psp's Profile
Per Se is closed...
well truly, per se is per se. but for the money you would have spent there go to: eleven madison park, le bernadin, and then book a car and go to blue hill stone barns. frankly, out of all of these places, per se included, the best meal i've had was at stone barns. dan barber is fabulous. don't miss the sunset, and allow extra time to meet your dinner, as it were.
Best sommelier in the city?
not only did aldo leave, but so did paul (who basically hung the kitchen together and now leading the bar stuzzichini charge), chris (who ran the room) and one of their best waiters (neil who's at blue hill). i'm sure others have followed. maybe a melt down.
Best sommelier in the city?
aldo sohm at le bernerdin (he used to be at wallse) and tim kopec at veritas hands down, or should i say glasses up.
Delivery in Chelsea
pastis ... good food w/o the 'tude. can be slow but consistenty high quality. when i order the frite, i slip them in a hot skillet for a couple of minutes to recrisp them. other than that, good luck. chelsea is food wasteland.
Does a Chinese restaurant exist in Manhattan that doesn't drown its dishes with brown sauce, black bean sauce or other jarred glop?
i grew up in la and have traveled to bejing, shanghai, and hong kong. i understand the problem. the best it's ever gotten for me in nyc is pings in chinatown with careful ordering. crispy ducks tongues is a winner, as are their steamed equivalent. abalone season is usually great there too. have had some good dishes at 20 mott too -- especially like their jellyfish and their ribs. still, i rarely eat chinese food in nyc b/c it usually is a great disspointment. look forward to any suggestions!
Hearth, Little owl, Perilla, Veritas, Blue Hill?!?!
good to know. thank you. it's in the neighborhood, so will definitely go back for take 3. everyone there is really nice and welcoming.
Hearth, Little owl, Perilla, Veritas, Blue Hill?!?!
hi ... just posted perilla comment above. hope it worked out for you b/c my experiences have been decidedly mixed.
Hearth, Little owl, Perilla, Veritas, Blue Hill?!?!
umm,glad perilla is in my neighborhood, but after 2 tries i can only recommend the starters. each time the main courses were not very good. hopefully as time goes on, this will change. also service was super speedy with main courses arriving as last mouthful of starter was finished. servers asked for desert order before we could speed read the menu. so not exactly a place to linger. we were in and out, 3 courses: 60 min.
Hearth, Little owl, Perilla, Veritas, Blue Hill?!?!
yes, almost everytime i go, which was most recently last night. always amazing. had the best lamb ever last night, although in another dish i over indulged on a maybe too large portion of pork belly -- couldn't help myself. this is a rare thing, b/c usually the dishes are usually perfectly porportioned.
stone barnes is even better, but then you have the drive, and if you want to take advantage of the great wine list and pairings, the need for a driver.
Falai The concept of sophistication for less $ unfortunately doesnt work
must say, i really like this little place. while not every meal i've had here has knocked it out of the park (and i think i make better gnudi), this place is seriously good. the wine list, although small, has some very special things that aren't so easy to find in the states. the pasta is terrific, and sorry, various stuffed pastas served in broth is not only a traditional dish, but one that is exceptionally well executed at falai.
all this said, if you are a large american with a salt damaged palate in need of fruity international style wines, go to babbo ...
Really important dinner for 2 - Scene, Food, want it all!
given your remit: mas. go late and stay awhile. check out the oysters too: last time i was there had fab fanny bays with a rose champagne gele. if you still need to talk, you can retire to the little bar afterwards and chat the night away.
New, top notch restaurants
i'm actually a new restaruant fan. i think it's exciting to be in on the ground floor and be part of the 'working it out' phase, helping new places along in their early days. hell, years ago i used to spend sunday or monday nights in a near empty new place i loved, and over the years i've enjoyed experiencing the cooking go from strength to strength. that place: blue hill.
two new places i think have wonderul and accomplished food in their early phase, and certainly they have accomplished, proven chefs in the kitchens: dennis foy (tribeca, church st) and bar stuzzichini (on broadway below madison sq park below 24th).
while not every new restaurant experience is a good one (an evening at the waverly inn in nov comes to mind), there's a lot to be said for taking chances.
Great meal at Bar Stuzzichini
i've posted a similar remark on another thread. i think the food here is terrific. sat at the bar with a friend and we started off with the stuzzichini ... wow! buttery tender octopus with crunchy thinly sliced celery, perfectly fried artichokes (i could have eaten a dozen), beautifully flavored chickepas on toast ... and for the main, who knew: the perfect chicken. i *never* order chicken but was tipped off about this one and came away a convert. couple all this with a well chosen and good value wine list and it's hard to fault. while the atmosphere isn't exactly my style, food conquers all.
