Mom visiting! Help! (NYC)
My dear old (well, not that old) mum is coming to town to visit me from Chicago this weekend. Being a poor college student, I would like to show her some places that are fun and unpretentious, but perhaps slightly more expensive than what I would normally buy for myself. We're both fairly adventurous eaters, but I'm not looking for something with a fussy menu that lists each and every far-flung ingredient the kitchen has. I'm also not looking to break the bank, just something a little snazzy (aiming for $100-150 total, including drinks and tip); in the general downtown area (east side or west), or north Brooklyn. Some places I've never been to and am considering: Momofuku Ssam (though I frequent the Noodle Bar), Spotted Pig, Marlow & Sons. Any help would be much appreciated!
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10 Comments:
Jean Georges for lunch. You both can have three courses for under $100 easy.
souldawg at 1:22PM on 04/21/08
Batali/Bastianich's Otto is a good place for lunch on 8th and 5th Ave.
I've never been to the Landmarc downtown but I often go to the Time Warner location for an unpretentious but nice, casual meal. I believe the menus are almost the same.
Jacquie at 1:45PM on 04/21/08
Spotted Pig is a great pick, I'd recommend going at lunch. Same great food without the crowds. I'd also suggest Prune and WD-50.
Alaina Browne at 2:09PM on 04/21/08
Alaina--I was considering WD-50, but am wondering if it's worth it to go there and order a la carte, as opposed to the tasting menu, which is $125/ pp (making our total meal probably close to $300). Or is the tasting menu large enough to feed two?
potatopunk at 3:28PM on 04/21/08
I think it's worth going even if you decide to order a la carte -- you'll still get a good sense of what the food is about and enjoy a great meal. That's what we did last time we ate there. Another option: they recently started serving lunch, and offer a 7-course lunch tasting menu for $75.
Alaina Browne at 3:41PM on 04/21/08
blue hill in the west village is delicious and you can get entrees around $30...for something more casual, chimu in williamsburg has amazing peruvian food (but gets very crowded on weekend nights)
billyburgwife at 3:43PM on 04/21/08
i'm not sure if WD-50 is worth it if you don't go for the tasteing menu. However the lunch tasteing menu might be a good idea.
I would recomend The Gotham bar and Grill for lunch. It fits in your money range easily.
Harlock_jds at 7:13PM on 04/21/08
I had dinner at wd-50 recently, we didn't have the tasting menu. As long as you order different items and taste each other's, you'll get a good selection of the food.
Lunetta in Brooklyn is also really good, or Saul.
Have fun with your mum!
CookiePie at 9:53AM on 04/22/08
Otto is over-rated. Better to try the bar at Babbo for those beef cheek ravioli. Prune is definitely a great choice. What about Little Owl or August in West Village? How about a lobster sandwich at Pearl Oyster bar or Mary's Fish Camp. An excursion over the Brooklyn Bridge could be a fun outing and a trip to Noodle Pudding never disappoints. While there you could check out the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. Happy Eating wherever you go.
izzy's mama at 9:34PM on 04/22/08
Thanks everyone! As the mothership approaches, I think for new (to me) restaurants we'll be doing Prune and Little Owl, plus I'll take her to some of my old favorites, like Fette Sau BBQ in Williamsburg and Momofuku Noodle Bar (this is turning out to be the Weekend of Pork). I showed her some reviews of wd-50, and she sadly decided it sounded "a little too weird." Maybe next time...
potatopunk at 10:28AM on 04/23/08