The Oak Room

Ah yes, the Oak Room at the Plaza. The pinnacle of 5th Ave's tourist's attractions (2nd just after the now-closed Tavern on the Green). Step right up and pay $75 for a brunch! It's a great place to go if you have people in town - i.e. either friends for brunch or clients for dinner, but definitely not a place I would go when I want to meet up with buddies. Great, fantastic food. Service was professional (as expected).

Spice Market

One of Jean Georges' restaurant has been a hit with a lot of people, but not for me. They basically serve a $30 per plate asian-street food where you can get it for less than 50 cents anywhere in Asia. Truly not worth the money. Also, since it's located in meatpacking hell, this restaurant is a hot spot for debutant wannabees. So overall, this restaurant is a thumbs down for me. Not a great crowd, pretentious wannabees, overpriced food.

Dallas BBQ

Dallas BBQ is a fun place to eat. There are a few locations in the city. The Times Square location can get pretty annoying with tourists because of the wait time. But once you're seated, you're golden, no one will bother you and you'll forget you're in Times Square. The 23rd st. location is your best bet for a quick sit down. The beef ribs and chicken wings are awesome. It's just a fun, relaxing, cheap place to go.

Xie Xie

Located on 45th and 9th Avenue, this little gem is a great stop for asian sandwiches. Asian and sandwiches? That's contradictory isn't? Well, it's not my friend... they've mastered the art of combining two great things. With choices such as Shredded Chicken and Vietnamese BBQ Beef, you'll get the asian flavors in your sandwiches. The deserts are pretty good too. The oversized fortune cookie is just fun to share.

Rue 57

Rue 57 is a great lunch place in Midtwon. Fries and Burger are great... French onion soup is great. What I love is the downstairs area. If you go with the right people, then you can stay here for hours. The vibe is so relaxing. The waitstaff are very friendly and nice. You get the occassional tourists type here with their shopping bags, etc. but it's a great restaurant overall. I realize I'm not reviewing the food here, I think the food is okay for its price point, but the space definitely compensate for that.

Rue 57 is located on 57th st. and 6th Ave

Little Pie Company

Little Pie Company... When you go here, of course go for the pies. You can get a slice or they have mini ones too. But. My favorite here is the lemon bars. so delicious. $4 a piece and it will last you through the day or the weeek. It's simply good. I might be biased though because I do love lemon bars over pies, but if you're a lemon bar fan, this is the place to go.

LPC is located on 43rd street between 9th and 10th aves.

Dim Sum Go Go

Dim Sum. 2 magic words where you can eat so much food yet still feel hungry and only pay 20 bucks for it. Dim Sum Go Go is a great place to take newbies to. For those not familiar with Dim Sum, it can get pretty scary. Pigs feet, testicles, etc. BUT, Dim Sum Go Go was made for newbies. And don't get me wrong, it doesn't mean that it's not authentic. It still is! Just look at how many Asian people are in there. I wouldn't say it's the best, but they do have great service and everything is delivered as you order them. (Instead of those rolling carts in the big hallways.)

This place is located in the Lower East Side/Chinatown. 5 east Broadway.

Citrus

Citrus is a good neighborhood spot on the Upper West. Food's quality is 50-50. My friend's stuff were kinda bad, but my sushi was awesome. They've got a mix of Latin food, but also Japanese food - and in an odd, but not-so-bad way. They have sushi. But yet they have tacos. They have fajita. But they also have pasta. So it's a mish mosh of things, but a great neighborhood hangout spot. Citrus is located on 75th and Amsterdam.

Masa

This was one of my splurges of the year. I've luckily been there twice now. Impossible to get reservations, but such a great restaurant to go to. I have to be honest, the flavors are extremely sophisticated for me. The menu seems simple: tuna, lobster, beef, sushi rolls (of course)... but what comes out are these small plates of artwork. Artwork that you can see, touch, taste and experience. It's pretty amazing. But, it is extremely expensive to go there. You don't come here to get 'full' on food. You come here for the tasting experience.

Quite honestly, I think I rather to go to Nobu. You won't get the same experience, but you'll get the same type of sophisticated flavors with much more affordable prices.

Masa is impossible to get reservations, but you can always do a walk in at Bar Masa. You'll get a similar menu, and you can pick and choose your budget range.

Masa and Bar Masa is located in the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle.

