Where we ate in New York City. The round-up. Part 1.

Dining at a variety of establishments is a key element of our travels. The Poolboy’s special area of interest in the planning of any holidays is restaurants, and his superpower is identifying a great range of interesting eateries.  In planning the USA 2014 trip, he used OpenTable, TripadvisorTimeOut New York  and word-of-mouth recommendations for ideas and reviews, and he booked most of the restaurants before we arrived in the US (mostly via OpenTable). Booking in advance was essential for the nights where we had seven or eight of us in the party, as we found it tricky to get bookings for a group that size, and certainly couldn’t have relied on just rocking up anywhere.

Below is a summary of each of the restaurants we ate at. Some of them were for dinner, some for lunch, and there’s even the occasional breakfast thrown in for good measure.  

For the restaurants in Part 1 of the post there were generally seven in our party (four adults, three kids 10 to 16 years), except for couple of occasions when we were joined by a New York friend, making us a party of eight.

Luna Piena Ristorante

Address: 243 East 53rd Street
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Cuisine: Italian
Website: http://www.lunapienanyc.com
Phone: (212) 308-8882

This was a recommendation of the concierge at our hotel. We had asked her for suggestions of restaurants near to the hotel (The Benjamin, on the corner of Lexington and E 50th) that could accommodate a group of seven for dinner. We had arrived into New York from Philadelphia that afternoon, and our English exchange student, Britannia and her parents had just flown in from London to meet us. We had 15 months worth of news to catch up on, so frankly, it probably wouldn’t have mattered where we ate, as the focus was definitely on the chat and not the food.  (So much so, we forgot to even take any photos.)

Luna Piena was a completely suitable choice. Large serves of authentic Italian food. Speedy and attentive service. We started with a shared antipasti platter, which may not have been a great idea, as it was very generous and filled everyone up. Some of us then struggled with our main courses. When Queenie and Britannia had only half-finished their meals, their server asked them if they’d like the food to go. Thinking she meant, “Would you like me to clear the food away?” they both agreed whole-heartedly, and ended up bemusedly leaving the restaurant with bagged take-out containers in hand.

We were perplexed that such a cosy, family-style restaurant would have a huge TV screen mounted on the wall in the corner of the main dining room and tuned to sports, but as baseball season had just started, perhaps that is a necessary addition to neighbourhood NYC restaurants?

5 Napkin Burger

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IMG_4079 Address: 630 9th Avenue
Neighborhood: Midtown West
Cuisine: American
Website: http://www.5napkinburger.com
Phone: (212) 757-2277

With a 7.00pm musical (Kinky Boots) to get to, we had an early (5.00pm) reservation at 5 Napkin Burger for a quick dinner before the show. The restaurant was loud and lively, even at that time.

5 Napkin Burger is a smart restaurant dedicated to the art of the hamburger. The signature ‘Original 5 Napkin Burger’ consists of 10 oz. fresh ground beef, gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, rosemary aioli on a soft white roll served with hand-cut chips. Other burger options include the Classic Cheese, Italian Turkey, Avocado Ranch and Ahi Tuna. There’s also a range of sushi, taco and salad options for those of us not-so-enamoured with the burger.

While most of our party went with the famous, ‘Original 5 Napkin Burger’ ($15.95), I chose the Goat Cheese Salad (goat cheese, organic baby mixed lettuce, roasted beets, toasted walnuts, balsamic vinaigrette  – $12) and added a grilled chicken breast. My salad was packed with ingredients and served with dressing on the side (I think I asked specifically for that) and was a filling option for a pre-theatre meal. Reports on the burgers were mixed, with most declaring that while they were tasty, they were nothing to write home about, and there was certainly no need for the suggested five napkins. Perhaps we’re just neat eaters?

Service was quick and friendly, and we were out the door with plenty of time to walk to the theatre.

