Manhattan Restaurant Run

A lot of food, a lot of great meals in four days in New York City, none that totally broke the bank. Here are some of the highlights (no pics I’m afraid--bad lighting, worser photography!):

First there was a little place that opened last October on the 1st floor of the Port Authority Bus Terminal at 41st & 8th in Midtown, a bistro called Metro Marche. Had read some good reviews, so we decided to give it a try. It was an unqualified success. Done in retro décor from the 1940’s/1950’s, we sampled phenomenal Thai-style mussels done in red curry sauce & cilantro, and they do mussels in 14 other international preparations. Steak frites served with homemade béarnaise & garlic aioli for the fries, and also shrimp penne with vodka sauce were way above average. With cocktails, $140 for four while people-watching in and out of the terminal. Highly recommended.

La Masseria on 48th St. near Broadway served homemade pastas in a Tuscan environment. While nothing really blew us away, each dish was simple in its presentation and flavorful as well. My linguine in white clam sauce looked like a small portion, but the dense pasta, cooked perfectly with littlenecks in shell, was plenty for my appetite. It was the same for the rest of my family, who dined on whole wheat ziti with broccoli rabe & Italian sausage, spaghetti Bolognese, and bucatini with smoked mozzarella & eggplant. A solid pre-theater dinner, despite a fairly snooty waiter who didn’t make eye contact once during the entire meal. $180 x 4.

We lunched at Sushiden on 49th near Rockefeller Center because Sushi Yasuda and his postage-stamp sashimi couldn’t get us in at noon. It was just as well, where we probably saved fifty bucks a head & had some great surf clam and Spanish mackerel in a no-nonsense, professional-style Japanese business environment. Deals get done at a place like this. A neat venue, and the bill ran $135 for four.

Venturing south, we had reservations far in advance and were very much looking forward to dinner at Perilla in funky Greenwich Village, and ‘Top Chef’ award-winning Harold Dieterle’s tiny storefront, only open since late May, did not disappoint in the least. The food, which was fabulous, was only part of it. But the buzz, the vibe of the place, was absolutely electric and only enhanced the experience. The spicy duck meatballs with yam gnocchi topped with a quail egg were tremendous, as were the wolf fish with tomato and capers, and my rare duck breast with mustard greens and pork belly was a rich, salty, slightly bitter, delight. During the ‘Top Chef’ season, Mr. Dieterle admitted that if he won and eventually opened his own place, he’d have to hire a dessert chef as that aspect just wasn’t his forte. Whoever he brought on is the right person, as my light coconut cake with watermelon fruit cocktail and lime basil gelato was splendor in the variety of tastes.

I can’t say enough about this place. For five, including a $50 Montepulciano, the bill was $310 before tax, and was well worth it. I even got to shake the chef’s hand as we were walking out. During the meal, he had made a couple of quick trips from the kitchen, and although he stopped for a couple pictures with patrons, it was quite evident he doesn’t like the limelight and/or had to get back to the kitchen. Both are probably true as the menu is small (8 entrees, 6 appetizers) and Mr. Dieterle appears to be a hands-on kind of guy.

Because my fellow travelers, all female family members, insisted on finding knockoff designer handbags in Chinatown, we came upon Nha Trang Centre for lunch. No banh mi sandwiches, but on a hot day it was great to have a cool bun bo salad with shrimp spring rolls and that wonderful Vietnamese sweetened iced coffee, and Nha Trang still does it the old-fashioned way with the metal filter on top of the cup. As good as any Viet place in Chicago. Forty-three bucks for the four of us.

All for now. This was my first trip to NYC to concentrate on food (yeah, shopping & musicals too) and I’ll just say that while Chicago appears to hold up well in many cuisine comparisons, I think the sheer vastness of great places in Manhattan is unique. I even finished up the trip with a lychee & pineapple smoothie from a cart outside the hotel while waiting for a ride to the airport.

Ciao!


Metro Marche
625 8th Ave at 41st
NYC
(212) 239-1010
http://www.metromarche.com


La Masseria
235 W. 48th St.
NYC
(212) 582-2111
http://www.lamasserianyc.com


Sushiden
123 W. 49th St.
NYC
(212) 398-2800
http://www.sushiden.com


Perilla
9 Jones St.
NYC
(212) 929-6888
http://www.perillanyc.com


Nha Trang Centre
148 Centre St.
NYC
(212) 941-9292

Sounds fantastic! Airline price competition has made weekend $98 fares pop up now and then for Chicago to NYC. My 36 hour trip there in April was cut short due to bad weather the second day which meant standing by for a morning flight, but I plan on going again this fall if I can find a similar fare.

threadkiller wrote:Sounds fantastic! Airline price competition has made weekend $98 fares pop up now and then for Chicago to NYC. My 36 hour trip there in April was cut short due to bad weather the second day which meant standing by for a morning flight, but I plan on going again this fall if I can find a similar fare.

The only problem with the $98 airfare is that it still costs you $400 a night to find a hotel.