My favorite place for hanging out in New York City is “Blue Note”, which in my mind is the world’s finest Jazz Club & Restaurant. Since I am a die hard fan of jazz, I always end up going there in my free time.This place offers fine jazz music performed by jazz, R&B and soul musicians, which I am quite sure that you can’t get anywhere else in New York City or even in the whole world. The place has very good acoustics too, which makes listening to jazz music even more wonderful and enjoyable. Along with the music, Blue Note serves very delicious food. Another good thing about the place is that, you can book online without paying any service charges, which is rare nowadays. When I don’t want to order dinner there, there are lots of nearby places to choose from as well. For vegetarians, the world’s best cheese steak is just opposite to the street, while for others some of the good options are Babbo, Lupa, Mirchi, Shopsins, Gallo Nero which are very close to Blue Note.
Posts Tagged ‘restaurants’
Manhattan Nights
NYC is my favorite city and I like to hang out in Manhattan the most. If I had to pick a spot in Manhattan it would definitely be the East Village. The party scene here is just terrific and finding something interesting to do is never a problem. The crowd is mostly hip and young.
In this one neighborhood you can get food from all over the world. If you want steaming hot Ramen noodles try Ippudo. You might have to wait but it’s all worth it. If you want to taste what Iron Chef food tastes like, go to Graffiti. The chef here, Jehangir Mehta, was one of the contestants on The Next Iron Chef last season. It’s a quaint little place with delicious food. If you are craving Tapas you can try Degustation. It’s a busy place with some of the best food in NYC. I also frequent Grand Sichuan for some spicy Chinese food, and Taureau for French food.
The bars here are quite awesome too. I usually frequent Manitoba’s which is a dive bar, very unpretentious and happening. If you are a soccer fan like me the best place to go to is Nevada Smith’s, but be careful who you root for on a match night… The atmosphere here is simply crazy with soccer fans from all over the world gathered in this place. When I need my fix of NYC yuppies and high decibels, I go to Whiskey Town. You could end your night at the coffee bar Ost Café. It is one of those places that only locals frequent and is not busy during the week.
As someone who needs my intellectual fix from time to time, I visit the Bowery Poetry Club on occasion. It is really interesting, the kind of music and the poetry you hear. Some of the performers are newbies while others are well established. With an entry fee of $6, it is totally worth it.
So those are all reasons why I love the East Village!
NYC Pizza Moments
New York City has just about any type of food that anyone could ever want. When I dine out, I am usually attracted to Italian food because New York City has some of the best Italian restaurants outside of Italy. One of my favorite places to dine out is Front Street Pizza, which is located in Brooklyn. Yes, there are many more famous Italian restaurants in New York City, but this place is my favorite. They have great Italian food, including some of the best pizza I’ve ever had in my life, but they also have many other options to choose from. (They also have a great selection for breakfast!) It tends to be a bit pricey, but they give you a lot of food for what you pay for. If you are in Manhattan and you decide to eat out, don’t waste money at an expensive restaurant. There are many small Italian eateries that are cheap but absolutely delicious! There’s no need to go to a place like Katz Delicatessen and spend $20 on a hero. When I’m in SOHO, I like going to Lombardi’s Pizza. They are a bit pricier than Front St. Pizza, but their pizza cannot be beat (on that side of the bridge)!
Olé the NYC way!
The Big Apple has much more going for it than just fruit! With entire sections of the city dedicated to different cultures and their foods, nearly every option under the sun can be found in New York. Personally, I love the different types of cuisine that are so readily available throughout New York City. At times, it can be hard choosing just one type of food or restaurant to go to, and as a vegetarian the options can be a bit limiting. My favorite food happens to be Mexican, and the City that Never Sleeps has some great options for dining out Mexican Style. If I’m in the mood for a simple, delicious, and affordable meal, I head to “Arriba Arriba Mexican Restaurant”. With two locations (the West side on 9th ave and the East side on 3rd ave) I am always a short distance away from a good meal. The lunch specials are great, where you can get a full meal (including sangria or margarita!) for less than 10 dollars! For Latin food with a bit of night life added in, no place beats “Gonzales y Gonzales” on Broadway. There, the music is loud, the food is to die for; you can sample a bit of live band salsa to go with your guacamole. The atmosphere at night is almost like a scene from a movie, and with free salsa dancing lessons, strong margaritas, and delicious food, it’s one of the only places worth going to.
The Mecca of Indian Food in NYC
In NYC, my favorite place to go to is Salaam Bombay Indian Cuisine restaurant located between Reade St. & Duane St. I love Indian vegetarian food, and came across this place once when I was searching for a good restaurant. The first time I went I was alone, so I decided to go for a buffet lunch in order to get a variety meal. The ambiance was pleasing and traditional Indian. The food display made my mouth water. The Paneer makhani was fantastic since the paneer was extremely soft, with a nice flavor. The Palak paneer was awesome too, and the Dal makhani was very richly made and tasted very good. The Dahi-vada was definitely my favorite dish; it was extremely tasty because of its excellent preparation. The Naan was exceptionally soft and was brushed well with butter. Papad and salads were served as starters along with my butter milk appetizer. I tried two kinds of desserts, namely, kheer and mango yoghurt. Both of them were really good. The service is always impeccable and in short, the food is simply incredible and for a lover of Indian cuisine, Salaam Bombay Indian Cuisine is undoubtedly the best choice in NYC. I forgot to mention the best part of this restaurant: it is totally affordable with the meal costing merely $13.99 (plus taxes, but still). It is definitely a bargain in NYC.
