snowcone's Profile
Irish Brown Bread
I'm making St Patrick's Day dinner for a few friends and want to get some tradional Irish Brown Bread - any bakeries that feature this product? Thanks.
Displaced NYC foodies returning for quick fix - what are the new and amazing restaurants we must try?
We really loved Boulud Sud, Daniel Boulud's new Mediterranean restaurant. It's near Lincoln Center.
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Boulud Sud
20 W 64th St, New York, NY 10023
Telluride
Just returned from Telluride and had some great meals. I stayed at the Inn at Lost Creek and had breakfast at the restaurant there called 9545. Breakfasts were great and very hearty; you were well fueled for skiing the whole day. Service was excellent.
Next door to the Inn is a great Italian restaurant called La Piazza Del Villaggi. This is not an Italian red sauce type of restaurant. They do have wonderful homemade pastas, but also excellent grilled seafood and game dishes. The wine list is excellent and service is warm and friendly. It has become one of my favorite places to dine in all of Telluride.
Some great additions to the Telluride dining scene are the Butcher and Baker for breakfast and lunch and the new Tomboy Tavern that took over the space occupied by Hop Garden. It's got great burgers and many Colorado beers on tap.
Also like the Telluride Bistro in town as well as the new restaurant called Flavor. The Sheridan Chop house is also a go to destination.
Restaurant Brat review of Osteria Morini - Pasta Heaven
Went Saturday night (Jan 14 2012) and thought the entire experience was mediocre at best. I love Marea and was really excited to try OM especially after reading about its background - an homage to one of Michael White's mentors.
We arrived on time for our 8PM reservation on a busy Saturday night and we were seated right away by the very friendly and efficient hostess. It took our waiter a while to come by and we ordered two glasses of wine. We had to wait over 10 minutes before our wine was actually poured. He then left us again without taking our order.
Our table was very cramped next to other guests. Myriad servers, bus people and guests on their way to the restrooms constantly banged in to my DC's chair. That, coupled with the blaring rock music, was not a pleasant ambience.
The food was medicore at best. My pasta with clams was drowning in its cooking liguid and had tons of sand, either from the clams or the leeks contained within, or both. Very underwhelming dish as well as unappetizing. My DC's Lasagna was okay.
After having waited way too long to be served a glass of wine, we certainly didn't appreciate having our server try to take our salad away three separate times while we were still eating it. If there was a need to turn the table over, it should have been addressed when we were seated and waited too long for our wine and way too long to place an order. Hate to say it, but we won't be going back.
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Osteria Morini
218 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012
Special Birthday Weekend?
I've looked at a lot of posts and still want to narrow down a spectacular special birthday dinner. Even though we are in our fifties...is the Beaver Club the best place for a memorable birthday dinner? I know that Montreal represents a lot of cuisines, however our preferences are French food and great French wine. Thinking of Aix and Club Chasse. Any other restaurants that would hit all the high notes for location, ambience, food and wine and fond memories? Garde Manger gets great reviews but is it a more of a scene to be seen or is the food worth the trip. Open to all suggestions.
Thanks so much.
High End Wine Store?
I would suggest Winestone. It is is Chestnut Hill, but they will deliver to Back Bay.
The owner, Patrick Dubsky is a Master Sommelier. I have gotten fantastic Rhones there.
The website is www.winestone.net If you were to call him, I am sure he would be very helpful.
Phone: 617.264.0393
1160 Boylston Street
Dining Suggestions
We will be there Nov 18 - 20 so I am within the window of making reservations which I will do via Open Table or AMEX Platinum.
I chose these particular restaurants from various reviews as well as Chowhound suggestions because they got good reviews for both food and ambience.
My biggest issue is that I am not familiar with the area surrounding the Greenwich Hotel, so I was hoping to get suggestions close to the hotel as well as a memorable dining experience.
Thank you Kathyrn for responding to my post. I have read many of your posts on CH and you always have great insights. Maybe I should pose a more simple questions and ask you...if it were your birthday, where would you like to go for a wonderful dinner within the area of the Greenwich Hotel? Thanks so much.
Dining Suggestions
Will be staying at the Greenwich Hotel and want to narrow down myriad choices for dinner in that area on a Friday and Saturday night, also an interesting lunch suggestion for Saturday. Am willing to make reservations beforehand for something really good. Have looked at the boards and can't decide between Locande Verde, Nobu, Annissa or Il Buco among others. It is for a special occassion so I am not going to be too concerned about pricing. Also like all types of cusines so different suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.
