (delicious); wild king salmon lox with figs, fromage blanc, saba, and rye; Brussels sprouts with burrata, parmesan, onions, and lemon; roasted squash; sweetbreads with celery root puree & pomegranate salsa verde; suckling pig with golden turnip puree, truffled tapenade & feta; big woods blue cheese from Champaign, Illinois; and a waffle with honey butter and strawberry jam. Loved their beer selection - we had a dry cider and a red Flemish ale. The waffle was definitely the weak spot. Dry and flavorless. The highlights were the roasted squash and suckling pig.
Brunch the next day was at Frontera Grill. We had the appetizer sampler - cheese quesadillas, chicken taquitos with crema, ceviche tostadas, jicama salad & guacamole, then we shared enchiladas with chicken mole and tacos with skirt steak. The tacos and enchiladas were both very good but I was not as impressed as I thought I would be overall.
Dinner that night was Alinea. I don't have the menu in front of me so there's no way I could remember all the courses (plus that would destroy the surprise for anyone who hasn't yet eaten there). I will say that overall I am glad that I ate there. It was one of the most inventive places where I've eaten - definitely food as art. But it was not as magical as I had expected it to be. Service was a bit stiff - and, even more disappointingly, snobby. I am rarely a fan of wine pairings because the wines used in wine pairings are usually very boring and not that good and I'd rather splurge on a really outstanding bottle or two. Our sommelier not only said that wine pairings are the only way to go but then also tried to upsell us on the reserve pairings in a pretty insulting way. We'll just leave it at that. I did hear other servers describing the wine pairings in a less obnoxious way so I think that it was just an issue with our table’s sommelier. Onto the actual food, some of the courses were absolutely delicious. I enjoyed courses where I had to disassemble and reassemble my serving piece in order to eat the course. But overall, it just didn’t blow me away the way other hyped restaurants have done. I will admit I was disappointed that every table around us had the final dessert prepared by Chef Achatz and then when it came time for our dessert, the sous chef prepared it. I know that he is probably very very busy in the kitchen and therefore can’t serve every dessert but to be the only table in the room where yours wasn’t prepared by the Chef was disappointing.
Last brunch was at Perenniel Virant. I was very disappointed with this brunch. We had the maple-bourbon breakfast sausage with sunny side up eggs, home fries, toast; apple bread with spiced apples and cherry compote; and the farm egg skillet with sweet and hot peppers, onions, smoked cheddar, cilantro, toast. The food in my opinion was not prepared that well and the flavors were all very one-note.
So that’s it. I’ll be impressed if you read this far. Thanks for all your help again!!
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Alinea
1723 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614
Bongo Room
1152 S Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60605
Frontera Grill
445 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654
Purple Pig
500 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611
Decent Italian that delivers UES?
Cafe Buon Gusto or Maruzzella
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Maruzzella
1483 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10021
cocktail bars
I love love love Cienfuegos. Mayahuel is also good. Raines is also nice. Silver Lining is new and I was impressed on my first visit.
There is a new Champagne lounge called Winston's which sounds great but for the fact that it's in a hotel so is likely sceney.
I haven't been to Bathtub Gin yet but would like to go.
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Raines Law Room
48 W 17th St, New York, NY 10011
Mayahuel
304 E 6th St, New York, NY 10003
Cienfuegos
95 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009
Silver Lining
75 Murray St, New York, NY 10007
Bathtub Gin
132 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011
Winston’s Champagne Bar
420 Park Ave S, New York, NY 10016
What to order at Hospoda
I love this restaurant. It is very near where I live and I keep meaning to get back. When we ate there they hadn't yet started the 7 course tasting but I am dying to go back and try it. Don't think it would be too much food; the portion sizes are tiny. I looked at the current menu and don't think many things are the same from when I ate there; the beef tongue was delicious as was the rainbow trout and the ham (although it was presented as a main when I was there and is now a starter which makes more sense because that portion in particular was very small).
My husband did the beer tasting - it's all the same beer - just with different amounts of foam which makes them all taste different. He enjoyed it. I love how they have some unusual wines that you can order by the half glass. Last time I was there I had a delicious Hungarian red.
