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Eating & Drinking in New York
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CAFÉS
Locals and tourists both know that brunches in Manhattan don't come any better than at Balthazar,
a French-style brasserie in SoHo. Popular with the fashionable crowds and often some familiar faces (don't be surprised to run into Woody Allen here),
it has a relaxed ambiance that is the ideal spot for the superb coffee and croissants.
Balthazar's success led to the opening of Pastis by the same owner. Located in the ultra-hip Meatpacking District, it includes outdoor seats and stays open late at night. The brunch is a New York institution, usually washed down with some original cocktails. The interior dining room is a less frenzied place for dinner, although a table there is equally difficult to find without a reservation.
If you're not lucky grabbing a table at either of those two and still want to experience a special brunch, head to Cafe Cluny. The clientele is usually young professionals who appreciate the excellent service and the food.
Nearby is Rocco's Pastry Shop. It's one of the longest-established cafes in the city, opened in 1972. The coffee is among the best in Manhattan, while its assortment of pastries and baked goods remain the top reason to pass by.
Continue down Bleecker Street and you'll find Magnolia Bakery. Made famous by Sex and the City, this is a tiny bakery where people are willing to wait in line around the block for close to an hour only to taste its famous cupcakes.
Frosted in pretty pastel colors, the cupcakes are the main draw but other options include tarts and cakes that appeal to the kid
in every adult (with Snickers and Oreo cookies mixed into them). The tiny space doesn't allow for much lingering, but this is an essential
New York "take out".
Almost as tiny is Teany (as in teeny-tiny, or "Tea NY"). This is the creation of vegan musician Moby, and is the top choice among trendy vegetarians. Part tea-room, part café, it is a great option for breakfast, a mid-afternoon or late-night snack.
Vegetarians will also want to check out 'SNICE (45 Eighth Ave. at 4th St.), with a huge herbivorous menu listed on a wall of the inviting space which brings young crowds from the Village to stay a while reading or with their laptops.
Being an out-of-towner, you probably won't walk by Brown Cafe, as it is located in an off-the-beaten-path neightborhood, but once you step in and see its well-dressed clientele, you know this is a local favorite. The cosy interior, the great coffee, and the satisfying organic (locally-grown) comfort food is what brings them all here.
To satisfy your sweet tooth's cravings, don't miss the Chocolate Bar. Stocked with mouth-watering confections made by local bakers, this candy store is also the place for iced or hot chocolate.
RESTAURANTS
It is impossible to highlight only a few of the best of New York's 13,000 restaurants without overlooking several worth mentioning, but we're going ahead with a carefully selected list of the restaurants with the most buzz, best food, and most characterful ambience or décor.
Topping everyone's list at the moment is The Modern, a sophisticated café and restaurant attached to the MoMA museum. A partition of frosted glass separates the café section from the formal dining room which has a view to the museum's sculpture garden. The café offers a lighter menu ideal for lunch, while the formal dining room presents a list true to its name, with modern cuisine.
Sushi Samba is another destination mostly to see and be seen. But it never disappoints, with a Brazilian-Japanese-Peruvian
mixture in the food and drinks and a rooftop deck upstairs. The deck is the main attraction for the trendy crowd, but the inspired
cuisine and creative cocktails make sure everyone returns again and again.
Also following the current international craze for Japanese cuisine, the The Maritime Hotel's MATSURI RESTAURANT offers traditional and modern dishes in an authentic Japanese setting. The ceiling resembles the hull of an upturned samurai ship, and enormous paper lanterns provide most of the lighting in the dim interior. The sushi is excellent, but the cooked foods are imaginative and also worth trying.
A beautiful room decorated by Renaissance Bacchanal paintings and other classic furnishings match the quality of the Asian haute cuisine at Buddakan. Despite the huge space, you may have to wait a while before you find a table available (even with a reservation!), but if you want to try one of the hottest restaurants of the moment, you won't mind the wait.
Down the block is Morimoto from the same owner. The sleek space (which includes a subterranean cocktail lounge) by Pritzker-winning
architect Tadao Ando serves sushi along with the option of trying a $120 chef's choice menu with other offerings.
Sushi may be big at Morimoto as it is in Japan, but EN proves that there is much more than that on a Japanese menu. The food here is superb, concentrating on tofu, with yuba sashimi being particularly worth trying.
Kittichai wants to establish itself as a world-class gourmet destination, and its celebrity chef Ian Chalermkittichai and designer uniforms are steps in that direction. It is also associating itself with glamour, having hosted events for Dior and Alek Wek. The darkened room decorated with Buddhas is where the excellent Thai food is served.
The same owner had also come up with Indochine two decades before, and it's still going strong today. Celebrities and yuppies flock to this place for the French-Vietnamese cuisine served under dim lighting in an elegant room. Be prepared to wait even with a reservation.
