Here are some of our favorites:
I keep a list of all of the restaurants we have enjoyed, and here is the one for NYC and environs. We visit our son and daughter-in-law several times a year. They live on the upper east side, so some are near their neighborhood. I haven't updated from our last visit, but here are some you can consider. Of course, for a light lunch, try the Papaya Mango for hot dogs. They're a real New York experience.
RESTAURANTS - NEW YORK
Acqua (formerly Isola)
718 Amsterdam Ave.
New York, NY 10025
212-222-2752 -Italian
After some searching, Matt and Jill found that their favorite pizza restaurant had moved and changed its name, but still serves the same great food. We shared 2 different pizzas - both delicious, and they have an excellent antipasta platter. While their pizza oven produces delicious pizzas, they also offer other Italian fare which looked and smelled wonderful.
Babbo
110 Waverly Place
New York, NY 10011
212-777-0303
We finally were able to get a reservation for this Mario Batali restaurant for our anniversary dinner. Although the food was very good, I’m not sure why this place is always so hard to get into. There are many other excellent restaurants in the city that are just as good. Maybe our expectations were too high after waiting so long to try it.
Bar Americain
152 W. 52nd St.
New York, NY 10019
212-265-9700
We celebrated Matt’s birthday dinner here and had a fantastic meal. This is one of Bobby Flay’s restaurants with an American bistro theme. He takes ordinary bistro meals and adds a wonderful twist to them. We shared a couple of appetizers - crispy squash blossoms filled with shredded pork barbeque, and crab cakes with a basil sauce. Russ and Matt had 2-inch thick pork chops that had been brined for twenty hours; Jill had lamb chops, and I had duck over a bed of rice, corn, and red pepper . Each of the dishes had a wonderful sauce to complement it. The wine was also excellent. It was a Chilean carmenere.
Bar Pitti
268 Sixth Avenue
New York, NY 10014
212-982-3300 - Italian
Upon entering this small Tuscan restaurant, one is greeted with controlled chaos. There is no host or even a list with names, but if you can catch the attention of one of the waiters, you will eventually be seated. The printed menu is fairly small, but they present you with a chalk board full of daily specials; and everything looks so good, that it may be hard to make a choice. We happened to be waiting near the kitchen entrance, so we got a preview of all the dishes that were emerging. We went here with Matt and Jill, and all of our meals were fantastic. Take cash, though, because they don’t accept credit cards.
Becco
355 West 46th St.
NY, NY 10036
212-397-7597 - Italian
This is one of the restaurants owned by Lidia Bastianich who has a cooking show on PBS. We watch her show every Saturday afternoon and usually end up going out for Italian because she has our mouths watering. The restaurant lived up to our expectations. They serve a more homey type of Italian food. They have 3 different pasta dishes each day, and these are offered as a meal or as a smaller serving as an extra course for $9.00. We got them in addition to our entrees, but next time I would opt for the pasta only. The entrees were excellent, but it was just too much to eat, and I wouldn’t want to pass up this outstanding pasta. I had osso bucco which was so tender it fell off the bone. We were so full that we couldn’t take advantage of the delicious desserts. Matt and Jill got panna cotta with berries which was delicious. Lidia’s son, John, is co-owner, and he handles the wine selection. They had a large list of wines for $20. Lidia also owns another restaurant in the city called Felidia which is more upscale. It has been highly recommended, while Becco is never mentioned. We’ll have to see how it could be any better than Becco which we loved.
Casa Mono
52 Irving Place
New York, NY 10003
212-253-2773
Mario Batali is co-owner of this place. They serve tapas style plates in a fairly small restaurant setting. The place is quite charming with Spanish decor and tiled floor. They have quite an extensive wine list also. We had lunch here, and all six dishes were excellent.
Gauchas
First Avenue (same block as Pio Pio and Pinocchios)
This is a wonderful Argentinean restaurant with excellent grilled skirt steak. The atmosphere is casual, and the place is always crowded.
Heights Café
84 Montague St.
Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201
718-625-5555
We found this place after walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. It is in the neighborhood off to the right as you reach the end of the bridge. This area is very nice with little shops and restaurants. This restaurant had outdoor seating, and I asked some people at one of the tables how the food was. They seemed to be enjoying their meal, so we went in. It is a great place for lunch.
