Hey New Yorkers....

jenna8984

FI & I are going to NYC in a few weeks for his birthday weekend.....

1. I'm a total dumbass and didn't realize Lady Liberty crown access tickets would be sold out for the entire summer. Are there any like underground, black market tickets?? lol

2. What is your number one favorite restaurant that is mid budget- under $100 for 2

3. What is your number one favorite restaurant that is high budget- $100-200 plus tip (we're staying in midtown but it can be anywhere)

sarahufl

Yay! Sounds fun

FWIW, going up to the crown- I wouldn't do it in the summer anyway. It gets really, really hot in there and once you start going up, you can't really come back down very easily. It is also teeny tiny once you get in there. Cool, but sort of overrated anyway. I think you can still go to Liberty Island, though.

FI and I aren't really foodies, so I don't have a lot of suggestions.

What else are y'all doing when you are here?

stef42188

What kind of food are you looking for? If you like Asian/Indian, Spice Market in the meatpacking district is good! 

jenna8984

Thanks! I still plan to go to Libery Island and get pedestal access if there are no secret tickets to be found. We will go to the 9/11 museum. My FI and his dad were volunteer firefighters when 9/11 happened. So even though we live 2 states away they felt very connected to that day and all the lost firefighters. We will likely do Empire State building, possibly the Met, and then just lots of walking around (Central Park, BK bridge). None of the shows look that great to me for the price.

jenna8984

stef42188 said:

What kind of food are you looking for? If you like Asian/Indian, Spice Market in the meatpacking district is good! 

Oh good call....we are kind of picky bitches. We don't eat Mexican, Indian, Thai, Korean. I'm all about steak and sushi and he's all about burgers and Italian lol

LakeR2014

Italian - I love (and always go there when we're there) Carmine's in NYC.  It's on West 44th street.   It's family style so the servings are huge, but sooo good.  I've never had a bad plate there.

I recommend walking across the Brooklyn Bridge if you can't a chance and if time allows checking out the Bronx Zoo. Or if you want to stay closer to the city, walk through Central Park and check out the Central Park Zoo.

Liatris2010

Skip the crown. It will be an oven. The best view of the Statue of Liberty is from the SI ferry. If you have an hour to kill, ride it out and back. They sell beer and hotdogs on board, so it is a cheap lunch if you are looking to take a load off.

For a nice fine dining experience try Del Posto. Excellent food, wonderful service.

NYCMercedes

Definitely do the Staten Island ferry! Go early to the Empire State Building as it can have long lines. I'm a fan of Central Park.

pinkcow13

Ooo fun!

1. I have no clue if there are underground passes lol. I actually have not gone to the Statue of Liberty in years. I would still go to Ellis Island, and walk around, etc. You can also take a happy hour cruise on weekday evenings which (depending from where it leaves) will give you nice views. Or even just the Staten Island Ferry.

2. Do you like Spanish food? There is a Spanish restaurant in the village  - Cafe Espanol - and they are very reasonably priced. http://cafeespanol.com/. I also LOVE Cafeteria, which is a trendy restaurant in my neighborhood, Chelsea. They have AMAZING burgers, and their mac and cheese is to die for. http://www.cafeteriagroup.com/. If you like Italian I love Lasagna Ristorante. They make 17 different lasagna's as well as other italian food. There is also Don Giovanni, I love their chicken francese. Both are also in Chelsea.  http://lasagnarestaurant.com.  http://www.dongiovanni-ny.com/

3. I second the Carmine's recommendation. It is in Times Square, and the restaurant is touristy, but the food is delicious. Keep in mind that the food is served family style, so there will be A LOT of food for the 2 of you. I tend to go there with groups of 4 or more. If you want a delicious steak, I love Morton's Steakhouse - they are located in midtown. It's closer to the $200 range without including drinks. There is also Old Homestead Steakhouse which is in Chelsea. I also took FI to Keen's steakhouse for his birthday, and it was also amazing.I would say those are my 3 favorite steakhouses. http://www.mortons.com/newyork/. http://www.theoldhomesteadsteakhouse.com/.

 http://www.keens.com/

I would also recommend checking out the brunch scene! One of my favorite restaurant is the Guilty Goose. For $35 each, you get an entree and unlimited mimosa, michelada, or draft beers for 2 hours. Their food is yummy, I LOVE the burger there. You don't have to do the boozy brunch if you don't want to, though. http://guiltygoose.com/

Lastly, I LOVE Central Park! I suggest going to the Central Park Boathouse for a meal, or just for drinks. You might be able to get a table outside overlooking the lake and gorgeous central park views. That is also our venue so I love it there!!

southernbelle0915

You might try looking for tickets on NYC craigslist. I'm sure there are people who bought way far in advance and stuff came up.