Please report back if you get the tasting!
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Hospoda
321 E 73rd St, New York, NY 10021
Pastry chef / London Chowhounder visiting NY, need your help please!
In Brooklyn there is Baked in Red Hook. There's also a new bakery called Bien Cuit that the Times raved about that I haven't been able to get to yet.
Visting Manhattan This Weekend & Request Opinons
I prefer Katz's over 2nd Avenue Deli. Something that is inexpensive but unique for lunch would be Num Pang, a Cambodian sandwich shop. The original is near Union Square but there is a new outpost on 41st street between Lex. and 3rd.
Are you interested in pizza at any point? I recently had a great dinner at a new place called Rubirosa. Outstanding pizzas; was quite impressed with this place. There's also Rouge et Tomate which was just given 2 stars in the Times and is very under-the-radar. I enjoyed my meal there.
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Num Pang Sandwich Shop
21 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003
Rouge et Blanc
48 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012
Rubirosa
235 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012
Num Pang Sandwich Shop
140 E 41st St, New York, NY 10017
Where to order an Amish turkey for Thanksgiving
I'm fairly certain both Ottomanelli's and Lobel's do Amish-raised turkeys. We have a small family so we only order the breast which is why we can never order a heritage turkey (only come whole) but the turkeys I've been ordering from Ottomanelli's for the last several years are always delicious and juicy.
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Ottomanelli and Sons
285 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014
Lobel's Prime Meats
1096 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10028
Please help finish my Chicago eating itinerary!
Hi everyone, I'm back! Leaving for trip soon and just have one last question. Here is the itinerary as it stands
Day 1:
Dinner: Girl and Goat
Day 2:
Breakfast: Bongo Room
Lunch: Lou Malnati
Dinner: Publican (late dinner so hopefully can do Aviary or Sable before, with strong pref for Aviary but I know it's tough to get in)
Day 3:
Brunch: Frontera Grill
Dinner: Alinea
Hopefully a midday sweet stop at Vanille and/or Floriole
Day 4:
Brunch: Here's where I'm struggling. This is on a Sunday so my first pick, Xoco, isn't open. Also need to leave for airport around 11:30 so am hoping to be at brunch around 9:45. I don't think North Pond opens that early which is too bad. Of the restaurants that will be open that early, many don't seem to take reservations and have long waits pretty early. In NYC I would never have to worry about places being busy at 10 AM, but based on reviews it seems like that is a popular brunch time in Chicago and I would hate to get somewhere and have a really long wait and not be able to eat, or have to rush through breakfast.
So my first issue is whether I roll the dice on a no res place, and if so, which one: Jam, Yolk, M.Henry? Another?
Or do I be safe and book a table somewhere? Mercat a la plancha (I love Catalan food but am worried that the brunch menu isn't online because it changes so frequently), or Perennial Virant?
Any opinions would be really appreciated, and I promise to report back with a very detailed trip report!!
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Alinea
1723 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614
Bongo Room
1152 S Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60605
Frontera Grill
445 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654
North Pond
2610 North Cannon Drive, Chicago, IL 60614
Perennial Virant
1800 N Lincoln, Chicago, IL 60614
XOCO
449 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654
tertulia or txikito?
I feel like I can respond fairly accurately to your question as I just ate at Tertulia at 5:30 on Saturday (after going to a matinee). Got to the door around 5:20 and others were already waiting outside. By 5:30, the line was so big people had to wait to be seated. We were about the 4th in line so we were seated right away.
Food was delicious. Had almost everything on the menu and all was fabulous. The smoked amberjack, pork cheek bites, croquetas, and a special jamon iberico were highlights.
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Tertulia
359 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011
Best Kaiseki option?
I will do my best although with so many courses it's difficult to keep everything straight. I have only had kaiseki at Kyo Ya once and it was shortly after it opened. I had been to Sugiyama several times, including more recently.