Like Oleana, but not Oleana
Atasca, a Portugese restaurant is in the same neighborhood as Oleana. It has a nice outdoor space with a large fireplace. The food is great and the people who work there are super nice, so I think they would strive to make your celebration special.
Recap of our 5 day NYC trip
Thanks for the great write up. I appreciate the time you took to go into such great detail. You've helped me solidify plans for my next trip to New York-- Maialino and The Modern will be on my list.
I live in Boston and try to get to New York frequently for some good shows. Just saw "Good People" and had a great post-theater meal at Marseille. Next up will be "Warhorse" and will go to both restaurants you highlighted as well as Lincoln which has gotten some great reviews.
Thanks again for taking the time to share your dining notes!
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Marseille
630 Ninth Avenue, New York, NY 10036
Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010
Restaurant for dinner - walking distance from 5th Av and E 65th
Just another add on. I stayed at the Surrey Hotel this past weekend. Located on 20 E. 76th Street. The concierge had typed up a list of kid friendly places.
"Eating with kids options" - Serafina, Bella Blue, Atlantic Grill, American Girl Place, Shun Lee Cafe for Dim Sum or Chinatown Brasserie.
He also recommended some shows for kids - Wicked, Wonderland, Mary Poppins, Addams Family. Also Madagascar Live at Radio City or Harry Potter at Discovery Times Square. (Sorry to go off topic regarding restaurants)
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Chinatown Brasserie
380 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012
American Girl Cafe
609 5th Ave, New York, NY 10017
Atlantic Grill
49 W 64th St, New York, NY 10023
Artisan-NO
I know that dining out on Easter Sunday can always present challenges. However an experienced restauranteur such as the owner of Artisanal would be prepared for such...or so one would think.
We had a reservation, but since the bar was relatively empty we informed the receptionist that we would prefer to sit at the bar, and she was fine with that. There was no hint that we wouldn't be able to be served or any caveat in that regard.
What we then discovered was there was one bartender making drinks for the entire restaurant, and someone who acted as if he had never been behind a bar helping out.
About 8 minutes go by and we are finally approached for a drink order. We place our order and watch as our server then proceeds to the cafe area to clean tables; we watch him come back to the bar area and take various glasses off the shelf, look at them and put them back. We watch as he goes off into the kitchen and disappears for five more minutes. I want to leave, but this was just too good to watch. Back he comes while the main bartender has the computer generated drink orders ten to fifteen deep and it's only him running the show for the entire restaurant.
Our "server" finally finds a glass he likes and proceeds to make the Bloody Mary one of us ordered 20 minutes ago with unlabeled house Vodka while we specifically ordered a name label. He strolls over with the wrong drink, and of course doesn't bother to bring the glass of wine that was ordered along with the Bloody Mary. I imagine it was too much of a challenge to find the correct glass and pour a glass of white wine. After 20 minutes or so -- wrong drink and no drink --it's time to go someplace else; anywhere else in fact.
I am pretty easy going and try not to be overly critical of restaurants as I enjoy the experience of trying new places especially one whose reputation precedes it. However this experience was just inexcuseable.
No matter how good the food that I never got to try is, I doubt I will ever return.
Happy Easter.
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Artisanal
2 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Restaurant for dinner - walking distance from 5th Av and E 65th
It's a great casual place and I think kids would be fine. I noticed their Easter Brunch menu had a special price for children, so I assume they welcome kids. Also a few outdoor tables, which would provide another seating option.
I think you will really like it!
Restaurant for dinner - walking distance from 5th Av and E 65th
Not sure if you want really high end which of course would be Daniel, but if you are looking for a more casual neighborhood spot, I would suggest Bistro Chat Noir. They are known for a great burger, but are much more than that. I have had wonderful Filet of Sole there as well as some beef dishes. It is quite casual and a very nice neighborhood choice.
Located on 22 E. 66th Street
www.bistrochatnoir.com
Another Restaurant Suggestion Request
Sounds like fun! As already mentioned, La Grenouille would be an excellent choice.
