Articles Tagged: york

What is it about the meatpacking district of New York City that draws in so many entrepreneurs to set up restaurants - and why is that so many of these meatpacking-district-based restaurants become top crowd-drawers that gain widespread recognition from the culinary and gastronomic worlds? Spice Market is yet another of these restaurants that we described, considered among the 25 leading restaurants of the city. It is considered a moderately- to expensively-priced restaurant, with food prices ranging from $15 to $30 for one meal alone. But chances are the prices are not the first thing you will notice about Spice Market - the first thing that will strike you upon entering is that this is one BIG restaurant (estimated to be as large as a bus depot actually.) Then you will notice that the food is predominantly of Southeast Asian influence - Southeast Asian street food that is.

Somehow, one does not usually make the connection between the meatpacking district of New York City, and a restaurant which is considered one of the top 25 restaurants in the city. How did that happen? Well, for one thing, the owner of the restaurant (Florent Morellet) has been dubbed the patron saint of this predominantly blue-collar and perhaps even downright seedy neighborhood. Morellet has garnered recognition for his efforts at uplifting the conditions of the members of the community - from the HIV and AIDS victims who are often left out in the cold, to the gays (lesbians and homosexuals alike) who are equally rejected by mainstream society. It is perhaps just good karma that his restaurant Florent is also one very good eating place that serves very good food, thus recognition from the gastronomic community also follows.

The grocery, located in Carrol Gardens in Brooklyn, New York, gives diners a feeling of warmth when dining which is sorely lacking in many modern establishments today. Co-chefs and owners Sharon Pachter and Charles Kiely offer their unique brand of dining experiences from Mondays through Thursdays from 5:30 PM to 10:00 PM; Friday's at 5:30 PM to 11:00 PM; and Saturdays at 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM. Reservations at The Grocery are also welcome.

Pastis is another New York City restaurant that is located at a great address: #9 Ninth Avenue - should that tell us that Pastis is a very lucky restaurant having a double nine in its location? Perhaps, because Pastis is said to be among the top 25 restaurants in New York City. Even if you are not superstitious, go to Pastis anyway for the various meals that it serves, such as your basic breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as brunch and supper. Breakfast is served everyday from 8:00 in the morning to 11:30 am. Lunch is only served Mondays to Fridays from 12 noon to 6:00 in the evening. Brunch is reserved for Saturdays and Sundays only, from 10:00 am to 4:30 in the afternoon. Dinner is served everyday from 6:oo in the evening to 12 midnight, while supper is served from Sundays to Wednesdays between 12 midnight and 1 am; on Thursday from 12 midnight to 2:00 in the morning; and from Fridays to Saturday from 12 midnight to 3 am.

Yes, Le Bernardin is a great New York City seafood restaurant but it is also more than that - it is actually a genuine four-star restaurant which is owned and run by genuine French-born cooking mavericks Maguy and Gilbert Le Coze. Gilbert's experience in French cuisine stems from his youth spent assisting his father and grandfather in the kitchen of their family-owned restaurant and inn back in France, the Hotel de Rhuys. Maguy grew up helping her mother in the dining room of the Hotel de Rhuys. The New York Le Bernardin is actually an offshoot of the original Le Bernardin which was first opened in Paris and had won two Michelin stars within four years of its opening. Not bad for a shoestring operation.

Everyone loves pizza right? But maybe you are the type who wants authentic Italian pizza cooked in a real pizza oven right within the restaurant. If you happen to be in New York City, you are in luck because Giorgione does serve authentic Italian pizza (and yes, it does have an in-house wood- burning pizza oven, which explains why its pizzas are really great.) Giorgione pizza is so good that the restaurant snared the Best Pizza award from the Best of New York Awards in 2004. The respected New York Magazine also gave the restaurant a thoroughly glowing review in 2002.

Actually, the 2nd Avenue Deli really did used to operate on New York City's 2nd Avenue Street - this was back in 1954 when it was called New York's best kosher deli establishment by the Zagat's restaurant guide. As a 2nd Avenue deli, the kosher deli offered special examples of fine Jewish cooking such as cholent, gefilte fish, knishes, pastrami, special corned beef, and the classic matzoh ball soup. One problem encountered by the 2nd Avenue Deli is that since its meat did not meet glatt kosher guidelines for Orthodox Jews, such Jews refused to patronize the 2nd Avenue Deli. Another reason Orthodox Jews used to shun the 2nd Avenue Deli is that it did business on Saturdays.

There are many restaurants in New York City, granted, but not many are able to make it into the Wikipedia with their own page of entry. Per se is called a gourmet restaurant, that is owned and run by its executive chef Thomas Keller at its current location at #10 Columbus Circle (on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center). Keller is assisted by Johnathon Benno, the chef de cuisine. Keller admittedly took a risk putting up another restaurant, since he had his hands full running his other restaurants called Bouchon (with branches in Las Vegas and Napa Valley), and French Laundry (that runs solely in Napa Valley). Having so many restaurants in his cap, Keller was closely watched when he introduced Per Se in New York City in February 2004 - perhaps people were wondering whether he would soar with this new restaurant or fall flat on his back? Whichever holds true, Per Se remained true to the Keller tradition by being able to reap awards by 2005 - specifically garnering a much-coveted three stars from the respected Michelin Guide in that year. Then by December 2006, Per Se made it to the list of the 50 leading restaurants in New York as rated by Travel + Leisure Magazine. Restaurant Magazine followed suit in 2007 by crediting Per Se as the ninth top restaurant of the world, and the second-leading restaurant in the United States for that year.

In Vino is a rather small dining establishment in New York City which has a reputation for serving good Italian wine and tapas. What are tapas? Tapas are basically food that is served as half portions as appetizers before you launch into the main course of your meal. Tapas are a Mediterranean tradition and are usually very succulent dishes in themselves that will prepare your palate for even more delicious food. Newcomers to In Vino will be pleasantly surprised when presented with a platter of smoked, hard, and soft Italian cheeses to munch on while you wait. The Italian wines here come predominantly from Southern Italy in particular, and so does much of the influence of the food you can order. People who head for In Vino just for the Italian wine should try to sample the full-bodied red wine selections (such as the Nero d'Avola and Aglianico.)

New York City (in New York State) has so many great restaurants that offer a diverse array of cuisines that you can choose from. One of these great restaurants is Beppe, which can be found just steps away from Union Square's green market amidst a well-known restaurant neighborhood. The building of Beppe was fashioned after the Tuscan farmhouse style - complete with a real fireplace, wood flooring sourced from antique barn wood, and a roof tiled with terracotta. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner from Monday to Friday, while only dinner is served on Saturdays.