New York Vacation: Looking for restaurants recommendations

[ac21686]



Artichoke difara Grimaldi Lombardi. Latter three are more typical ny style pizza. I haven't tried difara but I think between the other two I prefer the acidic sauce of Lombardi more. It tastes more fresh. Artichoke is a different beast. The namesake pizza is rich ***** and chewy.
Damn. Almost went to keste today but couldn't fit in schedule

Di Fara can be great, but there's a good chance, probably about half of the time, that your pizza will be burned into oblivion and oily. If you don't go at completely off-hours, waiting at least an hour just sets you up for disappointment. Artichoke's square grandma slice is pretty good but I absolutely hate their namesake pizza, but it's a polarizing slice. Joe's on Carmine Street is really solid for a consistently good NY-style slice.

 

[Jermyn]

All of Jean Georges places are worth visiting for their prix fixe lunches.

Nougatine has a very bright and open room overlooking central park and Columbus circle.
JoJo has a really charming atmosphere, like and old-World cottage.
Perry St is very slick and modern.

For authentic Japanese food in a really lively setting, go to Kenka on St Marks place.
The name isn't written in English but you'll recognise it by the enormous candy floss machine outside.
The angler fish liver is amazing. If you're feeling adventurous you can try the bull penis.

The best seafood meal I've ever had was at Le Bernardin. The entire experience there was exceptional. Considerably cheaper than Per Se as well.

 

[whiteslashasian]



Ippudo is a terrible idea no personal offense. Dude is in NYC not Japan and its not like ippudo is an unique ny spin on things. Impolyt is going to tell me im a marsupial but I would rather recommend momofuku noodle bar over ippudo just to see what a new yorkers take on traditional ramen is like.
I will admit I didn't try it right after like you guys did and the grimaldis I went to wasn't the Brooklyn one so you might be right
I dunno how you guys could eat food after the tacos much less eat at two pizza joints

Momofuku noodle bar ramen is gross. The worst ramen I've had in NYC by far and their "kimchi" is absolutely deplorable.

I'd rather eat at Minca's Ramen Factory than Momofuku for ramen. Ippudo is tops for ramen that I've had in NYC so far and consistently so.

 

[indesertum]

I had it in its early days ad haven't been back since. I thought it was pretty good.

Ippudo was a big meh for me. I think if I had to choose I'd do toto but even toto was kind of meh.

 

[Deluks917]

Unless he plans on actual going to Japan I think he should consider Ippudo. The ramen there is still super good and much better than momofuko imo. Toto is also really good so if you are closer to Toto going there seems good.

Another vote for Le Bernardin.

 

[Saltricks]

Can't do la bernadin, the gf doesn't eat seafood (to my everlasting sorrow). If anyone from CA has had santouka, thats the type of ramen im looking for.

 

[willy cheesesteak]

Instead of Shake Shack, you should check out The Little Owl's bacon cheese burger.

 

[indesertum]

Oh shoot I forgot to tell you I tried the burger there and it was awesome. Meat was a little overcooked but everything else was awesome. I liked how they had these little disposable jars of condiments. The bun was very interesting. Chewy with a little give and a nice crust

Thanks for the rec

 

[willy cheesesteak]

^Good to hear! I love that burger.

Loved Grimaldi's over Lombardi's, the same group that ate Lombardi's that day after you ditched us indesertum, we ate Grimaldi's later too, and it was superb. The crust is baguette-esque, the toppings are about the same quality but perhaps more generous on the Grimaldi's, and the cheese is a bit better. Grimaldi's also came to us like fire-hot, and it was amazing. I can't wait to go back. I like it more than Neapolitan pizza.

Second this. Last night I had a dream about Grimaldi's.

 

[dragon8]

Gotta try Babbo and Peter Lugar's steak house

 

[mic]

We almost never go to any actual high-end restaurants, but for Pizza, Motorino is good, and easy to get to. But if you REALLY want the best pizza in NYC, go to DiFara's in Midwood. It looks like a total hole in the wall, but damn... that pizza is worth the trip to the dark heart of Brooklyn. Get there right when they open (noon?) if you can. And F*CK Grimaldi's. The pizza is pretty good, but the people who run it are assholes and the place is basically a tourist trap.

