Manhattan Dining: From Low to Haute

DINING OUT IN MANHATTAN

We ran the gamut on our recent visit to Manhattan from lunches at diners to meals at moderate and splurge-worthy restaurants.

We were initially dismayed to see that the Lenox Grill on Lexington had closed.  While it wasn’t the best diner in the world, it was reliably good, convenient to where we wanted to be, and never so crowded you couldn’t get a table.

Here are some notes on where we did eat most recently.

DINER LUNCHES (Upper East Side) 

E & J Luncheonette

This old-fashioned diner on 3rd Avenue is probably the best one we tried.  We’d eaten here in the spring and it was very popular.  They serve a satisfyingly good grilled bacon and cheese, with the usual cole slaw and optional French fries.

Nectar Café

This cozy, I’d call it snug, little place operates on a cash only basis and you wonder where they’ve tucked away the kitchen!  But, if you don’t mind being cheek by jowl, then the food is very good and the service friendly.  I liked my tuna salad sandwich on multi-grain toast.

Gracie’s Corner Diner

Don’t bother.  This large diner on E. 86th Street has an extensive menu, and perhaps it was because I was tired of sandwich and so-so salad fare, but I was decidedly underwhelmed. Like so many diners, quantity was the byword here, bypassing true quality.  I ordered a green salad with grilled chicken on top, huge with a strange house dressing on the side and lots of chicken, but with little flavor.  The corn beef Reuben was open face and smothered with a thick layer of cheese and, frankly, didn’t look that appetizing.  The CP didn’t eat much of it either.

Gina Americana

This little hole-in-the-wall burger joint boasts a row of American flag posters in frames and other flags around its walls.  Bypassing all the varieties of burger meat and toppings, we opted for items from the Mexican Connection section of the menu.  The guacamole was excellent and the chicken quesadilla and the chicken taco very good—the only surprise was the lack of any salsa or hot sauce whatsoever!  Lime wedges came with the taco and the guacamole.

 

MODERATE DINNER FARE  (Upper East Side unless noted)

Island

Embracing a New England nautical flair, Island is a very popular spot for locals and the occasional hotel guest from down the block.  They cater nicely to folks of all ages, even kids.  We dined here two nights and found the chicken paillard, chopped Cobb salad, and fried calamari all to our liking!  The calamari was all rings and perfectly cooked.  The Cobb salad was not the usual mass of large pieces of lettuce and great gobs of avocado and chicken, but rather a nice melange of chopped greens with the chicken, avocado, bacon and blue cheese in appropriately sized small pieces.  The sum was definitely greater than the parts!

Little Frog

Very friendly French place and reliably good.  We like the charming and urbane maître d’ (who think is also the owner).  The cheese fritters were a wonderful starter, the salads are good, and the braised short ribs were sublime!  Perfect for a chilly evening.

 Table d’Hote

Snug little restaurant on the Upper East Side about the size of a tearoom and very popular.  We enjoyed lunch here so much we returned for the perfectly executed comfort food dinner!  Little gem romaine salad with an oregano vinaigrette and then roast organic chicken served with silky puréed potatoes and some mini carrots all in tarragon jus.

Jing Fong  (Upper West Side)

This Chinese restaurant on Amsterdam sports dim sum on its sign, but the night we were there there were no carts, just what was on the menu.  To be fair, the menu includes a wide variety of dumplings, a number of which our large group sampled.  They were good.  We also ordered a chicken and vegetable dish, beef and onions, steamed buns, and for the two kids, several orders of soup dumplings.  Very busy on a Friday night so best to make a reservation.

Via Carota  (West Village)

I consider this a very special place even though it isn’t at all fancy.  In fact, it’s almost rustic with its wooden floor and wooden tables and chairs with the menus rolled up in a back pocket.  We eat here at least once every time we come to New York and dig into several must-have dishes:  grilled artichokes, and either Meyer lemon risotto or the chicken with lemon.  All the pastas are delectable, the salad is a perfectly tangy mound of greens, and it’s hard to go amiss with any dish you order.  They don’t take reservations so we often arrive unfashionably early, whether lunch or dinner.

Pascalou

Disappointing. We really wanted to like this French restaurant as the menu was very appealing.  Our waiter had a twinkle, our table upstairs was quiet, and everything was going fine.  The first courses, salad for me and pate for him, were acceptable, but then the service deteriorated.  It was almost an hour between courses and one entrée had clearly been cooked the day before, and the other wasn’t quite done the way I had requested.  The place was full so I hope others had a better experience.

