Thanks to all of you for your help with hotels; despite my vigorous opposition, the client and others concluded that we needed to bed down near the courthouse instead of our offices (neither arrangement is perfect) so (much to my disappointment) we will be staying at the Hilton Millennium at 55 Church, a half mile from the court. Now, where are we going to eat in the neighborhood? I am interested in the entire range of prices and foods. We’ll be getting take out and delivery a lot, I am sure, but also having some nice meals. Any ideas down in Wall Street/Bowling Green area?
SHO Shaun Hergatt
Good prix fixe option.
You’re not far from Bouley, which at the high end is excellent
There’s a Les Halles Downtown near there. (Now offering local delivery for dinner!)
Chambers St. Wines is not far. You could ask Jamie Wolfe for recos in that area.
There’s a Stage Door Deli at 26 Vesey Street.
Neal,
If you can make it over to the South Street Seaport at some point in an evening or weekend afternoon, there are 2 blocks chock full of options and a bit removed from the touristy main drag. Front Street between Beekman & Peck Slip + Water Street between Peck Slip & Dover offer a bunch of options from old NY steakhouse to modern/sceney wine bars & restaurants. There’s even a very good (if a tad pricy) wine shop one block east.
Worth it just for the views of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Neal, you are right by my office and probably have a bird’s eye view of Ground Zero. Sorry to tell you that there really aren’t any noteworthy places to eat nearby. A short cab ride or 15-20 minute walk puts you in Tribeca for Bouley, Nobu, Locanda Verde (highly recommended), etc.
Not much in the way of places to recommend near the Millennium, other than The Great Hunger Memorial about 2 blocks away on North End Ave and Vesey. It is worth an excursion if you have the time.
As for places to eat (recognizing the irony after suggesting a visit to a memorial dedicated to the million people who died of starvation during the Great Famine in ireland), I think a cab ride is your best friend. Even if it is a new cab with sliding doors.
There are some decent restaurants in Tribeca which is (for me) a short walk from your hotel (but then I have long legs; your walk may be longer).
Odeon is near by and while it is not as chi chi as in its day (some 40 years ago), it still serves some decent bistro food. Fair selection of wines by the half-bottle. My guess is you may be limiting the wine in-take while its game-on during trial.
Bouley is a nice high end place, although it seemed a bit “precious” when I was there some time ago.
I have not been but I hear Brushstroke is worth a visit. It is Bouley’s take on Japanese cuisine.
Locanda Verde on Greenwich and Moore is quite good. Good food, although service can be a bit off.
Good luck.
T.
Thanks everyone. Some very useful suggestions. I see a depressing amount of Hilton food in my future, but surely I will be able to break free occasionally
A few blocks west in Battery Park City you can eat at Danny Meyer’s North End Grill or Blue Smoke. There’s also a Shake Shack (not one of the better ones) and a Payard’s Patisserie for excellent coffee macarons though no other flavor is as good.
Walking north on West Broadway gives you all sorts of options. Good Vietnamese at Mangez Avec Moi (including Banh Mi from their takeout option next door). Landmarc makes excellent burgers and omelets and perfectly acceptable steaks. Others have mentioned Bouley - I haven’t been to the current incarnation. Chambers St. Wines is nearby as is Frankly Wines.
If you’re in the mood for moderately priced low key diner food the Gee Whiz diner on Greenwich is nice. If you want excellent cappucino and/or espresso visit Kaffe 1668 - also on Greenwich.
You’re right nearby almost every subway line in Manhattan so travelling elsewhere is easy. If you want some good BYOs you’re also one block from the PATH train which would take you to Jersey City and a whole host of good BYO options.
Fantastic Jay. Thanks very much!
If you’re going to be near the courts, just hit Chinatown, which is a few blocks away from them. A few highlights:
Big Wong 67 Mott St.- Great noodle soups and roasted meats.
Nom Wah Tea Parlor 13 Doyers St.- Terrific made to order dim sum. A bit of trivia, more people have been murdered on that block than any other street in the US and its where the term"hatchet man" originated, due to the Chinese gang warfare there back in the day.
Golden Unicorn 18 East Broadway- More traditional, cart pushed dim sum. I marginally prefer it to Jing Fong, which is also a big dim sum spot at 20 Elizabeth Street.
