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Best Place to Eat in Manhattan

edited February 2011 in Everything Else
So I remember someone recomending Cafe Zayia. It loved it! Anywere else that is good and cheep and ethnic? I would love to find a ramen shop, or really good empanadas.

Comments

  • Oh my gosh, that is an impossible title for a thread.
    I recommend Otafuku near Saint Marks for Okonomiyaki and Menkuitei or Setagaya for Ramen, which are just around the corner.
    Vanessa's or Prosperity Dumpling in Chinatown are good, and there are a bunch of Chinese restaurants that I go to but I don't even know the names. Joe's Shanghai has good Soup Dumplings. Go to Second Ave near Sty Town for good Indian food (and lots of Christmas Lights) and if you are willing to venture in Queens, Astoria has some really great Greek and Mediterranean cuisine. (Athens Cafe is the place I like to hang out.) One stop into Queens on the 7 is Vernon Jackson which has cheap French places like the Cafe Henri (they also have a version in the west village) and on 34th near Herald Square is Ktown with all sorts of good Korean food. For a bunch of good restaurants, get thee to Saint Marks or the village in general.
  • If you want really good English food, go for Tea and Sympathy or A Salt and Battery. There's a really good ramen shop down on St. Marks, but I don't remember the name. Basically, what Emily said.

    For burgers, I really recommend Ella Cafe in Williamsburg. Seriously, that's the best burger I've had in NYC (so far). Caffe Reggio and Caffe Dante in the village have good coffee, though they can be a bit pricey. And I've heard rumors of a Blue Bottle Coffee somewhere in NYC. It's the business out in San Francisco, so I'd imagine it would be pretty good here.
  • There's a really good Chinese-style ramen place called Ajisen on Mott Street in Chinatown.
  • If you want really good English food
    No such thing exists.
  • If you want really good English food
    No such thing exists.
    I think most would agree, but I do love me some fish & chips on occasion. That's an English dish, right? It's definitely a dish that you could fuck up and worth going to a place that cooks it well.
  • edited February 2011
    If you want really good English food
    No such thing exists.
    Oh please, that's bullshit. Beef Wellington.
    ramen shop
    Momofuku's Noodle Bar is my first stop if and when I get to NYC this summer.
    Post edited by WindUpBird on
  • Most days, I would agree with your distaste of English food. In the winter, and in the rain, though, nothing beats a good yorkshire pudding. Or bangers and mash. Or battered bangers with a side of chips. Or custard.
  • Oh man, beef wellington. English food really does have an undeserved bad rap.
  • edited February 2011
    Oh man, beef wellington. English food really does have an undeserved bad rap.
    Quoth Wikipedia:
    English cuisine may suffer from a relatively poor international reputation when compared to that of Italian cuisine or French cuisine. However, for many English people this perception seems outdated, for the poor reputation of industrially produced urban food in the twentieth century did not ever really represent the quality of food cooked in the home. Traditional English food, with its emphasis on 'meat-and-two-veg' falls squarely into the north European tradition extending from Northern Germany to the Low Countries and Scandinavia, albeit with a French influence.

    During the Middle Ages and Enlightenment, English cuisine enjoyed an excellent reputation; its decline can be traced back to the move away from the land and increasing urbanisation of the populace during the Industrial Revolution. During this process Britain became a net importer of food. British food also suffered heavily from effects of rationing during two World Wars (food rationing finally ended in 1954), followed by the increasing trend toward industrialised mass production of food. However, in Britain today there is a renewed fascination with the culture of food popularly led by celebrity chefs who seek to raise the standard of food understanding in the UK.
    Also, Stilton cheese, Ulster Fry, and pork pies.
    Post edited by WindUpBird on
  • Beef wellington is really good, but I've found most English food to be incredibly bland, and I really enjoy tasting my food, so it's kind of a waste of money if I'm gonna go out to eat.
  • edited February 2011
    Beef wellington is really good, but I've found most English food to be incredibly bland, and I really enjoy tasting my food, so it's kind of a waste of money if I'm gonna go out to eat.
    That's because it's bad english food!

    Heston Motherfucking Blumenthal specializes in gastronomic British Cuisine, you guys. You know, the guy ranked up there with Grant Motherfucking Achatz and Ferran Motherfucking Adria as one of the best chefs in the entire world?
    Post edited by WindUpBird on
  • Countries with poor agriculture often translates to bland cuisine.
  • That's because it's bad english food!
    Then what am I supposed to order?
  • edited February 2011
    Countries with poor agriculture often translates to bland cuisine.
    Back when they were a net importer, yeah. Even then, it was only rationing that fucked them over. Their dairies are some of the best anywhere. Stilton cheese and Devon cream, son!
    That's because it's bad english food!
    Then what am I supposed to order?
    Well, you definitely need to find a good english place. You'd probably need to go to the city. Look for gastropubs and the like, people putting new spins on classic British pub food. Chicago's The Publican is based on this concept, and it is incredible. A Salt & Battery appears to be the New York equivalent. None of the things on that menu are bland if done right; I'd go with a steak and kidney pie myself. That's NEVER bland.

    All of you, read In Defense of English Cooking by George Orwell. It's only half a page.
    Post edited by WindUpBird on
  • That's because it's bad english food!
    Then what am I supposed to order?
    Get yourself some proper scones with clotted cream. None of the bland "biscuit" shit I see here in America.
  • I've been told by actual English people that The Old Toad in Rochester is legitimately authentic, but I didn't particularly enjoy the fish 'n' chips I had there (and I usually enjoy fish). I'll have to try this steak and kidney pie sometime.
  • You've never lived till you had a true Shepherd's Pie.
  • Is it made from real Shepherds?
  • Ulster Fry
    You mean a Full English. Ulster Fry is a Northern Irish variation.

    Full english, still delicious though.
  • image
    I am not a pie!
  • Ulster Fry
    You mean a Full English. Ulster Fry is a Northern Irish variation.

    Full english, still delicious though.
    That's because it's bad english food!
    Then what am I supposed to order?
    Get yourself some proper scones with clotted cream. None of the bland "biscuit" shit I see here in America.
    Oh god this.
  • I've been told by actual English people that The Old Toad in Rochester is legitimately authentic, but I didn't particularly enjoy the fish 'n' chips I had there
    The Old Toad is pretty good, but go for their pies. And beer. Their chicken tikka masala is pretty good too (a true English dish!)
  • edited February 2011
    Momofuku's Noodle Bar is my first stop if and when I get to NYC this summer.
    Momofuku's was good, but I thought it was a teeny bit overrated. Everyone raved about it, and I was like YUM! but not sublime.
    Gastropubs are very popular in NYC. I have heard Pig and Whistle recommended, but have not tried it for myself.
    Post edited by gomidog on
  • Their chicken tikka masala is pretty good too (a true English dish!)
    Thank god you know what we actually eat!
  • edited February 2011
    Their chicken tikka masala is pretty good too (a true English dish!)
    I had that at the Old Toad and was relatively nonplussed, but I think my mother's cooking has spoiled me. That said, the Old Toad is still pretty awesome.
    Post edited by Linkigi(Link-ee-jee) on
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