Chances are you'll also have to wait at Mr. Chow, an expensive Chinese restaurant that pretty much only the rich and famous can afford (and they in fact show up regularly here). The food is good, but the reason to come here is for the glamorous scene, although if you want to get a drink at the bar you need to book in advance.
Contemporary Asian/Korean Momofuku does not accept reservations and there is always a long line by the door. People willing to wait means it must be good -- and it is. The highlight is the Momofuku ramen, although the Pork Bun is also worth trying. The Momofuku Ssam Bar on Second Ave. is the most popular location, often a hangout of the local glitterati.
Valbella is a trendy Meatpacking District restaurant without the velvet rope attitude. With a mod-industrial design, there is a sleek bar and sophisticated dining room serving an upmarket Northern Italian menu. The wine list is also impressive.
Also Northern Italian, Da Silvano presents Tuscan cuisine to a fashion and media crowd. You may choose one of the tables outside, from where you may see a famous celebrity pass by (as proven by the celebrity photos on its website)
Del Posto is an opulent (and expensive) restaurant with superb, refined Italian cooking. The grand dining room is serenaded by a piano, further making this a place for a prolonged evening. We declare this the best Italian restaurant in the city, although we also like Sant Ambroeus, especially its perfect desserts. With two Manhattan locations, it serves classic Northern Italian dishes, with our preference going to the West Village restaurant.
Modern, monochromatic Falai also serves Italian cuisine. Its success led to the opening of Falai Penetteria, a café/bakery down the street that also serves moderately-priced pastas.
Walk down trendy Bleecker Street and you'll come across Risotteria, a glutten-free, almost all-risotto restaurant. The reasonably priced and well done risotto is available in three dozens of ways, but you also have the choice of salads and pizzas.
Fig and Olive is devoted to olive oil, featuring it in practically every dish on the Mediterranean menu. The fresh, artfully-presented
salads are great, served in a relaxed, convivial ambience.
Also found in the Meatpacking District, Merkato 55 is the most recent neighborhood hotspot, adding British, Portuguese, and Indian ingredients to the mostly African cuisine. You'll be served a small plates menu at the bar or a variety of traditional dishes in the formal low-lit, well-designed dining room.
Owned by a Michelin three-star chef with a restaurant in Paris with the same name, L'ATELIER DE JOËL ROBUCHON (57 E. 57th St.) always guarantees a superb gastronomic experience. Food lovers may want to go for the tasting menu, while the hottest seat in the house is actually the bar. The desserts are also outstanding.
Jean Georges is another culinary star and his namesake restaurant is among the best in the city. The food here is to be worshiped, with creative combinations of French and Asian fusion served in a contemporary space that also offers views of Central Park.
Also look out across Central Park as you dine at Per Se, a first-class restaurant with waiters dressed in Armani providing an attentive service. They'll provide all the information you need to make the best selection among the beautifully-presented dishes of the menu that changes daily.
Craft's chef picks only the freshest ingredients and you get to choose them as you create your own meal. Be sure to also try the impeccable desserts, which could just be the best in the city. Owned by celebrity chef Tom Colicchio from TV's "Top Chef," the menu here is new American cuisine.
A former two-level bakery is now Public, serving a New Zealander and Australian-inspired menu to a cool crowd in a post-industrial space. Try visiting it for a weekend brunch, with original offerings such as pancakes stuffed with coconut and raisin, and fennel seed scones.
A similarly attractive space is found at Thor, decorated by Dutch designer Marcel Wanders. This hip restaurant has a big, airy room featuring floral wallpaper and low banquettes where Austrian-inspired cuisine is served. There is also a dimly-lit lounge area.
At loungy restaurant Tailor in Soho the cocktails are as popular as the food. Choose from a menu of a dozen small dishes that change every season and take some time sampling the cocktails.
Payard Patisserie & Bistro is a place to enjoy at any time of the day. It's great for an afternoon tea or a light snack, as well as for dinner, when it's mandatory to finish the meal with one of its exquisite desserts.
Vegetarians have plenty of choices in Manhattan but Candle Cafe is one of those places even non-vegetarians love. There is no bland health food here, but flavorful macrobiotic vegetarian dishes made with fresh ingredients. Its sister restaurant nearby, Candle 79 is more sophisticated, offering a vegetarian fine-dining experience.
Finally, have you ever imagined a fast food restaurant being one of the city's trendiest eateries? Pop Burger proves that's possible. Co-created by designer Ali Tayar, the addictive hamburgers can be savored in the sleek front room, while the cool back lounge that stays open until 4AM is ideal for a post-clubbing bite. And while a glamorous burger joint may sound like an oxymoron, the lounge was even used by Calvin Klein for a Fashion Week afterparty.
And now for something completely different: the city's first dessert-only restaurant. Although there are only around two dozen seats, you won't mind waiting to try Chikalicious' fantastically mouth-watering menu that changes daily, meaning you'll want to make a return visit eventually.
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