NYC restaurants - name your faves!

decides2dream

*edit - now this thread is simply for NYC restaurant suggestions, overall...share your fave places!

hey all my fellow NYers, need some recommendations!


my very, very good friend will be here this monday, visiting from helsinki. actually here on work and has just about enough time to meet up with me for the first time in years and have dinner.

while i work in manhattan, i rarely eat here and even when i do, usually really high-brow/pricey spots on the firm. haha. so then, i really would appreciate some good suggestions!

my friend does not care for exotic or spicy foods, tho i do . don't want anything too crazy expensive, but definitely want a place with great food/atmosphere, preferably midtown or downtown.

so please....any ideas?
grazie.

Paka

I was in NYC just once in my life for only one week and that was in 2007.
The best restaurant I've been to in that time was definitely the "Zen Palate". Don't know exactly where it is but there's more than just one of them. It's vegetarian. Amazing stuff, nice atmosphere and it wasn't too expensive as far as I can remember...give it a try if you don't know it already!

polaris_x

i ate here couple of weekends ago

http://vezzothincrust.com/

Get_Right

alright
while this is a topic I can talk about for hours:
I recently had an outstanding meal at this tapas/wine bar, great wine by the glass, small plates-perfect to chat, drink and nibble
http://www.boquerianyc.com/index2.html
but the plates are small and its adds up when you have a few glasses of wine and you want to try everything on the menu! and go early, its packed by 730

whenever someone asks me for a very nice place that isnt as expensive as LeBernadin or Daniel, and is easier to get into than the gramercy tavern (although the bar there is great), I always suggest gotham bar and grill
http://www.gothambarandgrill.com/
classic white table cloth NYC restaurant that has never disappointed me.

downtown, I am always drawn to the small Japanese places on and around E9th street
my favorite
http://www.sobaya-nyc.com/
handmade soba noodles and japanese pub style food

of course, when my guy friends are here on business, and we can only do midtown, I usually go to either:
bills nineties
its an old pub, I mean old, and we get a nice steak dinner for about $30
http://www.billsnyc.com/
you wont think much of it when you see it and when you enter, but when you sit upstairs, its got character, and they serve the coldest beer in the city-and the food is good.

hatsuhana for sushi
http://www.hatsuhana.com/
not big on atmosphere, very plain, but KICK ass traditional sushi (no cream cheese rolls please!)-its not exactly cheap, but its less than a trip to nobu, karuma zushi or masa
(48th street location only!)

and if you want cheap, go to the shake shack for the best burger in town-get a double shack burger YUM
atmosphere=0, but that burger is killer.

of course, you could also just go to Katz's deli get a pastrami sandwich and sit in the when harry met sally chair


feel free to ask about any places that are suggested

Cliffy6745

I like Lure Fishbar a lot

http://www.lurefishbar.com/

decides2dream

excellent, thank you all!

The Champ

Amazing and not expensive..good area to hang after as well near Union Square etc:

http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/bocca-2/

http://www.boccanyc.com/index.php?p=234

decides2dream

The Champ wrote:

Amazing and not expensive..good area to hang after as well near Union Square etc:

http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/bocca-2/

http://www.boccanyc.com/index.php?p=234

that looks good too!
choices, choices...
i wish i knew better what she really likes. i just know she does NOT like spicy food, not very adventurous. she really liked the refried beans when we took her out for mexican. haha.


but hey, i am open to any suggestions...your fave places you'd hit up on a weekend, or where you'd take some friends visiting, etc. on the island i have my go-to list of restaurants, but the city...not so much.


oh, and since we are meeting on a monday night, yea, not going to be 'hanging out' really afterwards. just a looonnnng meal i imagine. i think she flies back to helsinki the next day, and sure, i am working the next morning too.

keep em coming folks!

Get_Right

decides2dream wrote:

i wish i knew better what she really likes. i just know she does NOT like spicy food, not very adventurous. she really liked the refried beans when we took her out for mexican. haha.

sounds like it doesnt really matter where you go
but just that you get together-and it sounds like midtown might be better

decides2dream

Get_Right wrote:

decides2dream wrote:

i wish i knew better what she really likes. i just know she does NOT like spicy food, not very adventurous. she really liked the refried beans when we took her out for mexican. haha.

sounds like it doesnt really matter where you go
but just that you get together-and it sounds like midtown might be better

no it doesn't really....it IS all about gtting together, absolutely. however, i still would like it to be a nice place, good food and that she enjoys herself.
she will be hopping in a cab from work - which actually is New York Passenger Terminal on 12th Street. she works in designing cruise ship interiors and is coming to inspect a new ship. so actually downtown would probably be better for her, midtown for me...but honestly, downtown usually seems better. i can take the subway. so any other suggestions? do please share.

a nice comfy bistro, good foods...perhaps a nice wine list. i know she does like italian and mexican - sushi is out of the question - and i am sure even basic american fare would suit her too. and definitely a place we can linger. she does have a sweet tooth, this much i remember...so a place with a nice dessert menu might be a plus.


bottomline, i just need the name and address of somewhere to give her so she knows where to meet me!

