Where to stay in New York

It's not hard to find good restaurants in New York, but I often get asked for tips on where to stay where you won't find yourself nestling up with bedbugs or re-financing your mortgage.

Hotels in New York are hair raisingly expensive. However, I'm a big believer that hair cuts and hotel rooms are not the place to scrimp - whatever your budget, go for the best you can afford. I've listed some options for all budgets below. I hear ya - you don't go to New York to hang out in your hotel room. But, for me, a great hotel can make the difference between an ok trip and a wonderful, high-fiving-yourself-all-the-way-down-Bleeker-Street one - it's the magnolia buttermilk icing on the already formidable cake. And I have a theory that anyone who doesn't absolutely love New York stayed in shit accommodation in bad location - that's not good value. So...

If a roof top pool with views over the Manhattan skyline is what you're after, allow me to introduce you to the The Gansevoort Park Avenue.

The funky modern decor, spacious rooms and cocktail bar with balcony and staggering New York views will have you at "hello" - and that's before you're drinking your Cosmo by the pool. We were swimming before breakfast and there's huge beds for lounging in as you plan the attack on the day's schedule of eating. (Yes, we had a spreadsheet. Seriously.)

Its midtown location makes it central - and it's just up the road from boutique neighbour The Ace Hotel,  home to trendy restaurants, the John Dory Oyster Bar, The Breslin and the Stumptown coffee roasters for your morning fix.

All New York hotels are ridiculously expensive these days so we thought it good value to pay around £200 per night for a Deluxe Room. It's not as expensive as its sibling, Hotel Gansevoort in the Meatpacking District, and what price to rest your weary bones by the amazing roof top pool?

Gansevoort, 420 Park Avenue South, www.gansevoortpark.com

If it's a more budget option you're after, these are my picks:

- The Sohotel - Downtown, in the heart of the Bowery, this budget boutique hotel is in my favourite location of all. It's on Broome Street, just down the road from Pulinos and La Esquina, on the verge of Chinatown and Little Italy. It's in my favourite shopping and eating hub of New York, and only a short stroll from The Meatball Shop, Torrisi Italian Specialities and Katz's Deli on the Lower East Side. The communal areas have funky furnishings, exposed brickwork and free WiFi. The rooms are quite small and basic, but they're certainly decent and each with flat screen TVs and comfortable beds and bathrooms. Generally has really good rates.

- The Mulberry Street Hotel - This one's even further Downtown, on Mulberry Street in the bowels of Chinatown and the Lower East Side. The street outside and the foyer look a bit dodgy. But don't despair - the massive rooms make up for it. We had 2 queensized beds, a large TV and a decent bathroom. Absolutely no frills but it's spacious, safe and clean - a bargain. And you'll be very close to all the Lower East side hang outs - an area that lays claim to about 80% of all my favourite places to eat in New York.

If you can afford a splurge:

- I love, love, love The Standard. Although the rooms are small, every one has spectacular views over the Hudson or the City. The fittings are super cool and nothing less than The Standard's amazing gym overlooking New York would have me near a treadmill on holiday (I stretched against it). It's also home to the hangout of hipsters, the Boom Boom bar, which is a great place to sip cocktails overlooking the twinkling lights of New York. The location in the middle of the Meatpacking District is also idyllic for gourmands - you have The Standard Grill downstairs and Pastis, Fatty Crab, Magnolia cupcakes and Del Posto (although I don't rate the later) all within a few paces. And you can hire bikes right out the front or stroll along the highline right next to the hotel. Just make sure you close the curtains in those intimate moments - the hotel is infamous for giving those driving home along the highway an eyeful on a regular basis.

 - The Soho Grand - Right in the heart of Soho, the rooms have great views and it's hard to fault the location. It's got the chic factor. However, the rooms are quite small and it might be too cool for school for some. It's not far to stroll down for breakfast at Balthazar.

 - TPG says 60 Thompson is awesome - way better than the Soho Grand. I can vouch for the roof top bar for cocktails - fabulous!