Bar Stuzzichini- mini, mini review
wonderful food! the best eggplant parm of my life -- who knew? and a chicken to die for. i never order chicken, but i'd been tipped off, and this was one hell of a roast chicken. the stuzzichini are all amazing. the involtini melt in the mouth, the fried artichokes are perfection. and those chickpeas on toast: wow.
the bartender was a welcoming and knowledgable guy -- could have hung out all night.
not so sure about the decor, but after a few glasses of vino and all that good food, it's not an issue.
Blue Hill Garden or Inside?
the garden proper closed (next door neighbor who owned part of the plot apparently raised the rent to astronomical proportions. so bh said screw it.) the front room is lovely. and the cooking is some of my favorite in nyc.
Hearth, Little owl, Perilla, Veritas, Blue Hill?!?!
blue hill by a mile. then veritas if your boyfriend is a wine geek -- i mean that in the nice sense of the term!
Complicated Equation- Tribeca, Early Fri. Eve.
blau gans is great. i second that. when you are ready for the formal dinner thing, try dennis foy (also tribecca -- church st). while not exactly cheap, it's good value, and the food is fantastic.
Tomoe Sushi-The real deal?
not the real deal AT ALL. never was the real deal. and it has a lot more in common with lupa than any of the great sushi counters in nyc.
Lupa-A Bad Time
i used to love lupa. a wonderful, casual night out with some interesting wine. but right around the time wade left, things started going to a bad place. the food tanked, the wine service got spotty, and the crowd, well better not to touch on that unfortunate turn of events.
as for babbo, in the early days there were some good moments, but in my opinion that was always an over rated place that frankly had little to do with italian cooking.
nyc is a town filled with good restos at all price points. lupa and babbo are not two of them.
$500, 3 people, where to go?
NOT a Babbo fan, so would stear you away from that. Le Bernardin is a serious choice, and you don't have to do the tasting menu to have what I think is the best seafood in town. Also they have a new som who (Aldo) who is wonderful. After that, I'd say Blue Hill tasting menu, and you'd have enough money in the kitty to order some interesting wine.
Where should 50 women eat in Manhattan?
Try the private room at Dennis Foy in Tribecca (amazing food). Also was at a birthday party for about the same number of people in the private dinning room at Eleven Madison Park. While not usually my favorite restaurant, they did a lovely job, although may be hard to keep costs down there.
On an Investment Bankers Expense Account
i've never liked babbo. over hyped, over priced, and often unaccomplished cooking.
i second the blue hill rec. get the tasting menu.
also, you can't go wrong with le bernarden. probably the best fish in nyc and great wine list.
Chez Denise
a wonderful place, perhaps my long time favorite restaurant in paris. no website to my knowledge; i just walk in when i get there. you'll have a ball!
Help me knock out one restaurant: Urena, Eleven Madison Park or WD-50
emp: corporate dinning and dinners, despite change of chef. you could be anywhere in the usa. urena and wd50 are uniquely nyc and the cooking certainly not dull.
Troquet- great food, but...
I always wanted to like the place, but it's really impossible. You're experience is not, in my experience atypical. I've also been assaulted with way way too much salt, and waiters who won't take no for an answer when it comes to decanting. Really annoying place.
Taste of Manhattan
you've got some great les places: yonah (truely the best), russ and daughter, katz's. add falai (italian); blue hill (the best of everything -- try early or late table), and dennis foy in tribeca (just really accomplished). scratch craftsteak and keen's and you''ll have saved a boatload of $ in the process.
Underrated Restaurants
wouldn't bash annisa, but i've never had a memorable meal there either. something in the service always goes amiss. pleasant enough, though in the long run. i thinking dennis foy is the underrated resto of the moment ... so i'll do a separate post on that.
Underrated Restaurants
let me be passionate about dennis foy. i've had a couple of completely amazing meals there. (church street in tribeca). this is really accomplished stuff. service is great, room is relaxing, price point is good. but above all else: wow, can this guy cook. frank bruni really didn't get it. run don't walk!
tribeca for 1
dennis foy on church street for sure. amazing food, lovely service, and good for parties of any size, including a party of one.
Visiting NYC- suggestions on my itinerary
dennis foy in tribeca: amazing and totally underrated. forget babbo, balthazaar, spotted pig. try for an early or late table too at blue hill.
have a great trip!