Brasserie Les Halles (Downtown)

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Address: 15 John Street
Neighborhood: Financial District
Cuisine: French
Website: http://leshalles.net
Phone: (212) 285-8585

We spent the morning visiting Liberty Island, and were returning with a couple of hours to spare around the financial district before our 2pm booking at the 9/11 Memorial, so while we were still on the ferry, I quickly googled “restaurants near 9/11 memorial” and came across a helpful article by Anna Fader at mommypoppins.com on restaurants for families to eat at when visiting the 9/11 Memorial, which included Brasserie Les Halles as a recommendation.

So we took a chance, wandered up to John Street, and held our collective breaths as The Poolboy asked the maître d’ if they had a table free for seven people. Yes! They did! We waited just a few minutes while the table was set up, then we were seated and onto perusing the menu.

Brasserie Les Halles (Downtown) is one of a pair of restaurants owned by celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. (The other one is at 414 Park Avenue South). It is a moderately priced, classic French bistro, which was bustling with a lunchtime crowd when we squeezed our way in.

The service was excellent and cheerful. We were quickly provided with iced water, and a large bread basket for the table, and The Impossible Princess was given a Children’s Menu. She, however, being a chip off the old Poolboy, shows disdain for such things and insists on ordering from the main menu. (She chose the Hamburger et Frites ($15) which she thoroughly enjoyed.)

Other highlights included: the Steak, Frites et Salade ($20), which included a whacking great slab of meat, cooked to perfection; and the Salade d’Auvergne ($10) which consisted of arugula, endive, bleu d’auvergne, roasted walnuts and apples with walnut vinaigrette. We hadn’t intended ordering desserts, but because everything looked so good, ended up with a couple to share between the table (caramelized apple tart with vanilla ice cream $8.50, and house-made macaroons $10) and teas and coffees.

This restaurant was a real find. We all enjoyed both the food and the atmosphere.

Banc Café

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Address: 431 3rd Ave
Neighborhood: Murray Hill
Cuisine: Contemporary American
Website: http://www.banccafe.com
Phone: (212) 252-0146

Banc Cafe was a late addition to our restaurant booking line-up, with The Poolboy finding and booking it just two days prior. It ended up being one of our most enjoyable nights out.

Banc Cafe is a neighborhood bar restaurant located in a former 1920’s bank building. The décor has a 19th century Parisian aesthetic – dimly lit with chandeliers, copper table tops, textured, terracotta coloured walls and curved banquette seating. It created a great atmosphere for a buzzing Friday night.

The menu includes a selection of ‘small plates’ and ‘big plates’. We ordered a range of small plates to share between our table of eight: a couple each of the tartare of tuna and avocado ($14), coconut shrimp ($14), goat cheese croquettes ($9) and homemade chicken dumplings ($12); and then we each ordered a plate individually as a main course. Popular choices were: shepherd’s pie ($16), saute day-boat scallions and shrimp with smoked bacon and butternut risotto ($23), and warm goat’s cheese and proscuitto de parma salad ($10).

With it being a Friday night, the bar section of the premises was very lively with beautiful, young thirty-somethings, and we felt like we’d stumbled onto a bit of a happening place. The dining area is, however, sufficiently separated from the bar noise, so that it was easy enough to chat at the table.

Great food, great service. Big thumbs up!

The National Bar and Dining Rooms

IMG_8937 (1024x768) IMG_8938 (1024x768)Address: 557 Lexington Ave (corner of 50th St)
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Cuisine: Contemporary American
Website: http://www.thenationalnyc.com
Phone: (212) 715-2400

Included in our room rate at The Benjamin Hotel was breakfast at The National Bar & Dining Rooms which are on the ground floor of the 1927 Emery Roth-designed building which houses The Benjamin. The National is Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarain’s all-occasion modern bistro and is open from 7.00am for breakfast right through until midnight. Our breakfast vouchers allowed us to order any of the entrees from the menu, plus either tea/coffee or a juice.

