New York City
This entry was posted on 2/3/2008 10:02 AM and is filed under Out of Town Destinations.
UPDATED REVIEW: JANUARY 2008:
DB Bistro Moderne -- another of Daniel Boulud's many restaurants; this one more casual than Daniel or Cafe Boulud (see below); slightly tight quarters, located in the theater district; we enjoyed the tuna tartare, the (famous) db Burger (stuffed with foie gras, black truffle, and short ribs), and crispy duck confit; the burger was very good but not spectacular; the duck was better; no issues with service
Union Square Cafe -- this year's Zagat #1 most popular in NYC (jumping over Gramercy Tavern); clubby, old style New York restaurant atmosphere; we enjoyed calamari (not as good as any of our top 3 in Houston), butternut squash soup, pappardelle with rabbit ragu, pan roasted cod with bacon and mushrooms, and the restaurant's signature banana tart; the food was delicious, although perhaps not as creative as we would have hoped; we felt rushed and had to tell our waiter to slow down; he graciously brought us a complimentary dessert wine; overall, we preferred Gramercy Tavern
UPDATED REVIEW: MAY 2007--
A beautiful Spring weekend found us in the Big Apple --
Babbo -- top-rated Italian in NYC, Mario Batali's jam packed, very difficult to get reservation (call exactly 4 weeks in advance starting first thing in the morning and keep trying) lives up to its reputation; don't expect to have a drink at the bar where people wait to eat on a walk-in basis; we enjoyed a delicious mushroom stuffed crepe, to-die-for foie gras ravioli in a balsamic syrah reduction (one of the best dishes we've ever eaten); the only disappointment were the average short ribs that we shared as an entrée.
Pastis -- this wildly popular Meatpacking District French bistro was packed at 3:00 on a Friday afternoon; service was a little slow; food was pretty good; calamari (you know us) was below average, but the steak tartare and cheeseburger with frites satisfied; great people watching; had a celebrity sighting -- Julianne Moore.
Daniel -- another highly rated locale, considered by some to be the best French restaurant in town (after Le Bernardin); the higher end location from Chef Daniel Boulud (see Cafe Boulud below); beautiful, formal surroundings (jacket required); we didn't like our initial table by the front door, but we were promptly moved; prix fixe three-course menu; very, very pricey wine list; very good, but not great, service; food highlights included a foie gras terrine (price supplement required), potato crusted black sea bass (a signature dish), and a quartet of veal entrée; desserts were very good, although we would have preferred cheese without the additional charge; we were greeted personally at the table by Chef Daniel, which was a nice touch; reservations require calling one month to the day in advance
Carnegie Deli -- what can we say -- those mile high pastrami sandwiches can't be beat; we shared the sandwich, together with a delicious meat knish in order to get to the minimum price per person; very crowded, with trademark brusque service
Gramercy Tavern -- # 1 most popular NYC restaurant per Zagat and deservedly so; great food and great service from start to finish; three-course prix fixe menu; started with sweetbreads (appropriately both crisp and creamy) and scallop carpaccio (with a delicious lemony, trout roe sauce); our entrees were roasted monk fish and a rack of lamb/lamb confit duo; no extra charge for cheese, so we substituted one dessert for a cheese course (the waitress could not have been more accommodating, giving us an extra one to try and writing down all the names for us), and then followed with a dessert of multiple ice creams; overall our favorite restaurant; also a difficult reservation (call exactly four weeks in advance)
REVIEWED: OCTOBER 2006
A girls' weekend afforded a great opportunity to try some wonderful New York City restaurants --
La Goulue -- French bistro near all the upscale stores on Lexington Avenue; great ambiance, very lively, wonderful people watching; very good food on the pricey side but the high-priced rent needs to get paid.
Gotham Bar and Grill -- very popular Greenwich Village restaurant, tough reservation to get; chef is known for architectural style of food; every dish was wonderful, particularly the truffle crusted halibut.
L'Express -- very casual, very popular French bistro in the Flatiron district; food was just as good as at La Goulue and half the price; had our only celebrity sighting of the weekend -- Jason Lee from My Name is Earl.
Cafe Boulud -- highly rated, difficult reservation at this sibling of the very, very highly rated Daniel; service was not perfect; seemed somewhat important to be known by the restaurant staff which likely included many of the upper end locals living in the area; food was great.
