Category: New York Restaurants by Area

New York City Restaurants by Neighborhood

Peter Luger

178 Broadway, right under the Williamsburg Bridge in Brooklyn
718/387-7400
about $400 for four, with a bottle of wine, with tip, cash only
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Most New Yorkers will think of Peter Luger when porterhouse is the topic of conversation. How could we not when it’s been around since, oh, 1887. Even our cab driver knew where Peter Luger was. You mean the boo-jee steak place? when we only mentioned the steakhouse by the Williamsburg Bridge.

Since some of us have eaten here before, we knew to split the porterhouse for two between four people because we ordered the fresh bacon, two salads and creamed spinach with our meat. Our waiter was obviously disappointed when we refused the steak for four but lit up when we ordered the 2002 Cakebread with it.

We were a bit dismayed when our waiter brought a 2003 bottle and told us that he had run out of the 2002. Good thing my friend was aware of the fact that the 2003 harvest wasn’t worth the 2002 price. When we tried to order a less expensive bottle instead, our waiter returned with the 2002 and told us he just “found it” in the cellar. He was this close to opening that 2003 bottle and charging us the 2002 price! Tsk to Peter Luger! It pays to know something about your wines.

ChikaLicious and ChikaLicious Puddin’

203 East 10th Street off Second Avenue
212/995.9511
$104 for four, desserts only with matching drinks, with tip
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If you have room for dessert, Chika will whip up one of the most simple yet satisfying desserts for you at ChikaLicious, a tiny space on 10th Street. Assuming, of course, that they haven’t sold out by 11pm or that you’re not waiting to be seated for more than 20 minutes.

The prix fixe is only $19 and includes an amuse, a main dessert, petit fours and a glass of wine. Your choices for main desserts run from the creative, like kiwi in lavender soup, to the surprising, like peppercorn ice cream and red wine sauce with warm chocolate tart.

Update, 2008: They have opened ChikaLicious Puddin’ across the street that serves three kinds–at least when we visited–of “puddin'”. Light, fluffy and sweet, their puddings are the perfect end to a blistery winter night.

Naka Naka

458 West 17th Street off Tenth Avenue
212/929.8544
about $400 for six plus room fee, with a few drinks, with tip
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When I get slow service in a restaurant, I’m usually ticked off, but for some reason I always excuse it when it comes to a Japanese restaurant. Do you do this? They’re so polite that even when they make a mistake, I find myself apologizing for them.

The menu at Naka Naka is limited; mostly familiar rolls like spicy tuna, salmon and tuna with avocado, unagi and tempura. The uni comes in both the light and the dark yellow colors and the hamachi is excellent, but without their daily specials–written on a whiteboard presented by the waitress–you’ll end up with less than five choices. Some of the appetizer dishes are tasty but unexciting: lotus root, deep fried fish, Japanese pickles and tofu. They also serve hot and cold soba and udon soups.

They didn’t replace our bowls throughout our entire meal. We awkwardly shared small dishes meant to be for one or two people because we didn’t have too many choices. It got so busy at the restaurant, we had to remind our waitress about our lotus root and fried fish orders. Getting refills for water and beer was difficult.

I’d return to Naka Naka if all I wanted was a simple Japanese experience around the neighborhood. In Meatpacking District standards, it’s a very small restaurant but still, an extra $10 per person was added to our bill for reserving the tatami room separated from the main dining bar. It’s a refuge from the zoo that is the party district, but that’s all there is to Naka Naka.

Bouchon Bakery

3rd floor of the Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle at 60th Street
212/823.9366
$64 for two, without drinks, with tip
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It’s in the mall, but it has Thomas Keller’s name on it, so how can anyone say no to Bouchon Bakery even though it’s just really a bunch of tables and chairs outside the Samsung store on the third floor of the Time Warner building? Bouchon Bakery is for those who can’t score a table at Per Se on the fourth floor or don’t have the $200 to feed themselves. It also serves lunch to the corporate employees around the area during the day from a take-away counter.

We started by splitting the haricot vert soup. Creamy but oh-so-light, we just couldn’t figure out how it was done. The peekytoe crab meat, poached scallops, shrimp and squid fruits de mer tasted so fresh. The sweet and sour dressing was so refreshing, you can absolutely taste the fresh herbs used. The tuna sandwich is made to look like a tartine, topped with eggs like a niçoise.

The service is Thomas Keller all the way: a waitress asking us to pardon her reach when she would offer us freshly cracked pepper, a waiter knowing what exactly was in the dessert when asked, another waitress refilling our water glasses without intruding. It’s a great place to have a simple brunch and to experience a tiny part of the Thomas Keller enterprise without paying more than $30 for a dish. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten anything good at a food court until Bouchon Bakery.

wd-50

50 Clinton Street between Stanton and Rivington Streets
212/477.2900
about $300 for two, with a bottle of wine, with tip
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Wylie Dufresne, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…

1. Pickled beef tongue with fried mayonnaise and onion streusel. I loved the beef tongue carpaccio style; you can barely remember it was pickled. And fried and cubed mayonnaise? It was worth ordering just to find out how the hell they would do it.

2. Octopus with celery pesto, pineapple and tiny bits of mojama, or dry tuna, and marcona almonds. Celery pesto is something I’ve never had before.

3. Corned duck, rye crisp, purple mustard and horseradish. Our waiter told us this is the mainstay on the wd-50 menu and that it was an absolute must-try. He was right. The mini parsleys were a nice touch.

4. Root vegetable “lasagna” with sweet and sour mushroom broth. I tasted carrots, parsnip and burdock in there. Perhaps beets were not in season. Lasagna is in quotes because the familiar layering technique was used. The mushrooms were a delight to eat, but I wish this came in a smaller portion.

5. Rack of lamb, sauerkraut spaetzle, swiss cheese consommé. We finished a bottle of wine from Piedmont and all I remember about the lamb was that it melted in my mouth. We ordered medium, but it was definitely rare. Divine.

6. Kumquat confit, carob ice cream, or St. John’s Bread, a pea pod that looks like cocoa but without the caffeine, with soy caramel. The kumquat was chewy, but I wondered if it would be any softer if cooked longer.

7. Caramelized banana, smoked chocolate ice cream and stout. I have no clue how one would smoke ice cream, but we paused after every spoonful and asked, Is that bacon I taste?

8. Thin crisps in a wooden box. I had to ask our waiter to take them away because I couldn’t stop picking from it.

A very expensive meal for two, but worth every penny.