Your best EATS in NYC

[yodelhawk]

Well all right, here we go... The wife talked me into going on a short trip to "NEW YORK CITY!!!" in the middle of may. Not being very fond of big cities I decided to make the best of this by planning a few great meals in this huge melting pot and started looking on-line. OMG

!!! One could go nuts trying to research this! So I thought I would turn to you, seeing a lot of you must have traveled there and some of you may know your way around quite well. So what I'm asking of you guys is you # 1 top pick for a place to go and eat in Manhattan. I know that NYC is not a BBQ Mecca so it can be any kind of chow as long as if you could only have one meal there on your next visit, that would be it. Thanks for helping out this hick from Montana

 

[ribsaretasty]

Just a few of my favorites:

BBQ:
RUB
Hill Country
Daisy Mae's
Wildwood

Carmines - Italian

Shake Shack - burgers

Plataforma Churrascaria - MEAT Haven!!!!

Where will you be staying? In NYC? Surrounding area?

 

[chainsaw]

Brooklyn, NY
Peter Luger, Inc.
178 Broadway
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11211
Reservations:
718-387-7400

For Directions to Brooklyn Great Neck, LI
Peter Luger of Long Island, Inc.
255 Northern Blvd.
Great Neck, N.Y. 11021
Reservations:
516-487-8800

For Directions to Great Neck

They pick their own beef probably pretty expensive

 

[yellowfintuna]

Can't go wrong with pizza. Or a nice old Italian restaurant. Anywhere on Arthur Ave in little italy will be good.

 

[chisoxjim]

hit a deli for a monster corned beef or pastrami sandwich.

Katz's or Carnegie Deli are good ones.

 

[rbranstner]

I just loved eating at all the little stands that are on pretty much every other corner of the streets. Some really good stuff!

 

[yodelhawk]

We are going to be very close to the UN. Looking at your links... I'm starting to get psyched. Thanks for the help guys... Please keep em coming.

 

[ribsaretasty]

Since you're in the area - Serendipity 3 - for dessert

Second the notion for street vendors - check this link out for some of the more popular ones.
Keep in mind, nothing beats a good ol' fashioned "dirty water dog" with sauerkraut and red onions!!

If you are interested in catching a show, check out the TKTS Booth for discounted tickets for same day shows.

 

[fire it up]

Ugh, NYC.
One place I try to avoid around here.
Without getting into too graphic detail I'll just say the last time I was there was for a hightimes 35th anniversary party, place got moved so we ended up taking subways all over New York, during the hour + of changing subways and finding the new place we saw a lot of stuff, not just giant rats in the subways but it really is as bad as you have heard, bums use the subway halls as bathrooms, right there in plain site, and I'm not talking about a #1 either!
It was raining and subways had several inches of water flooding into them, man was it depressing, and pretty dirty too.
Give me Philadelphia any day.

Basically what I am saying is try and enjoy your trip, avoid the subways, know where you are going and have fun during rush hour, it's terrible.

 

[grampyskids]

There are many fantastic places to eat in NYC. Bobby Flay and Mario Battali serve some great food and you would not be disappointed. But my Daughter who is a personal chef to some of the wealthiest families in NYC recommends the following: Le-Bernadin, on the West Side (great for lunch also), Scarpetta (a judge on Chopped: scarpettanyc.com; and Bar Boulard in the Time Warner Center, danielnyc.com.

While in NYC, go to any small pizza joint and any deli in Times Square for corned beef. Have fun!

 

[peixegato]

You're gettin a lot of good recommendations. But one thing: you forgot to mention your budget. NYC has some of the best restaurants in the world, and the prices to go with them. That said, you can find some amazingly good restaurants that aren't flooded with tourists or people looking for the "hot place of the moment" that are relatively reasonable in terms of price.

I left the NYC area 6 years ago, so I'm no good for the new places. If you want a sit-down pizza experience, you have to go to Lombardi's, Arturo's, or John's (or all three, lol). For a slice on the go, take your pick. You can't go too wrong (if you ask 100 NYers where to go for a slice, you'll get 100 different answers, lol).

For the average person, there are probably some BBQ restaurants that would be decent (and even praise-worthy). But for the people in this forum, I wouldn't waste much time looking for BBQ in NYC. You'll be shocked at the prices and underwhelmed by the food. NYC is known for a lot of things, but BBQ is not one of them, I don't care what people from NY/NJ say. Looking for good BBQ in NYC is like going to Little Rock, AR and looking for a lobster shack. Its just not what they are known for.

Be sure to getchya soft pretzel from a vendor on the street (and maybe a hot dog or two if you're into hot dogs).

For desserts, head for Little Italy (any cafe in that area will do). You can also get a good Italian meal in Little Italy, though it is VERY touristy.

I would also take a look at reviews on yelp.com for other restaurant recommendations. You can specify a specific type of food, neighborhood, price range, etc when you do a search.

Have fun!

 

[bang4dabuck]

Never been there but always the first word in NY Delicatessens. Also famous line "I'll have whatever she's having" from Harry met Sally.