Must try food/bars in NYC???

[Zeze]

Yes I've lived in the city for a year, but I have couple of friends from Germany visiting. They'll be here for a full week.

I want to touch base with your expertise knowledge for those who tap into the whole food/bar trend in the city.

I'll start with what I know below:

Must try pizza of NYC:
Grimaldi's
Lombardi's
Who are the other 2 of big 4? And who are other must-try outside of the big 4?

Ramen:
Ippudo hands down. Morimoto can't touch this.

Best steak:
You got your obligatory Peter Luger's. Club A was excellent too. Rest?

Korean, Japanese, & Chinese
I got this easy. I'm such an Asian.

French:
Per Se, but pretty pricey. I need SOLID recommendations

Italian:
Same here.

American:
What's good?

BARS/DRINKING:
They want the 'happening' bars- fun ones, pretentious ones, as well as good ones with a nice jazz bar. What are some awesome jazz bars?

THINGS TO DO:
Central Park
Highline Park
BKLN bridge
All the museums
Governor's Island
Southstreet seaport
What else????
They don't care much for musicals, but open for concerts.

They LOVE JAZZ. Anything jazz, please let me know.

 

[ultimatebob]

For fancy French food, my wife and I actually like Daniel better than Per Se. It's slightly cheaper as well, but not much. You're paying dearly for that view of Central Park.

You're not going to get reservations to Per Se unless you request them a month in advance anyway.

Oh, and you should add Hayden Planetarium to your list.

 

[jaedaliu]

For fancy French food, my wife and I actually like Daniel better than Per Se. It's slightly cheaper as well, but not much. You're paying dearly for that view of Central Park.

You're not going to get reservations to Per Se unless you request them a month in advance anyway.

Oh, and you should add Hayden Planetarium to your list.

In my 2 whole visits to NYC:

I loved the museum of natural history. It's my favorite museum in NY. (Only tourist attraction I liked more was the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island tour. But they're not American) However, will your German friends be impressed? Natural History is the same in every country (minus geographical differences)

The Met is good, and cheap (I name my own price of $5/person when I go because I'm a cheapskate) and probably holds art that is different than what they have in their German museums. We also walked to http://www.yelp.com/biz/two-little-red-hens-new-york after the museum and got a couple mini cupcakes.

I also enjoyed Central Park and the High Line. Nice to have the greenery. High Line is also great at sunset.

9/11 Memorial was nice. I don't think I'm going to go again until after I have kids and they're old enough to make it meaningful. Too emotional to go just to go. I haven't seen the museum yet.

For food:
I enjoy the fake Halal cart to the SW of the museum of modern art. I've never had the original as I haven't been out late and hungry in that part of the city before, but the imitation guys are pretty darn good, too.

We had dinner at DB Bistro. We chose it for a pre-show meal, but ended up going to Wicked the next day instead, so got a later seating and ordered off the normal menu. Was great. My guess is similar quality to Daniel, but cheaper.

Also had some Korean BBQ in Queens and Ootoya for Japanese food. No other food stands out in our trips.

 

[alien42]

508 Gastrobrewery is a great brewpub with frequent live jazz.

http://508nyc.com/

the food is a bit pricey but they have $1 east and west coast oysters on the half shell at the bar during happy hour. the environment is nice, food and beer are excellent, although i am a little biased as my sisters boyfriend is the brewer and his band plays there often.

 

[blackdogdeek]

I know this is sacrilegious but I actually preferred Sparks to Luger's.

A fun Sunday morning thing to do is Dim Sum down in China Town. Then you can walk toward Little Italy for pastries or you can do the China Town Ice Cream Factory. You'll also be walking distance to Ground Zero/Battery Park/Statue of Liberty ferry.

 

[digiram]

Chicken and Rice Halal food truck in mid town. That stuff is da bomb

 

[Kaido]

1. Shake Shack (burgers)

2. Pommes Frites: (fries) http://pommesfritesnyc.com/gallery.html

 

[blackdogdeek]

Then, there's this:

http://gothamist.com/2014/02/25/best_all_you_can_eat_nyc.php

 

[Dr. Detroit]

For American - Craft

Un-pretentious reasonable French - Les Halles

For unlimited budget: Marea

For casual - Meatball Shop

For Bars - I like the rooftop bars for the outdoor ambiance + views. Hotel Gansevoort & Kimberly

Things to do:
Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty while munching on popcorn and drinking a few beers.

