Question answered
thanks
Looking for recommendations for Dim Sun in Manhattan for Monday for a friend. Starting point is Midtown near the Library, if that matters.
Thanks in advance.
Did https://www.gaonnurinyc.com/ Worked out well. $50 cork and great views (great option for an out-of-towner for dinner). Only concern was they asked us to give up our table about 2 hours to turn it, which is fine.
Hi Ramon- is that the Mortadella ? Iām going for lunch in a few weeks.
Yes. A little OTT for a carb-avoider, which is me, but so worth running an extra mile after.
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Just got back from a great trip to New York! Iām not a big review writer, but here are some impressions:
First meal was at Aquavit. I heard that its best days might be past, but we were seriously impressed with the whole experience. Excellent food, service, and nice ambiance. The caviar dish on a langoustine base was mind blowing. We brought a delicious 2015 Chartogne-Taillat Couarres to start, ordered a very nice 2014 Ganevat Oregane off the list, and finished with a fantastic 2017 Claire Naudin Damodes that we brought as well. Iād go back in a heartbeat for a special occasion meal.
On the second day, we pre-gamed at La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels. I really liked this wine bar, they do 15% off bottles for happy hour and have a deep and reasonably priced list. We ordered a lovely 2018 Envinate Migan with some cheese and charcuterie. Then went for dinner at Gem. They are doing a harvest inspired menu at the moment and the meal was super creative and very good. We brought a bottle of 2017 Stephan Cote-Rotie Cotteaux de Bassenon that was much too young and ordered a Steen āI can see You from the other side of the Valleyā off the list. Nice selection and decent prices, definitely quite natural. We also really liked the design of the dining room. However, what really annoyed us, especially towards the end of the meal, was the fact that everything felt very rushed. Dishes kept coming at increasing speeds and they actually took away my wifeās plate with still a piece of duck on it. She was not pleased. It felt they cared most about flipping tables quickly, which is a shame, because the meal itself was so good. Didnāt help that our reservation was at 6.30pm on a Saturday, but it shouldnāt be this way no matter what.
Next, we had dinner at Ops. WOW! Possibly the best pizza Iāve ever had. Iām quite serious about my own sourdough bread and pizza and this is next level. Excellent natural wine list as well, we ordered a 2018 Balagny Fleurie En Remont, followed by a 2018 LāOctavin Commendatore Trousseau. Had high expectations for this place and it lived up to it. My only wish was for better glassware, especially with a nicely curated list, but I guess hipsters donāt care 
We ended the night at Skin Contact, a nice natural wine leaning bar and ordered a 2010 Borde Savagnin Sous Voile, which unfortunately was way too acidic. Still a nice bar and obviously not their fault.
On the last day, we had $1 oysters and some anchovies at The Ten Bells (Manhattan location). Another natural wine bar and I liked the list and ambiance quite a bit better than Skin Contact. We got a 2020 Julian Pineau Blanche Roche off the list. Really lovely Sauvignon Blanc and great to see this vineyard is in good hands. We then headed for dinner at The Four Horsemen. LOVED the place. The food was excellent and the wine list is extensive and impressive. Great mix between traditional and natural stuff, thereās something for everyone. Prices are okay as well. We ordered a lovely 2018 Ganevat Chalasses Poulsard that went perfectly with the meal. Every dish was spot on. If I lived in the area, this would be my go-to place.
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Andy - you did it right! And thanks I did not know that about happy hour at La Compagnie.
As for glasses, I hear you, I have started bringing my own!
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This is a bummer and not usually the case. It is a small operation. I donāt doubt your experience. It happens especially in this environment where restaurants are constantly operating with different teams due to the staffing shortage. What I would say is that it was most definitely not because they were trying to turn tables. Chef Flynn keeps his place small so he can keep prices reasonably and have ultimate creative freedom to do whatever he wants with the food. He is not at all concerned about maximizing profits. My guess is they had a new staff member or two or were short one or two and this through everything off. Hit me up the next time you come to NYC and I will take you to GEM, its on me! Funnily enough Chef Flynn was on my flight to Paris on Tuesday, stood right behind me for the 1.5 hour wait to clear customs and we both had a reservation that night at Le Servan at the same time.
