Important NYC questions. FOOD RELATED

[tacosforlife]

1) Pizza. I know. I know. There are SO MANY options. I think I once ate at Lombardi's. It was very good! Where do you recommend?

2) H really wants to go to a Michelin starred restaurant. Specifically, he really wants to go to Per Se, but I don't see that being in the budget. I suggested perhaps we could do Jean Georges for lunch. Any restaurants you'd recommend for a foodie/restaurant geek like H that might be a little easier on the pocketbook? We're talking about someone who wanted to go to Alinea in Chicago for his PhD graduation, except that, um, he'd just spent years in grad school and we had no money. SORRY, H!

3) Any random off-the-beaten path places we should eat in Brooklyn?

We are staying in Brooklyn. I suspect we will spend one day there and two in Manhattan.

Please and thank you! The tacos need a vacation like WHOA!

[mbcdefg]

Brooklyn:

Michelin star restaurant - we had lunch there a few months ago. Great service. Homemade sodas. I liked the Amish chicken pot pie very much: delawareandhudson.com/ 

Famous steakhouse (definitely not off-the-beaten-path), and it also has a Michelin star. I've never been but MH went for a bachelor party and liked it: peterluger.com/ 

Barbecue - again, a popular place: www.fettesaubbq.com/ 

We ate at this Polish restaurant a few years ago and enjoyed it: karczmabrooklyn.com/ 

My in-laws love this place. When we visit I buy a quart of vodka sauce to take home: vinnysofcarrollgardens.com/ 

I really want to try this place: www.yemencafe.com/ 

Manhattan:

www.dbgb.com/nyc/ 

Thai: www.roomservicerestaurant.com/main.html

The Spotted Pig is supposed to be good but I've never been there. 

Beer:
Manhattan:
www.gingerman-ny.com/
www.rattlenhumbarnyc.com/
www.blindtigeralehouse.com/
Brooklyn:
www.torstnyc.com/ ($$$)
www.spuytenduyvilnyc.com/ ($$$)
barcadebrooklyn.com/ (beer plus vintage arcade games)
brooklynbrewery.com/
www.dirckthenorseman.com/ (food is pretty good, too)
www.threesbrewing.com/
sixpoint.com/
kelsobeer.com/
www.otherhalfbrewing.com/
www.finbackbrewery.com/

The Whole Foods store on the Bowery has a good bottle selection if you want to buy stuff for your hotel or to take home. 

[tacosforlife]

Sept 17, 2015 10:52:30 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

Do you guys like seafood? 

Yes! There are individual, specific foods we don't like, but I can't really think of any entire cuisine groups we don't. We love food!

[msmerymac]

What part of Brooklyn? It's kind of hard to go north-to-south and vice verse, so a specific neighborhood will yield more results.

I have good beer bar recommendations!

Williamsburg:
Torst
Radegast Hall

Park Slope:
The Gate
The Owl Farm
Mission Dolores

Manhattan:
Blind Tiger
Barcade
The Ginger Man
The Pony Bar

Brooklyn, being Brooklyn, has a huge amount of BBQ places. Real BBQ, though they are calling it NY BBQ - which means they don't stick to a particular style, they have a little of everything. I KNOW. But if you have a calling for BBQ, try Mighty Quinns, Dinosaur, or Fette Sau.

My physical therapist said the Meatball Shop is really good, and I've heard the same thing from other people: www.themeatballshop.com/

[msmerymac]

Here are the most cost-effective Michelin Star options in NY. I sometimes find lunch is a much better deal, but something it's not. I think at Per Se it's the same price, or not much cheaper, because I know that's how the French Laundry works.

www.thrillist.com/eat/new-york/michelin-star-restaurants-in-nyc-cheapest-new-york-options

[v]

I need to know a lot more about what you want in pizza. Slices, a sit-down place? If sit-down, do you want the coal oven style you had at Lombardi's or a more Italian style?

My very favorite pizza anywhere is at Lucali's, but you have to really want it (because I'd expect a several hours wait (there's a decent bar two blocks away), it is only open at dinner and is closed I think on Tuesdays, is cash only, has a very limited menu, and is byob. Still, it is unbelievable). If you want the same style as Lucali but with less bs (but in a more remote location in bk), the owner of Lucali's brother owns Giuseppina's and it is very, very similar.

But I could give you pages and pages of other suggestions with a bit more guidance. This is my passion.

Where in Brooklyn (or by what subway lines) will you be staying? Some areas are much easier to get to than others so it might not make sense to recommend places that are very far from where you'll be.

I have no advice on starred places. I'm more of a Bib Gourmand kind of gal

[mbcdefg]

Ooooh, I forgot - if you like donuts, go to Peter Pan in Greenpoint.

