Another New York quickie

My fiance and I will be flying to New York early Sat. April 14 and flying home late Monday, April 16. We'll be staying at the Affinia Fifty near Times Square. We know that with such a limited time, we'll just get a glimpse and a taste of the Big Apple.

I've read the notes from Aaron Deacon and Stewed Coot.

A friend suggested Sparks (though I'm not a meat lover). Mostly we are looking for casual lunch and dinner suggestions but I appreciate any ideas.

I got a great rate at the Affinia on Lexington a couple of years ago, and loved it. For the price I got, it was perfect. Also, it was located in my old neighborhood, sort of, which was nice.

For breakfast, I recommend Tal Bagel on 1st Avenue between 53rd and 54th Streets. This is my old bagel spot, and they're great. The bagels are the real thing, fresh and hot. And sadly, that's not always the case any more.

For a quick lunch, try Fresco. They have a take-out place next door, and it is great. They have thin-crust pizzas, and fresh pastas. Please try the zucchini and potato chips with gorgonzola sauce for me. They are sublime. I want some right now.

For a hidden jewel, try Diamond Dairy in the heart of the diamond district. It is on the 2nd floor of the National Jewelers Exchange, and serves genuine kosher food at a great price. The blintzes are what blintzes are all about.

I also quite like Topaz Thai just off 6th Avenue at 56th Street. It's always busy, and the food doesn't come at once, but it is very tasty. The pad thai, while a conventional choice, is excellent.

Tal Bagel
977 1st Ave, New York 10022
Btwn 53rd & 54th St
Phone: 212-753-9080

Fresco
34 E. 52nd St., New York, NY 10022
between Park and Madison Aves
212-935-3434
http://www.frescobyscotto.com/

Diamond Dairy
4 W 47th Street
212-719-2694

Topaz Thai
127 W 56th Street
212-957-8020

Enjoy your stay!

janeyb wrote:My fiance and I will be flying to New York early Sat. April 14 and flying home late Monday, April 16.

If you're on the 7am United flight on the 14th, I'll be sitting in the exit row.

I can't help with food, as it's been six years since I've been there for anything other than a half-day business trip.

Thanks for your ideas tcdup, we got a great Affinia rate too -free! Threadkiller, I'll be on American Airlines. I know I asked for casual, but we'll go out for a nice dinner at least one night if anyone has some more suggestions. We plan to see the Empire State building, Broadway and Ground Zero. We also plan to take a double-decker neighborhood tour and go the the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I can make dinner reservations for Friday night, but the rest of our time needs to be flexible.
Thanks all.

My favorite bagel place is still Ess-a-Bagel (there's one on 3rd Ave. at 51st and another on 1st Ave. at 21st). Great bagels, great whitefish salad. Never tried Tal Bagel, but since they seem not far from each other you can do a comparison.

My favorite bagel place is still Ess-a-Bagel (there's one on 3rd Ave. at 51st and another on 1st Ave. at 21st).

I would have to second Ess-a-Bagel. Each time I'm in NY I make sure to get over there and get any one of their bagels with a good helping of real cream cheese.

and a third on Ess A Bagel. We went for a quick weekend in January and had an AWESOME meal at Union Square Cafe. If you want to go, make your reservations ahead of time.

I don't mean to turn this into a bagel thread, but a couple of months ago we did a comparison between Tal and Ess-a. As mentioned, there is an Ess-a just a few blocks from Tal, so you can do it in one morning. Both are great in that on a Saturday morning they have high turnover so the bagels are all warm from the oven.

The consensus among several tasters was that Ess-a had a chewier interior, Tal had the edge on crust. My winner was Tal because when it comes to bread, crust is the holy grail. All the others gave a slight edge to Ess-a, because to them, chewiness is the ultimate goal. You won't be dissapointed in either, and both are better than most anything available in Chicago.

Jonah

When I was last in NY I had the pleasure to have both Ess-a Bagel and an H&H and I'm mighty fond of Ess-A.

NY Bagels are just a whole different creature and now I want a dozen of them. You can mail order them for a small fortune from H&H and I believe Zabar's.

It's not the same though.

I second dinner at Union Square. New Yorkers kind of poo poo it because it's been around so long -- sort of not a big deal to them any longer but I think it's one of the finest meals I've ever had - and definitely some of the best service. And not the most outrageous in price either.

I've got a friend who swears by Sammy's Romanian ( i think that's the name of the place); says its really excellent slavic food and how can you beat a place where they put a bottle of vodka on your table. I have absolutely no idea where it is but it sounds like a hoot.

Sammy's Roumanian
Steak House
Steakhouses, Eastern European

157 Chrystie St, New York 10002
At Delancey St

Phone: 212-673-0330


s

I heard Sammy's puts a tub of shmaltz on the table also(Lower east side I think) Jeepers-you could slam a shot of vodka mixed with a shot of shmaltz, and have yourself a "screaming chicken". Heard some comments recently that Sammy's was not worth it-don't know, never been.
Nice dinner should be easy, and you want to avoid steakhouses anyway.
Prune, Babbo, Blue Ribbon, Gramercy Tavern (cafe side), Pastis...