Somewhere in between:

- Night Hotel - The midtown location is not my favourite, but this hotel was great value when we stayed there a few years ago. This is a small, stylish, boutique hotel with funky, black and white furnishings and lots of "artistic" (ie. don't go with your grandmother") photos lining the walls.

- The Hudson - This hip, uptown hotel is right near Central Park and has a fabulous, always bustling bar. The rooms are plush, although again not huge.

I haven't listed all the rates as they change all the time and it depends what time of year you go. I have also obtained good deals on www.hotels.com for some of these places in the past.

If you have others to recommend, please do leave a comment. 

And just a little reminder of why you're there...

For places to eat near these hotels, see the New York links under my Gluttonous Travels section on the right hand side of this page. Most of the restaurants listed above are covered in those earlier reviews.

Eleven Madison Park, New York

Pea soup amuse bouche

If you find yourself with something to celebrate in New York (the fact that you're in New York, perhaps?), look no further than Eleven Madison Park for a special occasion meal that you won't forget in a hurry.

With its soaring ceilings and huge windows, the Art Deco dining room is light, airy and elegant. It has a classic New York feel. But Eleven Madison Park is different right from the start.

Amuse no 2.

Crab

The surprise tasting menu allows diners to choose from 3 or 4 courses by only selecting the main ingredient listed - so, for first course, choose from LETTUCE, CRAB, TROUT or FOIE GRAS, and the rest will be entirely up to the imagination of Chef Daniel Humm. Each dish is delicately and beautifully presented - a smile inducing joy to look at as much as to eat.

Egg

Lobster

Among the delights, we enjoyed a dainty CRAB salad with pickled daikon radish and crustacean mayonnaise, followed by a luscious soft poached EGG with frogs legs, English pears and ramps. Mains included poached CHICKEN with Provencale asparagus, morels and black truffles, followed by a magnificent CHOCOLATE tart with salted caramel and chocolate sorbet.

Lamb

Wines were expertly matched by the glass (resulting in quite the happily on top of the world toddle home) and service was friendly and unstuffy - right down to accommodating TPG's new gluten free diet with 4 different types of bread (putting my efforts of buying him the occasional pouch of sympathy flax to shame).

Strawberry

It's pricey but reasonable considering the quality and creativity (particularly given the outrageous pricing of many London tasting menus) and the rollicking good long lunch you will have.

Lunch: 3 courses for $56, 4 courses for $74.
Dinner: 3 courses for $125, 4 courses for $195.
Worth every cent.

I think Eleven Madison Park now has the edge over Per Se, Jean-Georges and any other fine dining I've had in my favorite city of gastronomic delights. Book well in advance.

Eleven Madison Park, 11 Madison Avenue, New York, 10010




Other favourites from this most May 2011 recent trip were newbie The Dutch (fabulous, fun, great food, open late), The Spotted Pig (a burger for brunch - why not?), Craft (an old favourite - still wonderful), Georgia's Eastside BBQ (for massive plates of fried chicken, pulled pork potato salad, slaw etc - not one for dieters) and Gimme Coffee for coffee. Oh, and don't miss the views from the hotel bar at the Mandarin Oriental for cocktails. If I get time (and you may have noticed I'm struggling on that front lately - work can really get in the way of a good time) I'll try to write some of them up. TPG has been promising to help me on that score with some kind of guest entry but so far, so tumbleweed.

Oysters & pearls: Dish of the year at Per Se, New York (and a little rant about Blogger)

The finishing touches. Naturally, I don't have a photo of my dish of the year..

I had written a big, long blog post about my truly wondrous meal at Per Se in New York.

It was, of course, hilariously witty and insightful (there's a first time for everything), intelligently reflective about the year gone by and it waxed philosophical about the differences between London's restaurant scene compared to New York's (there are still 3 light years between them, although London's continues on its way up - bigtime). Then, Blogger wiped it last night. Completely. Aaarghhhh (*furiously whacks computer with big branch, Basil Fawlty style*)

So, TPG having gathered the weeping, raging mess from under the desk and poured gin and tonic into it, I'm back. Gingerly. With Per Se.

