3 Days Eating in Manhattan
When a chef visits Manhattan, it’s like a kid in a candy shop. There are so many amazing NYC restaurant choices: authentic ethnic, neighborhood favorites, Michelin star-studded, up-and-coming notables, and revered eateries helmed by long-time famous chefs. It’s the best of American cuisine, or more accurately, the best of world cuisine.
But try as you might, there are only so many places you can eat in Manhattan in 3 days! I think every chef should consider living in New York City!
After much research, and many discussions, my husband, Mike, and I carefully selected 9 options that provided diverse styles, flavors, and price ranges. We reserved tables ahead of time where we could, and shuffled them up until the last possible minute once we arrived in town,. hoping we chose the best restaurants in New York for our needs and tastes
Eating in Manhattan—Our first night
Dinner at Bar Primi: Bowery
We visited NYC in October, which happened to be the month we met for the first time in 1982, and the month we were engaged in 1991. So, we were celebrating our anniversaries. Our first dinner was at Bar Primi, a hip Italian restaurant where our table awaited with a “Happy Anniversary” sign on it., That immediately put us in celebration mode!
So, we weren’t too disappointed when we were informed that the restaurant’s oven was broken and many items would be unavailable (most of the entrees). Impressed by our many years together, our waitress wanted marital and dating advice from us. We answered as experts, as we ordered 3 entrees of fresh, handmade pasta and asked for the chef to course out our meal for us. Our favorite of the night, the butternut squash agnolotti, melted in our mouths—I’m still thinking about them! We were no match for the amazing NYC desserts; we could only handle a scoop of ice cream!
Bar Primi
Eating in Manhattan—Day 1
Breakfast at Veselka Restaurant: East Village
The next morning, we woke up as we always do—hungry! Mike’s parents both immigrated from Ukraine and he is very proud of his heritage. On most trips, he usually finds something to visit that is Ukrainian, and this time Veselka restaurant in the East Village made the must-do list. Long touted as a place where you can get good food at a reasonable price at any hour of the day, it’s become a favorite locals’ spot as well as a restaurant famous in the Ukrainian community around the world. It even hosted a scene in the latest Ocean’s movie. Mike and our waitress conversed in Ukrainian (she was from Odessa). Although it was technically breakfast time, we ordered lunch. We ate all of the traditional foods in one meal: borscht, holubtsi (stuffed cabbage), pierogis, tsvitli (beet salad). We left full and happy!
Lunch at Momofuko Noodle Bar: East Village
Next, we walked the Highline for three hours-one of my favorite free things to do in NYC, and somehow worked up enough of an appetite to warrant making our way back to the East Village for lunch at David Chang’s first restaurant, Momofuko Noodle Bar. (Momofuko Ando invented the instant ramen noodle in 1958.) As a chef, I admire the empire that Chang built, and it all started with the Noodle Bar. After 15 years, they still fill every table and bar stool.
Inspired by the Japanese foods he ate while living in Japan, Chang largely influenced the ramen craze that developed in the US.
The limited menu of buns, appetizers, and noodle bowls provides a good variety and everything you need. The portions of the bowls are plentiful (the beef and the pork are exceptional), but we couldn’t resist sharing the shrimp buns too. Reminiscent of Japanese street food, don’t pass up the buns!
Dinner at 11 Madison Park Restaurant: Flat Iron District
On our next long walk, we meandered our way up to Times Square and then back to our hotel to freshen up for 11 Madison Park, rated the “Best Restaurant in the World” in 2017 and Number 4 in 2018. We reserved the 5-course tasting menu with wine pairings instead of the 9-course menu. Each course offered 2 outstanding selections. After our second course, the manager of guest services came to our table and asked, “Would you be interested in a tour of the kitchen?” Flabbergasted, we both answered, “Yes!” Wow, what a kitchen! The manager brought us over to a little station where a sous chef poured hot apple cider brandy over a patty of sugar on a spoon. As it smoked, we stared at the scene in front of us, taking in the pristine white and silver surfaces, the immense refrigerator with hanging ducks, and the scurrying staff. In talking with our host, we found out the restaurant googles all of the reservations for the night and selects a few guests that they think would appreciate the tour—yes, we very much did!
We savored every bite of our remaining courses, as our servers generously poured our wine flights and took care of every possible need. To say the service at 11 Madison Park is outstanding seems like an understatement. In fact, it’s excellence actually rivals the food. After we finished the last drop of after-dinner apple brandy, our server presented us each with a gift bag of beautifully packaged house-made granola. Although they make it daily, it was delicious over a month later.
