Another visit to one of my favorite cities, and it didn’t disappoint. Since I am always updating my restaurant lists, I wanted to ensure I was including an up-to-date list on my blog too!
My colleague Jean and I had a great couple days with our New York team and clients. We had a jam-packed agenda of presentations, lunch-and-learns and training, and then, as always, I decided to stay the weekend to spend time with my friends Ashley, April and Anup.
Here is a list of the places I dined at and loved this trip, and also some spots that came recommended that I didn’t have a chance to hit up! This trip encompassed Manhattan, Long Island and Brooklyn, so I was really all over the map!
Let me know if you have experienced any of the below, and have any recommendations you would love to add to the ever-growing list. Click here and here to see my previous blog posts on NYC recommendations!
Stay
Soho House New York is always a magical, whirlwind visit and we were treated so well. I definitely recommend their club floor for those members who have never visited the Meatpacking house before, especially for their buffet breakfast, as it is delicious, has variety, isn’t overwhelming, and is reasonably priced.
Our room was beautiful, and Jean and I are always disappointed to leave it; we had such a wonderful stay in the heart of Meatpacking!
Italian
Marea– My goodness. Marea is one of those famous Italian restaurants that I was lucky enough to get to this time around. The service is impeccable, my squid-ink lobster ravioli was a true highlight, and on my way out I saw Jerry Seinfeld also eating there! Let’s just say that was my favorite New York celebrity sighting to-date. The restaurant was an all-around win!
Via Carota– Via Carota is known for its long lines and cacio e pepe. We got arrived at 5:15 and only waited 10 minutes for a table (no reservations at this Italian hot spot!) and enjoyed the charred leeks, green salad and burrata to start. For our mains we enjoyed cacio e pepe and the smoked ricotta ravioli, and shared a honey + olive oil cake for dessert. The cacio e pepe is definitely one of the best I have ever experienced and I will definitely be heading back to Via again in the future.
Frank– Frank is an East Village favorite of April and Anup’s, and they had been recommending it to me for quite some time. I headed to the cute neighbourhood spot for lunch, which is apparently a less “vibey” atmosphere than at dinner, and enjoyed the home-style wild mushroom tagliatelle.
Here are a few that came recommended that I didn’t make it to this time:
Maialino, Osteria Morini, Rezdôra, Naked Dog (Green Point) and Carbone.
Don’t forget to check out my previous posts with some of my favorite Italian spots in Manhattan and Brooklyn: Misi, Lilia and L’Artusi here and here.
Seafood
Catch– Catch is an old reliable hot spot in NYC’s meatpacking district. I have been before, and yet again we experienced great service and a reliable meal. My favorite menu items this time around were the crispy shrimp and the baked king crab hand rolls with orange tobiko, kewpie mayo, shichimi pepper and soy paper.
Chinese
Red Farm– I dined at Red Farm with April and Anup during our Saturday night out in Manhattan. April had put it on my radar a few years back, and she always says it is one of her favorites in the city. I’m happy to report that Red Farm didn’t disappoint. We got there early to avoid a long line and were seated in a plaid-clad wooden booth. We ordered from both the specials menu and the standard menu, and some of my favorite items were the massive shrimp + pork soup dumplings, the shrimp-stuffed shisito peppers and the lobster + sticky rice from the specials menu. Red Farm doesn’t take reservations either so my advice would be to go early to avoid a two hour wait!
Sweets & Coffee
Long Island Snacks
For Five Coffee Roasters– I had a bit of an ‘injury’ or shall I say ‘incident’ during my stay in New York this time around. I’m not going to get into it since I don’t want it to be a major thing I remember from this trip, but I was so grateful to be with my friend Ashley when it happened (and she took such great care of me)! That being said, our original brunch plans were a bit derailed on Saturday, so we ended up at this cute coffee shop in Manhasset called For Five Coffee Roasters. I had a delicious iced coffee and falafel salad, and picked up a rainbow cookie to-go. (Often over-the-top cookies do not taste as good as they look, but this one was scrumptious!)
Bagels
Of course bagels get their own section! It is New York, after all!
Frankel’s– April and Anup took me to a Jewish deli around the corner from their place that they had been looking forward to trying. I am not one for smoked salmon, so I opted for the onion & garlic bagel + dill cream cheese. Anup also got us latkes, which I had never experienced dipping into apple sauce before, and all of it was incredible. Frankel had a constant line-up out the door while we were there, but the line moved quickly. Go hungry- the bagels are huge!
Bagel Point– When Ian and I were in Brooklyn this summer, Bagel Point hadn’t opened yet, so I was excited to head there this time around. The bagels are massive, and this place is also a hot spot with a huge line! I packed up 8 bagels to bring home, along with the scallion cream cheese for my boys. I picked some fun ones out for my son: zebra, blueberry, unicorn and spooky. The bagels are large, salty and thick- similar to Tompkins Square Bagels! Yum!
Check out last year’s Fall blog post for my favorite bagel spots in East Village here.
Fun
I’m pregnant, so my idea of fun this time around is obviously checking out food, mocktails and… wait for it: massages. Here are a few of the fun things I checked out this trip!
Cowshed– The Cowshed spa at Soho House is always a treat! This time around I had a prenatal massage. It was wonderful and it wasn’t long enough (haha).
Foot Rubs- I can’t tell you the name of the little spot we went into after our dessert on Saturday night, but what I can tell you is that foot rubs are a thing in New York. April and Anup have been going for years, and when they told me that foot rubs are an hour long I thought that was excessive… until I had one. Hands down best way to spend a Saturday night!
Ash’s Greenpoint List (I didn’t get to any of the below this time around! Too many places!):
Di An Di, Greenpoint fish & lobster, Selamat Pagi, Oxomoco, Sauvage, Anella, 21 Greenpoint, Esme, Ramona.
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That’s all for now. Next time I head to New York, Ian and I may have two kids in tow! 😉
Write.Eat.Read.Repeat 