New York City Eats
During our two months living in New York City, despite having a full kitchen, we behaved like locals and ate out a lot. Amy introduced us to Beli, an app for tracking and rating restaurants and sharing lists with our friends. With more than 17,000 restaurants to choose from in Manhattan (that’s 5.6 restaurants per capita!), deciding where to eat and updating Beli became a new, favorite pastime. Here’s a roundup for any curious foodie friends.
Favorites
My favorite restaurants are those that offer consistently great food, service, and ambience, and that we can afford to patronize on a regular basis.
Shukette, a “modern Mediterranean” spot in Chelsea, is a new addition to our list. The credit and blame both go to Amy. Every dish we tried was delicious, but we kept going back for more Frena (Moroccan bread with garlic), Joojeh chicken (marinated in saffron yogurt and grilled), and Toum (whipped fluffy garlic). The drinks were tasty and gorgeous, and dessert was always the Mic Drop (tahini soft-serve).
Rubirosa in Nolita is my pick for pizza. Amy and I discovered it years ago, and now Steve loves it, too. It’s Neapolitan-style, with a thin, crispy crust. The Tie Dye (vodka sauce, pesto) is Instagram-worthy and meat-free; the Supreme (pepperoni, mini-meatballs, and garlic) just can’t be beat.
La Barra is in Chef José Andrés’s Little Spain at Hudson Yards. This is a terrific spot to relax after a long workday or (in our case) a long walk. We love the Sangria de Cava (dangerously delicious), the Chicken Croquetas (crispy outside, creamy inside), and the Pan con Tomate (made with Cristal bread baked in Spain).
Ippudo is still our preferred place for ramen, though have tried many others. Steve loves the Karaka Spicey ramen; my new favorite is Dragon Tantan, with its rich sesame broth. We both like adding the tamago (marinated egg). We like the Westside location, which now takes reservations.
Din Tai Fung was just around the corner from our apartment, in the Theater District. Their Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings) are world-famous, and you can watch the staff assemble them. They also have chocolate Xiao Long Bao for dessert! Steve prefers other places for dim sum. but since I dined here four times in two months, it deserves to be on the list. I consider this a “special occasion dim sum” place.
Honorable Mentions: There were two great restaurants that we tried just once, but are eager to revisit.
Frena in Hell’s Kitchen had delicious Mediterranean dips and breads that were almost as good as Shukette. I can’t wait to go back and have another Echos, a margarita with salted passionfruit foam.
Da Andrea in Chelsea had a nice array of fresh pasta dishes so tasty that we all cleaned our plates. Even if the food weren’t so delectable, I would happily go back to that warm and inviting dining room.
Splurges
We don’t have a vacation home or a fancy car, but we do enjoy treating ourselves to special restaurants and Broadway shows. And nowadays, a restaurant meal can be as theatrical and entertaining as a show.
We had several memorable dining experiences during our two-month stay, made even better because Amy was with us. Normally, I prefer to have extravagant restaurant meals just once in a while, but we had important milestones to celebrate!
COTE is America’s first and only Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse, so it was the perfect place to celebrate Amy’s 25th birthday with her wonderful roommates, Emily and Fiona. A chef deftly prepared five different cuts of beef right at our table, serving each of us steak according to our individual preferences. There were plenty of delicious accompaniments, and it was nice being able to taste and discuss each steak before the next one was prepared. One ounce of Japanese A5 Wagyu was just enough for each of us to have a morsel. It was rich and buttery, almost like fois gras, and that one incredible bite was more than enough.
The Modern, the Michelin-starred Contemporary American restaurant at the Museum of Modern Art, was where we celebrated Steve’s retirement AND Amy’s birthday. The innovative nine-course tasting menu was called Abstractions. Every dish was a revelation, even the bread and butter. We especially loved “Eggs on Eggs on Eggs,” served in lidded bowls that looked like ostrich eggs. Our expert servers made us feel both important and comfortable.
Tatiana, the Rockefeller Center hotspot of Nigerian-American chef Kwame Onwuachi (from Top Chef), was the “toughest reservation in town.” But Steve was determined and persistent, and we went there for a very late dinner. I’m happy to report that the food lived up to the hype. We particularly loved the Corn Bread, the Crispy Okra, the Curried Goat Patties, and the Piri Piri salad. The Bodega Special was a surprising dessert - the powdered sugar donuts were really made of ice cream. What were we celebrating, besides Steve’s success in finally getting a table? Let’s say it was the start of our nomad life abroad.
Honorable mention:
COCODAQ, an innovative fried chicken place by the creators of COTE, was extra-special because Danny and my mom were with us. The buckets of perfectly crispy Korean fried chicken were elevated by the accompaniments, especially the champagne. But the extremely loud music made conversation difficult.
If you’d like to see my restaurant lists and ratings on Beli, just follow @tampatravelnut.
