Special Dining Experiences

April’s Trio Blooms in NYC

Chef April Bloomfield and her partner, Ken Friedman, made their initial mark on New York’s dining scene over 5 years ago when, in a small space in the West Village, they opened something that was new to the city at the time: a gastropub. They called it The Spotted Pig, 314 W. 11th St., at Greenwich Street (tel. 212/620-0393; www.thespottedpig.com), and with its cask beers like Spotted Pig bitters, small plates to accompany them, like crispy pigs ears, deviled eggs like you’ve never had before, and a now legendary burger with Roquefort cheese, the restaurant was an immediate sensation and celebrity magnet.

Flash forward to 2010 and Bloomfield and Friedman repeated their Spotted Pig success with another pub-like restaurant they called The Breslin, 16 W. 29th St., off the lobby of the Ace Hotel (tel. 646/214-5780; www.thebreslin.com). Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it’s the evening crowd where the mobs begin to descend for the classic cocktails and, of course, the meat-heavy menu. The lamb burger with feta has already been christened by many publications as the city’s best burger while the pig foot for two makes the Breslin a worthy destination for the growing numbers of adventurous foodies out there.

Across the busy lobby of the Ace, is the third Bloomfield and Friedman venture; their newest which opened in early 2011 they call The John Dory Oyster Bar, 1196 Broadway at 29th Street in the Ace Hotel (tel. 212/792-9000; www.thejohndory.com). The space is small with bar-like tables and counter space along the windows and the no-reservations policy makes for a maddening scene, but none of those discomforts matter once you settle in and begin feasting on the John Dory’s delicious offerings. Oysters vary daily and, as the restaurant’s name suggests, are a must to start with. There are also several “crudo” (raw fish lightly seasoned) items on the menu including the revelatory Australian hiramasa. Of the small plates, the escarole salad with anchovies is an amazing variation of the Caesar, while the piquant oyster pan roast, seemingly small, but bursting with flavor and the chorizo-stuffed squid with smoked tomatoes are so good that even before you finish, will have you plotting your next visit to the John Dory Oyster Bar.

Foodie Food Courts

One of the new trends in New York’s foodie mania, along with gourmet food trucks, is the emergence of diverse, sometimes ethnic, always non-chain food booths within food courts. And, as opposed to eating from a truck, you can actually sit and eat. It’s difficult enough for me to stuff my face standing; sitting just makes it that much easier.

Restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow (Bar Basque, Tanuke Tavern) got into the food court business in 2010 when he opened FoodParc on the ground level of the Eventi Hotel at 845 Sixth Ave., at 29th Street (www.foodparc.com). The four-venue food court features indoor and outdoor seating. The outdoor seating includes an enormous television screen where independent short films and classics are often running. The attraction, however, is not the seating but the fresh goods offered at the restaurants. Red Farm Stand specializes in dumplings and noodles, plus a delicious twist on Asian appetizers—their Katz’s pastrami egg roll (yes, an egg roll stuffed with Katz’s Deli world famous salami). Also in FoodParc you’ll find 3B’s, which means burgers, bacon, and brews. The burgers are a hanger steak blend, the bacon, artisanal, and the brews from domestic micro-breweries.

Not far from FoodParc, in Koreatown, is Food Gallery 32, an Asian food emporium at 11 W. 32nd St., between Sixth and Fifth avenues, where vendors sell snacks from Korea, Japan, China, and Vietnam. The two levels of seating make the experience not only tasty, but convenient.

Having a food court named after you must qualify you as a “Top Chef,” and Todd English has that distinction with the upscale The Plaza Food Hall by Todd English (www.theplazafoodhall.com). In the 5,400 square foot eating emporium, you will find such venues as the Grill, the Wine Bar, Sushi Bar, Ocean Grill & Oyster Bar, “Pizza,” the Dumpling Bar, Bakery, and a demo kitchen. All are very self-explanatory and all very rudimentary . . . though not for a food court, especially one located in the Plaza Hotel.

Finally, there is the monster that is Eataly, at 200 Fifth Ave., between 23rd and 24th streets (tel. 212/229-2560; www.eatalyny.com). Encompassing a full city block, this Mario Batali and Joe and mother Lydia Bastianich (Babbo, Del Posto) enterprise is a food court like no other—a true nirvana to the Italian foodie in particular. Here you will find 12 different “eateries,” an Italian-accented steakhouse called Manzo; Il Pesce, for fresh fish; La Pizza and Pasta; and a Paninoteca, for Italian sandwiches to name just a few of the eating options. Along with the eateries, you can browse various Italian foodstuffs like salumi and cheese, fresh and dry pasta, meat, seafood, vegetables, wine, coffee, and much more.

Eataly is a wonderland for sure, but only if you can negotiate the crowds and the enormous maze-like room. I admit to having been intimidated by the scale of it all the few times I have visited, but that probably says more about me than about the wildly successful Eataly. You can download a PDF of Eataly’s floor plan from the website that might come in handy when visiting.