Just a note. The Ninth Avenue International Foood Festival is May 19-20 this year from Ninth Avenue and 34th Street all the way up to 59th Street. It's not nearly as unique as it ojnce was. but, you can stioll find some ethnic gems there.

That said, I checked online and the downtown Embassy Suites in the World Financial Center is offering a AAA rate of $349 per night on those dates for a one bedroom suite which can comfortably house three chowists well known to each other.

Between that and the dirt cheap airfares brought on by the arrival of Jet Blue to Chicago, it can make a mini-vacation to New York, well almost, affordable.

Hi Janey,

Had a nice meal at Picholine last week, just down the street from Rockefeller center. 2 courses for $65, or three for $80 seemed a bargain for NYC fine dining (and the chef seems to be a bit hot with Beard nominations, etc.).

Have not posted on it, though, since I was suffering from a head cold and could not taste much, so I drank a lot to compensate. Nice wine. Fresh, interesting food, good ingredients, but as noted, I cannot really say whether it tasted delicious.



picholine.

Cupcake Cafe is an absolute must for anyone staying near Times Square. It is on Ninth Avenue and 39th (on the East Side of Ninth Avenue). You will never think of a cupcake in the same way again. It is an epiphany, even the week after Easter.

For some very high end food at not excessively expensive (although not cheap) prices and fairly, try db Bistro Moderne (on 44th, near 5th Avenue). This is Chef Daniel Boulud's bistro, and the home of the $29 hamburger (although most dishes are considerably less expensive).

To keep prices down, look for restaurants that offer 3-course lunch specials for about $25 (listed in NY Zagats). Some of the best restaurants have these specials, but similar specials are much less likely at dinner.

I just returned from a quick visit to NYC (I went to see a friend's artwork), where a friend an I stayed near Times Square.

While there, we managed to go to the theater at Lincoln Center and had dinner beforehand at Café Luxembourg. They offer a $44 prix-fixe dinner, as well as a nice range of what they call "Brasserie" items (burgers, a lobster roll, fish and chips, omelets). It's not the spot for an intimate dinner, as the tables are packed fairly tightly together. However, the service is very good and the food is reliably excellent.

Café Luxembourg
200 W. 70th St. (b/w Amsterdam and West End Ave.)

We had hoped to go to a favorite Cuban place on the Upper West Side, but discovered that it had closed, so instead we chose Victor's Café. It was much more elegant than our old standby, but the food was terrific -- the best black bean soup I've ever had, as well as a very good ropa vieja. The attentive service was another pleasant bonus.

Victor's Café
236 W. 52nd St.

While visiting the Metropolitan Museum and the Neue Galerie, we considered going to the Neue Galerie's Café Sabarsky. Unfortunately, they were too crowded at lunch time. Instead, we went around the corner to a great lunch place (also perfect if you're dining alone). Le Pain Quotidien, which has half a dozen locations around NY, has freshly-baked French breads, soups, and sandwiches, and they stock their tables with their own jams and something they call "praline butter," an addictively delicious nut butter. They also have a great selection of cookies and pastries, so it's a nice spot to take the kids for a treat.

Le Pain Quotidien
1131 Madison Ave. (b/w 84th and 85th)

I used to go to Victor's with friends when I was in high school in the mid/late-1960s and it is nice to hear that it is still going strong. I checked their website to check my memory, and learned that they opened in 1963. They have lasted almost as long as Fidel, but surely have a greater life expectancy.

If Victor's is not as authentic or as elegant as some Miami Cuban places (or some New York Cuban places), they provide a fine introduction to Cuban cuisine.

Hi. I lived in NYC for 10 years, and like most residents, I had a tiny kitchen so I ate out all the time. I have a downtown bias, rarely venturing above 14th street, so my suggestions may have limited appeal. However, I did work in the financial district for many years and know that area fairly well.

For bagels, I agree that Ess-a is great. I like David's bagels on 1st ave betwen 13th and 14th even more (but I wouldn't go out of my way to go down there). Having travelled quite a bit, I can definitely say the "average" NYC bagel is way better than what you get elsewhere.

Since someone mentioned Cuban, my favorite spot were Cubana Cafe on Smith Street, which is excellent and has a number of excellent seafood dishes (I like to maximize my seafood when I'm on the coasts). It's really popular and crowded, but I am convinced the food is the main attraction (although it is hip). Yes, people cross the river to go there, although I've been told they opened a manhattan branch on Thompson street in Soho, but I haven't been. If you go to Ground Zero you can get cheap cuban at Sophie's on Pearl street on your way to South Street Seaport. It gets crowded at lunch. It's cafeteria style, definitely divey but I love the food.

Also near ground zero I like Tokyo Lunch on John Street, where you can get Curry Udon, Katsu Curry, etc - really good non-sushi japanese. Seating is extremely limited but if there are only two of you you should be OK. I have not found a spot like Tokyo Lunch outside of NYC in the continental US.

