I'm going up to NYC over christmas, and I want to hit up some good local food places. I'm not looking for a $$$$$ 5 star restaurant... rather something nice, good, local, genuine.


I'm only going to be there one day so i'll only have the opportunity to hit up like 2 places at most.

12/5/2007 10:24:50 AM

the carnegie deli at 7th ave and 55th

best damn sandwiches and cheesecake you'll ever have

12/5/2007 10:47:27 AM

^ yeah, $12 sandwiches. But you can share one with 2 other people

http://www.ricetoriches.com/frameset.php?content=/startpage.php
Rice pudding, not really a restaurant, but it's awesome
37 Spring Street
between Mott and Mulberry St

Brick lane curry house
http://www.bricklanecurryhouse.com/
306-308 e 6th st.

crif dog
113 st. marks pl

odessa (polish)
119 ave. a

also go to the upright citizens brigade theater
http://www.ucbtheatre.com/ny/

[Edited on December 5, 2007 at 11:46 AM. Reason : k]

12/5/2007 11:44:13 AM

grimaldi's pizza...the one in DUMBO was pretty authentic

http://www.grimaldis.com/brooklyn.htm

12/5/2007 12:40:22 PM

i think i remember a while back someone on here tried to argue that the olive garden in time square was awesome.

12/5/2007 12:54:59 PM

Couple of local spots to consider seeking out:

1)Jackson Hole
Great burgers, cheap prices. A few in all of NYC. One on 64th I think between 2nd and 3rd Ave, but maybe between 2nd and 1st. Small you will pass if you aren't looking closely.

2)PJ. Clarkes
Another great burger place. With reasonable prices. On 3rd between 55 and 56 maybe.

3) Pizza places you can try:
Joe's on Carmine or my personal favorite the Pizza Box on Bleecher. Also John's Pizzaria is the Time Square area (whole pies only here) is in an old church which is cool.

4) Rice to Riches (mentioned earlier): I am not a huge fan, but people seem to love it and it is worth checking out at least once. On Spring St.

5) Dinosaur BBQ in Harlem. I know going up north and getting BBQ sounds stupid, but this place is great. In Harlem on Riverside Dr and 132 I believe.

Other than than just walk around and pop into a place that looks good. And if you want local or good try not to do the walking in and around time square.

[Edited on December 5, 2007 at 1:02 PM. Reason : .]

12/5/2007 1:01:53 PM

Clinton St. Bakery

mmm sugar bacon.

12/5/2007 1:05:57 PM

http://www.supperrestaurant.com/

Supper
156 E 2nd Street

you can't make reservations, but if there's a wait, you can give them your cell # and go to near-by bar and they will call you when your table is ready.

12/5/2007 1:09:08 PM

I was thinking about hitting up Lombardi's pizza on Spring St.

12/5/2007 1:09:27 PM

Jackson Hole burgers do rock. Don't worry about ordering fries with your burger, you won't be able to eat them.

I'm a big fan of Tony D'Napoli's. They're located on 83rd and 2nd, as well as another one around Times Square somewhere. Of course, for Italian food you really can't go wrong with wandering down Mulberry St and picking a place.

There's a German Restaurant called Heidelberg on 86th and 2nd that has pretty good German food, not to mention you can order beer sized up to 2 liters (DAS BOOT!).

There's a great bar called The Gingerman on 36th between 5th and Madison that has really good sandwiches (pretty big) and a fantastic beer selection.

[Edited on December 5, 2007 at 1:40 PM. Reason : Lombardi's is good]

12/5/2007 1:39:18 PM

Quote :

"1)Jackson Hole Great burgers, cheap prices. A few in all of NYC. One on 64th I think between 2nd and 3rd Ave, but maybe between 2nd and 1st. Small you will pass if you aren't looking closely."

sweet, i only knew of the one in Queens along the M60 route.

12/5/2007 2:05:31 PM

oh, i guess I should specify that i'm only going to manhattan since I have limited time.

12/5/2007 2:51:28 PM

this is a good thread

ill be up there the weekend before new years. what are some decent dinner places around midtown? im staying in lower manhattan down by wall st.

12/5/2007 3:21:21 PM

i second going to the UCB theater

and tony d'napoli's... both amazing

12/5/2007 3:29:07 PM

Magnolia Bakery.

Fricking Amazing. (thats Yodajammies btw)

12/5/2007 3:46:05 PM

this is the lounge. there is no need for images like that.

12/5/2007 3:49:06 PM

Butter!

It's trendy and shit, but the food was sooooo good and there wasn't really a pretentious attitude.