I'm not writing it all again. It's New Years Eve and I have a life to live - there's champagne to be drunk and I need to buy saucepans. Suffice to say, at Per Se, I had my most extraordinary, wonderful dish of the year - the oysters & pearls.

This is Thomas Keller's classic dish. It originated at his other 3 Michelin star restaurant, The French Laundry in California, and is bestowed upon every guest at Per Se in New York. It's a seductive, luscious treasure trove of a creamy "sabayon" of pearl tapioca (each grain perfectly firm and distinguishable), briny Island Creek oysters, salty Sterling white sturgeon caviar, egg yolks, cream, black pepper, creme fraiche, vermouth and shallots. It's head rollingly superb.

Like so many of the dishes we ate at Per Se that night, the oysters & pearls is stupendously memorable, and was a moment by moment delight to eat.

Oh yes, there was more. In true special occasion spirit, we gorged ourselves on the 9 course chef's tasting menu (alternatively, there's also a 9 course tasting of vegetables which was the basis for Frank Bruni of the New York Times endowing the place with 4 stars back in 2004 - that's some set of vegetables).

The amazing beef

There was a salad of Greenmarket broccoli with abalone mushrooms, sweet carrots, garden mint and bonito essence (Per Se takes vegetables to another level), there was a grilled fillet of Colombia River Sturgeon and there was a Nova Scotia Lobster poele. There was porchetta with swiss chard, pickled sweet peppers and caper brown butter, there was herb roasted Cavendish Farm's quail with sweet potatoes, cape cod cranberries, frisee and maple syrup. There was cheese and 2 desserts - golden pineapple sorbet and then a tropical tea assortment (which tasted better than it sounds, although desserts were not the highlight for me). But, oysters & pearls devoured, the other dish that I day dream about most is the Snake River Farm's "calotte de boeuf" with slow roasted young beets, Bartlett pears, pistachios and watercress - the meat so rich and succulent that you want to nuzzle up to it on the plate.

Service is faultless - friendly but with an eye to every detail. It is one of the other elements of the evening that affixes to your memory as part of the perfection and enhances the whole experience. The sommelier is fantastic - he listened to us and got it right every time. Even the mignardises at the end (tiny, bite sized chocolates, caramels, doughnuts, macarons) were in the "best ever" category, and we were given a package of truffle popcorn to take away and make at home. (It was delicious.)

All this, you enjoy while overlooking central park among only 16 well spaced, "romantically lit" (ie. check out my rubbish photos) tables.

If you are cynical about expensive fine dining, Per Se might not be for you - what I see as adventurous might irk some and it probably won't have the universal appeal that I think is a strength of Britain's equally expensive The Waterside Inn (review to follow). On the other hand, Per Se is opulent and luxurious but it doesn't suffer from stiff formality (hello Del Posto, if I can be bothered, I'll get to you later. Both these restaurants hold 4 stars, but are in completely different leagues in my book.)

Once you factor in drinks, the tasting menu at Per Se may cost you more than your flight to New York. It's the most expensive meal I've ever paid for (the most expensive meal I've ever not paid for was probably at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, and it wasn't perfect). So it might mean I'm putting off that home deposit for yet another year, but Per Se will dazzle you, it will pamper you, and you'll be day dreaming about it long after the cost is forgotten.

I agree with the New York Times - 4 stars.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Per Se, 10 Colombus Circle, Midtown West, New York, New York 10019

New York - Pullinos, Egg, Balthazar

With so many big lunches and dinners to squeeze in on our trips to New York, it's tempting to skimp on breakfast. But then sanity kicks in and we gorge ourselves anyway.

