Where to take out of town guests from New York City?
Where to take out of town guests from New York City?
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Where to take out of town guests from New York City?
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Post #1 - July 20th, 2009, 8:34 pmHi, I have a friend from NY coming into town for the weekend and was hoping to get recommendations for some fun, hip places to take her. She dines out regularly in NY at the various trendy places so good food + a lively 20-30-something crowd is what I'm looking for.
She has been to Avec - I'm thinking about Graham Elliot, Mana, Bristol, Grocery Bistro. Thoughts on those or any other ideas? Staples and new places welcome.
Thanks.
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Post #2 - July 20th, 2009, 8:47 pmThe Violet Hour!
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Post #3 - July 20th, 2009, 9:12 pmWhat about The Signature Room? It could help bring back memories of Windows on the World.
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Post #4 - July 20th, 2009, 9:22 pmIf your friend liked Avec, you could try Publican. Also, Mado was written up in the NY Times. Your friend might appreciate the Chicago-style BYOB.
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Post #5 - July 21st, 2009, 11:08 amFaced with a similar situation a few weeks ago, I took my NYer friend to Blackbird and Mado. He liked them both just fine, but I was left wondering whether the whole approach made sense.
As a former NYer myself, let me note that I love the food in NY and Chicago equally. If pressed to choose a food city, I'd probably take Chicago. Mostly I'm just glad to eat in both cities fairly often. That said, while Chicago has plenty of these "trendy places" with "good food," we're certainly never going to beat NY and LA in that category. I'm not sure it's worth bothering to try.
My suggestion would be to shun the trendy, since your friend gets plenty of that at home, and show her something she doesn't get there. TAC Quick, Spoon Thai, Sticky Rice, Mixteco, Nuevo Leon, Sol de Mexico, Honey 1. Those would be the places on my list....defended from strong temptations to social ambition by a still stronger taste for tripe and onions." Screwtape in The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis
Fuckerberg on Food
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Post #6 - July 21st, 2009, 12:17 pmTo echo Kenny - definitely consider Mixteco. If it's one thing many NY'ers don't know, its good Mexican. Wood grilled meats, fresh seafood, obscure masa apps and killer mole - I can't think of a single place in NYC to get something like this.
Some people I know in NYC think this little place called Cafe Habana in Soho is the best place to get Mexican food. Where do I even start..............."By the fig, the olive..." Surat Al-Teen, Mecca 95:1"
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Post #7 - July 21st, 2009, 12:35 pmll982 wrote:The Violet Hour!
YES! I love The Violet Hour. Although a New Yorker may tell you that the speakeasy Please Don't Tell (PDT) is similar (and they'll probably say that it's better), I beg to differ. While PDT is a fun, if not somewhat gimicky spot, I love the coktails, lovely decor and casual ambience at Violet Hour.
As for restaurants, I would also echo The Publican. And I would also suggest Paramount Room. Yet another place with great food, but with a friendly, unpretentious vibe that is uniquely Chi-town
The Violet Hour
1520 N. Damen Ave.
The Publican
845 W. Fulton Market
Paramount Room
415 N. Milwaukee Ave.
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Post #8 - July 21st, 2009, 12:59 pmKennyz wrote:My suggestion would be to shun the trendy, since your friend gets plenty of that at home, and show her something she doesn't get there. TAC Quick, Spoon Thai, Sticky Rice, Mixteco, Nuevo Leon, Sol de Mexico, Honey 1. Those would be the places on my list.
Totally agree with Kenny's advice here. Take your friend out for something she can't get at home.
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Post #9 - July 21st, 2009, 1:29 pmjesteinf wrote:Kennyz wrote:My suggestion would be to shun the trendy, since your friend gets plenty of that at home, and show her something she doesn't get there. TAC Quick, Spoon Thai, Sticky Rice, Mixteco, Nuevo Leon, Sol de Mexico, Honey 1. Those would be the places on my list.
Totally agree with Kenny's advice here. Take your friend out for something she can't get at home.
To that list, I'd add Polish. I think it's safe to say that Chicago has the best Polish food in the Western Hemisphere. Friends have loved Smak-Tak's pierogies, the fresh lard on the relish plate (and Disney-esque atmosphere) at Szala's, and the tableside prep at Lutnia.Last edited by nr706 on July 21st, 2009, 5:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post #10 - July 21st, 2009, 2:49 pmthanks for all the picks. if anyone has other ideas keep them coming!
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Post #11 - July 21st, 2009, 4:53 pmAnd let us know where you end up and how it goes, please!
Leek
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but it CHANGES THE WORLD for that one dog.
American Brittany Rescue always needs foster homes. Please think about helping that one dog. http://www.americanbrittanyrescue.org
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Post #12 - July 23rd, 2009, 1:42 pmI'd grab a blanket, a bottle of wine and pick up a couple of sandwiches from Pastoral (and some olives and other gnosh) and head over to Millennium Park for a concert, especially one of the Music Without Borders series.
bjt"eating is an agricultural act" wendell berry
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Post #13 - July 23rd, 2009, 1:49 pmIf it's one thing many NY'ers don't know, its good Mexican.
I've had many memorable meals at Zarela and some pretty good ones at Dos Caminos (what? A good meal from a chain?? unheard of!).