Little Owl
Our Thanksgiving lunch had traditionally been at restaurants where the most of us had established some familiarity with the menu by having dined there before, normally more than once. This year we opted for Little Owl in the West Village, where we were also aware of our required, in spite of all of us being fully vaxxed, heated outdoors dining option.
Itās actually been more than a couple of years since I personally went, but there were menu items that others in my party ordered and which I had tastes of that remained consistently good, just as I remembered them from years past. The risotto, the meatball sliders and the pork chop main were comfort foods from the past that stayed true to fine form. My veal stew was a notch lower, but the lamb shank dish, humongous in size, was quite a standout, as well as the duck breast salad. Deserts were all enjoyably good.
Wine list is quite deep with plenty of geeky items by the bottle and are generally, imo, fairly priced for the level of service and overall quality. I ordered a bottle of a Friulano white for the mostly-me alcohol drinker in our party of 4, as well as a glass of 2019 Johan Lardy Moulin-a-Vent that they poured from a magnum to go with my veal dish.
Thatās good to hear. I really wanted to love it and we did enjoy the food very much. Iām a fast eater, so it didnāt bother me that much, but both my wife and sister were annoyed to the point that it overshadowed the otherwise nice experience.
Thanks for the offer, Iād love to get together and hope I will make it back to NYC soon. We can also do Statebird next time youāre in SF, thatās on me 
Will be in NYC celebrating my 40th next month. Dining highlight will be Marea on my actual bday. Planning to BYOB a Salon to celebrate; have confirmed a $75 corkage (beats the $2.6k for a younger Salon off the menu).
Never been to Marea before, so curious to hear about any must have dishes or other tips/tricks.
Thanks
the fusilli with octopus and bone marrow is one of their best known dishes and IMO usually lives up to the hype
while fish is the star they do a great job with steak as well. I usually order whatever soup they have on the menu and have yet to be disappointed.
If they have the lardo and sea urchin app back on the menu I used to love that.
I find both cocktails and desserts a bit disappointing and will either opt for gelato/sorbet or just a cappucino or espresso.
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off topic but what did you think of le servan? i think my wife and i were there in march of 2017 and werent very impressedā¦a bit disappointed considering the hype. bastille nouveau bistros get hyped up and then a new one comes on to the scene. where else are you going?
I have been to Le Servan three or four times and I have never been blown away. I have been in Paris 4x over the last 5 months and it is the one restaurants that most Chefs and food people talk about along with Septime, but the locals go to Le Servan much more. I thought it was good but again was not blown away. Check the Paris thread for all the others recent visits.
Wife and I were in town for a quick jaunt. Had a lovely meal at Cosme.
While I could see why some wouldnāt be smitted, this is right up my wheelhouse.
Was also much more enjoyable than a visit to Atla a few years ago.
To preface, wife is vegetarian, and Iāve been experimenting with it for a few months now.
This makes tasting menus difficult (need a more special ocassion for EMP!), so weāre always looking for flexible a la carte.
Cosme fits the bill.
To some, the portion size may be a bit difficult, but weāre light eaters and covet flavor over volume.
The standouts were really exceptional:
- A Black Bean Tlayuda which was just insanely flavorful
- White Mole with Cabbage and Truffle
- Cornhusk Meringue desert which was insane
Only ādudā dish was a potatoe Tetla with sour cream and caviar.
Was āpretty goodā but didnāt pop.
Cocktails and wine by the glass is excellent, really well thought out bottle list with a mix of trophies, nattys, and some really cool wines.
Atmosphere is just my tempo. Scene was a bit touristy (Iād blame the intāl acclaim theyāve received), but this is Flatiron.