I also liked wandering around Essex Street Market, in Manhattan right by the entrances to the Williamsburg Bridge. And, looking at Google Maps, the Tenement Museum is right there ... a lot of people on these boards say it's really good. 

[genet313]

I'm probably one of the few people in NYC who hate Peter Luger's, but I do.  Don't go, not worth it.  Kean's or Strip House, so much better.  

Pizza:  Motorino (get the fennel salad too), Lucali, Joe's, Roberta's.  I haven't been to Di Fara, but I would put it on the list.  Keste is also good, but not a fave.  Others love it though. 

Michelin: Aquavit is different.  It's not in a cool location and it feels corporate, but the food is always surprising to me.  Cafe Boloud is good and cheaper than many of the more "well known" restaurants.  Gramercy Tavern is awesome and fun, I love Minetta Tavern too,.  Torrisi is great, I don't like The Modern, I think it's overrated.

[tacosforlife]

Sept 17, 2015 11:46:19 GMT -5 v said:

I need to know a lot more about what you want in pizza. Slices, a sit-down place? If sit-down, do you want the coal oven style you had at Lombardi's or a more Italian style?

I am not sure. I just know that H loves pizza. He really loves thin, crispy crust - I am sure he would love Lombardi's - although I feel like a classic NY slice should be had? I don't think we will want to go anywhere with an hours-long wait simply because we only have three days and won't want to spend them waiting.

Sept 17, 2015 11:46:19 GMT -5 v said:

Where in Brooklyn (or by what subway lines) will you be staying? Some areas are much easier to get to than others so it might not make sense to recommend places that are very far from where you'll be.

We'll be close to McCarren Park. Both G and L trains should be easily accessible, and we don't mind taking buses.

[cheezer]

For seafood I love Pearl Oyster Bar. Around the corner is Murray's Cheese Bar for cheese lovers (note this is different than Murray's Cheese Shop which is also amazing).

For Michelin star restaurants there is a huge variety. A 1-star can be fairly affordable. A 3-star like Per Se is take out a 2nd mortgage on your house situation.

If you want don't want to break the bank, I'd do Marea. $99 for dinner, 4 courses. I've also enjoyed the Jean Georges lunch and I like the Modern too. I don't know how Le Bernadin is on the cheap menu for lunch or what we did while there but our bill was not cheap at all. However, I did go all fan girl when I saw Eric Ripert because he is my favorite. I've been to both Gramercy Tavern & Minetta Tavern for lunch fairly recently and they were both okay but not worth your big meal IMO. Eleven Madison Park has been my favorite meal in NYC but you must make reservations the day they become available. Apparently there is a good bar deal but if you do the full dinner with wine pairings it's quite pricey.

[genet313]

A place that I recently went to that was just so fun and overwhelmingly delicious is Shopsin's for brunch.  It's in the Essex Street Market, the menu is ridiculous, the portions are out of control, but it's a lot of fun.  I would NOT go there after a big dinner the night before, but if you have a day you want to walk around a lot, go early, get in line and go for it.  Calorie load and love it.

ETA: I was heavily pregnant at the time, so my memory/tastebuds could be jaded.  But it was so good.

[v]

You'll be in what I consider to be the best pizza neighborhood in New York right now.

If you want slices:
- Best Pizza (they aren't kidding with the name)
- Joe's (my favorite Manhattan pizzeria JUST opened a Williamsburg location!)
- People also really like Williamsburg Pizza but I was not impressed
- Vinnie's is a solid neighborhood place, but it would not go on my top 10 list like Joe's and Best Pizza would

Naples-style pizza:
- Paulie Gee's (Greenpoint)
- Roberta's (Bushwick)
- Motorino

All three get on my very, very best of NY list, and Paulie Gee's and Roberta's have an off-the-beaten-track, very Brooklyn feel to them (though they both can have epic waits at peak times, so go early. I didn't have any wait when I went to Roberta's early a few weeks ago). You also could try Fornino, which is very good, but I wouldn't bother with the others around the corner.

FRIED pizza
- Forcella

I actually don't know a great coal oven (Lombardi's-style) place right in that area, but I'd try to figure out how to get to the Brooklyn Bridge and go to Grimaldi's or Juliana's (and then walk over the bridge, which is a really nice thing to do).

If as part of your off-the-beaten track you want a quintessential Brooklyn old school Italian place, try Bamonte's (Williamsburg). You will be the youngest people there by a good 30 years.

I really like Pies n Thighs for brunch (chicken and waffles). Sweet Chick is more convenient to the main drag of Williamsburg and is good, but I prefer Pies n Thighs by far.