One big difference is the ambience. Sugiyama is in midtown and feels like it (lots of people on corporate accounts in there). however, you can sit at the bar, which I always love because it enables you to interact with the chef and Chef Sugiyama is really fun to talk to. I like that you can choose from a few different kaiseki menus. I've almost always gotten the modern with wagyu but I have sampled the other dishes from the non-wagyu menu and they are good as well.
Kyo Ya's atmosphere is much more downtown. I have never eaten at the bar there. I think the food feels more inventive/modern here than at Sugiyama but, as I said previously, I am not a kaiseki expert. Plus the way they serve the courses is different because Sugiyama will put 4 or so different items on your tray at once. Kyo Ya separates out into like 10 or so courses.
If I could only dine at 1 it would probably be Sugiyama as evidenced by the fact that I've eaten there more than any of the other kaiseki restaurants. That said, this thread has me wanting to go back to Kyo Ya now since it's been a while :)
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Sugiyama
251 W 55th St, New York, NY 10019
Kyo Ya
94 E 7th St, New York, NY 10009
Best Kaiseki option?
I'm a little late to the posting since you've already made a res at Kyo Ya but I've actually had Kaiseki at every single restaurant listed in this thread (what can I say, DH and I love kaiseki), so I'll add my thoughts to the discussion.
I love Sugiyama. Have been several times. Outstanding experience sitting at the bar.
Rosanjin's food is delicious (or at least it was when I last ate there which was a few years ago, so maybe it has gone downhill since) and room is gorgeous but it has a very stuffy, quiet atmosphere, so I prefer Sugiyama as it is brighter and livelier.
Kyo Ya is delicious, too. Great atmosphere and food is delicious.
Below these three I would put Kajitsu. I thought the presentations were all gorgeous, but I was not blown away by the entire meal. Plus a friend dining with us got violently ill immediately after dinner, so that wasn't ideal.
I had high expectations for Hakubai but was not impressed at all.
Brushstroke was my most recent kaiseki experience and I have to tell you I was very underwhelmed, especially since I enjoy most of Bouley's other restaurants. We were seated at the bar and it was great to watch the chefs. However, our service was quite poor. We ordered a bottle of sake and after a long time our first course arrived and our sake still hadn't. We inquired as to whether it was coming, which was followed by a lot of unorganized chatter among all the servers. Still no one came over to us so we inquired with another server, who finally alerted the sommelier who came over and said they were out of that bottle. (OK, fine, but why did it take close to 30 minutes and several follow-ups to find that out?) Service aside, I was just not impressed by the food. I thought the compressed char entree was great, but my biggest problem with the meal was that I could not see how all the dishes connected together. It just seemed like the chefs tried to create some dishes that were good and then threw them together as a tasting menu without giving thought to how they related. (I am by no means a kaiseki expert so my assessment could be wildly off the mark, but I'm just relating that I did not think the progression worked like in the other restaurants I mentioned.)
Lastly is EN, which wouldn't even cross my mind when contemplating a kaiseki restaurant.
So, in conclusion, great pick with Kyo Ya (makes me want to go back there soon!). Please report back!
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En Japanese Brasserie
435 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
Sugiyama
251 W 55th St, New York, NY 10019
Kyo Ya
94 E 7th St, New York, NY 10009
Rosanjin
141 Duane Street, New York, NY 10013
Hakubai
66 Park Ave, New York, NY 10016
Kajitsu
414 East 9th Street, New York, NY 10009
Brushstroke
30 Hudson St, New York, NY 10013
Restaurant Advice for 2 day trip to NYC
Great list, Kathryn. We have very similar food preferences. To the original poster, I would just add Num Pang as something unique for a casual lunch. Two locations: original near Union Square, new one near Grand Central (although that one's closed on Sundays). They make Cambodian sandwiches and are delicious.
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Num Pang Sandwich Shop
21 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003
Num Pang Sandwich Shop
140 E 41st St, New York, NY 10017
Please help finish my Chicago eating itinerary!
Hi PopMegaphone,.
Lou Malnati and Alinea are on different days. Sorry for any confusion
Day 1:
Dinner: TBD
Day 2: Friday
Brunch: Jam, Bongo Room, ?