Ithaka
308 E. 86th St.
New York, NY 10028
212-628-9100 – Greek
Another great restaurant in the big apple. We had a wonderful meal here with Matt and Jill. I had grilled lamb chops that were juicy and tender. Matt had a lamb and orzo dish that was also excellent, as was Russ’s grilled whole bream. They brought us loukoumades for dessert.
Moutarde
239 Fifth Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-623-3600 - French Bistro
Excellent restaurant in the Park Slope area of Brooklyn where Matt and Jill almost got an apartment. Although the menu is “Bistro”, the selection and quality of the meals are much better than the typical bistro food.
Nice Matin
201 W. 79th St. @ Amsterdam Ave.
New York, NY
212-873-NICE
We went here on a beautiful Sunday morning for brunch with Matt and Jill. They have outdoor seating, and the weather was perfect. Everything was excellent.
Pastis
9 Ninth Ave.
New York, NY 10014
212-929-4844 - French Bistro
This place serves excellent bistro food. I had half of a roasted lobster that was outstanding. It was flavored with a butter herb sauce that was memorable.
Peri Ela
1361 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY
212-410-4300 – Turkish
A Turkish restaurant with delicious food on the upper east side. If you stick to the mezze dishes, it is quite reasonable. We got about six different dishes, and everything was excellent.
Pinocchio Ristorante
1748 First Ave. (between 90th and 91st)
New York, NY 102128
212-828-5810
A great little place that Matt and Jill frequent. It is one of three excellent restaurants located on the same block. This one is Italian with a very inviting atmosphere and delicious food.
Pio Pio
First Avenue - same block as Pinocchio and Gauchas.
Another favorite of Matt and Jill. This place serves only chicken, but it is delicious. It is grilled with a spicy sauce on the side. Their side dishes are also delicious. Very casual atmosphere and reasonable prices.
Public
210 Elizabeth St.
New York, NY
212-343-7011
Very nice place for brunch where they have fresh orange juice and a menu that isn’t the typical plain eggs and toast. It is housed in a converted muffin factory with a garage door that is open in nice weather.
Raoul’s
180 Prince St.
New York, NY
212-966-3518 – French
Jill recommended this place after consultation with a French friend. It was excellent – not only the food but also the setting. We were led through the front of the restaurant which was very nice but nothing special, through the kitchen, into a charming glass-enclosed garden area. All the dishes were prepared with that special French touch and beautifully presented. I had sautéed soft-shell crabs over a wonderful sauce. The crabs stayed crispy to the last bite. Russ had sautéed scallops – also served with a delicious sauce. We were seated next to one of the owners of the restaurant. He started the place with his brother some time in the 1970’s. Although it could be classed as a bistro, its food is much more interesting than the classic bistro fare.
St. Thomas Restaurant
5974 Linglestown Road
Harrisburg, PA 17112
717-540-4306
We stopped for a meal here on our way home from New York while on Route 81. They have nothing fancy, but good home-style food. It is a very cute little place in a small town called Linglestown (Harrisburg P.O.) housed in a pretty little white house.
Snack
105 Thompson St.
(between Prince and Spring Sts.)
SOHO
212-925-1040 - Greek
We stumbled upon this tiny place while walking through SOHO. It has only about 5 tables, but it was a very nice little place for lunch. We had sandwiches which were very good - great bread., and very reasonably priced.
Stamatis Restaurant
29-09 23rd Avenue
Astoria, NY 11105
718-932-8596 – Greek
Be careful when looking for this restaurant. It is not to be confused with another restaurant of the same name on Broadway in Astoria. We got the name from Angelos Vourlides who comes here regularly with his family. We didn’t realized that there were two different restaurants and couldn’t understand why the reviews were so mixed. Some people loved it and some thought it was a greasy spoon. Apparently, the bad reviews were for the other place with the same name. We were so glad we took Angelos’s advice and came here with Matt and Jill. We shared a huge Greek salad, a combination plate with four different dips, lots of bread, meatballs, grilled lamb chops, stuffed tomatoes and peppers, grilled octopus, and Greek potatoes with olive oil dressing. We could have fed two more people on all of this food. After we were stuffed, the waiter brought complimentary dessert – a warm custard-filled phyllo pastry that was outstanding. And best of all, the bill was about $120 for the four of us.
The Red Oak
2191 Fletcher Ave.
Fort Lee, NJ 07024
201-461-8668 – Diner
A great place to stop for breakfast when leaving NYC. It is just across the George Washington Bridge. It is a very nice clean diner with good service and food.
