I really think the bialys at R & D are from Hot Bread Kitchen - they are also available when Hot Bread Kitchen is at the New Amsterdam Market.

Bagels at Kossar's are huge, vapid and just annoy me.

And there's this, from the NY Times...

"Mini-bagels (plain only, please) are the best defense. Fortunately, there are quite delicious mini-bagels at Russ & Daughters on the Lower East Side, which gets them from the Bagel Hole, a small retail bakery in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Large bagels with amorphous centers from the same source taste good in small chunks, but have the usual oversized disadvantages."

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/din...

That's interesting. I'll do a little further research and see what I can find out, because I'd been told by 2 generations of Russ what I posted above (though no one would ever tell me who they got their bagels from!).

What I do know for sure is that I don't like the bagels offered at Kossar's. And they sure seem different from the bagels they sell at R & D.

And the Hot Bread Kitchen web site says their bialys are carried at R & D.

Hot Bread Kitchen.

FYI: No, I don't think they do. I was told that they stopped using Kossar's a while ago, due to the decline in quality.

You are right that they don't make their own.

I think the bagels at Russ & Daughters are much better than those at any of the aforementioned places. And they have minis, which are like bagels really used to be. They even have bialys which put the ones at Kossar's to shame.

To be quite frank, whenever I've gone to lunch (on a weekday) at Ssam Bar, I haven't had to wait.

Yeah, but only because it's more in the style of how I like to eat. Which is, not on the upper east side.

Sorry, I passed right over Lombardi's. For pizza, try Motorino (good lunch special on weekdays) or Keste. Or Arturo's.

Bring Tums.

Where's your pizza? Pastrami? Bagel?

Sub MCFNY for xian famous.

Dinosaur isn't necessary.

Not need to eat at both DBGB and Cafe Boulud - I'd prefer Boulud Sud over either one of those. And for that matter, I prefer Cafe Katja over DBGB.

I shop at a butcher on Catherine Street. They sell quail, squab, partridge, etc...but only the partridge are fresh; the quail and squab are frozen.

If memory serves me right, the quail are 6 for $10. The squab are about $7 each. And the partridge are 2 for $15.

Since you really love oysters, have a light lunch at the Oyster Bar at Grand Central.

Sit at the counter and enjoy another good NYC experience. Additionally, it's the 100th anniversary of that grand building (Grand Central) and she's a beaut.

Congrats.

And if you can't get into any of those, Schiller's is a good fall back (I like it better than Pastis cause there is so much more to do in that neighborhood after brunch).

Hit or miss at Arturo's is a "so what?"

We're talking about a family with teens. Arturo's (and Patsy's East Harlem to a lesser extent) are true, classic NYC pizza places. From the pictures on the wall, to the live jazz combo, to the bar often filled with locals, to the singing waiter, Arturo's will offer the most fun and the most bang for the buck - if you take kids to a place like Motorino and give them brussels sprouts on their pizza - good luck.

Arturo's. Lombardi's.

Or Louro.

Ottomanelli's on Bleecker St.

Bistro Benoit (again).

Everything in that neighborhood (I lived on 76th & 3rd for years) is expensive. I always liked A & V for the fish and meat departments...they also carried the "Italian" vegetables before they became available in every store.

Grace's and Eli's make Agata and Citarella seem like a bargain.

The 6 train is your friend to get to Union Square.

I can understand that. My response comes more from the fact that you're considered it Americanized Chinese food, the same as you're considering MCF in that vein.

I'd say Yunnan Kitchen is more approachable for the neophyte.

Breakfast at Maialino is very good.

http://www.maialinonyc.com/

I like it, but not as much as MCF.

Maybe Macao. The cocktails are great.

http://www.macaonyc.com/

Sobaya for Soba - east village.

For ramen, I like Rai Rai Ken or Minca, both in the east village.

7:45 at Pegu should still be OK.

Lan Sheng.

Koreatown.

Bistro Benoit - sit at the bar where you can have a choice of 5 hors d'oeuvres for $16, along with some other reasonably priced plates.

Sip a Ricard and pretend you're in Paris.

http://benoitny.com/sites/default/fil...

Balaboosta is a pretty good Manhattan based Middle-Eastern restaurant, whose owners also happen to own the Taim falafel joints/truck.

Pan's advice is spot-on.

http://balaboostanyc.com/

I still like Sheng Wang.

No, sadly. They have a section of the menu that is dine-in only...

http://www.missionchinesefood.com/ny/