Lunch: Lou Malnati
Dinner: TBD
Day 3:
Brunch: Frontera Grill
Dinner: Alinea
will probably only have a light snack or perhaps pastry midday if anything
Day 4: Sunday
Brunch: TBD
Would you recommend Sable just for drinks or also for dinner? I've read some people rave about the dinner they had there and I do love the mix-and-match with the half-size plates to allow us to try more items.
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Alinea
1723 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614
Bongo Room
1152 S Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60605
Frontera Grill
445 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654
Please help finish my Chicago eating itinerary!
Hi everyone,
I'll have 3 days in Chicago. I've managed to secure an Alinea reservation already (thrilled!). My husband and I are NYC foodies so our goal is to find things that we can't really get in New York. With that in mind, I'd love your suggestions
Brunch:
Frontera Grill (already reserved this)
What are your thoughts on Bongo Room, Jam, Xoco, any others?
Lunch:
Lou Malnati's (post-Shedd aquarium)
open to suggestions for other days
Dinner:
Alinea one night so I was thinking more casual places for the other 2
What are your thoughts on:
Girl & Goat (is it actually good or just hyped because of Top Chef?)
Publican
any other places
For drinks, I was thinking Aviary and Sable - thoughts?
I love pastry - is Vanille considered the best? We'll probably be staying near North Michigan Ave. so any patisseries near there?
Thanks!
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Alinea
1723 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614
Bongo Room
1470 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60642
Frontera Grill
445 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654
XOCO
449 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654
3 dinners in Charleston - please help
Thanks. Yes, I'd be interested in recs for everything you mentioned: seafood, grits, and collards. We were hoping to do really casual places for breakfast and lunch so any recs for those types of restaurants would also be very helpful. Thanks again!
3 dinners in Charleston - please help
Hi everyone,
I think I'll be heading to Charleston soon and, like any good CH-er, I am trying to plot out my dining itinerary in advance! Would love to focus on lowcountry-type restaurants with emphasis on great food.
I've read a lot about McCrady's and now Husk. If choosing between both of them, which would you pick and why? Is one supposed to be more upscale - or more "southern" - than the other?
For the other 2 nights, I'm torn between FIG, SNOB, and to a lesser extent Peninsula Grill or Charleston Grill (I see both of these written about on other sites but to me they seem really touristy and not regionally authentic, if that makes sense, but please tell me if I'm wrong).
Which of these restaurants would you pick, and if you'd choose other places entirely please let me know!
Thanks!
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McCrady's Restaurant
2 Unity Alley, Charleston, SC 29401
Peninsula Grill
112 N Market St, Charleston, SC 29401
Charleston Grill
224 King Street, Charleston, SC 29401
Hudson Valley Road Trip: Specific Restaurant Requests
I must sadly agree with the CHer who was underwhelmed with Swoon. I was very excited to eat there but did not think the food or the service was good. On the other hand, I was very impressed with daba. Best swedish meatballs I can recall eating in a long time. This was last November
Good alternative to Alkimia now that our flight to Barcelona was canceled!
Hello,
Given the storm in NYC, our flight to Barcelona was canceled and therefore we weren't able to get to Alkimia for our dinner reservation. Unfortunately they are closed or booked all other nights we are free.
We have reservations at Cinc Sentits, Fonda Gaig, and Can Fabes for New Year's Eve.
What high-end restaurant do you think would be a good alternative to Alkimia that would contrast nicely with Cinc Sentits, Fonda Gaig, and Can Fabes? Moo? Hisop? Gresca? Dos Cielos?
Fingers crossed that our flight tonight to Barcelona will take off!
Thanks so much!
Please help with my Barcelona eating itinerary
Hi everyone,
Thank you so much for all your helpful suggestions. We have secured a NYE res at Can Fabes as well as at Alkimia for our first night. I'm thinking of this for our schedule:
Dinners:
Mon: Alkimia
Tues: tapas crawl, either Tapac24, Cerveseria Catalana, La Bodegueta - or in El Born.
