Finally arrived in NYC. Eating well, but would love any Lower East Side tips.
Our first time in New York during the holidays and wow are we enjoying---not so used to the cold weather, but at least we bought a bunch of cold weather clothing---only our sunglasses show that we are from the West coast!
Tonight Lupa and tomorrow Picholine, and last night we enjoyed Wallse so much. In all our trips to New York, we've yet to experience the lower East side. We're wondering if any hounds would suggest that we visit Russ and Daughters versus our traditional visit to Barney Greengrass on Amsterdam. Or for that matter, any suggestions at all regarding visiting the Lower East Side. For our remaining week all of our din-dins are finalized.
P.S.
We're breakfast pastry/coffee freaks---any tips on that wouldn't hurt! We're staying on West 64th. street and we were thinking of walking to Zabar's tomorrow morning to eat and immerse ourselves in the upstairs housewares area.
Good eating to all,
Jeff
JeffW
Dec 03, 2006 11:12PM
On the LES I wouldn't miss R&D, Katz's, and Clinton St. Baking Co.(great breakfast/brunch.) Also, pop into Economy Candy on Rivington.
The only problem with visiting R&D is that they don't have a place for you to sit down with your food. And now with the cold weather I won't even suggest taking it outside. It's still worthwhile just to check it out if you're in the area.
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Sugar Sweet Sunshine a block over from Economy Candy for some yummy cuocakes.
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Jeff, Since you were smart enough to bring along some winter woolies, if you feel like braving the cold and walking around a bit, you could take my (in)famous LES Food Excursion. It includes a stop at R&D, as well as a couple of Cornflake Girl's suggestions. Here it is:
For the quintessential NYC deli experiences, no place beats Katz's, on the corner of Houston (pronounced "how-stun") & Ludlow Sts. You're there specifically for the pastrami sandwich. When you enter, you will be given a ticket. Instead of opting for table service, do what the "natives" do and get on line for counter service. When you reach the counter, put a $1 for each sandwich in the counterman's tip cup and order pastrami on rye. He'll give you a piece to taste. If you like it (the best pastrami is juicy and has some fat on it), tell him o.k., and he'll make your sandwich, give you some sour pickles, and punch your ticket. Then, continue along the counter for sides – the cole slaw is good -- and drinks. Find seats at a table in the center of the room. (Tables along the wall have menus on them and are reserved for waiter service.) When you’re done, take your ticket to the cashier in front. It's cash only. Note: For the purposes of this tour, unless you have a gargantuan appetite, it would be best to share one sandwich in order to leave room for more tastings along the way.
When you exit Katz’s, turn left and continue along the same side of Houston St. You will come to Russ & Daughters, famous for all sorts of smoked fish and many other goodies. It's not a restaurant, but they make sandwiches to go.
After leaving the Russes, continue west a couple of blocks until you reach Yonah Schimmel's. Get a tasty potato knish, and make sure to ask them to heat it up.
Now it’s time for the quintessential NY drink – the egg cream. So, reverse yourself and head east on Houston until you come to Avenue A. (Note: Avenue A becomes Essex St. on the south side of Houston.) Turn left on A and head north until you get to the block between 7th St. and St. Mark’s Place. Look for a hole-in-the-wall candy shop, closer to 7th, with an overhead sign jutting into the street that says, “Belgian Fries.” (The place’s official name is Ray’s, but there is no signage to that effect.) One of the women behind the counter will make you a delicious chocolate egg cream.
When you’re finished licking your lips, go back to Houston St. and make a left (east) one block to Norfolk St. Turn right and walk down Norfolk until it ends at Grand St. Two places to look for at the corner of Grand and Norfolk: Kossar's, for freshly baked bialys (another very NY food) and the Donut Plant (self-explanatory).
Next, walking west along Grand St., you will come to Orchard St. Turn right. At 87 Orchard, snack on a pickle from Gus's World Famous Pickles.
Then, continue to 97 Orchard, b/t Broome & Delancey, where you will find the Tenement Museum. The tour will show you what life was like for immigrants to NYC at the beginning of the 20th century. (www.tenement.org)
Once you have finished the tour, Il Laboratorio del Gelato, right next door at 95 Orchard, is a must for some of the best gelato anywhere.
If your sweet tooth is still not completely satisfied, the final stop on this tour should do it. Continue ahead (north) on Orchard, crossing Delancey, then one more block to Rivington St. Make a right and you will find Economy Candy at 145 Rivington.
