NYC recommendations

where in brooklyn? it's such a huge territory that a rough idea of location would be helpful.

if he wants a greenmarket, the one in union square is the daddy of them all. it's not in brooklyn, but it's very conveniently located by a major subway station.

He made it sound like he wouldn't mind ranging around a bit as part of the fun. I'll find out tomorrow more specifics of where he'll be staying.

downtown brooklyn/brooklyn heights area: sahadi's for middle eastern goods. damascus bakery for pita, spinach pies, and the best pistachio baklava.

greenpoint: more polish butchers than you can shake a stick at, so good for all manner of pork and sausage. also in gpt is the acme smoked fish company, which does retail on fridays from 8am to 1pm. they're one of the best in the business, and you can get amazing lox, nova, salmon, whitefish, sable, etc for cheap. one neighborhood over in williamsburg is the bedford cheese shop, which is a worth a visit if you're in the area.

bensonhurst: 18th avenue in the 70s/80s has quite an array of italian bakeries, grocers, pasta shops, etc. the famous villabate is there: http://www.villabate.net/pages/5/index.htm

some places in manhattan worth checking out: the aforementioned greenmarket at union square (m/w/f/sat), murray's cheese (bleecker st), ottomanelli meats (bleecker st), kalustyan's (www.kalustyans.com; lexington ave), faicco's pork store (bleecker st), il laboratorio del gelato (orchard st), guss' pickles (orchard st), russ and daughters (houston st; smoked fish/appetizing), ess-a-bagel (1st ave).

lauren, thanks so much! I'm ready to pack my bags too, btw - so so much wonderful food!

you're so welcome. that's really the tip of the iceberg. if you want to give a more specific neighborhood, then i could perhaps offer some more suggestions. i love making lists like this! i already have a few additions: staubitz and los paisanos for butchers in the brklyn hts/cobble hill area.

you should definitely come for a visit. there are apparently other things here besides restaurants and markets that are interesting.

il laboratorio del gelato (orchard st)

I saw a thing by Mario Batali on this place the other day and fell in love, looks so good, one day one day........ maybe sooner than we think.......

He's going to be staying at Columbia Place and Joralemon, so near Atlantic and Henry (hard to tell what the nearest major intersection is when you haven't been there!).

pp, il lab is incredible.

jaq, that's brooklyn heights. lovely area. so he'll be just a few streets away from the awesome middle eastern shops and bakeries (like sahadi's and damascus) on atlantic avenue, and close to staubitz and los paisanos for meat. he'll also be a short ride on the 4/5 to union square for the greenmarket. there are also some great italian stores and bakeries on court street for things like lard bread and pasta and sausage. i think there is at least one fancy cheese shop in the area (maybe in cobble hill/boerum hill), but i'm not sure exactly where. chowhound or something similar could help.

oh hay i am going to be cooking in prospect heights for tgiving, which is unfamiliar grocery shopping territory for me. i'm trying to figure this out, though, as probably shopping will need to be done in advance since the day of is not really do-able. this brings up whole new issues of transporting groceries or already-cooked foodz. maybe i prep and transfer? hmmm. or maybe go down there a few days in advance and leave things at my host's house? maybe a car service is the way to go.

when in doubt, car service. i once had to carry an enormous, hot lasagne in a flimsy foil pan on public transport and cursed every wobbly step of the way.

more spefically - what are you planning on making, and are you responsible for providing most of the ingredients? obviously some things are much easier to prep and transfer (sweet potato casserole, roasted vegetables) than others (pies, the turkey). cranberry sauces and chutneys are usually better when made ahead of the day, and fresh veg sides and salads are usually simple enough to handle at the venue. you could give your hosts a shopping list/money and have them get raw materials for stuff that you'll be making that day so that you're not trucking loads of food across town.

