MondayLunchCrew

This is part one of my New York Recommendations series.

NY has some of the best restaurants in the world. While I have gone to some of the bigger names, I never did try to get into the hard to get places mostly because the wait list is too long and the prices too high. The bigger names in the game often became more hype than taste, the trouble and the expense didn’t seem justified. As you’ll see in the list below, most places are neighbourhood restaurants where the every-person eats. Most are on the list here because it’s good food at great value. Some are pricier but well worth it. And yes, I wasn’t one of those living the fantasy NY life as you can see in the list below, I hung out and ate in neighbourhoods like Upper East and Upper West, Chelsea because that’s where I played when not working.

Upper East Side

• Sushi of Gari Absolutely the best Sushi in town. It’s not pretentious and you can still get a reservation to eat there. The neighbourhood folks know to go early to grab a seat sans reservation the second they open. You’ll be out before the crowds show up. The Omakase is top notch (so everyone I’ve brought tells me), and I love their katsu and noodle soups. An authentic Japanese experience, which was something I really wanted in a Japanese Restaurant ever since travelling to Japan. I’m forever spoiled. And the best part, I’ve never had sushi there with cold rice. Very important IMO.
• Gobo Asian style vegetarian food in a modern clean setting.
• Candle 79 My favourite vegetarian restaurant on the planet. The best food. And it was right in my neighbourhood. I could stop by on the weekends for brunch. The place is now really busy compared to when I left the city. It’s recently been named top vegetarian in the city and has had lots of good press which is well deserved.
• Candle Cafe I’ve actually never gone in to eat. Sister and original restaurant to Candle 79. The delivery menu is exceptional and I used to get dinners delivered. The restaurant is small and has a rustic feel. It’s often too full to eat inside, but take out and delivery makes it easy to eat the good food without as much of a wait. They have also put out the The Candle Cafe Cookbook: More Than 150 Enlightened Recipes from New York’s Renowned Vegan Restaurant for your home use.
• Yorkville Diner: 242 E 79th St, New York 10021 (Btwn 2nd & 3rd Ave). Simple dinner with good consistent food. Good service, and location.
• Maruzzella Recently expanded since when I lived in NY. The lasagna is to die for and good service that is not rushed.
• Le Pain Quotidien Many locations. Very good lunch menu of sandwiches and healthy foods. Atmosphere is always good.
• Quatorze Bis: 323 E. 79th Street (between 1st & 2nd Avenues), East 70s. Excellent French food. Bistro feel and decor without the French cramped spaces. And the best part? Open every day of the year.
• Shabu-Shabu 70 A friendly fun restaurant to enjoy the Japanese Hot Pot.
• Totonno Pizzeria Some of the best pizza around. Then again, it’s NY, you can always find some good pizza if you’re looking.
• Spice Inexpensive Thai food. Lunch menu is very good value.
• Lenox Room I like the lounge decor.
• Better Burger I rarely eat burgers, but this looked so good I actually did eat here. I was also particularly fond of their delivery service.
• Sarabeth’s A NY upper east side museum favourite. Stop by after hitting Museum Mile and enjoy. My favourite is the Cream of Tomato soup.
• Googie’s Diner A regular for those who live in the area. Hours are really good and food is decent. My favourite shake is the corvette shake made with coffee ice-cream. The weekend brunch crowds are insane. But it is the first place I’ve ever had shoestring fries. Love those.
• Papaya King New York tradition of hot dog and papaya juice. Excellent Hot dogs. The place is small and always has great traffic flow. Get in line, order your food, eat it on your way out or at the counters. The ultimate fast food. And one of the best hot dogs according to A Hot Dog Program.
• Rosa Mexicano My first taste of non-Texmex mexican food and not my last. It’s a favourite restaurant although, it’s often hard to get into since it’s so busy. I actually had a better time getting into the Washington DC location. But well worth the effort. The Guacamole is made in front of you and it’s delicious.

Upper West Side

• Picholine A really nice place for a nice dinner out before or after the opera.
• Kitchenette Good ole home style souther fare. Love that.
• Popovers The namesake popovers with strawberry butter is the speciality. Many sandwiches also made with the popover. It’s a New York Diner, but the speciality food makes it more than the usual suspects. Sandwiches are big enough to have for two meals!Often there’s quite a wait as it’s a neighbourhood favorite, but there’s benches for waiting and no need to line out outside the door. With a really cute gift store next store too.

Time Square Area

• Olive Garden I know, it’s not serious and nothing special, but the chain has a special place in my heart and it’s no longer in Canada.
• B.Smith Not as good IMO as the branch in DC. Menu is different, but a nice place for dessert after a show or when in the neighbourhood.

Midtown

• Cabana The paella is awesome. Location is great for dinner after some shopping at Bloomingdales. (and Yes, I know the paella is not the proper traditional paella of Spain.)
• Ruth’s Chris Steak House I found out about this place from Jocelyn and it’s one of my favourites now. I love how they are willing to make steaks to well done. The corn pudding side is tops on my list (but it’s not a regular menu item). I’ve been trying to find a recipe that makes a similar corn pudding for along time now. No luck yet.
• Yoshinoya I think said it all before.

Chelsea

• Mesa Grill The Iron Chef America‘s most well known restaurant. While it’s not to everyone’s taste and I don’t really think Bobby is all that, I do like the food at this restaurant. The jalapeño corn bread is top notch. Another one of those dishes I want to learn how to make. I also like the spicy Caesar salad.
• Tabla, Indian style food, cozy atmosphere and excellent service.

Chinatown

• Joe’s Shanghai Best soup dumplings. Period. (Unless of course, you’re in Asia…) Not sure if there’s anything else to eat here, but worth going to either the Downtown location or the Queens one just for the soup dumplings.

Markets:

• Eli’s Ever watch Barefoot Contessa and hear her mention her friend Eli Zabar? This is his (chain of) store. Great breads and prepared foods.
• Eli’s Vinegar Factory. Another branch of Eli’s. Great shop, but further away from my old apartment. I used to only go when I had my swims at Asphalt Green
• Dean & Deluca Located in SOHO so that you can hit this store on during your shopping and gallery seeing. The baked goods are great for a quick snack but expect a crowd almost all ways since it’s a great place to meet up with friends as it is located right at a subway entrance.
• Agata & Valentina Gourmet – 212-452-0690 – 1505 1st Avenue – Grocers. Their coffee is a real treat. My favourite is their “Super Chocolate”.
  
  
• Citarella The freshest meats and fish I found outside of Freshdirect. Always a line on the weekends but their staff is efficient and the queue moves quickly. This is the store I learnt what a good butcher is all about. I’ve been forever spoilt.
• Kitagri Japanese Groceries. Good selection and good prices. But those really die hard will go to Mitsuwa (Yaohan) in Edgewater, NJ by the shuttle bus.
• Union Square Market. Lovely open air market right smack dab in the middle of the Union Square. Very accessible by subway.
• Whole Foods Right in the basement of the Time Warner Shopping Center. I love shopping at Whole Foods. If nothing else, they have great food to go.
• Uptown Natural Frontier

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