 

[dawheat]

Some quick thoughts off the top of my head:

For Ramen, I actually prefer Totto Ramen over Ippudo. Ippudo definitely has a nicer space and a broader menu, but I find the broth and noodles equally good and Totto sears their pork with a torch which I prefer. Both are great though and have ridiculous lines

For steak, I find Lugers incredibly hit and miss. On a great day it's amazing; on a bad day it's straight out disappointing. So YMMV - just be prepared to apologize if you get them on a bad day. I've tried Keens, Sparks, Strip House, Wolfgangs and frankly all are pretty good, none are amazing. None of them can match high end steak houses in Vegas.

French - you have an abundance of options. Personally I prefer Eleven Madison as it's a little more playful, but if you want the all out experience, Per Se and Daniel are great choices. If you much prefer seafood, Le Bernadin is a great choice and the cheapest option (almost a bargain), though it doesn't have the experience of the other places (not a fan of the decor either).

Italian - I don't each much Italian but I preferred Scarpetta over Babbos, L’Artusi, Torisi, and the places in Eataly.

Korean - totally average in Manhattan. I'd skip unless they've never had it.

American - I'm a big fan of Gramercy Tavern (tavern, not the dining room) and ABC Kitchen. The burger at Minetta Tavern is also worth a visit if you're a burger person, though I've seen a huge difference in reaction.

I'd check out some tapas places - Manhattan has some great places that are fun to hang out at.

Some other very NYC things I like:
- takeout corn on the cob from Cafe Habana
- cookies from Levian
- Lobster Roll at Pearl Oyster Bar
- crepe cake at Lady M's
- Brooklyn Blackout cupcake at Two Little Red Hens
- Liege waffle and speculous from Waffles and Dinges
- Blueberry pancakes and maple bacon from Clinton Street Baking (don't go on the weekends)
- Halal Cart
- Shake Shack

 

[EvilYoda]

Don't forget Momofuku and the rest of his empire. Le Bernadin and Eleven Madison stack up well against Per Se. Carbone is super hot after their James Beard nomination. Same goes for the bar (and specifically the Library) at the NoMad Hotel.

One of my favorite bars in the entire country (and I've been to a lot of the "best" ones) is Maison Premiere. Parisienne styling, great and consistent bar program, amazing $1 oyster happy hour if you can get a seat, and jazz in the courtyard.

Too much to recommend in NYC, have a great time!

 

[Rakehellion]

Yes I've lived in the city for a year, but I have couple of friends from Germany visiting. They'll be here for a full week.

I want to touch base with your expertise knowledge for those who tap into the whole food/bar trend in the city.

I'll start with what I know below:

Must try pizza of NYC:
Grimaldi's
Lombardi's
Who are the other 2 of big 4? And who are other must-try outside of the big 4?

Ramen:
Ippudo hands down. Morimoto can't touch this.

Best steak:
You got your obligatory Peter Luger's. Club A was excellent too. Rest?

Korean, Japanese, & Chinese
I got this easy. I'm such an Asian.

French:
Per Se, but pretty pricey. I need SOLID recommendations

Italian:
Same here.

American:
What's good?

BARS/DRINKING:
They want the 'happening' bars- fun ones, pretentious ones, as well as good ones with a nice jazz bar. What are some awesome jazz bars?

THINGS TO DO:
Central Park
Highline Park
BKLN bridge
All the museums
Governor's Island
Southstreet seaport
What else????
They don't care much for musicals, but open for concerts.

They LOVE JAZZ. Anything jazz, please let me know.

Touristy list. Might as well visit Times Square and the Statue of Liberty while you're at it.

 

[Zeze]

Touristy list. Might as well visit Times Square and the Statue of Liberty while you're at it.

Care to recommend stuff?

 

[Blackjack200]

Care to recommend stuff?

Yankees game - easy to get to
Coney Island - It's like taking the subway to Puerto Rico
Brookly Bridge Park/DUMBO - You said "Brooklyn Bridge". I hope this is what you meant.
Also, Broadway show FFS. You are absolutely crazy if you come to NY all the way from Germany and don't see a broadway show.

 

[dawheat]

Honestly if they're from Germany and coming to NYC for the first time, they should do touristy things.

IMHO
- Walking the Brooklyn Bridge is boring and a waste of time.
- Williamsburg, Dumbo, etc aren't worth visiting as a tourist - certainly nothing you can't duplicate in Manhattan. Doubly so for north of Central Park. Yes there's the occasional interesting thing to do, but it's hardly worth it for a tourist. Outside of some museums, there really wouldn't be any reason to go to upper West/East sides as a tourist.
- The free ferry that gives you decent views of the Statue of Liberty is decent fun with friends
- Wander through some neighbourhoods if the weather is nice - Greenwich Village and East Village, Meatpacking, East Village.
- Don't go near Rockefeller Center - just don't. Chinatown IMO stinks except for pearl tea.