Hope you continue to have a great visit to NYC and Bon Appetit!
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OMG! I'm really challenged with abbreviations regarding computer-speak. OMG (by me anyway) means OH MY GAWD!!!!! Awesome unbelievable response to my original post. If the stars align, this Wednesday will have me and spousal unit doing the RGR tour. Shivering in anticipation and I mean that. Turns out that Wednesday is our only possible day of cleaving out half a day to ourselves (family wedding). If we can't swing it for some reason, then this saved post will be our springtime "must do".
Big thanx,
Jeff
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Yes! Listen to RGR, indeed a great post.
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Lupa and Picholine are two of my favorites -- glad you are having fun...
Definitely go to Russ&Daughters...get a bagel&lox to go and eat it in the cab or while roaming the neighborhood or bring some back to your hotel...
Based on the other places you enjoyed, you might also try Balthazar (esp in the late afternoon in the bar area for oysters and salads)...
For coffee in your area, consider going to the tiny breakfast room at Cafe Des Artistes -- not sure the hours, but it's a very tiny room located outside of the main restaurant: you go in the first set of doors of the building and it's behind a door on the left...1 W.67th St...a very odd little nook of old-NYC in which to enjoy a cup of coffee (and likely some pastry too)...call for the hours, or just chance it...
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Next life, coming back as a native New Yorker----really nice replys to my post. Breakfast at Cafe Des Artistes sounds like a plan for this coming Saturday----the day of nephews wedding!
Cheers,
Jeff
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Lupa and Picholine? You've certainly done well for yourselves during your visit. Here's a few more Lower East Side dining establishments -
Peasant along Orchard - very good Tuscan dishes. The roast meat dishes and their pizza are musts.
Hearth on 1st Ave and 11th - Chef Marco Canorra's Mediterranean-inspired dishes are terrific. The wines at this place are well thought out (Paul, Marco's ownership partner, is an oenophile with good taste).
'Ino on Rivington - Good tapas, Italian-style, with good wine list to pair with. the Truffled egg on toast is a favorite by regulars.
I'll second the recommendation on Clinton Street Baking for brunch. This is our favorite brunch place in the city, as well as others who patiently wait up to an hour for a table during weekends.
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Just to note that the o.p. said his dinners for the rest of the week have already been finalized. Unless Hearth happens to be one of those bookings, it's a no-go because they don't serve lunch. Does Peasant or Ino serve lunch?
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FYI: Peasant is on Elizabeth (between Prince & Spring), not Orchard.
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Just in from Lupa. Excellent is an understatement. Admittedly I , was a tad nervous going to a celebrity owned restaurant Whoa, am I glad that I didn't listen to myself. Very serious cuisine, and truly original. Reminds me of only one other celeb chef i can think who still puts out awesome quality, and who keeps his celeb status as secondary, namely Wolfgang Puck. Funny that you mentioned Ino---just last night when dining at Wallse, our guest told us about the very same place. He mentioned a very long wait to get in, but really tasteee food.
Thanks for responding to my post,
Jeff
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'Inoteca is on Rivington, 'Ino is it's sister restaurant in I believe the West Village. If you go to 'Inoteca early enough in the evening you won't have trouble getting in - around 7pm would be fine which is normal eating hours for just about everywhere but NY.
I'd also say that Lupa is less of a celeberity owned restraurant and more of a great chef who became a celebrity owned restaurant - you must stop at Otto (one of Marios other places) for some olive oil gellato, you will be blown away. Also for a tremendous NY experience when on the lower east side head south on Eldridge and get a sesame pancake sandwich and some fried dumplings from dumpling house.
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i'd recommend walking by excellent dumpling house and carrying on down eldridge to prosperity dumpling instead, which is almost at canal street. imho, it's much tastier than excellent which just isn't worth the wait and frequently huge crowd.
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Excellent Dumpling House.
On Eldridge between Broome and Grand.
A walk-up counter with limited stool seating. It looks a bit shabby, but fear not.
Reccomendations:
-fried dumplings (5 for $1) - great ginger, scallion and juicy pork flavor.
-Stuffed sesame pancake. a dense sesame pancake stuffed with fresh shaved carrot, cilantro and beef. Give it a squirt of soy sauce and you will be delighted. ($1.50)
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We tried Prosperity a couple of months back and found the meat on the sesame pancake and in the dumplings to be very heavy on the gristle. Personally I'd rather pay a bit more for quality meat.