Plus the giant chain supermarket at Atlantic Center is open even on holidays -- I had to get extra apples and pie stuff there on Thanksgiving morning some years ago! Also for a faceless chain store in a not-terribly-affluent area, they have shockingly good produce. Like, better than anywhere else's except the greenmarket, basically. I'm sure it's all flown in from Nicaragua but you can't have everything....

fairway market, down in red hook. it's a quick ride on the B61 from brooklyn heights.

god i love that place. i have a ride there once a month for stocking up on goodness, but i think our schedules are fuxored to get there again before turkey day :(

ny lols: grocery store does not have phyllo, but amazingly, the japanese deli does!

March time in NYC?

march, as in the month?

marching to pretoria?

March as in month aye, strong possibility of Fambly Parky-Brown staying two weeks in Rye. Only 20 minutes out of Grand Central I believe.

nice! that's a classic suburban town, not far at all by train. keep us posted so that we can schedule some eating.

March 5th to March 18th :)

drawing up a list of places to go right now, so far:
Il laboratorio del Gelato (mentioned above)
Bouchon Bakery (would love to shoot for per se, but it's not an option for a gazillion reasons)
Blue Hills at Stone Barns

We need some recommendations for places where we can take Aidan - he should be eating a few solids by then, but it's more restaurants that tolerate or even encourage small chillders that we need.

and shake shack, definitely shake shack.

oooh, bh at sb is supposed to be amazing. i've been to the one in the west village and it was wonderful, but that's meant to be another level.

i'm not too up on child-friendly stuff. there have been several families with young children each time i've been to gramercy tavern, but i don't know how they feel about those who are under 5. i'd say that your best bet is to make your shortlist then call and ask what the policy is, and make an early reservation. it's a stereotype that more casual ethnic restaurants are much more welcoming of families, but i think it's one that holds true. for instance, i don't think that anyone at sripraphai (insanely good thai resto in qns) would look askance at you for bringing aidan in. and with the profusion of bbq joints in manhattan, you've got another good casual option. daisy may's and hill country are my favorites. hmm... now that i'm thinking more about it, this might be a query to take to ile. alex in nyc and mcoleman are both nyc'ers raising families and could have some good input.

small childs are tricky in manhattan restaurants. when our son was little we took him to breakfast places for pancakes or french toast. mostly the old time cafe on lafayette -- a glorified diner pretty much. nowadays there's sarabeth's in the basement of the whitney museum, a brunch/lunch place with good omeletes and baked goods. 1 problem w/a lot of specifically child friendly places is the food isn't very good. and "fine dining" type places can make you feel uncomfortable with small children. one notable exception is otto, mario battali's pizza place is perfect for kids, Im sure they'd make your little one a plain pasta, the desert gelato is legendary, and for you guys the italian wines by the glass are fun to explore as are all the side dishes and bruschettas etc. we go here around six PM and always get seated. don't be intimidated by the front cause the back is quieter and the tables are fairly spread out.
down in tribeca we've always had good luck at the odeon, not sure if they still have a kids' menu but they'll accomodate and the bistro-style fare is dependable for grownups. a real favorite of ours is trattoria gigino in the same neighborhood: the italian waiters will take good care of you and the pastas salads and daily specials are creative and excellent. again go around 5:30 and 6PM and you'll be fine.

thankyou that's a perfect recommendation, I really want to try a batali place so that's definitely pencilled in.

has anyone been to becco? it is lidia bastianich's restaurant, w/ antipasti and tableside pasta and i hear $25 bottles of wine!

ny people want to go try it some time?

t, i haven't heard great things about it of late (though i just checked that wine list and it's tempting). if you want to go for a special pasta dinner, then i'd suggest lupa (and would happily accompany you). i think people assume that because it's a batali resto that it will be too expensive, but mains are around $14-21 and the wine list starts in the mid-$20s. and, most importantly, it's SO GOOD.

mmm sounds yum. i have always wanted to try a lidia place bc my dad has hueg crush on her and is always trying to recreate her stuff out of her cookbook. i want it direct from source.

my dad also has a huge crush on lidia, esp. her gigantic, gigantic, boobs.

where can i get good tamales that remind me of christmas at home?

there's a strip of roosevelt ave in jackson heights with many street vendors (in addition to the large number of restaurants). we've gotten incredible tamales from some of the carts there.