JCbride2015

Sorry, I am very anti-Carmine's.  It's really touristy and I didn't think the food was good at all.  My pasta was, like.... wet.  If you are in Times Square and want pasta, go to Osteria al Doge.

For really high-end Italian food, I second Del Posto in the Meatpacking.  It's right under the High Line so before/after dinner, you can go up there and walk around.  It's gorgeous.

For reasonably-priced steak, try Prime & Beyond on 10th St.  You can go all-out or order more reasonably priced, and it's crazy good.

I haven't been up in the crown in a really long time, but others' suggestions of taking the SI ferry are good.  It's free and gets a beautiful view.  And if you plan to go to Liberty Island, wave towards NJ!  I live right there.

pinkcow13

Oh, and for burgers, besides Cafeteria, we love Bill's Burgers in the meatpacking district.

 http://www.billsbarandburger.com/hours-and-locations

We also recently had the Heisenburger at another place in the Meatpacking. It is a rib eye and porkbelly blend. It was amazing. FI liked it but he didn't think it was anything extraordinary, but I thought it was very yummy. http://www.bfbhighline.com/

For sushi, Amber in the west village (although they have different locations) is yummy. Or Sushi Samba, which is more of a Japanese/Brazilian fusion type place. http://www.ambergroupnyc.com/amberwestvillage/menu.html

http://sushisamba.com/

And if you venture to the Meatpacking District/Chelsea area, check out the Highline!

sarahufl

JCbride2015 said:

Sorry, I am very anti-Carmine's.  It's really touristy and I didn't think the food was good at all.  My pasta was, like.... wet.  If you are in Times Square and want pasta, go to Osteria al Doge.

For really high-end Italian food, I second Del Posto in the Meatpacking.  It's right under the High Line so before/after dinner, you can go up there and walk around.  It's gorgeous.

For reasonably-priced steak, try Prime & Beyond on 10th St.  You can go all-out or order more reasonably priced, and it's crazy good.

I haven't been up in the crown in a really long time, but others' suggestions of taking the SI ferry are good.  It's free and gets a beautiful view.  And if you plan to go to Liberty Island, wave towards NJ!  I live right there.

Also anti-Carmines. Especially the one in Times Square- there is one on the Upper West side.

SmileDamnit

NYCMercedes said:

Definitely do the Staten Island ferry! Go early to the Empire State Building as it can have long lines. I'm a fan of Central Park.

I second this - you get a great view of the SL and you can drink cheap beer

If you don't want to do the Empire State Building early, try going super late. We went at about 1 am and the line was pretty short.

I had thee best burger with rosemary fries at The Spotted Pig in the West Village. It was a few years ago, but I think of it often

pinkcow13

sarahufl said:

JCbride2015 said:

Sorry, I am very anti-Carmine's.  It's really touristy and I didn't think the food was good at all.  My pasta was, like.... wet.  If you are in Times Square and want pasta, go to Osteria al Doge.

For really high-end Italian food, I second Del Posto in the Meatpacking.  It's right under the High Line so before/after dinner, you can go up there and walk around.  It's gorgeous.

For reasonably-priced steak, try Prime & Beyond on 10th St.  You can go all-out or order more reasonably priced, and it's crazy good.

I haven't been up in the crown in a really long time, but others' suggestions of taking the SI ferry are good.  It's free and gets a beautiful view.  And if you plan to go to Liberty Island, wave towards NJ!  I live right there.

Also anti-Carmines. Especially the one in Times Square- there is one on the Upper West side.

Actually yea, if you want to try Carmine's go to a different location. Although, you guys might want to check out Times Square, so might as well eat there. I personally hate Times Square.  I do like them, though. I went to the location in Atlantic City and thought it was yummy.

jenna8984

Thanks so much everyone!! Can't wait to try some of these

 @pinkcow13 holy frigen crap a mac & cheese spring roll at Cafeteria?! That sounds so killer!

pinkcow13

Oh yes it is. And so is their Mac Attack. This thread is making me VERY hungry lol.

JCbride2015

Yeah, Cafeteria is pretty good.  It seemed a bit overpriced for what it is, but everything was tasty and my mixed drink (I got some kind of lemonade-based thing) was great.