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Thank you SO much for your post. I am still in Italian heaven, re-living our meal last night at Lupa. Tuscan Beans was a side dish that I will never forget. Each bean had the power of eating a dry aged piece of prime beef. I know how ridiculous that sounds, but I'm serious. Our "finalized" dining plan tomorrow evening just fell apart. We're staying at a relatives office/co op near Lincoln Center. Cuz was supposed to whip up a lamb risotto and he is not feeling well---so spousal unit and I will be hitting the city for hopefully another incredible meal. Hopefully we'll choose wisely. Tomorrow is our Oyster Pan roast lunch at Grand Central Oyster Bar. Then a train to Connecticut to visit relatives. Don't think we'll be able to go anywhere for din-din before 8:30, so I guess Inoteca or Ino won't work out.
God New York is incredible!!!
Cheers,
Jeff
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Chinatown is a great option - more than enough references on this board for a great meal (depending on where you're from on the wast coast). You still could do Inoteca at 8:30, it is a Tuesday so there might be no wait (can't speak for 'Ino as I've never been).
Another option would be a great NY steakhouse, Strip House would be my choice and it is below 14th street. Or you could go for the ultimate Mario establishment and walk into the bar at Babbo. Or go for an entierly different end of the spectrum and hit up Max or Franks (both great homestyle cheap east village itallian). Or go for a splurge at Hearth - one of the best meals I've had in recent memory.
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Wingman's suggestion of a steakhouse is a good one. My pick would be Keens, which has been in its 36th St. location since 1885. So, along with delicious food (the mutton chop is legendary), there is the incomparable old NY ambiance, i.e., walls filled with memorabilia and row-upon-row of old clay smoking pipes suspended from all the ceilings, as well as pipes belonging to famous people displayed in cases in the vestibule.
http://www.keens.com
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I really meant Inoteca on Rivington. We really enjoyed our experiences there. Sorry, never been to 'ino in the West Vilage.
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The pork buns ar Fried Dumpling are great as well!
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I'd add Ling Kee on Canal just off Essex for my favorite spicy pork jerky
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Some inexpensive food to fight the cold:
1) Tonkatsu ramen at Menkuitei on Cooper (what 3rd Ave becomes) in between St. Mark's and 7th St.
2) Chinatown: NY Noodletown on the corner of Bayard and Bowery for great big bowls of soup and homemade noodles or luscious BBQ pork shoulder and pork soup dumplings New Yeah Shanghai Deluxe on Bayard next to the famous Chinatown Ice Cream factory with its can't be missed lychee ice cream.
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I am obsessed with the New York Noodletown soup with the roast duck.
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OOOH! If we're talking Chinatown, I can't even think about going down there without stopping at Joe's Shanghai (on Pell St) for soup dumplings.
AND! Even though this isn't traditional Jewish deli/LES fare, I love love love love Bereket on Houston and Orchard. It's on the opposite side of the same block as Katz's. It's a 24 hour Turkish place and everything on their menu is among the best street food I've had anywhere. Their stuffed grape leaves will leave you dreaming about them for years to come (the stuffing is delicately laced with cinnamon and includes raisins and pine nuts). The doner kebab is DELICIOUS, I won't eat it anywhere else. And the falafel is always crispy and not full of breadcrumbs like other falafel joints. The best! And don't forget the baklava!!
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Thanks for mentioning Bereket. I also dig the doner. Perhaps because this place is sandwiched in between so many great old stalwarts, it doesn't get its' due. Definitely underrated and undermentioned.
P.
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Folks, try Taksim just south of 6th on 2nd Av. That's really good food. And specifically, their doner kebab sandwich is delicious! Bereket at its best never touched the quality of Taksim.
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How come nobody mentioned Sammy's Romanian on Crystie and Delancy? If that's not old time Lower East Side I don't know what is. They have great steaks, and Eastern Euro Jewish dishes such as chicken liver and garlic sausage, egg creams and free chocolate rugellah that are just fantastic, and a very festive atmosphere.
I also recommend Wonton Garden on 56 Mott St. in Chinatown. Great noodle/soup dishes and probably one of the best curry beef stew and hoi nam chicken dishes I've had in quite awhile.
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