Across The World
There is a restaurant in the West Village with the unlikely name “One If By Land, Two If By Sea”. The building is rumored to have been the carriage house of Alexander Hamilton, one of the country’s Founding Fathers who was killed in a duel. Besides loving the idea of dining among such history, it is one of the few places in NYC that prepares my favorite beef dish, Beef Wellington. Although this restaurant is expensive, whenever I have a yen for it, I take myself there to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy an item that is much too much trouble for me to prepare at home. Albeit expensive, this restaurant is one of my favorite places to dine. Their $25 Sunday Jazz brunch is also well worth a visit.
If I am in the mood for cuisine from the other side of the world, I must go to Bukhara on East 49th St., the sister-restaurant of one I found and loved in the Maurya Hotel in New Delhi, India years ago. Although Bukhara is actually the capital city of Uzbekistan, it is on the Silk Road and the Indian food found here is everything from Tandoori chicken to goat meat stew. Their lamb dishes are especially delicious and very reminiscent of India’s northwest frontier. They offer eleven different Indian breads, all tasty. Prices are moderate and the atmosphere is lovely, with highly polished tables hewn from tree trunks and a waterfall.
A Variety of Dining Options in NYC
New York City offers a wide variety of food to sample, and it’s always hard to choose where to go. I love having such variety on food in one city, and whatever the mood, there’s usually an option. I’m not picky, and I don’t have any big dietary restrictions, so the sky is the limit for meals!
If I want simple, quick, any-hour-of-the-day diner food, I usually go to the Renaissance Diner located on 9th Ave. It s close to the theater district, and has good food everything you d usually find at a diner, including breakfast at any time. In particular, I love their cookies n’ cream milkshake, it’s so rich! If I want something a bit different from the usual, I’ll go for ethnic food, and a personal favorite is Havana Central. Havana Central is a Cuban restaurant on West 46th Street. It was the first place I tried fried yucca (which was delicious!) and the menu offers a lot of choices you wouldn’t normally come across. The desserts are also fantastic you can’t go wrong with churros! For a fancy (though pricey) dinner, my choice is Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain on West 52nd Street. Each dish is prepared expertly, and the combination of flavors and the presentation of the food make the reason for Flay’s prestige clear. Appetizers, entrées and desserts were all incredibly impressive definitely worthy of the gourmet title. Finally, if I just want something sweet, I’ll head to one of the delicious bakeries. Magnolia has wonderful treats the cupcakes are their specialty, but the Peppermint Icebox Cake also really impressed me. No matter what sort of food-mood I’m in, it’s pretty much a guarantee that I’ll find something suitable in New York City!
A Litte Taste of Italy
One of my favorite places to dine for a quick sandwich or authentic, home-cooked Italian meal is Manganaro’s, located in Hell’s Kitchen. (Note: this is not to be confused with Manganaro’s Hero Boy next door, which is not affiliated with the older Manganaro’s.) This place is a delight — from the old-world butcher shop decor, to the wonderful characters working behind the counter, Manganaro’s oozes the charm of a family run deli and restaurant, reminiscent of shops in Italy (having spent a good portion of my life in Italy, I can vouch for the genuine Italian flair that this place has). Manganaro’s is old, very old by New York eatery standards, and the shop is full of history, from the creaky wooden floorboards that line the galley style shop, to the antique scales, vintage foodstuff posters, and tin roof ceiling. This shop feels warm and homey, and smells like a mixture of Parma ham, lasagna, and mineral wax, a winning combination, far from the sterile, clinical interiors of a Whole Foods. The sounds of a meat slicer and the chatter of the original owner’s family members who still own and run the shop are part of the appeal of this place. The moment you step in, the bustle of NYC is silenced and you feel like you’ve traveled back into a gentler, slower time. You can come here to buy all sorts of Italian speciality items such as prosciutto, Bresaola, and finely cured meats and cheeses, olive oil, vinegar, and baked goods. Just the same, you can also get a wonderfully filling sandwich prepared with care. They are a little on the expensive side, but also much more that you can eat in one setting, so you definitely get your money’s worth. You can also get a good ol’ classic plate of lasagna or spaghetti and meatballs, made from a family recipe. Take a few minutes to enjoy this with a beer or a glass of wine, and soak up the atmosphere.,You may even catch a celebrity or two. This place is a favorite of Anthony Bourdain (famed food writer and chef) and was featured on an episode of his show, “No Reservations.”
El Ay Si
El Ay Si is a newly discovered favorite restaurant. The restaurant is located in Long Island City [LIC], New York 47-38 Vernon Blvd. They are known for their comfort food and it is a well deserved association! El Ay Si is a small railroad design venue that has 8 seats at an L-shaped bar in the front of the restaurant, which is literally right off the street, as the doors swing open to the restaurant. Neatly located behind the bar are a series of about 6-8 booths. With a dark interior that is candle lit, you feel like you are at an moody dinner party with friends. A few highlights to the menu would be the following — a delicious ½ pound burger [no comfort food restaurant can do without a great burger] and disco tater tots! What are disco tater tots you may ask? Tater tots covered with cheese and gravy! Not something to be had on a regular basis, but when you do indulge, make sure that it is the best you’ve had! The wild boars Shepard pie is a tasty treat to your mouth. And of course, don’t miss the desserts: cherry crumble or the chocolate bourbon pecan pie square (my mouth is watering just thinking about it).
Touted as being a favorite NYC neighborhood venue, you will see a steady stream of happy faces. Multiple people will usually take a booth, but the bar will be full of singles drinking and eating or couples who’re there to have a cocktail.