If Smorgasburg is still open while you are there it is worth walking through (I find it underwhelming as a destination, but it is neat when you're in the area).

[tacosforlife]

I have actually done Smorgasburg! It was fun, but good lord was it HOT! I was there on a warm spring day, and between the asphalt and all the cooking equipment running, I was dying. So I think we will pass unless the weather is particularly cool and H really wants to do it.

[LoveTrains]

v what is your take on la suprema for a slice? It's at the corner of 8th Ave and 30th I believe - across the street from penn station.

I have a friend that recommended it and I tried it and thought it was good. It was really highly ranked by some slice blogger.

[msmerymac]

Of course, there's always Guy Fieri's Times Square restaurant.

[v]

Sept 17, 2015 16:46:21 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

v what is your take on la suprema for a slice? It's at the corner of 8th Ave and 30th I believe - across the street from penn station.

I have a friend that recommended it and I tried it and thought it was good. It was really highly ranked by some slice blogger.

I tried it once -- Halloween last year, perhaps? -- and I know it certainly wasn't bad but my stronger memory is right after when I saw a woman with a stroller that had a cat in a rooster costume in it. So the pizza didn't bowl me over? Certainly a good choice if you need to eat near there (though the good options are somewhat limited), but not a destination slice like some of the other places I've been to.

[LoveTrains]

I love dbgb! Great recommendation from mbcdefg. I also like the burger at the Spotted Pig, and I believe it has a michelin star.

[v]

Note: Spotted Pig is another expect an epic wait place, go early and get drinks at a bar nearby when you wait it out -- but I would expect to be told it will be several hours.

[tacosforlife]

Sept 18, 2015 8:22:38 GMT -5 v said:

Note: Spotted Pig is another expect an epic wait place, go early and get drinks at a bar nearby when you wait it out -- but I would expect to be told it will be several hours.

Bah!

I am going to write down all these recommendations, but unless we are just dead tired and don't want to move at all, I suspect we will stick to places that take reservations or have waits of under an hour. We have three days for H's first ever trip to NYC. I just don't want to spend hours at a time waiting for food when there are plenty of other places that will take reservations, you know? I also am not planning to drink much, so while the idea of going to a cool bar and having A drink is nice, the idea of waiting around for several hours with my club soda is...not appealing.

[LoveTrains]

Sept 18, 2015 8:22:38 GMT -5 v said:

Note: Spotted Pig is another expect an epic wait place, go early and get drinks at a bar nearby when you wait it out -- but I would expect to be told it will be several hours.

I went to spotted pig once, and it was delicious.

We showed up EARLY - perhaps maybe like 6 pm or so. We were told an hour wait and to give our cell phone number to the host and they woudl call us when the table was ready. We went basically across the street (less than a block I'm pretty sure) to some beer bar - perhaps a tiger name? In any case, they called in 45 minutes to tell us the table was ready. We headed over and had delicious burgers.

it was well worth the minor inconvenience to me. We had a party of four. 

ETA: I hate places that don't take reservations and have epic wait times and was initially reluctant to go.

[majesty318]

I second Joe's Pizza for slices. I love that place.

And my go-to restaurants are Boqueria (Spanish tapas in a cool setting, several locations) and Otto (Mario Batali's cheaper Italian restaurant, near Washington Square Park).

And now I really wish I were done with the Whole 30 so I could eat these things!

[mbcdefg]

Sept 18, 2015 12:22:55 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

Sept 18, 2015 8:22:38 GMT -5 v said:

Note: Spotted Pig is another expect an epic wait place, go early and get drinks at a bar nearby when you wait it out -- but I would expect to be told it will be several hours.

I went to spotted pig once, and it was delicious.

We showed up EARLY - perhaps maybe like 6 pm or so. We were told an hour wait and to give our cell phone number to the host and they woudl call us when the table was ready. We went basically across the street (less than a block I'm pretty sure) to some beer bar - perhaps a tiger name? In any case, they called in 45 minutes to tell us the table was ready. We headed over and had delicious burgers.

it was well worth the minor inconvenience to me. We had a party of four. 

ETA: I hate places that don't take reservations and have epic wait times and was initially reluctant to go.

Blind Tiger?

[LoveTrains]

Yes mbcdefg I think that was it. Is it near the spotted pig?! It was perfectly comfortable waiting in there and my H got to try a new beer he had never had before.

[mbcdefg]

Sept 18, 2015 13:15:11 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

Yes mbcdefg I think that was it. Is it near the spotted pig?! It was perfectly comfortable waiting in there and my H got to try a new beer he had never had before.

A few blocks away, I think?