yeah, i've heard of roosevelt ave from other threads and friends that have lived in the area. i'm definitely going to make a point of getting out there, i need a fix soon

Any particular place you recommend or I should just scope out what looks good that day?

i can't remember the cross streets for any of the carts that i like, unfortunately. it's probably best if you just have a wander. the humitas from a couple of the ecuadorian carts have been amazing, and in terms of restaurants, taqueria coatzingo usually garners raves.

the halal chicken/lamb carts in mid-manhattan these days SMELL amazing but I have yet to succumb...

quick meal cart (i think it's spelled funny) is pretty good! try them - i think there are 2.

kwik meal. 45th & 6th ave. amazing. here's a bit from the road food editorial review:

Muhammed Rahman used to be a chef at the Russian Tea Room. Now he is proprietor of a magnificent street-food cart, one of New York City's Best. His Kwik Meal on 45th Street just west of 6th Avenue (Manhattan's culinary equivalent of a state fair midway) serves meals that would be very much at home on china plates in a linen-tablecloth restaurant... His menu includes shrimp, chicken, and falafel, but it's lamb that mustn't be missed: crisp-edged nuggets that glow with a marinade of garlic, ginger, cumin, and coriander. They come with basmati rice or butter-grilled pita bread, hot jalapeno sauce and creamy raita.

the flatbread he uses is worth the trip alone.

i go to meat town

hey, lauren or anyone else in ny want to go to becco or lupa? i have a friend coming to visit the 17-21 and want to take her someplace nice, but also someplace with food she'll actually eat (not a very adventurous palate on this one). not sure how far in advance one needs reservations for either, so i want to call soon.

i would go to lupa. definitely call now, though!

what day is best for you? i'm v. flexible!

wow, next week!

still no firm plans (barring 11th - need to be at Liverpool bar to watch Champions league game) but I need to do some eating!

Also - a chef from work is in town from Sunday to Friday and seems to have a gazillion bookings already - but he wants to be booked solid so if anyone has ideas please holler - can't remember where he's got so far, except babbo and Stanton social.

momofuku ssam bar. no reservations, so early is better as the wait can get ridiculous.

tomorrow!

Is fatty crab any good? the thought of a crispy pork and watermelon salad appeals a lot

My son was just in NYC and heartily recommends the "Slice of Brooklyn" tour, where you get driven to the two (supposedly) best pizza places: Grimaldi's and L&B (?) and Tony (your tour guide) points out all kinds of Brooklyn historic trivia sites along the way.

hmmm i am itching for a foodie outing in the near future if anyone's interested.

i'm always up for that!

pp, i'd go for the ssam bar over fatty crab in the wildly popular nuevo asian food category.

there was some talk of all-you-can-eat hotpot in march - i'm definitely into that idea.

and i've got to try momofuku soon! but not too soon because i'm trying to save money this week! grrr!

and if you'd like to try a great malaysian place, then i'd rec skyway. it's very casual and probably good for bringing the little one along. i don't think f.c. is particularly child-friendly although i could be wrong about that.

oh, yeah - hot pot! definitely, and i'd also like to do a walk up roosevelt in jackson heights to try as many tacos as possible.

I don't think there's a better chickpea-based experience on earth than the hummus ful at Hummus Place. My foodie father-in-law is a big fan.

i have also never been to momofuku! hot pots also yum! i have not yet done the queens food thing, would be totally up for that soon... i could do lunch this weekend or maybe dinner in a few weeks.

drooling here, I am in your city (well, extended conurbation) with a jet lagged boy and a spiffing new camera. Momofuku is a definite, we're just not sure when we'll get into manhattan yet, definitely Tuesday, but that's a solo mission and one that will involve shake shack most likely.

pp, i'm close by shake shack during the day so shoot me an email if you want to try to coordinate lunch.

Tuesday - let's do it - also - I think we're on for other thing, just need to work out when

i've heard there opening a new shake shack that is just across the park from my work! i've never actually had it so this is very exciting.

yes! I've never had it either and this new SS is not too far from my apt. looking forward to trying it before the lines get too long.