 

SPLURGES

Paola’s

A traditional white tablecloth Italian restaurant serving both lunch and dinner.  It’s another popular Upper East Side dining venue and reservations, at least for dinner, are essential.  Salads are fresh and tasty and the pastas and veal shine.  I’m especially fond of the veal-stuffed agnolotti dusted with black truffle.

 Boulud Sud 

This is Chef Daniel’s (as in Boulud) Mediterranean restaurant and it’s an elegantly simple dining room offering impeccable service.  We’ve had lunches here in the more distant past, and this trip went for the prix fixe dinner before going across the street to Lincoln Center.  Everything was delicious from my saffron linguini with lemon and bottarga to the grilled dorade on a red pepper emulsion to the  light chocolate gateau with an oval of sorbet.

Cosme

Superb Mexican-influenced cuisine on 21st Street.  The dining room is what I’d call chic industrial with high ceilings, exposed metal, and light wood tables and finishes.  Most of the dishes on the menu are not familiar so you, like us, might need some translations.

We tucked into the herb guacamole (chunky style with an aromatic bunch of herb leaves) to go with the slightly astringent margaritas.  We then followed with branzino that was light and delectable and the house specialty, duck carnitas, basically a whole duck deconstructed and then put back together under the skin and served with two sauces and blue corn tortillas.  For dessert, we ordered the meringue filled with corn mousse (very different, but quite tasty) and a combo of a pastry ball and a ball of orange sorbet.  This restaurant is definitely pricy so be prepared to spend a lot, but it’s definitely worth it!

 Note:  All photos by JWFarrington except for header photo of an E&J sandwich from foursquare.com

San Francisco Interlude

 

SAN FRANCISCO
OLD HOME WEEK AT THE ACADEMY
The Chief Penguin and I had the great pleasure of returning to San Francisco and the California Academy of Sciences for the 10th anniversary celebration of its new building. Ten years ago, when he was the Chief Penguin of this wonderful museum, we sat on the since named Patterson Plaza, and celebrated the opening of Renzo Piano’s airy, light-filled creation. The mayor and other dignitaries were there to bless the occasion, the sun burst through the clouds, and butterflies were released to the sky. It was a glorious day and the line for entry wound down the sidewalk and around the building for almost a mile. 

This time, besides the expected speeches, we were treated to songs from the San Francisco Boys Choir and testimonials from two youth. The 10 year old girl was an infant when the new academy opened and has been visiting since those early days. She loves the place and shared her enthusiasm for it and her goal of becoming an academy scientist. A 15 year old young man spoke eloquently about his experience as a Careers in Science intern, his involvement with the planetarium, and his plans to become an astrophysicist. Both were memorable demonstrations of the importance and power of the academy’s education mission!  A champagne toast on the Living Roof, the scattering of seeds there, and a reunion lunch with former colleagues and friends rounded out the day.  

The next day we returned for tours of the new Giants of Land and Sea exhibit and Big Picture as well as a showing of the newest award-winning planetarium show, Expedition Reef.  I was pleased to see that exhibit labels are now in four languages and that there were so many informative interactive screens in Giants.

I’ve been through the redwoods several times, but was in awe of the giant slice of an 800 year old redwood tree that came down in a storm; for me, it was the highlight of that exhibit.  Big Picture, the annual exhibit of the winners of the Academy’s photography contest, is now five years old and better than ever. I particularly liked the shot of the mother flamingo’s feather encircling a baby whose nose is just poking through.

Watching the planetarium show, I gained an greater understanding of the role played by coral reefs around the world and why it’s critical to work to preserve them.

And if you think this is all a plug for going to the academy, it is!  I’m shameless about promoting it.

DINING BY THE BAY 
Lest you think we didn’t do anything else in our short visit, we also ate very well!
Pizzeria Delfina. Upon arrival we started in our old neighborhood and had lunch at this pizza place off Fillmore. Old favorites, insulata tricolore and the sausage pizza, were as good as we remembered!

Coqueta.  This restaurant on the Embarcadero is another one we love, and we had dinner here our first night. Their menu of tapas always pleases and we had some of our usuals—-chicken croquettes, meatballs, patatas bravas, smoky potato chips, and a couple of cheeses.