Agree on the reco for Momofuku Noodle Bar or Saam Bar - just don't get the ramen there.

 

[Ns1]

Had a good chicken dinner meal @momofuku. Reservations only, was only like $100 with enough food to feed 6.

I'm sure it costs more now though!


The speed boat tour around NYC was also fun as fuck, you get wet though!

 

[Blackjack200]

- Williamsburg, Dumbo, etc aren't worth visiting as a tourist - certainly nothing you can't duplicate in Manhattan. Doubly so for north of Central Park.

Except for actually see Manhatten. I went to BB Park on a date a couple of months ago, it was awesome, the park is beautiful and has spectacular views of the city. Well worth it IMO.

 

[nageov3t]

casual or suit/tie/jacket required?

 

[dawheat]

Except for actually see Manhatten. I went to BB Park on a date a couple of months ago, it was awesome, the park is beautiful and has spectacular views of the city. Well worth it IMO.

Hey I'm not knocking the park there - it's nice and if you live here, it's certainly a place to visit. I certainly enjoyed my visit there.

I think the Staten Island Ferry is a more efficient use of time for tourists as you get similar/better views, get closer to the Statue of Liberty (they are tourists), and you get a boat ride.

The problem with Dumbo is unless you live in Brooklyn, it's kind of a pain to get to from Manhattan and walking the Brooklyn Bridge is overhyped and doubly worse doing it in the middle of summer. And then once you're there, there frankly isn't that much compelling stuff to do after the view.

Goes for Coney Island as well - unless you're here for a while, it's not worth it to burn a day going there.

 

[Dari]

For jazz there's a place in the Village called the Village Vanguard. Very nice, not touristy like The Blue Note. Also, in Harlem there's a couple of places but their names escape me. One I went to was between 124th and 125th and 6th Avenue, right off the 2/3 line.

 

[Dari]

Honestly if they're from Germany and coming to NYC for the first time, they should do touristy things.

IMHO
- Walking the Brooklyn Bridge is boring and a waste of time.
- Williamsburg, Dumbo, etc aren't worth visiting as a tourist - certainly nothing you can't duplicate in Manhattan. Doubly so for north of Central Park. Yes there's the occasional interesting thing to do, but it's hardly worth it for a tourist. Outside of some museums, there really wouldn't be any reason to go to upper West/East sides as a tourist.
- The free ferry that gives you decent views of the Statue of Liberty is decent fun with friends
- Wander through some neighbourhoods if the weather is nice - Greenwich Village and East Village, Meatpacking, East Village.
- Don't go near Rockefeller Center - just don't. Chinatown IMO stinks except for pearl tea.

Agree on the reco for Momofuku Noodle Bar or Saam Bar - just don't get the ramen there.

Yes, Chinatown does smell but there's an excellent restaurant there that sells the best soupy dumpling outside of Shanghai. Shanghai Cafe. My wife told me about it and I can't stop eating there. Cheap too. Dirt cheap. 100 Mott street.

 

[gotsmack]

For italian go to Marea, you will need a reservation. Basta Pasta is a good italian place with japanese influences.

I have not eaten at Daniel yet, but EMP is nowhere near the same level as Per Se. Le Bernardin is nice for a lunch at the bar, but I'm not that into seafood to do dinner there.

Take your friends to Carnegie Deli and split a super pastrami and cheesecake.

If you're in Chinatown go to Joe's Shanghai for soup dumplings then go to Rice to Riches for rice pudding.

 

[SamQuint]

http://swing46.com/

Check out this club, in a somewhat decent area, food was good and had a cool vibe. Mostly locals not a lot of tourists.

They play swing but they have Jazz too. You should call to see what bands are playing but they have live music 7 days a week.

Mr Softee Ice Cream trucks and a pretzel on the street. I liked the Carnegie Deli but I think most prefer Katz's Delicatessen.

 

[Dari]

If OP's friends want jazz and a good dinner. Why not have both at Chez Josephine?

http://www.chezjosephine.com/

 

[nageov3t]

If OP's friends want jazz and a good dinner. Why not have both at Chez Josephine?

http://www.chezjosephine.com/

I like that place a lot.

speaking of the Theater District, Delta Grill also has really great cajun food.

personally, I'd take 5 Napkin Burgers over Shake Shack, though, unless you want your friends to experience an hour waiting in line as part of the "experience" (or if you can go there for an early lunch right as they open)