Jenfarr

I don't do spicy, but this place is sort of Mexican and I like it...

Agave
140 7th Ave South (Between West 10th Street and Charles Street)

http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/3 ... gave.html#

decides2dream

Jenfarr wrote:

I don't do spicy, but this place is sort of Mexican and I like it...

Agave
140 7th Ave South (Between West 10th Street and Charles Street)

http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/3 ... gave.html#

OMG!
i was *just* perusing their site. how funny!
i was going to ask if anyone had been.
think that settles it. i KNOW she likes mexican, the prices are good, looks nice, downtown...thank you.
i think we have a winner.

thanks for ALL the suggestions tho!
i am bookmarking this thread for future reference, and sure.....all feel free to keep it going as a NYC restaurant thread.


a good friend sent me this:

http://ny.eater.com/archives/2009/11/th ... urants.php

decides2dream

ok, change of plans...going here:
http://www.hellskitchen-nyc.com/index.html
instead.

looks awesome!
i think the atmosphere, menu and prices are a "perfect" fit for my friend.

i really appreciate all the recommendations, and now have a good list of places for future reference.


here's a few other places a friend recommended that look good:
http://lesenfantsterriblesnyc.com/

http://www.frankrestaurant.com/

http://www.theparknyc.com/

possible spots for future NYC jammer gathering perhaps?

decides2dream

just a bump up b/c there are good suggestions in this thread if anyone needs places to hit up during the holiday season.


hell's kitchen was excellent.
also, just recently, and purely by chance, hit up a fab little wine bar - grape & grain. wonderful wine selections, great little food menu, beautiful selection of cheeses. comfy & cozy place, and well-priced too.

Black Diamond

Doing Alain Ducasse's new joint with the Mrs. for our anniversary. Going to drop a large number but I will tell you if it is worth it...

BamaPJFan

I recommend Brinkley's which is located on Broome Street in SoHo. I ate there a few weeks ago with a colleague on a business trip to Manhattan. Great atmosphere, interesting menu, and a great beer and wine selection.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/brinkleys-new-york

decides2dream

BamaPJFan wrote:

I recommend Brinkley's which is located on Broome Street in SoHo. I ate there a few weeks ago with a colleague on a business trip to Manhattan. Great atmosphere, interesting menu, and a great beer and wine selection.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/brinkleys-new-york

place looks very cute!
their own website is a joke tho - it's just like a business card, nothing more. :P a menu would be nice eh?

i hope we get a lot of suggestions here, centralized spot to look for good go-to places in manhattan.

Get_Right

Black Diamond wrote:

Doing Alain Ducasse's new joint with the Mrs. for our anniversary. Going to drop a large number but I will tell you if it is worth it...

Adour?
Its good, but its not as good as Daniel IMHO-which is the best restaurant in the world.
have a nice evening! and happy happy!

xavier mcdaniel

damn, I've never been to any of these places. One place I really liked at least the one time I went there was Nolita House http://www.yelp.com/biz/nolita-house-new-york.

colorsblend

xavier mcdaniel wrote:

damn, I've never been to any of these places. One place I really liked at least the one time I went there was Nolita House http://www.yelp.com/biz/nolita-house-new-york.

We had our holiday party there last week. Yay for Open Bar and drunk coworkers! The food was decent.

decides2dream

colorsblend wrote:

xavier mcdaniel wrote:

damn, I've never been to any of these places. One place I really liked at least the one time I went there was Nolita House http://www.yelp.com/biz/nolita-house-new-york.

We had our holiday party there last week. Yay for Open Bar and drunk coworkers! The food was decent.

we had our holiday party at the australian, not bad!
all the hor'doevres (sp?) had a sweetness to them, even the nachos :? ....which i found rather disconcerting. tasty, but yea...just give me straight up spicy. nice atmosphere tho, and nice wines!

JaneNY

Blossom, Candle Cafe are two I like (vegan, delicious, but not cheap). But sometimes its fun to just duck in to some place that catches your eye. We had awesome chinese in some little bitty place near the Roseland, cause we were cold and hungry after a show, and it was raining, and the food was made fast, and piping hot. And we both ate for a total of $14 I think. Nothing to look at, about 8 tables, but we're pretty adventurous and like to get a bargain when possible.