Photo of the New York Botanical Garden
Italy CalendarBuy a calendar with my full color photos of Italy

Also check out
A Trip to Italy
Italy BookBuy a book with my black & white photos of Italy

Also check out
A Trip to Italy

Food & Drink

If you cannot find a place to eat, there is something wrong. I've heard an estimate that there are over 25,000 restaurants in New York City. So just look around and no matter where you are, you will probably find some kind of food establishment nearby.

Of course, there are all the typical fast-food places if you want a quick bite. But if you want a better option for a quick lunch, look for a deli. They are everywhere, and most of them are very good. You can get a sandwich stuffed with meat (or whatever filling you want) for a reasonable price.

There are also the usual chain restaurants all over the place, but you can go to one of them anywhere.

The following are some of the "specialty chains" that I know about in New York City:

Be prepared to wait in line to get in to most of these places almost any time of day they are open.

The following are a few other places to check out (listed in alphabetical order):

Babbo

110 Waverly Place
Owners: chef Mario Batali (Molto Mario) and Joe Bastianich

Grilled Cheese NYC

168 Ludlow Street
Many different kinds of grilled cheese sandwiches.

Carmines

Two locations:
- 200 West 44th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue
- 2450 Broadway, between 90th and 91st Streets
I heard some people on the train raving about this place. Large portions, reasonable prices, and great food. I intend to check it out soon.
In looking at the menu posted outside, they say that they serve Family Style, whatever that means. And the prices for the pasta dishes look reasonable, but some of the other prices seem quite high.
Comments about Carmines from a visitor from Portland, OR
We were at Carmine's on a Friday night the end of May this year. We were able to get a reservation because we were a party of 6 (my sister-in-law made the reservation from Portland, OR). Apparently, you can't get reservations if there are less than 6 people. As it ended up, we only had 5 people, but they didn't seem to mind.
We were shown to our table with a minimum of waiting (less than 5 min). We were then briefed by an extraordinarily nice server, and that's when we found out that each dish on the menu was a full platter that would serve all 5 of us (would be enough for 6, actually).
We had salad, pasta, chicken, and some drinks, and some desserts (not all drank, not all ate dessert). The food was very good. Quite a shock when the bill came: less than $100 for 5 people! I was sure there was an error, but no, it was around $96, as I recall. We tipped generously,
Only thing I'd say negative about the place was that it's quite noisy, and I don't think it would be a good choice for just two diners (unless you got several doggie bags). There were a lot of families there that night. A really positive dining experience.

Coppola's Italian Restaurant

Two locations:
378 3rd Avenue (corner of 27th Street and 3rd Avenue)
206 West 79th street
This is a very good Italian restaurant that we have eaten at a couple of times. We have not been to the uptown (79nt Street) location, but the 27th Street location has not disappointed us.

J.T.'s Italian American Grille

381 Madison Avenue, between 41st and 42nd Streets
They had the typical beers on tap, plus some Brooklyn brews. I tried the Brooklyn Lager and it was pretty good.
I had the ravioli and a salad. The food was good and not too expensive, except that I had to pay extra for the salad.
The total bill, including the one beer, but not including tip, came to $18.83

Lombardi's Restaurant

32 Spring St. (between Mott & Mulberry)
This is the first Pizza Restaurant in New York, and maybe in the U.S.

Mustang Grille

Corner of 2nd Avenue and 85th Street
Looking at the menu posted outside, this place has southwestern cuisine for the most part.

Mars 2012 (or Mars 2112)

Broadway, at 51st Street
I went in one day and had a drink there, but did not have a meal.
It is a Mars themed restauraunt where it looks like you're on Mars with waiters and waitresses dressed like aliens.

New Leaf Cafe

1 Margaret Corbin Dr
Located near Fort Tryon Park along the Hudson River in northern Manhattan, this cafe is owned by Bette Midler. The cafe is run by her New York Restoration Project, created in 1995 to clean up neglected urban spaces. All profits go to the Fort Tryon Park.
The reviews I have seen so far are very good.

Pasta d'Oro

846 7th Avenue, between 54th & 55th Streets
This is a pretty good Italian restaurant, although the drinks seemed to be somewhat expensive. This restaurant appeared once on Law and Order.

Plain Canvas

406 East 9th Street, between 1st Avenue and Avenue A.
The following information is from Simon Kahn:
A hidden East Village restaurant
Bright red floor tiles with gray metallic wall mixed with frosted windows definitely made this restaurant a discrete, and yet a fine place to taste global cuisines that are not common in New York. Main dining area downstairs fits the name of the restaurant - plain canvas - where I enjoyed the food while appreciating the art works that are done by the local artists. This hidden restaurant is a definite place to experience global cuisine and impress your friends.

Roxy Delicatessen

1565 Broadway, between 46th and 47th Streets
This place has a dining room upstairs as well as down, and has great food, with large portions for a reasonable price. They also have a nice selection of baked goods.

Smith & Wollensky

Located at the corner of 3rd Avenue and 49th Street
This is one of several places in New York City where you can get a steak (or lamb or veal) for $31.75, and then pay extra for potatoes and vegatables.
They have lobster at market price, salmon, tuna, swordfish, crab cakes all at around $29.00
However, they also have more reasonable prices on other meals, such as chicken, chopped steak, etc.

Tavern on the Green

Central Park
The same visitor from Portland, OR, had these comments
During this same trip, we also had Sunday brunch at Tavern on the Green. I'd rate it as a "must do" at least once. The decor is amazing, the food was excellent, the service superb, but it's sort of spendy...around $50 per person for the brunch. However, that's not an uncommon price for brunch in most large cities.

Times Square Brewery

42nd Street in Times Square, between Broadway and 7th Avenue
Another place I intend to check out soon.

Tribeca Grill

375 Greenwich Street
Menu emphasizes grilled and sautéed selections with cross-cultural creative influences of many different cuisines. The restaurant is owned by Oscar-winning actor Robert DeNiro in partnership with restaurateur Drew Nieporent.

Most of my recent trips to NYC have been limited to the area just around Grand Central Terminal. During this time, I have noticed several places that have the outward appearance of Irish pubs. I have not checked most of these out yet, but I will add information here when I do.

Click here for a guide to New York City Irish Bars



Google
 
Web www.briggl.com


Search for travel books about New York at Amazon.com:



Contents © Copyright 2001 Lee Briggs except where noted. All rights reserved.