Recommend Rouge Tomate @ 10 East 60th. I went there three times when I was there in June and had an excellent time - had dinner twice at the bar and some wine the last night. Walk-in all three times.
Their associate Sommelier - Veronica - was absolutely awesome with recommendations.
Was just in NY for some quick meetings, but was able to squeeze in the following:
Nougatine for dinner at bar;
Atera for dinner;
Bouley for lunch.
Nougatine: Nice atmosphere and energy. Had the tasting menu. The standouts (for me) were the tuna tartare and the slow cooked salmon (amazingly moist with great flavor. loved the crispy skin). Brought a 2008 Scarecrow, which was a good convo bottle with the group next to me and Eric the beverage director.
Atera: Wow. Food, experience, and service were all amazing (but comes at a fairly steep price). I got the reserve wine pairing, which was highlighted by a 1989 Cos d’Estournel. Too many dishes to go into, but definitely some standouts, such as waffle with mushrooms and truffle; foie gras; caviar with pistachio gelato, and IPA cream, etc., etc. Very unique experience, down to the little bar downstairs with custom cocktails.
Bouley: Great value for their tasting menu. Sea urchin and Porcini flan were my favorites. Service was a bit slot, which matched the tone of the meal. Lower energy. People taking their time to enjoy the meal.
All in all, some very different restaurants, but all worthwhile for different reasons.
Matthew, the manager at Atera, recommended Jungsik, The Modern, Momofuku Ko, Estela, Shuko, and Shigurie for future visits.
When was the last time that you were at Lupa, Yaacov?
I used to like it, but my last visit was a joke; they wanted you in and out on a very fixed time frame, insistent and rude about it as well.
I’ve been a couple of times over the past two years with my family. My youngest who is (sadly) a picky eater loves their Carbonara. I never noticed anything out of the ordinary about the service.