Between the seven of us, over five days, I think we tried almost every item on the menu. Possibly the two most unusual (at least for the Australian breakfast palate) were the Biscuits and Gravy ($18) and the Pork Belly Benedict ($18). The serves were very generous, and the Croque Madame ($17) was the most popular choice.

IMG_4322 (768x1024)The restaurant decor is sophisticated and impressive, with black and white tiled floors, round tables and curved leather banquettes. For me, it conjured up thoughts of a 1920s New York speakeasy.

On the Sunday night we came back to The National after going to the theatre and had glasses of wine (adults) and icecream (kids). There was a singer as entertainment, and a receptive crowd.

Overall, however, service let the place down. It was very erratic, and on several occasions we had to chase up hot drink orders more than once. It was really difficult to attract servers’ attention.  When we first got there each morning, there was no where out-of-the-way place to wait while they set a table for our party, and we got the impression from the hostesses that it was an inconvenience to accommodate a group of seven. After the first couple of days, we sent a forward-party-of-one downstairs fifteen minutes early to organise the table.

Cafetasia

Address: 38 East 8th Street (between University Pl and Broadway)
Neighbourhood: Greenwich Village
Cuisine: Asian
Website: http://www.cafetasia.com/
Phone: (212) 529-2363

Wandering through Greenwich Village towards the East Village on a Saturday early afternoon, we were on the hunt for somewhere quick, cheap and cheerful for lunch. Cafetasia fit the bill. It is located in the heart of the NYU campus, and with communal bench-seat tables, plays on the idea of a university cafeteria (hence ‘Cafetasia’). The menu is described as ‘fresh and creative Thai and Asian-inspired food at affordable prices’.

There is a an $8 lunch special from 12 to 4pm daily which consists of a choice of appetizer (such as spring rolls, edamame wasabi salad, chicken & shrimp shumai or gyo-za) and an entree (a wide range of salads, noodles, stir-fries, curries and rice dishes). I chose the stir-fried chicken and cashews, while The Poolboy had beef massamam curry. The dishes were a bit over-sauced for my liking, but service was quick and efficient, and great value for the price. I’m sure it must be a favourite with NYU students.

Mas (farmhouse)

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Address: 39 Downing Street
Neighborhood: Greenwich Village
Cuisine: American
Website: http://www.masfarmhouse.com
Phone: (212) 255-1790

Finding a restaurant that could accommodate seven of us on a Saturday night proved to be somewhat of a challenge. After multiple emails backwards and forwards between The Poolboy and the extremely helpful concierges at The Benjamin, we finally snagged a table at 6.30pm at Mas (farmhouse).  It is a small and intimate restaurant in a quiet Greenwich Village street and we were seated at a large, fixed timber table in the middle of the restaurant. The decor is timber and stone to provide accents of the French mas (stone farm-house) after which the restaurant is named.

The menu is described as, “Simple yet elegant new American cuisine prepared using locally grown and sustainably raised foods cooked with modern French styles and honoring classical technique”. The menu changes daily, and takes a bit of reading and working through as there are two set or chef’s menu options ($78 or $115) plus an a la carte menu, OR you can order items off the $78 menu as a la carte options. We ended up ordering a la carte. Appetizers were in the $19 to $21 range, entrees $34 to $38 and desserts $14. A couple of us shared a cheese platter while the others had dessert (choice of three cheeses $15/ five $25).

This was easily the most expensive dinner of our entire holiday (although the wine bill contributed significantly), and to tell the truth, we were all a little underwhelmed by it. The food was good, but really didn’t blow us away. I love tuna, and will generally order it above all other items if it’s on a menu, but I found the Yellowfin Tuna l’Occidental (flashed with beurre noisette and crispy shallots) quite disappointing. I felt the tuna was overpowered by the shallots and seemed to lack flavour. The selection of cheeses, however, was fabulous.

Our server was a little aloof, but the service was efficient and professional, if not cheery.