Great NY Noodle Town 281/2 Bowery St.- The place to go if you’re drunk in Chinatown and it’s late as it’s open until 4:00 am. Excellent noodle dishes and roasted meats.
Xi’an Famous Foods- 67 Bayard St.- Great hand-pulled noddles and get the spicy cumin lamb burger.
Oriental Garden 14 Elizabeth St. - Great Seafood spot.
Pho Bang 157 Mott St.- best pho in Manhattan.
Sau Voi Corp.- 101 Lafayette- Look for the yellow canopy. It’s actually a Vietnamese cd /dvd store, but the make the best banh mi in Chinatown, imo.
If you only do one high end place on this trip…make it Corton in Tribeca!
I’ve been meaning to get there for ages. It’s that good?
apparently Atera is worth a look. Probably about a 8 minute or so walk from the hotel:
Collectively I’ve spent a few months in that Millennium over the past 12 years, including one six week stay some years back - our NY office was at 1 Liberty Plaza until a few months ago. Unfortunately dining in the area is tough, and has only gotten tougher since September 11. A few good or at least acceptable places have come and gone.
The best advice I can give is avoid the Hilton restaurant at all costs. The food is awful and it’s overpriced to boot. I get the buffet breakfast free as Hilton Gold and even skip that sometimes. One thing about the hotel - while it’s lessened as things get completed, construction noise on the Church Street side from the Trade Center can get loud. If you’re not getting one of the Junior Suites (which you should if it’s an option), consider a room facing out the back.
Others have mentioned restaurants a bit further away. I’ll just note a couple of easily walkable options.
I often end up at Les Halles, just because it’s convenient and you can eat for a reasonable price. Basic bistro fare; I can always eat the choucroute.
Although it has its critics and is somewhat overpriced (it’s all relative in that part of town), I’ve had a few good meals at BLT Bar and Grill in the W Hotel. Sit upstairs if it’s available.
For old school Italian, I prefer Ecco on Chambers St. to what’s left of Little Italy. Always quite crowded and loud - mainly locals and people who work in the area. Fairly simple food, but always well prepared. I’ve heard complaints about the price, but I’ve always eaten decently on a corporate per diem. I end up stopping at Chambers Street Wines when I’m there.
The Trinity Place Bar and Restaurant has been good for lunch and drinks/bar snacks. I’ve never been there for dinner but based on lunch think it’s worth a shot. It’s also a cool setting in an old bank vault. Be thankful the Occupy people are gone if you’re going there.
I hope that helps.
Victor would probably not approve, but:
http://www.thecapitalgrille.com/Locations/NYC-WallSt/Main.asp
Les Halles on Park Avenue South has definitely weakened. We dined there today with an old friend.
1.) Sanitation.
The serving glasses for a bottle of carbonated water were striped with red lipstick. When I pointed out the dirtiness,
the waitperson took them away…but returned no clean ones. We apparently were expected to share swigs from the bottle.
2.) Food.
The grilled octopus over arugula was a pile of grease-coagulated, hard-to-identify choppings over gray, wilted leaves…
all ostensibly leftovers from previous nights.
My frisee lardon salad was equally not-so-fresh greens, devoid of dressing. The $2-upcharged egg atop this was poached
to the point of being hard boiled. No risk here of salmonella…or enjoyment.
The merguez scrambled eggs were overcooked, resembling water-reconstituted camping meal kits.
One person ordered a glass of orange juice. The waitperson served a half-full glass at best, and disappeared before
we could question the very short amount.
3.) Service.
The waitperson never came by to ask how was everything. She obviously knew…being on the delivering end of this
gastronomic fusillade. She returned eventually to give us the bill, but never picked up the credit card for processing.
I finally waved to the greeter for help…who then told me to walk my credit card to her.
Notably, I recounted these points to the manager this afternoon, before this posting. He was apologetic.
Life is too short to go to places where diners can rely on disappointing meals. Anthony Bourdain would have been far
less diplomatic, if also at our table.
I’ve never had any meal worth writing home about at the Park Ave. branch. Just to qualify, I’ve been there only twice, in 2006 and 2009, and both meals sucked.
Agree with Ramon. Went only once, probably 05; have no desire to return.