12/5/2007 3:57:43 PM

http://www.menupages.com/

12/5/2007 5:19:41 PM

Crumbs Bake Shop >>> Magnolia Bakery

http://www.crumbsbakeshop.com/

Personally, I think Grimaldi's is overrated. For good pizza, I recommend John's Pizzeria in Manhattan (one on 44th st. and one on 64th st i think)... it's better than Grimaldi's. I have yet to find a pizza joint that blows me away, though.

12/5/2007 5:37:27 PM

magnolia's is the most overrated bakery in the city. people only like to go there b/c some celeb used to get cupcakes there.

ferrara's is good for desserts if you're in little italy.

pam encore is a good thai place at 47th and 9th.

sea is a great thai place in williamsburg. one subway stop into brooklyn. you can get there faster than the upper east side.

12/5/2007 7:57:44 PM

s'mac - Awesome mac and cheese.
http://www.smacnyc.com

12/5/2007 9:39:46 PM

Gascogne in Chelsea for romantic country French
http://www.gascognenyc.com/

Rolf's in the Flatiron District for German and schnapps
http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/3/38518/New-York/Gramercy-Flatiron/Rolfs-Bar-Restaurant.html

And if you want to spend money, we loved Remy (near NY Hilton) for Italian

12/5/2007 10:32:20 PM

Silk Rd Palace if u like Chinese food + free wine

12/5/2007 11:00:08 PM

i like s'mac a lot, but i have to eat half a roll of tums after eating there. very rich and heavy. good though.

my gf likes the eatery's mac & jack. they're on 9th ave & 53rd st. say cheese is a good lunch spot at 9th and 44th for everything grilled cheese.

[Edited on December 6, 2007 at 8:43 AM. Reason : []

12/6/2007 8:42:46 AM

My favorite cheap restaurants:

35 (35 Lispenard Street): Best Thai food I've ever had. Better than the places in Brooklyn people will try and tell you about.

Burger Joint (118 W 57th St.): Awesome burgers, fairly cheap, but an even better experience. It's located behind a curtain in Le Parker Meridien, which is a super nice midtown hotel...but once you go behind the curtain this place is straight out of a Texas truckstop

Cafe Habana (17 Prince St.): Good Cuban food, but I mostly go for brunch, which I consider to be the best in Manhattan. If you go, make sure you get the grilled corn.

Jaya (90 Baxter St.): Pretty decent Malaysian food, I only go there for one dish which is really spectacular. Sweet Basil Chicken over rice

Katz's Deli (205 E Houston St.): Do not go to Carnegie, go here. Same quality food, if not better, and a much funner experience.

La Nueva Conquista (236 Lafayette St.): Extremely cheap Dominican food. Rice and beans, stew, plantains, etc. etc.

Moon House (67 Bayard St.): Cheapest Chinese food you will find that you wouldn't be scared to eat. Whole section of meals over rice (my favorite is the peppery beef) for under $4

Pommes Frites (123 2nd Ave): Just fries, with lots of different sauces.

Sapporo (152 W 49th St.): My favorite Japanese noodle place. I took my Japanese buddy here and he said it is just like the Ramen restaurants in Japan. HUGE bowl of soup for under $10

Wo Hop (17 Mott St.): There are plenty of places in NY to get food at the wee hours of the morning, but if you end up near Chinatown, this is the place to go. Downstairs, usually packed, even at 5 AM, often frequented by people that may or may not be gangsters from nearby Little Italy, and you can get a sweet T-shirt for $6 on top of your meal

[Edited on December 6, 2007 at 9:37 AM. Reason : o]

12/6/2007 9:36:14 AM

Quote :

"ferrara's is good for desserts if you're in little italy."

In my experience the service BLOWS there and I probably won't ever go there again. I went with my family for dessert once (after a meal at another place) and it took us about 45 minutes to get our stuff after we were seated. That was longer than the wait for our dinner, and not one of our desserts required any preparation (just canoli's, pasteries, etc.)

12/6/2007 1:41:30 PM

^i've never actually sat down there. just went in and picked stuff up.

12/6/2007 8:37:09 PM

Both restaurants in the base of the MetLife Building (attached to Grand Central, on 45th st between Lexington & Park Aves) are FANTASTIC. I've attended christmas parties there for the past 2 years and all the food is amazing. One's italian and the other asian, not sure about prices.