I never got to Santuoka in LA despite a year in WeHo (sad face), so I can't really compare NYC ramen to that, but I went to Daikokuya a lot... and finally decided that it wasn't as good as it could have been. Here in NYC I would definitely recommend Ippudo. It's not really trad Japanese, but it's really good, and can be a very, very fun date spot. If you go there during the day they will take a reservation for that night, otherwise expect to wait in line forever. I definitely would not bother with Momofuku for ramen, either. It's not bad, but just OK. The "crack" balls are really good, though.

Not far from there is Ess-a-bagel, roughly 20th and 1st ave. I'm not a particular NYC bagel nut (prefer Montreal bagels), but if you want a really good bagel I'd hit it up, my wife says they are about the best in the city.

One more thing we love is The Donut Plant in the LES, just So of the Wlliamsburg bridge/Delancey St. If you like donuts at ALL, this place will kind of blow your mind.

Have fun! Overall I think the eating is slightly better in LA, at least for the stuff we like (cheap & dirty), but NYC does have everything... except Jonathan Gold to map it all out for you.

 

[mic]

Oh, right, the 53rd St and 6th Ave Halal cart is ridiculously good. Go there after you go to MOMA. It's the NYC version of your favorite taco truck
(Oh, Taco Zone, I miss you. Oh, La Estrellita, I miss you too.)

Did I mention that Grimaldi's sucks? Because it sucks balls. Sweaty, unwashed balls.

 

[impolyt_one]

was this review: funny? helpful? cool?

 

[BEAR JEW]

Never been to DiFara's yet and I probably wont unless I happen to be in the area. The freshly cut basil looks nice but I actually prefer it to be cooked with the pie. Also, 1/3 of the pictures i see of his pies are literally burnt to **** on one side. He is not the Jiro Ono of pizza the way some people make him out to be.

For "fancier" pizza, Grimaldi's is definitely the best I've had in NY (either the manhattan or brooklyn location is fine). Lombardi's is very good but I feel its best with toppings since the sauce is too acidic and just overpowers the cheese on a regular pie. Recently tried Roberta's and was quite impressed - I would say their margherita > Lombardi's. Motorino's was also really good (get the brussel sprout pie) but it was messy as hell to eat because of the floppiness.

For plain slices, check out Joe's on Carmine St and Bleecker St Pizza (John's is around the corner as well) for the typical NY style slice. I've been hearing very good things about Suprema so thats worth checking out if you are near MSG.

 

[whiteslashasian]



Never been to DiFara's yet and I probably wont unless I happen to be in the area. The freshly cut basil looks nice but I actually prefer it to be cooked with the pie. Also, 1/3 of the pictures i see of his pies are literally burnt to **** on one side. He is not the Jiro Ono of pizza the way some people make him out to be.
For "fancier" pizza, Grimaldi's is definitely the best I've had in NY (either the manhattan or brooklyn location is fine). Lombardi's is very good but I feel its best with toppings since the sauce is too acidic and just overpowers the cheese on a regular pie. Recently tried Roberta's and was quite impressed - I would say their margherita > Lombardi's. Motorino's was also really good (get the brussel sprout pie) but it was messy as hell to eat because of the floppiness.
For plain slices, check out Joe's on Carmine St and Bleecker St Pizza (John's is around the corner as well) for the typical NY style slice. I've been hearing very good things about Suprema so thats worth checking out if you are near MSG.

I prefer John's to Joe's, but both are great NY slices.

The Grimaldi's in manhattan delivers 95% + of the Brooklyn location pie in a far more convenient location (I live a 7 minute walk from it).

Also, I believe there's a Donut Plant expansion location on 23rd in Chelsea. I have not been to that one, but I assume they just get them delivered from the plant. They are the best doughnuts I've had in NYC.