Eggs on cocotte at Pullinos

Pullinos - Nolita

Pullinos is a charismatic, bar-pizzeria-restaurant with a checkered floor, high ceilings and oodles of charm. It's widely reputed to be great for lunch and dinner (and the pizzas are apparently excellent). But TPG had a waffle here on his previous trip and I haven't stopped hearing about it since (he puts it in the "world's best waffle" league) - so we stopped by for brunch.

First in the door at Pullinos - TPG sleeps on the doorstep

And the waffle had just gone off the menu! Poor, crestfallen TPG. But not matter - the buttermilk pancake with huckleberries and ricotta is baked in a heavy skillet and is thick and fluffy, with good vanilla ice-cream ($11).

My eggs en cocotte with fettunta ($12) are to die for - a rich, creamy eggy joy with eggs, spinach, ham, fontina and thick, toasted bread for shovelling from skillet to mouth . And it might sound boring but the half grapefruit baked with muscovado sugar and mint is a fab little side. We had this at a couple places in New York (I'm yet to see it in London), but Pullinos does it best - and I love the way they segment it for you.

Pullinos, 282 Bowery, New York, Ph: 212 226 1966  



Egg - Brooklyn

Eggs Rothko - before the new camera

It's worth venturing over the bridge to Brooklyn every now and then to witness the flurry of edgy, new places that seem to be popping up each year. Despite its reputation as the up and coming destination for the New York cool kids, I'm still not completely sold on Brooklyn - so many skinny jeans, so much eyeliner (and that's just the men) - but it does have some gems.

Egg is one of them. It's open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner - and that doesn't stop a small waiting list forming for Sunday breakfast. It's worth it.

Never ending donuts

Egg has a small farm in Oak Hill, New York which provides a healthy growth environment for the plants which end up on your plate. Sit down and be greeted with a plate of fried donuts - which is constantly replenished as you continue to devour them. Be careful to save some room for the massive plates of food that are coming. My Eggs Rothko ($9) is an easy cooked egg inside - INSIDE - a slice of "Amy's brioche" and topped with a considerable amount of oozy Grafton cheddar. It's served with broiled tomatoes and a side of meat or seasonal vegetables - I go for Col. Bill Newsom's country ham, as well as a scone like "biscuit" served with fig jam. It's a heart attack on a plate and it's fabulous. TPG had the excellent steel-cut organic oatmeal with dried fruit, toasted almonds, brown sugar and cream ($7) - and another half grapefruit with muscovado sugar and mint.

There's a country ham biscuit (with fig jam, cheddar and grits), organic grits and eggs, biscuits and gravy, and duck leg seared with potatoes and green onions and served with eggs. This is unlike any breakfast you're likely to have in London right now. The coffee's not bad either - we had pots of it American style. I love Egg.


Egg, 135 North 5th Street, Brooklyn, New York 11211, Ph: 718 302 5151 



Balthazar - Soho

Well, of course Balthazar. For us, no trip to New York is complete without a visit to Keith McNally's beautiful, buzzy French bistro. I've written about Balthazar before. On this trip, we visited once for a takeway coffee and one of their miraculous donuts at the small, takeaway bakery and coffee shop next to the main restaurant, once to have a coffee with a friend in the fun bar area, and once for a leisurely croissant and coffee with the papers. I still haven't ever been for dinner despite raving on about the place for years.

Open early til late.

Balthazar, 80 Spring Street, Soho, New York, 10012, Ph: 212 965 1414


Happy Christmas, everyone!

New York: The Meatball Shop & other downtown bites

I've written about 3 great sandwiches from my recent trip to New York - but there's still much to tell. Today, it's all about some fun downtown establishments. Starting with The Meatball Shop:

The Meatball Shop - Lower East Side 

Choose your meatballs, choose your sauce and choose how it arrives in front of you. I take the classic, juicy beef meatballs smothered in spicy meat sauce, served simply and piping hot in a bowl with a slice of foccaccia for mopping it up. TPG goes for the meatball smash - 2 spicy pork meatballs on a brioche bun with spicy meat sauce, cheese and a side salad. Or there's a meatball hero (try beef, spicy pork, chicken, veggie or the daily special) served in a crusty baguette with cheese sauce. A range of sides include risotto, polenta, spaghetti or daily roast veggies.