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Post #14 - July 23rd, 2009, 1:56 pmspinynorman99 wrote:If it's one thing many NY'ers don't know, its good Mexican.
I've had many memorable meals at Zarela and some pretty good ones at Dos Caminos (what? A good meal from a chain?? unheard of!).
So do you have a recommendation for the OP?
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Post #15 - July 23rd, 2009, 2:08 pmI'm also having some serious foodie friends coming in from NY (one heads one of NY's most prominent food blogs), and I can't decide where to take them.
Mexican, Thai, and Hot Dogs are three obvious choices, but outside that, are there any restaurants or bars that don't have a comparable counterpart in NYC?
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Post #16 - July 23rd, 2009, 2:28 pmAsking "What style of cuisine can't they get NY?" is one way to help pick a restaurant. The suggestions above for pizza, Thai, Mexican, Polish, etc. are all great. Though you also asked about hip places, and I'm not sure how hip the atmosphere at these places is.
Another way to approach it is to ask what ingredients or styles of cooking are more common here, or what are the more innovative restaurants here. Here's a response I wrote in a similar thread for someone asking about "Chicago foods" who is from the UK:Darren72 wrote:David, welcome.
Just to be clear, "Chicago style" can mean different things. One the one hand, it means things like Chicago style hot dogs, deep dish or stuffed pizza, and steaks. These have been Chicago staples for a long time and most travel shows about Chicago will invariably highlight these types of places. I'd draw the analogy to fish and chips in England.
On the other hand, there's the type of restaurants that are doing more contemporary food based on locally sourced ingredients. Above, people mentioned Mado, Lula Cafe, and North Pond. These are excellent examples. The menus may not strike you as different than what you might find in a contemporary restaurant in California, New York, London, or Paris. The differences are subtle and depend on which ingredients are in session in each place. I would recommend one of these restaurants, frankly - unless you want to go for hot dogs or pizza. I've had great meals at all of these places. I'd recommend North Pond. It has stellar food, but it is also the most beautiful space, located right in the park along the lake (Lincoln Park). It is difficult to get a reservation on a Friday night, though, so don't wait too long. Mado would be my second choice, but note that they are BYO and also quite meat-focused.
Finally, there are the great "upscale casual" restaurants that are currently really hot right now. These places combine a casual atmosphere with higher-end, refined food. Mado and Lula Cafe are included in this group also (North Pond is somewhat more expensive and I wouldn't necessarily call it "casual", though it certainly isn't formal). Other places are Avec, the Publican, and the Gage. Avec is a modern take on French and Spanish-influenced tapas. The publican focuses on pork, seafood, and beer. The Gage is a gastropub. Take a look at the menus for more details.
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Post #17 - July 23rd, 2009, 9:22 pmleek wrote:And let us know where you end up and how it goes, please!
This isn't about the original poster, but does any1 ever do this? I would love to hear where folks went and what they thought, but at least in the last several threads, excluding the Champaign/Urbana 1, I haven't seen any updates on the actual selections & experiences.
Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland
Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening
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Post #18 - July 24th, 2009, 8:29 amSure, people do it all of the time. See the last thread I liked to:
viewtopic.php?p=266116#p266116
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Post #19 - July 24th, 2009, 9:10 ampairs4life wrote:leek wrote:And let us know where you end up and how it goes, please!
This isn't about the original poster, but does any1 ever do this? I would love to hear where folks went and what they thought, but at least in the last several threads, excluding the Champaign/Urbana 1, I haven't seen any updates on the actual selections & experiences.Darren72 wrote:Sure, people do it all of the time. See the last thread I liked to:
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.ph ... 16#p266116
And this long thread, for another example:
1 week stay in Chicago-these restaurants OK or suggestions?. The OP's report is here
Yes, I too hope that the report follows. That makes reading and posting all the more worthwhile.
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Post #20 - August 2nd, 2009, 12:00 pmHey all,
Thanks for the recommendations. We went to a few different places: Frontera Grill, Graham Elliot (both her requests) and Mana. The food at Frontera was good but we both thought the waiter was way too cheesy ("Regional Mexican bla bla" and "Do you know our chef the Rick Bayliss?"). Graham Elliot was much better, but I guess you do go in there expecting a different type of meal. I'd been there a few times so was a little dissapointed the oysters weren't on the menu but had a fantastic meal regardless with the sweat breads, steak tar tar and buffalo wing appetizers, all 4 of the "sea" entrees and all of the desserts. Good service, very enjoyable - I'm looking forward to their fall menu. Mana was good as usual - we shared a few of the small plates: watermelon salad, sliders, spinach and apple salad, sweat potato pancakes. The patio seating there is great if you can squeeze in. We also had some fun lunch/brunches at Jam, Birchwood Kitchen, Piece...and probably another place or two but I'm blanking. All in all very fun and not a repeat of her eveyday NY meals - she said they aren't doing much new-American a la Graham Elliot right now.
Again - thanks everyone!
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Post #21 - August 2nd, 2009, 2:41 pmDear Zak,
Nothing like impressing a New Yorker. Thanks for the report. You reminded me that I need to get over to GE & Green Zebra before summer is over. It's been a moment.Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland
Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening
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