epcol's Profile
Bread Pudding in Vegas???
Mon Ami Gabi in the Paris hotel has a wonderful vanilla bread pudding - it's always on the menu in the wintertime but I believe they told us that you should ask about it even if it's not on the menu because they might still have it. Maybe you could call them to be sure so your wife wouldn't be disappointed?
Not sure how they feel about dessert only, but as long as you didn't hog the table for hours, they probably wouldn't mind.
wine/late lunch/early dinner with foodie friend after Next Food Network Star casting call !
My friend Paul wants desperately to be the Next Food Network Star so he's taking the train here from Maryland to go to the casting call at CBS studios at W57th & 10th ave tomorrow morning.
Not sure exactly when he will be done with the audition process, but it could be 2 or 3 in the afternoon till we'll be able to get together.
Paul is totally adventurous food-wise so there are really no restrictions on type of cuisine, but his favorite places are usually comfortable friendly Mediterranean wine bars with good quality food.
Any ideas for a place between the CBS studios and Penn Station? (he has to get back there evenually to take the train)
Thanks!!
Upper East Side Restaurant Chatter (and more)
May I also add Italian Village on 1st btw 79th and 80th. Up front they have pizza and in the back they have a very unassuming but nice comfortable restaurant area. I know it's fashionable to spend $25 for a pasta and $35 for a main course in an italian place these days (and believe me - I, too have done my Batali thing), but these folks do good old fashioned red sauce italian for $10 for pasta and ~$15 for a main. Recently had veal chop milanese which was excellent and you couldn't beat the rigatoni with sausage and broccoli rabe.
Upper East Side Restaurant Chatter (and more)
Thanks so much for the great list - most of them I know since my Mom lives in your neighborhood, but others we haven't tried yet.
You already have a couple of good diners on your list in Mansion and Green Kitchen, but Gracie Mews on 1st and 81st has been consistently good over many years. They have a steamed veggie platter - we're picky about our veggies and this doesn't disappoint. The Mews Waffle on the weekend brunch menu with the fresh berries on top is also great! I would say that out of all the many meals I've had there, the only thing I haven't liked are the burgers since they tend to be overcooked, but that doesn't sound like it will be a problem for you.
For Chinese we've enjoyed Chef Ho's on 2nd btw. 89th & 90th (right near Taco Taco) Even though many people order the Peking Duck, we've found the veggies were quite good.
Vespa on 2nd btw. 84th & 85th has a nice tiny back garden which is good for the upcoming (hopefully!) warmer weather. The pastas are delicious and there are good veggie appetizer selections, too.
Pyramida (Middle Eastern) on 1st & 78th is so tiny - 2 tables I think? - that you pretty much have to get delivery, but everything is very fresh and tasty.
Andre's Hungarian Cafe on 2nd btw. 84th & 85th is too meat intensive for your meals, but the coffee and pastries (esp. strudels) are delicious!
That's all that comes to mind right now. Don't have better food market selections...I don't think they exist.
Mandalay Bay recommendations?
My colleagues and I love Border Grill and go there everytime we have a business trip to Vegas (which has been just about every few months since Oct. 06). Also second Aureole and Trattoria del Lupo recs.
Good German Restaurant
Just went to Heidelberg last night. Not sure why others are disappointed - the Bauernwurst was delicious and the Sauerbraten was melt in your mouth tender. The place was packed and everyone was enjoying.
Danesi Espresso's Manhattan Vanishing Act
Wow, that is scary! Those are 3 of my favorite espresso bars, too, but I hadn't been in a while so I didn't know about the switch! Haven't heard anything but I'll definitely look into it - what a travesty! Che casino!
Upper East Side Casual But Good
Oh me, too! I was focusing on Italian per the OP's statement, but I love Beyoglu! The vegetarian platter has a great combo of mezzes.
Upper East Side Casual But Good
Where exactly is Centolire? I'm not seeing any listings for it on the internet and I'm up at 82nd between 3rd and East End a lot...