Urban BBQ: The B`est ‘Cue in New York City

New York is known for many cuisines, but barbecue is not traditionally one of them. But the hankering for slow-cooked, charred meat has made its way to the big city. And, really, what is more primal and satisfying than the sensation of tearing slow-smoked meat from bone, eating the meat with your fingers and then, of course, licking that sweet and savory sauce off your own natural utensils?

The appropriately named RUB, is helmed by Kansas City pit master Paul Kirk. The smoked turkey and chicken were as close to perfection as I’ve found. Close to the West Side Highway, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, a Syracuse transplant barbecue joint, is like a roadhouse in atmosphere, and the pulled pork is as good as it gets north of 125th Street. In the heart of tourist trap mecca Times Square lies a kitschy, themed barbecue joint, Virgil’s Real BBQ, which, especially for a theme restaurant, serves remarkably good ‘cue.

French-trained, and a former chef at Daniel, Adam Perry Lang gave up the haute French cuisine to open his own joint: Daisy May’s BBQ, 623 11th Ave., at 46th Street (tel. 212/977-1500; www.daisymaysbbq.com), with stellar results. Daisy May carts can be found in locations around the city, but if you can’t find a cart, squeeze into his cafeteria-style restaurant for Memphis-style dry-rub ribs.

For Texas-style barbecue, visit Hill Country, 30 W. 26th St., between Broadway and Sixth Avenue (tel. 212/255-4544; www.hillcountryny.com), for the amazing beef short ribs, and Johnny Utah’s, 25 W. 51st St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues (tel. 212/265-UTAH [265-8824]; www.johnnyutahs.com), where you can have your steak and watch inebriated Texan-wannabes get tossed from a mechanical bull.

Restaurateur Danny Meyer, a St. Louis native, wanted to replicate the barbecue he remembered growing up, so he opened Blue Smoke, 116 E. 27th St., between Lexington and Park avenues (tel. 212/447-7733; www.jazzstandard.net), as part of the jazz club, the Jazz Standard. Blue Smoke offers the usual array of barbecue, made in Meyer’s custom-built smoker, but with a few quirks such as a fried bologna sandwich.

Brooklyn is honing its ‘cue skills with the recent addition of two joints, including the appropriately named The Smoke Joint, 87 S. Elliot Place (tel. 718/797-1011; www.thesmokejoint.com), in Fort Greene, where the “Baby Got Back” baby backs fall off the bone. Fette Sau, in Williamsburg, means “fat pig” in German, but though there is plenty of good fat in the pig served at Fette Sau, there is nothing German about that down-home smoky taste. Also in Williamsburg, the non-traditional, but great ‘cue just the same can be found at the Asian accented Fatty Cue.

Rack & Soul, 2818 Broadway, at 109th Street (tel. 212/222-4800; www.rackandsoul.com), not only offers pan-fried chicken by chicken master Charles Gabriel, but also barbecued baby back ribs that are so good you might have to pass on his chicken; or go for a combo platter where you can get a taste of both.

Where the Editor Eats . . .

After a long day of shepherding Frommer’s Travel Guides from manuscript to publication, this editor can use a good meal, a stiff drink, and a kind word. Here are some places where I can find them:

In the West Village, I like to swing by Cowgirl, 519 Hudson St., at West 10th Street (tel. 212/633-1133; www.cowgirlnyc.com; Subway: 1 to Christopher St.) for a frozen blood-orange margarita (served in a Mason jar) or the Bible Belt (sort of a bourbon margarita), especially at happy hour, and enjoy some not-too-expensive Tex-Mex-style snacks or entrees (from chicken-fried chicken and chicken-fried steak, to Frito pie and veggie options). The staff is friendly and sassy and part of the show.

Zuni, 598 Ninth Ave., just below 43rd Street (tel. 212/765-7626; www.zuniny.com) is Off-Off Broadway central; each evening waves of actors, directors, techies, and audiences flood the place from various theaters in the neighborhood. They make the bar a fun scene, with the booths in the back quiet enough to hear yourself talk, but with enough room to table-hop if you see friends. The menu is American/eclectic with a tilt toward Mexican (ask about the quesadilla of the day). Also recommendable are the sandwiches (grilled salmon with wasabi aioli, an excellent burger) and solid entrees with daily specials and soups.

In often-expensive (and sometimes snippy) Chelsea, I enjoy the scrumptious, reasonably priced food and the cute, charming staff at Pad Thai, 114 Eighth Ave., at 16th Street (tel. 212/691-9266). The generic name belies a lovely little restaurant (one of five run by the same owners, serving traditional Thai food in Manhattan), beautifully decorated, with French doors that open onto the sidewalk in good weather. There’s a well-chosen menu of noodles, soups, salads, and entrees, none of which are much over $10, and lunch and dinner “box” specials. I try to swing by for happy hour, when it’s $2 off all drinks, including my favorite: a frozen mango-lime margarita.

—Kathleen Warnock