For all the Union Square Cafe haters out there, I like Union Square Cafe. People in NYC sometimes shun the obvious choices, but I've always had a great experience there. If you can't get a reservation there, but want a nice meal around Union Square, you might also try his other restaurants, Gramercy Tavern, and Eleven Madison (which I actually prefer to Danny Meyer's other restaurants). Don't waste your time with Blue Smoke, which is lackluster and pales next to the average Chicago smokehouse. Tabla is also good if you like Indian-influenced. Another casual lunch spot inthe union square area to consider: Witchcraft. They sell interesting sandwiches in a causal spot. It's a nice walk north from Union Square to Times square - you could walk past Teddy Roosevelt's house, JP Morgan's old house, etc.

I'm a big sushi fan and definitely reccomend Sushi Yasuda, which is near the UN and not far from your hotel. It's expensive but worth it. Order Omakase and pay up.

Finally, if you're a serious foodie I really recommend checking out smith street - Grocery in particular. It's really fresh, good, high end cooking served in a casual but refined atmosphere (think crisp white tableclothes - but jeans are OK and jackets aren't required).Have fun!

Thanks so much for your great suggestions. I have printed them all and you will guide us through our first weekend in New York. (Rain and cold weather predicted, but after this past week in Chicago, who cares. )

In and out in 14 hours a few weeks ago, I had food from four places, three of which were not of my choosing, and all of which were quite enjoyable.

I hadn't run into a Pain Quotidien (mentioned upthread) before, and had an open-faced sandwich of warm fresh wheat bread with ricotta cheese spread, fresh figs, honey, and coarsely ground black pepper, and a cup of black tea. Clean, conversation-friendly, pleasing design, pretty much what Panera could be with an education.

Stop two after a successful meeting was Keur Sokhna in Harlem, and this was a find. A couple from Senegal runs this Muslim West African restaurant with very fresh fish, lamb, chicken, and produce, hand-ground peanut butter and scratch soups. A whole tilapia arrived crisp and steamy with a bed of millet couscous, fried onions, and funky greens; chicken brochettes were grilled over coals and richly seasoned with mustard seed and lemon, and lamb dibi (similar to Ethiopian tibs) pieces tugged merrily off the bone. Our hosts said that this place turns over more food than most similar spots due to catering orders and is therefore more consistently trustable. Perhaps even better than the food was the unlabeled, homebrewed bissap, ginger, and bouye drinks, made from sorrel, ginger, and baobab, respectively, each tremendously strong and digestive.

2249 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd, between 132nd and 133rd
http://www.keursokhnaplus.com

Dinner was at Savann, which has been around for a while, and is one of many totally non-Mediterranean places in NYC and elsewhere labeling itself as "Mediterranean," either to counter xenophobia or embrace American ignorance; these folks are Central Asian cooking mostly American bistro food. The mezes would be perfectly at home in the Caucasus - delicate eggplant-wrapped salads, chunky hummus, beets, house pickles - and then you have a cheeseburger, crisp-roasted whole Amish chicken, or soupy lamb shank. The room is quiet and intimate, but the place was dead other than us for several hours at primetime and the service was clingy to a fault. Still, recommendable.

414 Amsterdam Avenue
http://www.savann.com

My pick (a perennial stop) was H&H Bagels on Broadway at 80th. Salt and everything were up hot and I was in contact high heaven the minute we crossed the lintel. Two dozen significantly upgraded the coach cabin perfume on the way home and placated expectant wife and office-mates the next day. If Kenny is reading, I resisted the urge to toast the fresh (but may run some of the frozen ones through the toaster oven).

Santander wrote:Stop two after a successful meeting was Keur Sokhna in Harlem, and this was a find. A couple from Senegal runs this Muslim West African restaurant with very fresh fish, lamb, chicken, and produce, hand-ground peanut butter and scratch soups. A whole tilapia arrived crisp and steamy with a bed of millet couscous, fried onions, and funky greens; chicken brochettes were grilled over coals and richly seasoned with mustard seed and lemon, and lamb dibi (similar to Ethiopian tibs) pieces tugged merrily off the bone. Our hosts said that this place turns over more food than most similar spots due to catering orders and is therefore more consistently trustable. Perhaps even better than the food was the unlabeled, homebrewed bissap, ginger, and bouye drinks, made from sorrel, ginger, and baobab, respectively, each tremendously strong and digestive.

2249 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd, between 132nd and 133rd
http://www.keursokhnaplus.com

Excellent report. I love Senegalese but have only been to Afrika Kine, the more gringo-friendly place up in Little Senegal (West Harlem). Everything I've had is delicious, but I always knew, but was too lazy to confirm, that there was a lot more and probably better in the 'hood. I am definitely stopping by Keur Sokhna asap.

If you are ever in town and wanna do some adventurous eating send me a PM.

H

Santander wrote:If Kenny is reading, I resisted the urge to toast the fresh (but may run some of the frozen ones through the toaster oven).

You should channel your urges toward pleasurable things, not toasted bagels. Though I suppose there's a masochist in every group. Anyway, good for you for resisting.