Upper East Side Casual But Good
I enjoy Vespa at 2nd between 84th & 85th, especially if the weather is good enough to be out in the back garden.
http://vesparestaurant.com/
Long Island Wines - where to buy in Manhattan?
This may be more regional than you folks usually get but I would appreciate any advice since I didn't feel like lugging bottles back from the North Fork last Friday. Thanks!
Does anyone remember Krister's Restaurant in NYC?
I loved Christer's! Miss that place!
I did an internet search for you and found a NY Times article about interior design and here's what it said:
'Chef Christer Larsson and his wife, Deborah...said when they opened Alta in Greenwich three years ago, they wanted ''a contemporary Scandinavian look to reflect the chef's Swedish background and Scandinavian menu.'' They called on Eve-Lynn Schefer of David Schefer Design, a New York firm that had worked on their former restaurant in Manhattan.'
Here's a website with some information about Alta restaurant in Greenwich:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/alta-restaurant-greenwich
If you go, let me know how it is!!
Buying wine on the UES- Where's the best deal?
Agree - went there once and there was no help whatsoever from the staff and the purchases I made there were mediocre at best.
Convivio lunch?
Thanks so much, RGR! I noticed your other posts about Convivio so I was hoping you would notice this one and give your usual fine feedback!
Good to know about the prix-fixe deal and the ability to linger.
Anything in particular you would recommend on the menu?
Convivio lunch?
I'm looking for a place convenient to Grand Central for lunch with a (female) business colleague I haven't seen in some time. She and I are both Italophiles so Convivio sounded like a good choice. Would like to hear about any lunch experiences there.
Also we might want to chat for a long time...anyone know whether or not they will kick us out after their (website's) stated 2:30pm end of lunch time?
Chocolate/Wine bar
Just came back from Ayza with 3 girlfriends from out of town. Did a post-matinee, pre-bus trip home thing. 2 of us had the white truffle pizza, one had a plate with several cheese & other selections (Comté St. Antoine, Parmigiano, Tetes de Moines, Duck Liver Paté), the other had the hot artichoke hearts; we all shared a bottle of the grenache/shiraz blend. Everything was very good - loved the pizza, cheese was flavorful and at the right serving temperature, didn't even get a taste of the artichoke as the one who ordered it loved it so much that she scarfed it down!
We had lost track of time so told our server that we needed to leave within a half hour and wanted to get chocolates to go and they were most accommodating, moving our food order along and giving us tiny cups with lids with our chocolates inside!
We all agreed we would definitely return and try more selections on the menu...the chocolate and wine idea was phenomenal!
Looking for pumpkin treats today!
oh wow, great idea RGR and I see that Via Emilia has gnocco fritto...I've been having a craving for that, too....
Korean BBQ and drinks?
I'm thinking of bringing my friends to Madangsui on Saturday post-theatre and before their bus back to Maryland. My experience with Korean BBQ is limited, though - is banchan something that comes with the kalbi or do I need to order it? and do I need to request items or do they just bring a bunch of little dishes with various things?
Late-ish dinner at Telepan Sat - recs?
Just went there Friday night at 8:30pm with two friends and we had the 4 course tasting menu with wine pairings, which I would definitely recommend. Prior to starting the tasting we shared the foie gras & donuts and it was amazing.
The waiter asked us if we were in a rush and we said no, so they let us sit, sup and linger for 3 hours.
Definitely would second the heritage pork entree, although I enjoyed my monkfish entree very much. The sunnyside egg appetizer is phenomenal and my eggplant mid-course was delicious.
I think it's hard to go wrong with anything on the menu; the three of us each had different selections from the 4 courses and shared tastes among us and it was all wonderful.
The wine pairings were very well done, selected specifically for each dish, so the sommelier came over for each of our courses with the three different bottles and explained the wines and their complementary features for each dish.
The service was gracious and friendly and the whole experience was comfortable yet elegant.
This was my first visit to Telepan and my guests were two foodie friends from out of town, so the fact that it lived up to expectations was great for all of us!
Best Turkish and Greek in NYC
My 2 favorite Turkish places are Sip Sak at 49th & 2nd and Beyoglu at 81st & 3rd.