FutureMrsN3312

I've heard Cafeteria is amazing! I really want to try it out. NYC has a Ruth Chris. That's one of my favorite places. I've never been to the one in NYC though. I've done Weehawkin, Parsippany, and AC. I would head to little Italy for a nice Italian meal. Specifically LaMela's. I love the family style menu. I strongly suggest making a reservation. If I remember correctly you can do it right on their website. I always see NYC touristy deals on Groupon and Travelzoo. Can't hurt to check them out.

JCbride2015

FutureMrsN3312 said:

I've heard Cafeteria is amazing! I really want to try it out. NYC has a Ruth Chris. That's one of my favorite places. I've never been to the one in NYC though. I've done Weehawkin, Parsippany, and AC. I would head to little Italy for a nice Italian meal. Specifically LaMela's. I love the family style menu. I strongly suggest making a reservation. If I remember correctly you can do it right on their website. I always see NYC touristy deals on Groupon and Travelzoo. Can't hurt to check them out.

Please don't come to NYC and eat at a chain.  I've never understood why Olive Garden is Times Square is so packed!  It's the same food you'd get at home, but more money.

La Mela is pretty good.  I've only eaten there in the middle of the night and drunk, though!  There isn't much left of Little Italy (it's mostly Chinatown now) but Mulberry Street is cool.

daria24

Another anti-Carmines. First, it's a waste with just two people. Also, you can get way better Italian food just about anywhere else in the city. 

Food suggestions:

Jacob's Pickles (UWS)-best for brunch, because they have this homemade vanilla maple syrup that is life-changing, but dinner is good too. Anything with fried chicken is amazing. It's about $50-75 for food + alcohol. 

Jones Woods Foundry (UES)-this is a nice, quiet gastro pub. Everything, and I mean everything, is amazing. When we want to celebrate, this is where we go. Reservations necessary for Friday or Saturday night. It's about $100, depending on how many drinks you order.

Uva (UES)-Italian, about $75-100. 

Nook-Hell's Kitchen. This is a BYOB place, I've only been for brunch but it's super tiny and cheap. 

Luke's Lobster-this is a counter service lobster/shrimp/crab roll place, they have a few locations. 

Shake Shack-opinions are definitely divided, but I love it, especially with their new fries. They have a few locations but avoid the one in Madison Square Park. I'm partial to the one by the Museum of Natural History because you can grab your food and eat on a bench at the park right there.

Heidi's House (UES)-this is a tiny little small plates (they have a few large plates too) with incredible mac n cheese. Also an awesome wine list and the employees there are super helpful deciding what to order. They are open until like 2am, so it's great for late night. You can spend anywhere from $20-100+ depending on how much you order. 

My favorite pizza is Pizza Moto, which is at Smorgasburg. They have a little portable coal oven and it's AMAZING. I also like Roberta's in Brooklyn. In Midtown, the Angelos on 57th st is the best. 

If you walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, be sure to stop and get ice cream at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, and get their homemade hot fudge. It's in the light house. Also, if you do this on Sunday, Smorgasburg is at Brooklyn Bridge Park and there is so much amazing food. Pizza Moto, Buttermilk Channel fried chicken, every kind of taco you can imagine. 

And please, please, It's NYC. We have some of the best food in the US, if not the world. Don't waste your time going to a chain you can get somewhere else. 

jenna8984

@daria24 Thanks for all the great suggestions! Neither of us drink alcohol so that really helps with the bill at fine dining places. My mom was JUST talking about how when she was in Jamaica last week, everyone was trying to take cabs to Margaritaville and she was like "Only Americans go out of their way traveling to find something they can get at home". lol So true. I normally avoid all chain restaurants, but I have to admit after 5 days starving in Tokyo (not liking the food and not being able to order in English) it was really amazing to go to their Outback and get a normal meal hahah

@jcbride2015 You're in Jersey City, right? My MOH lives there so we'll be meeting up with her and I will be like "hello JCBride wherever you are!" lol

climbingsingle

JCbride2015 said:

FutureMrsN3312 said:

I've heard Cafeteria is amazing! I really want to try it out. NYC has a Ruth Chris. That's one of my favorite places. I've never been to the one in NYC though. I've done Weehawkin, Parsippany, and AC. I would head to little Italy for a nice Italian meal. Specifically LaMela's. I love the family style menu. I strongly suggest making a reservation. If I remember correctly you can do it right on their website. I always see NYC touristy deals on Groupon and Travelzoo. Can't hurt to check them out.

Please don't come to NYC and eat at a chain.  I've never understood why Olive Garden is Times Square is so packed!  It's the same food you'd get at home, but more money.