I would also suggest Cafe Boulud, which is located in The Surrey Hotel on 20 E. 76th Street, as a great choice. They present a varied and unique set of menus including one called "Le Potager" which is inspired by market choices and is vegetarian. We dined there on Friday night and surprisingly my carnivore DC opted for this menu and it did not disappoint.
Of course, there is the Daniel restaurant as well, but I really liked Cafe Boulud and the warm and helpful service. If you are not big wine drinkers they have a great selection of wines by the glass.
www.danielnyc.com
Also would suggest Marea on Central Park West (CPW) - again great service, a varied menu and unbelievable seafood presentations with an Italian twist.
www.marea-nyc.com
Have fun and cherish those memories!
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Cafe Boulud
20 East 76th St., New York, NY 10021
La Grenouille
3 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022
Marea
240 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019
ladies lunch on newbury st.
If it's nice out, why not try 29 Newbury Street where you can dine outside?
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29 Newbury
29 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116
The New Del Frisco's
Haven't tried it yet, so can not comment on the food. As a resident of Boston, however, I am appalled that our city planners can not come up with more imaginitive uses for such prime waterfront property. Another steakhouse??? (Not discounting how good it may be) right across from Morton's??? Another Legal's??? An ugly brown building called The Whiskey Priest??? Why can't we take a page from San Fransisco or Seattle and develop our beautiful waterfront into something that is in keeping with our history, our connection to seafood and provide something unique and distinquished.
Just my two cents.
I'm keen on Keen's
Loved your write up and couldn't agree more. The setting, the service and the wonderful food always make this a great choice. I wish they were open for lunch on Sunday (they open at 5PM for dinner) as I am often at Penn Station and would love to have a great meal at Keen's before I take the Amtrak back to Boston.
As an aside, we dined here often when I was a kid and it still possess that same magic feeling.
In NYC for 6 days with a couple visiting for the first time. Need a little help in planning.
What about the Felice Wine Bar? It's focus is Italian Wine. It is on 64th and 1st. Expensive, but they do serve Lunch and Brunch.
Bad dinner at EVOO
Sorry about your experience and I hope the owners read your post and take it to heart.
To that end, I tried the new EVOO for the first time and ordered one of their signature dishes that they serve in the Chinese take-out box - I forget the name.
It was so over-salted as to almost being inedible. The service was so frenetic that we were just happy to get our check and leave, and I never told our server, nor the manager about such a major miss on a signature dish. I hope they read this.
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EVOO Restaurant
350 Third Street, Cambridge, MA 02143
Hotel Marlowe Cambridge- Recommendations
Definitely Emma's pizza - their salads are great too.
And ditto for the Helmand. It is something very different and the food is excellent.
I love Rendezvous, a do-able walk on a nice night from your hotel. Local and fresh ingredients; wonderful food.
There is a Portugese Restaurant, Atasca, which does get mixed reviews on CH. I really like it, though.
Any good Restaurant Week reports?
Not a fan of RW in general. Going to a concert so went to Bina and was presently surprised by the scope of the RW selections and the generous portions. (One reason I have been anti-RW is that portions are extremely small).
Service was great and it is a beautiful space.
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Bina Osteria
, Boston, MA 02108
Thanks Chowhounders
I've read a few posts recommending Off the Boat, and I finally got to try it last night. (They are now open on Sundays.) I absolutely loved the place and will be going back often. So, thanks to the Chowhounders who have highlighted this place in their posts.
The place is small and cozy and the service was attentive and warm. The owner who waited on us offered to make an appetizer-sized portion of Eggplant Parm since we couldn't make up our minds among all the entrees. The Eggplant Parm was great; nicely sized portions of eggplant, not heavy or oily and the red sauce could have been a meal in itself.
We also tried the special appetizer that evening which was a large crabcake served with a creamy dill sauce. While the crabcake was a little too bready for my liking, it was fresh and the dill sauce added a really nice touch. Also tried the chicken served in a lemon sage sauce with homemade rigatoni. Hit the spot!
The owner told us that they try out appetizer specials on Thursdays to see what patrons like so they know which ones to put on the menu for the weekend. I may go there one Thursday to try out some of the apps.
So thanks again CH'ers for this great pick.
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Off The Boat Seafood Restaurant
28 Porter Street, East Boston, MA 02128
Maybe a crazy question???