Executive chef/co-owner Daniel Holzman trained for 4 years at super upmarket Le Bernadin, but is lighting up the happening Lower East Side with this simple but fantastic place that is what it says on the tin. It's a hit with all the hip and happening people that flock to the Lower East Side, an area heaving with similarly lively places to eat. Expect to work through quite a few drinks at the bar while you wait for a table - unless you arrive after 10.30pm (which we did, arriving late from our flight from London) by which time we only had to wait for the time it took to drink a beer. Pure gold.

The Meatball Shop, 84 Stanton Street, Lower East Side, New York, (Ph: (212) 982 8895) - open noon til 2am/4am






Fatty Crab - West Village 

I've reviewed it before, but when your feet are aching from pacing the cobbles of the Meatpacking District and the galleries of 21st Street, this is a great, casual little spot to refuel with some zingy, Malaysian inspired bowls of goodness. On my list to try (still) is Fatty Cue, the related Malaysian/BBQ joint which has opened in Brooklyn.

Fatty Crab, 643 Hudson Street, West Village, New York (Ph. 212 352 3592) (They also have a branch at 2170 Broadway on the Upper West Side).




Torrisi Italian Specialties - Little Italy/NoLita 

I've told my tale of 3 New York sandwiches already, but the chicken parmigiana schnitzel hero from Torrisi Italian Specialties deserves an honorable mention. There's minimal seating in this old fashioned, basic deli come restaurant, and many take away, but the big, juicy sandwiches are well worth the short wait. My chicken parma sandwich ($8) was crammed with large, succulent pieces of breaded chicken schnitz and a tasty tomato sauce. It's all so fresh and simple, so why is it so hard to find a sandwich this good?

The walk in only restaurant also has a daily changing, Italian family style dinner menu made from all American ingredients for around $50 per person - it allows for no substitutions (including for vegetarians or children) but sounds the goods to me.


Torrisi Italian Specialties, 250 Mulberry Street, NoLita, New York (Ph: (212) 695 0955)

The Stanton Social - Lower East Side 

If I didn't despise the overused phrase "achingly hip" so much, I'd use it to describe the Stanton Social. A large dark, seductive room with a mix of tables and alluring, round booths is humming with a big, boisterous, Saturday night vibe from early til late. The menu bears an intriguing mix of modern sharing plates with a twist - like Kobe beef burger sliders, red snapper tacos, Thai spiced baby back ribs and butter poached lobster pizzetta. However, the execution had more misses than hits on our visit - French onion soup dumplings are cheese drenched soggy balls and the "chicken and waffles" (brick pressed chicken, aged cheddar waffle, corn pudding and balsamic spiked maple syrup) is interesting but doesn't really hit the mark.

A fun place for lively drinks and sharing plates, but the food doesn't live up to its promise. (This was confirmed by the experiences of our New York friends also). And hereby heed my very annoying website warning.

The Stanton Social Club, 99 Stanton Street, Lower East Side, New York, (Ph: (212) 995 0099)

Momufuku Noodle Bar - East Village 

David Chang's casual noodle bar is definitely worth a visit. The momofuku ramen with pork belly, pork shoulder and poached egg was good (perfectly cooked noodles, nice pork, subtle broth), but the ginger scallion noodles were fabulous - shiny, toothsome squiggles of joy, mixed with the delectable flavours of pickled shiitake mushrooms, cucumber and menma. The short menu is rammed with loads you'll want to try - steamed buns, roasted foie gras with almond, pear and smoked tea, smoked chicken wings with pickled chilli, garlic and scallions. The noodle bar is said to serve a fantastic fried chicken - call ahead to reserve it. The setting is quite spacious and modern, with blonde wood and long, communal tables. Momofuku Noodle Bar is good - one to go back to again and again.