Enthusiastic āYeah!ā
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Faryan,
Iāve sang the praises of Cosme here before where weāve had 3 pre-pandemic consecutive New Yearās Eve dinners, not by design but more because of the food appeal and the ease of getting reservations. You had a few of their signature dishes that gets them the intāl acclaim. Donāt seem to get much airplay here, I suppose because of the touristy scene and the Mexican-inspired theme not as cool/hip as the latest Korean tasting-menu ones that gets talked about much here.
just had a pretty solid (albeit frigid) dinner at runner up in park slope with the wife. a very rare night away from our son, this was on my short list even if it was in the low 40s with no heating capabilities in their outdoor dining setup (no indoor dining and even if there was, we donāt do it currently). we brought wine (dāangerville champans from 2011) which they kindly served in zalto glassware which was a pleasant surprise. their wine list is excellent and really thoughtful. they even have a secret reserve list that would make most wineberserkers pleased.
service was friendly, competent and frankly, perfect. food was good to very good. a few items were sold out even at 630pm but we tried their baguette and focaccia breads (excellent), scallop crudo (very good but more of a summer/warmer weather dish), half rotisserie chicken with salsa verde (solid) and sides of sunchokes and mushrooms (both excellent). we ended the meal with their sticky toffee pudding which apparently was the first night on the menu. it was probably the best version ive had in years.
i wouldnt go out of my way for it but id add this to regular rotation in the areaā¦and definitely when the weather warms up. though i think theyre very likely to open a full restaurant sooner than later rather than this pop up.
Yes! Your reviews helped me pull the trigger vs a Brooklyn night out. This thread continues to be a great resource.
Cheers
This thread is a little quiet! I finally made it to Adda Indian Canteen in Queens last night. I absolutely loved it!
It was not as hot as I thought it was going to be in a good way. I did not have the Goat dish which I think is the hottest.
We loved the Tandoori Macchi and Tandoori Poussin. The Butter Chicken was fine just not as great as the other dishes, I will probably skip it next time.
Website says no BYOB but they do allow corkage for $20. Glasses are not good. I will be returning with good glasses and more riesling. We brought a Feinherb that worked great.
In town for a quick work trip followed by a little fun with my wife. Had some great meals on the trip:
Osteria Morini in SOHO. Another very solid meal their and reasonable by NY standards. My guests really enjoyed it. Brought a 2014 F. Alessandria Barolo. Nice wine in a good spot now but not close to the 16 though not a fair comparison. I really love this restaurant. Food, service and vibe are just great.
Batard- first time trying. Love the format and being able to create your own tasting. We did 3 course and split dessert. Food and service was really excellent. 2017 Anne Boisson White Bourgogne by the glass. Really nice wine and drinking very well and above Bourgogne level. Tartare, salad lyonnaise and salmon excellent apps. The carbonara was also very well executed with an aged pecorino that I really enjoyed but came close to overpowering the dish. Outstanding entreeās and one of the best chicken dishes Iāve ever tasted and my New Zealand Venison was perfect. Brought along a 2010 Clos des Lambrays. It was outstanding and opened nicely over 2 hours. Still young so will give the next one a few years. Wine service was good and the Somms were slammed with a full dining room.
Rezdora- couldnāt get in for dinner so took a lunch spot. Absolutely loved it. Mortadella app was really good and we tried 3 different pastaās. Perfect amount for lunch. Brought along a 2010 F. Rinaldi Barolo that was singing. Super fresh and still young but opened nicely in glass over lunch and went really well with the dishes.
We had tickets to Dizzyās Jazz Club so did a late dinner at Danji on 52nd st. We hit this spot 4 years ago and once again it did the trick. Great Korean small plates and cocktails. Spicy chicken wings are worth a stop if you try nothing else. The daikon served along side helps cool off the heat. Followed up with Bibimbap short rib sliders that are insanely good and an excellent miso marinated black cod. Perfect spot for great after show food.
Had to make sure we got pizza in before we left town. 3 day pizza crawl thread on the Travel page was perfect to help narrow down the choices. Best one for location and timing was Joe and Pats on the lower east side. We were first customers there at 11:30 when they opened. Fantastic pizza. We did the 1960 original with half cup char pepp. Absolutely loved it. Iāve not had NY pizza with a crust that thin. Great way to end our trip. Will be back in 2022. So great to be in NY again.
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