Sat midtown lunch for vegetarian & fish-lover?
Probably $35 or less per person. It's more likely a case of not overwhelming them with anything too unusual or spicy...where they come from, their idea of "ethnic" is still Chinese...there is only one Indian restaurant and it's struggling to stay in business...if that gives you any idea.
Sat midtown lunch for vegetarian & fish-lover?
Three visitors coming on a day trip from Maryland - a mom and two 20-ish daughters. They want to go to MOMA and Top of the Rock, so anything in that area would be ideal. Vegetarian and fish-lover are presumably not one and the same person!
Any suggestions appreciated!
Cinghiale
I was curious what Baltimoreans would think of this gem in their Harbor East area, so I checked out these postings about Cinghiale. I'm a New Yorker who has traveled (and eaten much and well) in Northern Italy and personally, I loved it.
Went on Saturday night April 20th by myself and sat at the bar in the Enoteca. Ended up having their appetizer+small primo+main course and the wine pairings. Appetizer was fried artichokes with basil mayonnaise...excellent! They had stripped off all the leaves and breaded and deep fried the stem and bulb of tender goodness. Oh and the wilted arugula that came with it was yummy, too. Primo piatto was their own homemade half-moon ravioli filled with their own sausage, finished in the pan with some butter and sage leaves. The main course was pan fried sweetbreads (but they were breaded and came out crunchy...yum!) with yukon gold potato slices and a very delicate lemon caper sauce. The wines were phenomenal. The Gavi di Gavi white from Piemonte was great with the artichokes and the Langhe Rosso also from Piemonte complemented the pasta very well. They recommended a Ferrari sparkling rose with the sweetbreads and it went beautifully - who woulda thunk it?
Dessert was a millefoglie (their pastry chef knows his stuff) with a rhubarb sauce and the cappuccino was even great!
The waitstaff behind the bar were so nice and friendly - they made me feel very welcome - and they were well schooled about the food and wines.
I hated to leave!!
I truly hope that this restaurant catches on; I'm recommending it to all my Maryland friends and work colleagues.
Anyone else think Rosemary's is going downhill?
Hmmm...I feel badly about your poor experiences, but my dinners at Rosemary's have always been great. Only once did we experience the "3 hour tour" with much slower service than normal, but having dined there probably 14 times over the past year or so, I find them to be amazingly consistent, especially considering the Wednesday Ladies Night crowds (when my colleagues and I usually go).
Anyone else think Rosemary's is going downhill?
Just a comment about "Ladies Night" at Rosemary's. I'm a scientist who has been going to Las Vegas every month for business since Oct. 2006 and have been to Rosemary's nearly every time. My female colleague and I usually go with two male colleagues and when the bill comes, we all throw our credit cards in a pile and split the bill 4 ways, so we pass the "ladies night" savings along to the guys! Personally I don't think the anachronistic moniker is something to get one's panties in a bunch about, but that's just me!
It's worth it to get a savings on an excellent meal in comfortable surroundings. My new favorite is the salmon on braised cabbage with bacon. Sounds a bit strange but it is excellent. The veal with the lentils is also wonderful. Hard to go wrong! We love it!!
Viva Las Vegas
Tasting menu at Aureole in Mandalay Bay is a transporting experience, especially with the wine pairings.
Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris is always good and what's not to like about the outdoor tables with a view of the Bellagio fountains?
Off the Strip and out in the 'burbs, Rosemary's is fantastic. On Wed nights, ladies dine for half price.
Have a great time!
rockin samosa's!
At Cafe' Spice in Grand Central, you can get 3 assorted samosas: the traditional potato + peas, ground chicken, and ground lamb. They may not be traditional, but I find them to be very tasty. The degree of crispiness depends on how long they've been sitting there; probably freshest when they open at 11:30am.
Manhattan Trip Report
Thanks for your reviews, Steve.
Agree completely with your chocolate assessment - Leonidas is wonderful and less costly than the offerings from most other upscale chocolatiers.
Down to the last 2 pieces in my 1 lb. box! :(