Potatoes & Chips at Coqueta

Mel’s Drive-in Diner.  On busy Lombard Street, Mel’s serves as hearty a breakfast as you could want in a setting complete with jukebox and crayons and balloons for kids.  A complete array of omelettes plus bacon, sausage and toast.  Our waitress was friendly and the place has an inviting vibe.

A16.  On Chestnut Street, a short walk from our hotel, A16 is the sister restaurant to SPQR and a more casual place. Lots of pizzas on their menu plus salads and some slightly different pasta dishes. The panzanella salad was excellent and the simple long pasta with ragu perfect comfort food. Have to admit that the fusilli with walnuts was a bit oddly flavored, but worth trying. For dessert, we settled on a plate of small cookies which provided the requisite amount of sweet.

Pacific Catch. This Bay Area chain serves excellent fresh fish alone, in sandwiches, tacos and poke, and atop salads or rice bowls. Located a short walk from the Academy, it’s long been a lunch favorite for staff. I and the C.P. both dined there separately with former colleagues, and I had the hard choice of either the taco plate or the grilled salmon sandwich. The sandwich won out.

Zuni Cafe.  An old standby downtown (40 years young), but still excellent, was the venue for our last dinner. We were joined by a good friend and, while none of us ordered their famous roast chicken, we liked very much our heirloom tomato and Caesar salads, fritto misto, simple risotto, and a made-to-order veggie plate.

Note: All photos by JWFarrington.

 

Re-Entry: Maine to Florida

LEAVING MAINE

Our last day in Maine we spent in Portland.  We had a lovely time at Petit Jacqueline over lunch of quiches and crepes with my cousin and his wife, re-visited the local independent bookstores, walked around Munjoy Hill, and then had dinner at Drifters Wife.

Foodies, and others, will know that this restaurant made the Top Ten Hot New Restaurants list as put forth by Bon Appetit.  Portland itself was named the food city of the year by the magazine.  I made our reservation before the top 10 list was final and my choices were 5:15 pm or 9:30.  Guess which one I picked?  Seriously, this wine shop (it’s still in the front of their space but set back so that I really didn’t see it until we were leaving) morphed and became a wine shop plus a wine bar with a small food menu.  

We both tried some different wines and the food was inventive and fun.  Beside their salami and very good sourdough bread with dulse butter, we sampled the corn and watermelon salad and the bacon, cabbage, and peach combo, followed by the half chicken served with greens.  For dessert (we broke our own rules about skipping this course) we tried the malabi, a Persian soft custard with blueberries that was delectable.  

Given their new fame, the place was jumping; there were couples standing and waiting for an available table while the two owners were back and forth seating folks and checking glassware at the bar (he seemed to always have towel in hand).  It’s all hard surfaces with nothing to muffle the sound, so it got louder the longer we were there.  Knowing that, it’s still a place I’d go to

if you are open to a different dining experience.

 

 

HOME AGAIN

We arrived home on Saturday night about 7:00 to an empty larder.  It being Labor Day weekend, we didn’t know if our favorite local restaurants would be crowded.  We arrived at Tide Tables about two minutes after they closed and went on to our favorite standby, Cortez Kitchen.  They were busy and THC, two guitarists with amplification, were playing and singing.  A happening place. 

Our favorite waitress smiled at us, we ordered coconut shrimp and the spicy shrimp roll to go with our wine, and prepared to wait for the food.  Initially, I was blasted by the sound of the music duo, but as I sipped the wine, I began to chill and get with the vibe.  This place is what we call our “biker bar” as it attracts a range of ages, lots of locals and some snow birds, but definitely those who arrive on their big wheel bikes.  In so many ways, it was the right place for re-entry into our Florida life.  Like Drifters Wife it was loud, but, other than that, so very different!

 

 

 

ON THE BIG SCREEN

Crazy Rich Asians

This is a perfect end of summer film.  A rom-com (romantic comedy for those not up to the latest slang), it’s fun, lovely, and has a happy ending.  I’ve made several visits to Singapore over the years, and having experienced the island’s culture and beauty, probably predisposed me to like the film.  Touting an all-Asian cast, it was the no.1 hit at the box office last week, out performing even Mission Impossible.  See it to be entertained, ignore or put up with the “catty girl” scenes, and settle in for a tropical delight.  Nothing too heavy, just enjoyable.