La Mela is pretty good.  I've only eaten there in the middle of the night and drunk, though!  There isn't much left of Little Italy (it's mostly Chinatown now) but Mulberry Street is cool.

YES. This kills me. NY has so many amazing restaurants. 

climbingsingle

Also Angelo's on Mulberry is really great. 

daria24

If you want a classic NY steak house, go to Peter Luger's in Brooklyn. Depending on how far out you are from your trip, you might not be able to get a dinner reservation. But lunch doesn't require reservations, and they have a killer burger only at lunch time. 

Every time I've had italian food in Little Italy I've been disappointed. I thought La Mela was actually gross. 

If you go to the Highline-get an ice cream sandwich from Melt. They also have a little storefront on the LES. I also love People's Pops, they made fresh fruit popsicles and hand shaved ice. 

kat1114

For a mid-budget meal I recommend Joseph Leonard in the West Village. It is small, adorable, delicious, and definitely under $100/2 people without alcohol.

For a  pricier meal, I highly recommend Gramercy Tavern. It can get expensive (more than $200 for 2) but if you go for lunch or sit in the tavern area, it's definitely within your budget (especially since you don't drink). If you want to sit in the actual dining area, their 3-course meal is $92 a person, which would be kind of maxing out your budget once you add tip.

And even though you didn't ask, here are my  cheap NY faves:

Pomme Frites (amazing fries and dipping sauces)

Resto  (the best grilled cheese I have ever had. I think they only serve it at lunch)

Shake Shack (obviously they all serve the same food, but definitely go to the one in Madison Square Park)

Eataly, particularly Bierria, their rooftop beer garden/restaurant. Yes Eataly is kind of touristy, but even if you don't eat anything there, it's kind of fun just to walk through.

JCbride2015

jenna8984 said:

@daria24 Thanks for all the great suggestions! Neither of us drink alcohol so that really helps with the bill at fine dining places. My mom was JUST talking about how when she was in Jamaica last week, everyone was trying to take cabs to Margaritaville and she was like "Only Americans go out of their way traveling to find something they can get at home". lol So true. I normally avoid all chain restaurants, but I have to admit after 5 days starving in Tokyo (not liking the food and not being able to order in English) it was really amazing to go to their Outback and get a normal meal hahah

@jcbride2015 You're in Jersey City, right? My MOH lives there so we'll be meeting up with her and I will be like "hello JCBride wherever you are!" lol

Yep, I live right on the Hudson, too. So you can wave hello from the World Trade Center or Battery Park as well!

beethery

Not a New Yorker, but every time I go, I either have lunch or dinner at Becco one night. It's one of Lidia Bastianich's restaurants and it is sooooooooo good. Mid-high range depending on what you get.

Dinner menu (click)

KatieinBkln

I'm late to this party, oops. For cheap eats I can't recommend Caracas enough. It's in the east village and has the most delicious arepas and cocktails around. There's another, larger location in Williamsburg (Brooklyn) if you feel like taking a little journey.

For expensive food, Craft is supposed to be good. (FI went with coworkers, I haven't been). I also hear good things about Del Posto. If you want to do sushi you could always try 15 East, near Union Square. You can also get a killer semi-expensive brunch at the Blue Water Cafe.

Check out places like Time Out NY and New York Magazine's Best Eats--they usually have some solid suggestions, and you'll be more likely to find places locals eat, rather than big, mediocre tourist traps. Midtown is rough not just because it's a shitshow (trust me, I work in Times Square and every day it steals a bit of my soul), but because the ratio of stinkers to good restaurants is much higher. You can find amazing food in midtown, but if you just spin in a circle and choose a restaurant on any given block (not actually the worst way to pick a NY resto, in my experience), you're much more likely to pick a bad one than you are in almost any other neighborhood.

Have fun! And just to evangelize Brooklyn once more, do try to hit it up while you're here! The Brooklyn Bridge is fun to walk as others have said (please stay in the pedestrian lane, and don't pop out into the bike lane because you want to take a photo--that way lies angry bell-ringing and potential bicycle-related death or injury), and once you're on the BK side, you can check out a lot of cool stuff. On Sundays there's the Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasburg in DUMBO, just a short walk from the foot of the bridge. Smorgasburg is a big collection of food vendors, and it is excellent. I go to the Saturday incarnation in Williambsurg, which is a fun neighborhood to wander around as well. Lots of shopping, cute restaurants, etc. 

climbingsingle

Oh, also Tipsy Parson in Chelsea is really great. 

sarahufl

If the weather is nice, hit up The Boat Basin. It is nothing fancy, but it is a lovely place to sit on a nice summer day.