Eating in Manhattan—Day 2
Breakfast at the New York Stock Exchange: Financial District
After a good night’s sleep, we woke up before dawn to meet my cousin Anthony for breakfast at the NY Stock Exchange. As we bypassed the security line, we were quickly whisked through the rest of the official procedures to find ourselves the only ones in a lovely dining room. We ate perfectly prepared smoked salmon benedicts as we quickly caught up on the many years that had passed since our last visit together. Anthony introduced us to what felt like most of “the floor,” and we watched and waited for the opening bell. Truly a special morning; everyone needs a cousin like Anthony!
Lunch at Manhatta Restaurant: Financial District
Afterward, we walked to the World Trade Center, through Battery Park to catch sight of Lady Liberty, with a quick visit to Fraunces Tavern. Then it was lunchtime! When I had researched our trip online and had seen the incredible views from Manhatta Restaurant on the sixtieth floor above lower Manhattan, I knew we would have to eat there.
Still celebrating our anniversary, we were seated at a special table by the window. The staff was especially friendly, and many came over to tell us we were at their favorite table. We could see why—our perched banquet afforded sweeping views of the city and bridges below.
The sommelier helped us select an excellent wine. Oh yeah, the food was superb too! Buttery escargot (an excellent version of this exotic French food), pomegranate scallops, and crusted trout.
Dinner at Estela Restaurant: SoHo
Full to the brim once more, we needed to walk it off again, so we headed to the Brooklyn Bridge, where we began to trek across. Five hours later, we entered the overcrowded Estela Restaurant, where we did not get the “anniversary table,” or the chef’s special treatment. While that disappointment may have influenced the rest of the meal, we felt Estela didn’t deliver what we consider a “Top 50 Restaurant” experience. The food and the service were good but not great, and what was inventive, to us, missed the mark. So, we put it on our list of what not to do in NY. But no worries, we still had one more day of eating ahead of us!
Eating in Manhattan—Day 3
Brunch at Cecconi’s: Dumbo, Brooklyn
Our last day, we met my New Jersey cousins at Cecconi’s in Dumbo for brunch. Not a boozy bottomless brunch, but it was brunch with a view.
We sat by the huge window, which gave us the feeling that we were almost under the Brooklyn Bridge. The décor created a comfortable, yet hip vibe, and we talked for a good hour while deciding on our menu choices. We talked so long we had a server change before we even ordered.
Because of our Italian ancestry, and the fact that my nana made the best meatballs in the world, my cousins and I hold Italian food to an especially high standard. and even so, we all enjoyed our meals: Eggplant parmigiana, capricciosa pizza, and tagliatelle Bolognese all passed the test. The next best thing to the food of Rome!
Snack & Cocktails at The Smith: Nomad
After brunch, we strolled through Dumbo as it rained and then decided to take a shared ride back to our hood. We listened as the other passenger described her drunken escapades of the last few days and hoped that she would get home safe as we felt certain she still exceeded the legal limit. Then we decided to get a pre-dinner cocktail at The Smith, which turned into 2 cocktails and truffle fries.
Dinner at Atoboy Restaurant: Nomad
Afterwards we made our way to the Korean-inspired Atoboy in NoMad. Upon entering the long, narrow, concrete-walled room with the staff decked out in burlap, we were transported to another world—I wasn’t sure where, but I liked it. We chose 2 dishes from each section of the menu and shared the small plates as instructed. They were nicely presented and delicious. However, the last dish, a rather large plate of Berkshire Kurobuta pork ribs that fell off the bone, stole the show.
Drinks at Red Rooster: Harlem
These 3 days in Manhattan had me dreaming of living in NYC. We didn’t want our time to end, so we tried to make the most of the hours we had left. Years ago, I became an instant Marcus Samuelsson fan when I read his book “Yes, Chef,” but I had never made it to one of his restaurants. While we planned on lunching at his Red Rooster in Harlem, it didn’t make our final shuffle, so we went there for an after-dinner drink to pay homage. The place was packed, the vibe was perfect, and we scored a prized pair of seats at the bar. We left feeling complete.
If you’re looking for more information on what to see and do in the Big Apple, I recommend these fabulous guides:
The Ultimate Summer Guide to New York City
The Ultimate Winter Guide to New York City
