Union Square Cafe

21 East 16th Street; New York, NY 10003 212-989-352

(June 9, 2008). For us, this is the NYC restaurant that we try to visit on our two week-long visits to NYC each year. Danny Meyer’s concept of friendly service combined with the always appealing menu never ceases to delight.

Gramercy Tavern 4

 

Lewis and I, Linda, have celebrated many a mutual spring birthday at Gramercy Tavern, long before this blog originated, but on April 22, 2008, we held a special luncheon celebration at our favorite quiet windowside table in the restaurant’s back room.

Cru – NYC

On August 14, 2007 Linda and I dined at Cru, which says it has the second largest wine cellar of any American restaurant, 65,000 bottles.

A Voce

41 Madison Avenue at 26th. 212-545-8555. www.avocerestaurant.com

(August 11, 2007) Serious foodies maintain that if you can take the noise level, A Voce is one of the best restaurants in town. The four of us were lucky this Saturday night.

Eleven Madison Park

For the third dining celebration of my 67^th birthday we went to Eleven Madison Park with Ron and June, our first time at this highly-rated restaurant set in what had been the cavernous art deco executive briefing center of The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. The extensive wine list came right away; we ordered a bottle of 2005 Whetston “Catie’s Corner” (Russian River Valley) Viognier.

Hearth – NYC

Galen, Timothy, Linda and I dined at Hearth on July 17, 2007. The menus were on the table in the form of paper placemats. We ordered the $78 tasting menu for the table and a bottle of 2005 “Le Bon Climat Vineyard” Cold Heaven Viognier. 

The menus were removed and a refreshing amuse-gueule of a little glass of cold cucumber dill soup arrived.

The Gotham Bar and Grill

12 East 12^th Street, New York 

www.gothambarandgrill.com 

On April 12, 2007, David and Frédérique (right) took Linda and me to The Gotham Bar and Grill for dinner. We used to go there frequently as it is a good place to take people from out-of-town to be in a very “New York” ambience, but we had not been for a few years and were glad that David chose it.

Tabla 2 & 3

On Monday, March 12, 2007, we dined at Tabla with Mary and Gregor. The atmosphere on arriving was quite different from our previous visit on a Saturday evening. (You could read our Tabla 1 blogpost of February 18, 2007, before reading this, as I am trying not to repeat.)

Tabla 1

Tabla
11 Madison Avenue (25^th Street)
212-889-0667
http://www.tablany.com 

On February 17, 2007, Linda, Blair, Karyn and I went for dinner at Tabla. We looked at the menu while waiting for our table; it was slightly changed from what we had already seen on the website.

The Gramercy Tavern 3

On December 1, 2006, we went to lunch at The Gramercy Tavern with Linda’s niece, Becky, and her husband, Chuck.

The Gramercy Tavern 2

On November 20, 2006, four of us went to The Gramercy Tavern for dinner.  (See July 29, 2006, for the previous posting on this, our favorite NYC restaurant.)  At our request we were given the table in the Star Room in the very back left, far corner, which was quite quiet.  As this was Monday of Thanksgiving Week, there were none of the usual tables of six or eight business people shouting at each other in order to be heard.   Our other couple was Dutch and so we stuck to American wines.  We had a bottle of 2005 Penner Ash (Oregon) Viognier as apéritif and with the first course; it is quite substantial for a white wine.  

Tocqueville

Monday, August 21, 2006, Linda and Michael dined at Tocqueville, 1 East 15th Street. We had already had our apéritif at friends’ house nearby so we skipped that step here. We ordered from the à la carte menu with about eight choices for starters and for main courses.

The Gramercy Tavern

The Gramercy Tavern has long been our favorite restaurant in New York.  We have been going several times a year for many years, both at lunch, which is quieter, and in the evening. 

SAPA

43 West 24th St. 212-929-1800 This is the latest of Patricia Yeo’s many restaurants, and just as trendy as AZ. There is a bar scene in the front, all those singles seeing and being seen, but the tables in the back are far enough from it to be relatively quiet. The cavernous space is all brick walls, slatted booths, expensively done. The food is Vietnamese fusion, I guess I would have to say.