Our last trip to New York City was a whirlwind of friends, family, and food, topped off with a little bit of art and some volcano drama. Here were some of the culinary highlights from this time around (if you don’t feel like reading the whole post, scroll to the bottom for the best restaurant of the trip).
We arrived in New York exhausted and much later than scheduled, but dammit we weren’t going to miss a single NYC meal opportunity. We fell asleep into our delivered Mexican food, and then dreamed about living in a city where one can have Mexican food delivered. Mmmmmm.
Daniel’s Bagel. It’s what’s for breakfast.
Vatan: classy* all-you-can-eat vegetarian Indian food. Instead of making you collect your food at an undignified buffet, at Vatan they bring each person a platter of starters and a platter of mains; you can request more of anything you’d like and the server will bring it to you. Vatan was closed for renovations during our last trip to the city, so I was extra happy to see it open again.
Delicious sushi at a great price at Hane Sushi.
A casual brunch at Cafe Guy & Gallard – a frittata, scallops on polenta. Quite delightful for the price, and quite a change from Europe, where it is apparently against the law to serve more than three scallops on the same plate.
A quick and cheap vegetarian lunch at Red Bamboo. Many of the dishes (such as this veg version of a philly cheese steak) were based on meat substitutes, and they tasted better than they looked.
Fancier sushi at Sushiden in midtown. Plenty good, but seemed overpriced given the sushi we had had a couple days before at Hane.
Bluebell Cafe. A relatively new place that hooked us up with some yummy macaroni and cheese, grilled asparagus, and crab cakes one evening.
Noodly soup and fun cocktails were had at Nooch.
Eggs Florentine and fluffy pancakes for breakfast at Friend of a Farmer.
Two kinds of brownies and raspberry flan at the very exclusive and invitation-only Auntie Dor’s.
We were so delighted every time glasses of icy water were served to us. Yay America!
The absolute culinary highlight this time around was the five-course tasting menu at Pure Food & Wine. Each dish was creative and delicious; the fact that it consisted entirely of raw vegan ingredients was downright amazing. I think their version of creme fraiche was even better than the real thing, and their ice creams left nothing to be desired.
Had we been a little more diligent with the camera, this meal would have earned a blog post all its own. Maybe next trip.
Still hungry? You can keep drooling over the food from our 2008 trip to New York.
What’s your favorite place to eat in NYC?
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* For some reason I felt the urge to work the word “classy” into this post. Probably because I have been watching too much Jersey Shore.
My favorite place is Vaselka’s, in the East Village. It’s a 24hr Ukranian Diner that just came out with it’s own cookbook. They have the best berry blintzes ever. It’s great for post-show munchies at 2am or lazy breakfasts. Sometimes there are lines, sometimes there are famous people, but it’s always yummy!
I also like Dojo’s, which is a small NYC chain, but they have awesome to-go’s like grilled veggie wraps and stuff like that.
@Juliette – Mmmm, sounds good! I will have to remember Vaselka’s for our next trip. Dojo, too!
Acme Bar and grill, southern US style, Great Jones street. Their brunch is a nice change of pace.
Chipotle Mexican grill, mexican style, all over, good for a chain
Markt, Belgium style, 6th Ave and 21st, nice beer selections
Sushi A Go-Go, across from Lincoln Center
Beso, Spanish Tapas, Staten Island, just off the Ferry next to the Courthouse. A reason not to get right back on the ferry
Ooh, you’re making me long for a trip back to New York! Last time we were at Pure, Woody Harrelson was there and it, along with the food, made the experience quite memorable.
If you’re looking for veggie places, though, I’d say Candle 79 uptown or Counter downtown are my favs.
Love the pics. You also make me want to photograph my dinners 🙂
Awww sooo yummy!! I haven’t been to NY… yet. But I’ll come back to thip post when we’ll be planning!! (Hopefully next year…)
I have heard of this “Auntie Dor’s” that you speak of, but I thought it was just some urban legend that foodies made up. Where is it and how does one get a coveted invitation to this wonderful place?
Red Bamboo was the standout surprise for me: Veggie Soul Food?
Oh… wow!
@Keith – thanks for all the suggestions. Will have to comb through them before the next visit. Chipotle was my favorite fast study food in grad school (in Arizona). Mmmm… burritos the size of your head.
@C – We tried Candle 79 a few years ago and it totally disappointed me. They had the presentation and creativity down, but the flavor just wasn’t there. I’ve never heard of Counter, but will check it out! I used to feel horribly self-conscious about photographing my food, but now it’s second nature. 🙂
@Gabbin – NYC is the ultimate food adventure. I hope you make it there soon!
@Marty – I’m afraid I have already said too much. No more details for you.
@scatterlined – Admit it, the real reason you liked Red Bamboo was because the waiter called you “buddy.”