Joe Allen

IMG_4303 (768x1024)Address: 326 W. 46th St.
Neighborhood: Theater District / Times Square
Cuisine: American
Website: http://www.joeallenrestaurant.com
Phone: (212) 581-6464

Joe Allen is one of those restaurants that always comes up in lists of recommended pre- and post-theatre venues. It has been a fixture of the Broadway community since 1965 and is ideally located for a meal before or after seeing a show at many of the Broadway theatres.

We had a 5pm booking for dinner before we saw The Book of Mormon. The restaurant has a reputation of getting the theatre crowd out in time for the various curtains. We were finished our meals (mains only, no desserts) and on our way to Eugene O’Neill theatre with plenty of time to spare.

IMG_4296 (768x1024)One of the quirky features of Joe Allen is the display of Broadway posters that adorns the walls. In order for its poster to hang on the walls of Joe Allen, a Broadway show has to have been a flop and closed after a very short run. It was fun to peruse the posters and discover some completely unknown (to us) Broadway shows such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s (which never actually opened) and Legs Diamond (which starred Peter Allen).

The Joe Allen menu varies daily, but contains the usual range of American staples – salads, steaks, burgers, sandwiches, omelettes.

Several in our party chose the meatloaf with mashed potatoes, gravy and sauteed spinach ($19), fascinated by the idea of a dish which is often mentioned in American TV sitcoms or dramas, but doesn’t tend to feature on UK or Australian restaurant menus. A couple of others had the roasted pork chop with fig-ginger compote and roasted baby carrots ($24), while (as is my habit at that early hour) I stuck with a chicken salad (which I think was around $19).

Joe Allen offers good basic fare, with something for everyone on the menu. Service was quick and very friendly, and the server was very attentive to our need to finish in time for the theatre, and offered great advice about how long it would take to walk there.

Robert

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2 Columbus Circle, 9th Floor, Museum of Arts and Design
Neighborhood: Columbus Circle
Cuisine: Contemporary American
Website: http://www.robertnyc.com
Phone: (212) 299-7730

Robert was another late addition to our restaurant line-up. It was Brittania and her parents’ last day in New York, and we decided to do a bit of last-minute shopping before a relaxed lunch. The Poolboy got onto OpenTable on his phone, and was able to book a table at Robert, which is on the 9th floor of the Museum of Arts and Design at Columbus Circle.

Robert is open for lunch and dinner, but we thought it was an especial knock-out for lunch, as it has an expansive view over Central Park, Columbus Circle, Central Park West and Broadway. We waited a few minutes on the sofas in the lounge while a window table was reset for us. With a fabulous view like that, we were more than happy to wait.

Our server was possibly the most knowledgeable and professional we encountered in three weeks in the US, offering detailed explanations of any ingredients we asked about, and making helpful suggestions on drink choices. Later in the meal, he even offered some shopping tips!

As it was a special last-meal-together lunch for the seven of us, I tried The Olmstead (Hendrick’s gin, rosemary, sage, thyme and honey, topped with soda $15) which was a deliciously different cocktail. A New York beer, and a bottle of wine were also ordered and the girls had the Mint Lime Rickey (mint, lime and soda $5) and Strawberry Lemonade (fresh muddled strawberries and lemon $5).

We decided to keep things simple and all have the three-course fixed price lunch menu ($32) – which offered a couple of choices for appetizer and dessert, and three choices for the entree. My choices were the cauliflower soup, Scottish salmon (served with Israeli couscous, roasted grape tomatoes and organic spinach) and the cheesecake, which was a full-blooded, genuine, creamy New York cheesecake, just the way it should be.

Robert was a definite highlight of our New York dining experience – fabulous food, great service and a view to die for, all set in a colourful, fun restaurant with a glam/sexy edge.

To follow: Where we ate in New York City. The round-up. Part 2

Note: all prices quoted are exclusive of taxes and gratuities.
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