Restaurant recommendations: New York City, NY – Part 5

The best restaurant in New York City to have excellent drinks and superb food is Dallas BBQ’s. There are a few locations, but the ideal on is on 42nd street between 7th and 8th avenue. This location is prime due to it being in the heart of time square. You not only experience good dining, but the opportunity to indulge in various activities…such as bowling, viewing a movie, visiting the wax museum, sightseeing, and buying souvenirs for your adventure. The restaurant itself is very low key. You can dress casual, or formal if you like. The prices are affordable, so you don’t have to save up or even have a special reason to decide to dine there. BBQ’s specializes in rotisserie. They serve everything from burgers, seafood, pork, to poultry. I’ve personally tried almost everything on the menu…and those I haven’t I plan on getting to. One of my favorites, and customer’s favorites over all is their “sticky wings”. You can order a half (6) or full (12) order to jumbo wings covered in a sweet honey sauce. They are delightful. You can also get them without the sauce. The wing size is so huge that you may end up sharing even if you don’t want to. The ribs are so tender and juicy, that they fall right off the bone. The fish is perfectly seasoned as well. For those of you who can’t make up your mind…they offer various combo choices to cross-experience. Another great attribute is their drinks. I haven’t had a bad drink yet. A plus is that they offer them in regular and “Texas” size. This further solidifies the fact that things are bigger in Texas. The Texas size is my choice whenever I visit…along with an extra shot of liquor. The price is approx. 7 dollars, but it is well worth it. They make a range of drinks, but their best are the “Blue Hawaii”, “Strawberry Daiquiri”,and “Amaretto Sour”. Be careful, because I had to learn the hard way that when you buy a “Amaretto Sour” Texas sized…you get charged double. I ended up with a bill consisting of almost $100 for drinks alone between my fiance and myself. To bring all of my praise to a close…if you are ever in New York City and looking for a place with cheap delicious food, and cheap but well prepared drinks…visit BBQ’s for the time of your life.

Restaurant recommendations: New York City, NY – Part 3

New York is a town where you can get lost in restaurants and make real bad decisions when you are a tourist! Since there are so many tourists in NY, some restaurateurs feel that they don’t have to make the efforts to keep their clients. The most obvious places are Times Square and Soho. They have so many tourists walking in front of their restaurants that the owners invest a lot of money in the appearance of the restaurant and not much money on the quality of the food. As a tourist, you will go to that restaurant once and swear to never go again, but another batch of tourists will go by and decide to go in!

How to avoid this situation? Take the Zagat book and combine it with a site like chowhound.com and you will get interesting recommendations from foodies who will direct you to the best places. In NY, there is a new trend every six months and they all open restaurants of the same type. We have seen as trends: hamburgers, french bistros, greek bistros, lobster rolls and let’s not forget the Japanese fusion restaurant. If you go to one of those new trendy restaurants, you will probably not have a great meal, but you will see lots of trendy people!

There are a couple of not-to-miss places, but I find that suggesting restaurants to people is very hard. I like Italian and french so I tend to go towards traditional places. I went once to eat at Cipriani downtown and Matt Damon had lunch at a table near by. It was fun to talk about that afterward with my friends, but the food wasn’t even edible, the waiters were snobs and it cost a whole lot of money!

I will give a couple of suggestions by types of food:

Italian: Campanile, Villa Mosconi

French: Lucien, Jules, Pere Pinard, Les Halles, L’express

Mexican: Il Cantinero

Trendy: Mercer Kitchen

Seafood: Blue water grill

Restaurant recommendations: New York City, NY – Part 1

For two years I worked as an event-planner-of-sorts in New York City. I would plan a month’s worth of activities for visiting business people who wanted to experience all that the city had to offer. Though many of my activities included trapeze classes, broadway shows, and dinner cruises, by far and away the events that my clients looked forward to the most were those that involved a heavy dose of wining and dining. After a few years of restaurant-hopping and scouring the city for the best eats, I have compiled a list of Manhattan restaurants that are definitely worth their dish. (Though a few of these restaurants fall on the pricey side, those on a budget will be thrilled with these selections as well).