We spent our anniversary and had an incredible meal at Maya Bay in Monte Carlo in April. I know that this restaurant gets very mixed reviews on this board, but we had a great evening - from the service, ambience, inventive cocktails, excellent food and great wine list. So, I want to try to find a similar experience in New York City for a 50th birthday surprise.
Are there any places that are similar to a Maya Bay experience in NYC?
Thank you all. I really enjoy reading all your posts and can't wait to return to Paris and the South of France soon. Not to worry, we are also planning some other fine dining experiences while in New York at EMP, Barbuto and Daniel.
Missing the South of France
We just returned from a three week trip to the south of France, and want to try and replicate some of the dining experiences. We were in Nice, Antibes, Cap Ferrat, etc and it was not so much being blown away by a three star dining experience as it was the ambience and the way all the flavors connected. Loved being served a glass of a simple rose wine with a little dish of olives, and ordering a local fish that was de-boned at the table and simply served with parsley and a white wine sauce. It is my SO's birthday coming up, and we will be in Manhattan and I would love to surprise her with one or two dining experiences that will take us back to that region. Also we were really delighted by many of the wines - not just local roses and famous Bandol's, but the red wines of Cotes de Provence as well. I know there are wonderful French restaurants in New York, but are looking specifically for ones who may specialize in the cuisine of this region or who have a chef from the region. Thank you all in advance for any insights. For our trip, we got some wonderful recommendations from the CH board from France and I have no doubt NY CH's will weigh in with great ideas as well. Merci.
caterer recommendation for North Shore area(Hamilton, Ipswich, Marblehead, Wenham, Beverly)
Vinwood Catering is top notch. I believe they have been in business for over 20 years.
For a seafood-oriented meal, also Ipswich Shellfish.
Have fun!
source to buy fresh lime juice
I purchased a "hand operated" lime squeezer at Williams Sonoma. You just need to cut the limes in half, put them in the sqeezer and it is simple and easy. Based on the different sizes of citrus, they have a yellow one for lemons, green for limes and orange for oranges. Very bright colors, enamel painted, so could be hung on a display. Easy storage if you lack kitchen space, like I do, and easy to clean. Don't remember the price, probably less than $20, and I have had mine for many, many years. (Not to mention some great drinks)
Visit to Boston near Charles Street
In terms of the Red Sox, that area is called Fenway. If you do get tickets to a day game, check out Eastern Standard right near Fenway. A great bistro.
If the Sox are not in town, you can always do a tour of Fenway Park, and have a light lunch and drinks at the Bleacher Bar with a view right into the field. Then go to Game On, with tons of TV's to catch the sports action wherever it may be, and high end pub food, such as flatbread pizzas and burgers. Then end up at Eastern Standard for their signature drinks. They are known in this area for their great bartenders. Also a nice desert menu. Have fun!
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Eastern Standard
528 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215
Fenway Park
82 Lansdowne Street, Boston, MA 02215
Game On
100 Terminal St, Charlestown, MA 02129
Ithaki, Ipswich MA
Yes, please let us know if anyone locates Katrina.
We went to Ithaki this weekend. Disapointing on all fronts. New decor - just so so, and not the cozy feel of the old. No Katrina! That was hard to recover from.
Service - unprofessional and scattered.
The food was very pub-like to me and did not have the refinement/Greek influence of the old. This was based on only one entree, so it may not be fair, but I was not impressed and neither was my DC.
Will wait a few months or so to return and give the place a second chance.
Rampoldi in Monte Carlo - not so good
We were in Monte Carlo for the tennis matches and received the recommendation for this restaurant from American Express Platinum Travel Services. I would have to say I had one of the worst meals I have ever had at a restaurant. I would not have winced at the high prices if the meal were halfway decent. I had a penne pasta with langoustines. The sauce tasted like ketchup mixed with water and left an unpleasant coating in my mouth. My dining companion had scallops that had a funny odor. We could not get out fast enough. Upon return to my hotel I asked our concierge why she did not disuade us from going here, and she replied that many guests request reservations here. We later met some locals from Monte Carlo who said they have been there on several ocassions with out-of-town guests, and have never had a good meal there.
On to more pleasant experiences: We liked the less formal La Piazza restaurant which was excellent. They treated us like old friends. And thanks to several postings on Chowhound, we had a fantastic meal and overall wonderful experience at Les Agaves in Beaulieu. We can't wait to return.