If we did a tapas crawl in El Born, what places should we visit?
Wed: Comerc24
Thurs: Cinc Sentits
Fri: Can Fabes
Sat: This is New Year's Day. Any suggestion for casual places that will be open? I emailed Fonda Gaig but they said they would be closed.
Sunday lunch: we're hoping to go to the FC Barcelona game at night (assuming it doesn't get moved to Monday) so what would be a good casual place open for Sunday lunch?
lunches:
quimet y quimet
cal pep
paco meralgo
breakfast:
Boqueria, Bar Pinotxo
Thank you so much!
Please help with my Barcelona eating itinerary
One additional thought: it looks like Gaig, Moo, Olive, Hisop, and Gresca are all open on Monday. Assuming that is correct, should my first night in Barcelona be at Alkimia or one of these? Basically, which would you choose for your first exposure to Barcelona's restaurant scene? Thanks!
Please help with my Barcelona eating itinerary
I just booked a last minute trip to Barcelona so I will have 6 nights there from Dec. 27 – Jan. 1, and am trying to iron out my eating itinerary. Sadly, it looks like Can Roca is closed for the holiday (although I would be thrilled to learn I am misinformed about this), so I was thinking about trying to get in to Can Fabes for NYE dinner. Living in NYC, I would never think about paying the premium to go to a 3 star restaurant here for NYE but since Barcelona doesn’t have a huge party scene for NYE, I was thinking about going to Can Fabes, if possible, on that night.
I was also thinking about Alkima on Monday since it’s one of the few places open on Monday.
So I need to try to figure out how else to balance my nights. For at least one night I was thinking of doing a tapas/pintxo crawl (a previous CHer mentioned Tapac24, Cerveseria Catalana, La Bodegueta – would that be a good route? Any others to add to it?)
Would having tapas be good for lunches? Should I try to go to quimet y quimet for lunch as opposed to dinner? Is it not worth going to at all? If not, what other tapas places – or crawls – would you recommend? (I am staying near the Catalunya metro station in Ciutat Vella but have no problem traveling for food – we are CHers, after all!)
Assuming I am able to get an Alkima reservation, which 3 or 4 of the following would you recommend for my other nights? Cinc Senits, Gaig, Sauc, Coure, Hisop, Comerc24, Gresca, Gelonch, Olive, Neichel, or Moo. I care mainly about the food being good, authentic, and a nice compare/contrast with the other restaurants chosen.
If I can’t get into Can Fabes, what would you recommend for NYE? Would prefer something a bit celebratory!
Thank you for your last minute help! I promise to return the kindness by writing reviews of wherever I end up!
Will great Barcelona restaurants be open week between Christmas and New Year's?
Hi all,
I'm contemplating a last minute trip to Barcelona for the week between Christmas and New Year's but am wondering whether any/some/most great restaurants close for a holiday that week?
Thank you!
Is it possible to cut bundt cake recipes in half?
I have several great sounding recipes for bundt cakes. Only problem is that it's just DH and me and whenever I make a bundt cake, we have so much I have to freeze it and end up eating it forever. Is there any way to cut a bundt cake recipe in half (I assume that's possible), but the harder question is then what pan would I use? A loaf pan?
Thank you!
First time cooking rabbit - help please
Hi,
I plan to make braised rabbit tomorrow. It will be my first time cooking it. Do I need to rinse it before I start to cook it, like I would a chicken, or not?
Thanks!
Recommendations for restaurant supply stores
Hi everyone,
I know there are lots of supply stores around Bowery but which are your favorites, especially for bakeware? For instance I'm looking for individual-sized nonstick tart pans with removable bottoms as well as other items. Don;t have time to order online as I need these things asap. Thanks so much!
BEST wedding caterer?
I used Creative Edge for my wedding. They were wonderful to work with. Brooke and Carla were fantastic. They were very open to my ideas (my husband and I created an appetizer consisting of 3 seasonal items and they went above and beyond to execute our vision). Everyone tells us it was the best food they had at a wedding, which is what we wanted!