Pop Burger

What a fun place to eat in. There are two locations: midtown - next to Bergdorfs - and Meatpacking/Chelsea area-ish - accross from the Apple store. The burgers are decent, but always get the Grilled Chicken sandwich. It is delicious. They use this dressing/sauce that makes the whole thing so scrumptious. Beware though, the midtown location becomes a teenage getaway place somehow. Granted these are UES kids, but still, I don't really need a group of 14-year-olds screaming on a cell phone eating next to me. And I can't seem to pinpoint when to avoid them, maybe during school hours. Hah. But I like the Chelsea location, they serves alcohol at night and their space can get really cozy.

go to www.popburger.com for exact locations

Aroma Espresso Bar

This is a great stop for a snack in SoHo. It's hard to get a table, but when you do, get the salmon sandwich and the chocolate croissant. Yum. The place is crowded by both curious tourists and locals who want to be left alone. So it's perfect for all occasion because you fit right in no matter what.

This place is located on the south side of Houston close to Greene st.

Soba-Ya

I wouldn't say this place is hidden, but it took me a few walks around the block to find it. This is an awesome place to get Soba. Right in the heart of St. Mark's place, this place is so cozy and warm. People are awesome. And food is delicious. If you're not sure what to get on your first time, just get the bento boxes. You'll enjoy every single thing on that box. Enjoy!

http://www.sobaya-nyc.com/

44 & X

Wow. I haven't post anything in almost 4 months. This is my latest entry. With the downturn in the economy, I rarely go out anymore. And even if I do, it's really been the same restaurants that you've seen in my older blogs. But, I have to introduce 44 and X to you. I don't know why I haven't posted this. It's a restaurant located in Hell's Kitchen. It is a great place. Relaxing, cozy, and the food is great. Summer time is particular great because you can sit outside. My favorites are actually the cheap stuff, buttermilk fried chicken, burger and their brunch menus. Awesome place.

As the name suggests, this place is located on the northeast corner of 44th and 10th Ave.

Shake Shack

Oooh. Shake Shack. It's one of those restaurants where people argue if it's the best burger in the city. Quite honestly, the best trait of this restaurant is its locations. The food is great no matter where you are. The Madison Sq. Park location is great when you just want to relax in the park. the UWS location is also great if you just want a quick, cheap bite. But you have a better chance getting a burger in under 5 mins at the UWS location.

Sushi Samba on Park

This is a great place to go for unique sushi flavors. There are two rooms, the red room and the main room. The red room can get a bit loud, but it's still a great place to catch up with friends. Get the Chawan Mushi that's only available in the summer time. The sea bass is a bit of a cliche, but it's good. Tons of sushi plates to try from. Some are hits, some are misses.

This awesome restaurant is located on Park Ave. close to 20th street.

Bari

Cafe Bari is located in SoHo. After an exhaustive day of shopping, we went to this place to grab a quick bite and refreshment. We ended up staying for hours. The place is just comfortable to be in. The food was okay. It wasn't memorable, but the environment is great. When I was there, it wasn't too crowded and it was the perfect volume to have a decent conversation without screaming. It's a good place to go.

Milk Bar

This cool little place offers up really fresh milkshakes and ice creams. They're not too heavy and they're surprisingly 'fresh'. I know I just used that word twice, but it's true. The ginger ice cream leaves that great 'fresh' after taste. The sandwiches are also yummy. The egg salad is also good. In these times, I'm going to post more of these type of more affordable places to go.

Roonybrook Milk Bar is located in the Chelsea Market.

Blue Ribbon Market

After a long hiatus, I'm back... this time it's for Blue Ribbon Market. This small place is part of a cluster of restaurants owned by the same chain in the same street. I'm not quite sure of the background... but this place has some of the best sandwiches. It's good for a mid-journey snack.

Kyotofu

I love Kyotofu. I found this place with a friend of mine. Almost every desert here is made of Tofu! Believe it or not. And it tastes amazingly light and sweet. There's the Tofu Cheesecake. And my favorite is the Black Sesame Sweet Tofu. After you're finished eating desert at this restaurant, go to their website and buy their cookies and soufles online. It's amazing.

Kyotofu
705 9th Ave New York, NY 10019 Get Directions

(212) 974-6012

* approximate times

- kyotofu-nyc.com

Buddakan

Buddakan is one of those expensive places where you have to try, at least once. It has a beautiful decor and beautiful lighting. Not to mention beautiful people. It's a gorgeous restaurant, but with a hefty price. Located in the Meatpacking district, I think this restaurant has become a bit of a cliche. After being shown on that movie, tourists and first-timers love to come here and just order appetizers, which annoys me because the food here is actually really really good.

Food? I love the Sechuan Crusted Rib Eye. Pecking Duck is amazing. Lobster is great. And the Sea Bass is very yummy.

Buddakan
75 9th Ave New York, NY 10011 Get Directions

(212) 989-6699

* approximate times

- buddakannyc.com