MH really likes that bar. 

[tacosforlife]

Sept 18, 2015 12:22:55 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

Sept 18, 2015 8:22:38 GMT -5 v said:

Note: Spotted Pig is another expect an epic wait place, go early and get drinks at a bar nearby when you wait it out -- but I would expect to be told it will be several hours.

I went to spotted pig once, and it was delicious.

We showed up EARLY - perhaps maybe like 6 pm or so. We were told an hour wait and to give our cell phone number to the host and they woudl call us when the table was ready. We went basically across the street (less than a block I'm pretty sure) to some beer bar - perhaps a tiger name? In any case, they called in 45 minutes to tell us the table was ready. We headed over and had delicious burgers.

it was well worth the minor inconvenience to me. We had a party of four. 

ETA: I hate places that don't take reservations and have epic wait times and was initially reluctant to go.

We went to dinner at 5:15 last Saturday. I had changed into my PJs by 7 and was in bed before 9.

But maybe my old lady ways will come in handy!

I can handle killing 45 minutes to an hour in a nearby bar. I think an hour is about the longest I'm willing to spend waiting. I love good food, but I value my time too much on a short trip like this.

[LoveTrains]

Sept 18, 2015 13:35:02 GMT -5 tacosforlife said:

Sept 18, 2015 12:22:55 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

I went to spotted pig once, and it was delicious.

We showed up EARLY - perhaps maybe like 6 pm or so. We were told an hour wait and to give our cell phone number to the host and they woudl call us when the table was ready. We went basically across the street (less than a block I'm pretty sure) to some beer bar - perhaps a tiger name? In any case, they called in 45 minutes to tell us the table was ready. We headed over and had delicious burgers.

it was well worth the minor inconvenience to me. We had a party of four. 

ETA: I hate places that don't take reservations and have epic wait times and was initially reluctant to go.

We went to dinner at 5:15 last Saturday. I had changed into my PJs by 7 and was in bed before 9.

But maybe my old lady ways will come in handy!

I can handle killing 45 minutes to an hour in a nearby bar. I think an hour is about the longest I'm willing to spend waiting. I love good food, but I value my time too much on a short trip like this.

Considering that they only open for dinner at 5:30 you should be ok. Your other option is to go to the spotted pig for lunch where I doubt there is a long wait. I know I could never be a new yorker becuase I want to eat dinner at 6 pm and be in bed by 10 pm, too.

[v]

Sept 18, 2015 13:41:40 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

Sept 18, 2015 13:35:02 GMT -5 tacosforlife said:

We went to dinner at 5:15 last Saturday. I had changed into my PJs by 7 and was in bed before 9.

But maybe my old lady ways will come in handy!

I can handle killing 45 minutes to an hour in a nearby bar. I think an hour is about the longest I'm willing to spend waiting. I love good food, but I value my time too much on a short trip like this.

Considering that they only open for dinner at 5:30 you should be ok. Your other option is to go to the spotted pig for lunch where I doubt there is a long wait. I know I could never be a new yorker becuase I want to eat dinner at 6 pm and be in bed by 10 pm, too.

On weekends there tend to be long waits for brunch at Spotted Pig. Not sure about weekday lunch.

Before 6 pm you'll be able to walk into pretty much any high-demand restaurant because nobody eats that early. So if that's the time frame you're talking about, ignore everything I said about long waits!

[tacosforlife]

UPDATE! We got a lunch reservation for Le Bernadin. H is INSANELY excited. I think our plan is to do some Midtown-y stuff after that - Times Square, NYPL, maybe the Empire State Building. And then we are going to a Broadway show that night. So where would you recommend for dinner before a show? We don't mind going a bit away from Broadway for an early dinner and then walking back. Open to cuisine type, but I know H wants to get a NY slice at so,e point.

Many thanks to the recommendations so far! Planning is overwhelming, but H is really looking forward to the trip now!

[LoveTrains]

Yay! So jealousE of the le bernadin ressie. Have a wonderful time!

Also, I love the view from the Top of the Rock (rockefeller center) better than the empire state building.

[v]

Check the other NY post that is a bit below if you don't know much about midtown --I posted about what you can easily see in a quick loop around midtown.

John's Pizzeria is in Times Square and is actually really good, if your husband will go for lombardi's-style pizza. If you want slices, sacco's at maybe 54th and 10th is the only legitimately really good slice I've found anywhere in the 40s and 50s (and believe me, I've LOOKED). If he wants a great slice, he'll be way better off finding one in Williamsburg (the places mentioned above are leagues above midtown (excepting Sacco)).

If you have the time, see if you can get a tour of the NYPL. We took one last winter and it was fantastic.