1. DAVID BURKE AND DONATELLA

Modern American

133 E. 61st Street

Owned by internationally-renowned chef, David Burke, and hot-on-the-scene restaurateur, Donatella Arpaia. The colorful, posh interior complements the delectable yet playful entrees. I recommend ordering the tasting menu du jour to make the most of this heavenly dining experience. Their wine selection is wonderful, and if you’re ordering dessert, just try to pass on David Burke’s delightful Cheesecake Lollipop Tree. Though this gem is on the pricier side, it’s worth every penny. A must dining experience for that evening when you’re feeling especially indulgent.

2. ISABELLA’S

American Nouveau, Mediterranean

359 Columbus Avenue

If you and your friends are in a mood for brunch, I completely recommend Isabella’s. However, get there early or make reservations, as there is sure to be a wait – especially on weekends.

Side note: Isabella’s is owned by B.R. Guest Restaurants, a company that has a lot of great, resonably priced eateries sprinkled all over the city. A notable few:

Ocean Grill, a short walk from Isabella’s at 384 Columbus

Blue Fin, for trendy dining in Times Square

Ruby Foos, fun pan-Asian fare, Uptown and Times Square locations

3. HARU

Sushi

Locations all over New York – though my favorite is the one at 433 Amsterdam Avenue

Though a chain that’s rapidly growing, Haru offers one of my favorite sushi experiences. Serving melt-in-your-mouth fresh fish in unique ways, Haru caters to the minimalist and the experimentalist alike. My favorite thing about Haru is the price: even on nights when I gorge myself on sushi, I’m always surprised at how small the tab is at the end of the night.

4. JACQUES-IMO’S

366 Columbus Avenue

Creole, Cajun

For something different and fun, Jacques-Imo’s serves up atypical New Orleans fare. A must-try: the Alligator Cheesecake – think more quiche than dessert – it’s abosutely delicious and surprisingly addictive. For added fun, check out Jacques-Imo’s not-necessarily-suitable-for-g randma Bingo nights during the week.

5. CIPRIANI DOWNTOWN

376 W. Broadway Avenue

Italian

I love this SoHo hotspot. It’s perfect for brunch, lunch, or dinner. Though it’s a little rough on the wallet, it’s definitely worth checking out. The veal ragout is simply AMAZING, and though Bellini’s don’t necessarily pair naturally with Italian fare, I usually end up ordering about four over the course of the meal. Another great perk: during the warmer months, dining on the outdoor, cobblestone patio is a pleasure that even the most seasoned New Yorker can’t resist.

Restaurant recommendations: New York City, NY – Part 2

New York calls to me always, and I’ve made effort, for a few years now, to get in at least one annual trip to my favorite city. We all know that there are a wealth of experiences to be had in the city, and that besides all the sights and sounds, besides the exciting hustle and bustle, in the midst of it all there is food and more food. This April I stayed in Jersey City for two weeks with friends Steve and Alexia, in a cute little store-front apartment just a short little walk down to the Path station and across to Manhattan. I didn’t eat much in Jersey City, for though I’m sure there must exist restaurant gems there, I could not help but be drawn each day into the tunnel under the water, into the city, to feed off the energy, a palpable presence in the subways, on the streets, in the people, the bars, the restaurants, the food, New York energy in the food.

My girlfriend at the time shared with me a passion for food, at the same moment as interested in eating a dirty water dog in Central Park as checking out what dinner was like at the restaurant of one of our favorite celebrity chefs. We would try everything if we only could. The beautiful thing about eating in New York City is that you can have an eclectic day of taste discovery on Monday, followed by a completely different day of diverse dining on Tuesday, and let’s not forget about the rest of the week, so many new opportunities to eat.

Whether visiting or residing in New York, you can easily follow your own food path, and I recommend spending at least one entire day doing so, forging ahead on a discovery of your own, following your nose or merely following happenstance. Wandering, after all, is filled with discovery in Manhattan. There are times, however, when it’s best to have some recommendations, and so here are some of mine to choose from, culled from places I dined in April.

First things first, pair up with a good dining partner. Having along another person who also appreciates food lends unquantifiable value. When you discuss your experiences, you gain more insight into them. Is it possible that talking about the nuances of flavor in a meal can deepen your experience of the meal? Most definitely.

Next, avoid Roy Rogers, even if you are hungry and tempted to eat fast food, do not go inside. Roy would be ashamed of what they’ve done to his legacy. I was also disappointed by Dallas BBQ on 42nd Street. We were seated without any problems and ordered a few minutes later, at 11:49 p.m.,