12/7/2007 1:30:02 PM

at carnegie's if you go..dont tell them that you are sharing...just casually sneak it by because they charge people to share food

12/7/2007 5:57:16 PM

Couple good ones:

Barney Greengrass - smoked fish specialists.
Veselka - Ukranian diner

12/7/2007 6:29:22 PM

www.tavernonthegreen.com

12/7/2007 7:48:06 PM

^^^ cause they're jewish

12/7/2007 8:02:27 PM

good call preggers

12/8/2007 12:55:12 AM

Fried Dumpling on Allen right below Delancey. 5 dumplings for a dollar and they're awesome
Saigon Bakery - Mott st right below grand st. awesome vietnamese sandwiches for around $3.50 Huge.
Pho Bang - somewhere on Mott st. 5 dollar bowls of the best pho ive had on the east coast.

thats my small asian tour of lower manhattan. Also just go under the Manhattan bridge and go to any of the places and get a duck.

also go into Crown Heights in brooklyn and eat some curried goat from some Haitians who obviously hate white people by the way they look at you. Get some beef or chicken patties too.

12/8/2007 10:59:26 AM

Balthazar in Soho for breakfast/brunch.

12/8/2007 12:09:26 PM

speak easy in the village....and the village is where it's at

12/8/2007 2:43:38 PM

I like Caliente Cab and Zeytuna too.

12/8/2007 10:02:57 PM

The only time I ever went to NYC I ate at Mars 2112 and Puglia Ristorante - I really dont recommend either one though so stay away from them :-p

12/8/2007 11:07:37 PM

Go to Lombardi's Pizza in Little Italy (32 Spring Street)

Make sure you visit here also:
http://www.mcsorleysnewyork.com/

Sometime during your trip, make sure you represent NC State:
http://www.brotherjimmys.com/location.aspx?location=1

12/9/2007 11:43:01 AM

ill be there for xmas as well. last year i hit up Ninja. shit was awesome.
http://www.ninjanewyork.com/

12/9/2007 12:22:31 PM

I just went to Ninja last week...I didn't think the food was that great...but it was adequate enough that along with the awesome experience it's just worth the money...and when I say awesome, I mean TOTALLY SWEET

12/10/2007 10:44:19 AM

I was at brother jimmys last sunday - can't beat all you can eat ribs and drafts for a good football sunday

12/10/2007 11:16:04 AM

^on certain days of the week (can't remember which ones) with a genuine southern id you can get a discount on your food. brother jimmys is a fun place to go for watching sports, etc, but the food is just okay in my opinion.

for a sandwich shop i really like zams down near battery park and for a good burger you have heartland brewery or jackson hole. you can get menus to most places through the link i posted earlier in the topic.

~skip

12/10/2007 11:32:53 AM

The Southern Discount at BJ's is Wednesday night. Which do you guys (that have gone) prefer? I'm 100% dedicated to the original (I think) one on 77th & 2nd. If you ever go there on Friday or Saturday night say hey to Drew (tall bartender). He's a State grad, class of '98.

Brother Jimmy's is my favorite bar by far, I go there way too often. The TriState Area Wolfpack (alumni) club usually meet there for Wolfpack games. I love a few of their dishes but overall I'd agree that the food isn't that amazing. However the Mac & Cheese is freaking great.

One place that has good Southern Food (IMO) is Southern Hospitality, its just down the street from BJ's on 2nd Ave at 75th st. Interestingly enough, its owned by Justin Timberlake. I thought the food was good but I'm no Southern food expert.

If you want good steak I suggest Peter Luger's in Williamsburg (Brooklyn) just by the base of the Williamsburg Bridge. Its been voted best steak in the city for 25 yrs straight, so thats hard to beat. However its not cheap and they only take cash.

12/10/2007 1:32:24 PM

I walked by southern hospitality the other day and i thought that it looked interesting. Then my g/f (who lives across the street) told me it was owned by Justin Timberlake and I swore to never go there.

So to answer your other question - original, since it's just around the corner

12/10/2007 2:04:16 PM

^JT is from memphis originally right?

i bet it's not bad if its southern cooking

12/10/2007 2:06:06 PM

^^^i used to go to the ones on 96th st and 77th st to watch games with the TriState Alum peeps. met derrick whittenburg at the one on 96th and saw tara ried getting bombed at the one on 77th. now i usually go to the one by the garden at 8th and 31st... just b/c it's one block from where i work.

i need to make it out to peter luger's. i've heard a lot of good things about it. how much $$$ for two?

[Edited on December 10, 2007 at 2:34 PM. Reason : []

12/10/2007 2:16:24 PM

yeah, 77th and 2nd Brother Jimmy's is money because it's right next to Lenny's, my favorite cheap, quick sandwich join

12/10/2007 7:30:07 PM

^Not to mention Mo's Caribbean, great place to play some beer pong and have cheap beer during the week

12/10/2007 9:47:41 PM

auntie mays chicken and waffles

awesome

12/10/2007 9:49:36 PM