Momofuku Noodle Bar, 171 First Avenue (Between 10th and 11th), New York



Finally, Momofuku Milk Bar (207, 2nd Ave, East Village, New York) - I've mentioned it before. But now they have birthday cake truffles - cakey, doughey balls of rainbow cake crumble, sprinkles and vanilla frosting. They sound ridiculous. They taste amazing. I'm addicted. $3 for 3.

For more on New York, see my earlier posts:

• A tale of 3 sandwiches 
• Breakfast, Brunch, Coffee 
• Lunch, Dinner, Everything in Between 

Still to come: More brunch spots and 2 nights of five star dining

New York - Cheap Eats: A tale of 3 sandwiches

Luke's Lobster roll

New York is hard to beat for breadth and depth of great quality food and exciting, buzzy places to eat it. Whether dining in 4 star extravagance at Per Se and Del Posto (reviews to follow), or roughing it with take away bites on the street, this is a city that knows how to eat.

TPG and I were back again this month for our annual eat up. So let me start with the simple stuff: 3 sandwiches of sorts that almost brought a tear to the eye.
 


1. Luke's Lobster - the lobster roll
(93 East 7th Street (at 1st Ave), East Village, New York; www.lukeslobster.com)

The Taste of Maine

Ex-lobsterman, Luke Holden, sources his lobster fresh from his father's sustainable Maine seafood company.  If you're fed up with expensive lobster rolls drowning in mayo, this is the place for you. 

Each softly grilled hot dog bun contains big, juicy chunks of fresh lobster claw (there's 5 or 6 claws in each roll), lightly seasoned with celery salt, pepper and just the barest smattering of mayo. No more is necessary to let this lusciously sweet lobster meat sing. The joy will set you back a mere $16 (£10.20). For $20 (£12.80), we also tried the Taste of Maine - half a lobster roll, half a crab roll and half a shrimp roll (all fresh and delicious), a Maine Root soda, a pair of sweet Empress crab claws and a packet of Miss Vickie's crisps.







2. Baohaus - steamed bun sandwiches 
(173 Rivington Street, Lower East Side, New York 10002, http://www.baohausnyc.com)

Chairman Bao (pork belly) and fried chicken baos

Mini, soft steamed buns packed with pork belly, marinated beef or fried chicken and chopped spring onion, coriander and crushed peanuts. These Taiwanese gua bao are all sticky, gooey glory. They're small for around $3.50 - $4.50 each, but each are tiny, flavour packed taste sensations. My favourite was the Chairman Bao (with Berkshire pork belly, crushed peanut, coriander, Haus Relish and Taiwanese red sugar). Chef Eddie Huang calls himself a third generation baozi/mantou maker and puts his own spin on the red-cooked pork of his youth. Open 'til late.







3. Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich - banh mi
(369 Broome Street, Nolita, New York, 10013; www.vietnamese-sandwich.com - formerly Banh Mi So 1) 

Pork banh mi

Around $4 buys you a huge, crunchy, chewy baguette laden with pork, pate, Vietnamese pork sausage, coriander, pickled carrot and radish, cucumber and mayo. The flavours are fresh and zingy, the textures are moist, soft, crisp and crunchy in all the right places. As far as bahn mi goes, it's outstanding. It equals or tops TPG's former favourite, Nicky's Vietnamese sandwiches, and TPG reports it to be streets ahead of London's City Caphe (which I haven't tried). I went back twice in one day - the second time trying the chicken bahn mi which was also fantastic - just be wary of the garlicky marinade if you're on route to a hot date (thank God I had a row to myself on the plane home). If I lived nearby, the pork banh mi would be my new addiction.

Just 3 more little reasons why I heart NY.


For my 2010 post about some fun places to eat in downtown New York, see here. My earlier New York posts have links in the Gluttonous Travels section on the right hand side.