RECENT READING

#20    This Time Might Be Different by Elaine Ford

This book of short stories is by a Maine author.  While I haven’t yet read all of them I’m counting this as book #20 and the last one in my personal summer reading challenge.  With a subtitle of “Stories of Maine,” Ford matter-of-factly and succinctly presents the somewhat bleak lives of folks living in mostly rural poverty there.  Events more often happen to these people than being planned.  The stories perfectly capture that state’s physical landscape and are affecting to read.

Note:  All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved)

 

 

Maine Time: Pausing in Portland

PORTLAND INTERLUDE

As is our wont, our annual trip to Maine included about 36 hours in Portland.  Portland is red brick and squawking gulls (Florida seagulls don’t seem to squawk, at least I haven’t heard them).  It’s also home to a branch of the ubiquitous Sherman’s (books lowercase, gifty items uppercase), the seriously good Longfellow Books, and a plethora of good to great restaurants.  It’s a real foodie’s town.  And in our short time there, we managed to squeeze in a tasty lunch at the Garden Café, two superb dinners, and an atmospheric, but somewhat disappointing, lobster roll lunch in the Old Port.  

We like to stay at the Portland Regency Hotel in the historic Armory building.  It’s conveniently located close to the touristy Old Port yet also easily walkable to the center of town and to the Portland Art Museum.  Like all of the hotels this season, it’s pricey—summer is when Portland makes real money.

On our way to dinner one night, we stopped in at said art museum (turned out it’s free from 4:00 to 8:00 pm on Fridays) and found the exhibit of the photography of Clarence White most interesting.  Self taught, White gained attention at the beginning of the 20thcentury for his soft focus photos of women and children and was later commissioned to do illustrations for a number of books and for advertising.  He also was one of the first individuals to teach photography in a university setting, at Columbia and also elsewhere.

WHERE WE ATE

Garden Café

This is the Regency hotel’s outdoor dining spot, and when the weather is perfect, which it was on Thursday, it was just right for lunch.  The menu includes the usual coastal fare of fish and chips, chowder, and lobster rolls, but you can also order a quesadilla with chicken or one from their appetizing selection of salads.  Service is leisurely, but who wants to hurry on a beautiful day!

Hugo’s

Hugo’s is a seriously good restaurant and the dinner we enjoyed here was exquisite.  The menu is divided into three sections:  appetizers, to share, and mains.  We ordered mostly from the appetizers section with the addition of one entrée and shared everything.  The cold smoked halibut with almond milk and ramps was different and delectable, the tuna tartare luscious, and the orcchiette with lamb bacon and spinach an inspired and hearty combination.

As a main, we sampled the roasted scallops with mole, probably the best scallops I’ve ever eaten!  Seating is in booths or stools at the bar and the wait staff are all very friendly and welcoming.  For those who may be hesitant about this refined food, the staff will put them at ease.

Chaval

This Spanish style casual place in the west end is celebrating its first anniversary this week. We have dined at Piccolo, its sister Italian restaurant in the Old Port, several times and found it so wonderful, we felt we needed to try Chaval.  Chaval too is marvelous.  There is pleasant indoor seating, but we opted for the walled-in patio out back and were charmed by the bold painted flowers on the building wall.

The menu has a number of tapas dishes on the To Start section of the menu along with Stuck in the Middle and Forks and Knives.  We like small plates and so tried the fried cauliflower, patatas bravas (the Chief Penguin pronounced these the best ever!), deviled eggs with shrimp and caviar, and a special of the night, duck rillettes.  

These were several bites each and thus, we then went on to lettuce and nuts (a salad with walnuts and cabrales blue cheese) and a beautifully presented plate of shrimp a la plancha.  To end, we succumbed to an order of churros.   Another wonderful meal!

READING UPDATE

#8  Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

This historical novel has so many different strands at work that it’s difficult to know what aspects to pinpoint.  It’s a story about a father-daughter relationship, albeit one that exist in bursts with 12-year old Anna recounting a memorable outing with her father, followed by his disappearance, and then her resignation at knowing his fate.  It’s also about the divers who worked at the Brooklyn Naval Yard during WWII and how Anna becomes the first female diver.  And there’s the shadowy background of the mob—the corrupt underworld of nightclubs and shady yet tantalizingly seductive men like Dexter Styles.  Egan brings all this together in a compelling, richly detailed, dark tale that kept this reader wondering how it would all come together and whether any of these characters, Anna, her hapless mother, or her rootless aunt Brianne, would find ease and stability.

For the record, more than fifteen publications included this work on their lists of the top books of 2017. (~JWFarrington)

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).  Header photo is back side of restaurant Chaval.