The New York City Traveler

This is a guest post from Mary Jo Manzanares, b5media’s Travel & Culture Channel Editor and travel blogger at Flyaway Cafe.
Long known for its exclusivity, in a city that defines restaurant exclusivity, Rao’s is not likely to be letting me in any time soon.
It’s not because of my manners (which are good), the way I dress (which is always appropriate), or because the price is beyond my means. No, it’s because Rao’s only has ten tables. And they are all booked up. Forever.
Rao’s was founded in 1896 by Italian immigrant Charles Rao who opened a small restaurant in the Italian …read more

Comments Off

This is a guest post from Mary Jo Manzanares, Travel & Culture Channel Editor and blogger at Flyaway Cafe.

Tavern on the Green is located in Central Park on the Upper West side of Manhattan (Central Park at West 67th Street).  It is one of the most successful independently owned restaurants in the U.S. 
It first achieved notoriety as a frequent haunt of the famous and infamous of Manhattan, including actors, entertainers and politicians.  It’s been the site for many opening night receptions for Broadway shows and movie premieres, and has been featured in tons of movies and television shows.  …read more

Comments Off

My courtship with Nobu was quick.  It was as soon as I tasted the wasabi that I realized that I would be a fan.  The green paste was unlike any other I had tasted before.  It was fresher, with a cleaner taste.  If a condiment can be that good, I knew I was in for a treat… and I was.    
Like all good things, Nobu’s popularity as grown.  Just open up the society pages to see who has dined there recently.  It’s the Japanese restaurant for most of Hollywood.  In recent years, reservations have become impossible to procure but after …read more

Comments Off

Your chance to try all of those fabulous restaurants you’ve only heard of is finally here!  NYC Restaurant Week Summer 2008 will begin next week, Monday, July 21, 2008.  
Visit the Restaurant Week site for more information, including a full list of the over 200 participating restaurants organized by cuisine type and neighborhood.  
Reservations can be made through opentable.com.

Dates: July 21–25 and July 28–August 1, 2008
Cost: Three-Course Prix-Fixe Lunch $24.07, Dinner $35.00 Beverages, gratuities and taxes are not included.

_________________________________________________________________
Technorati Tags: b5media,The New York City Traveler,New York City,New York,NYC,tourism New York,Manhattan,travel,blogs,restaurants,food,restaurant week

Comments Off

Not long ago, when I was poor and living in Queens, I learned a very important lesson: the quality of food is not always proportionate to the price.  I have such fond memories of ordering a $1 vat of my favorite wonton soup through a bulletproof glass window at my neighborhood Chinese joint on Ditmars Boulevard.  I have since left Queens but luckily Manhattan’s Chinatown is equally a budget gourmet’s delight, in stark contrast to the Village’s $62 Kobe beef burgers and $40 lobster rolls. 
Vanessa’s Dumpling House (nee Dumpling House) is a Chinatown favorite for good reason: 39 …read more

Comments Off

New York and Boston aren’t that far apart.  But the culinary scene of these cities couldn’t be more different.  Case in point: lobster rolls and the definition of a “fish shack.”   
My regular fish shack is in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on the Charles River.  It’s a true shack meaning that it’s a fish shop that happens to sell a $12 lobster roll.  No tables, so you have to sit on the curb under a big oak tree to enjoy the finest lobster roll that Sully, the fish monger, whips up.    
A few weeks ago I was bent on having a …read more

2 Comments

A few years ago a collective gasp could be heard from Manhattan.  BLT Burger (the BLT stands for Bistro Laurent Tourondel) had just opened and given birth to a real gourmet burger– a $62 Japanese Kobe beef burger.  Manhattan was left to ponder “Where does Chef Tourondel think he is?  Los Angeles?”    
Since then, the hype has died down and I decided to head up to West Village to have my first BLT Burger.  When I first walked in I thought I was in the wrong place.  The restaurant looked like it was in the midst of an identity …read more

2 Comments

When the weather gets hot, it’s time to head to the roof.  Far from the “Tar Beach” of your apartment rooftop, some of these rooftop digs are downright posh.
Mé Bar  Everything leading up to this bar seems lame.  It’s in Koreatown, on the 14th-floor of the La Quinta hotel.  But once there, you can easily see why this place is one of the best.  The Empire State Building dwarfs you as you sit at the tables, under the outdoor lights.  Only drinks are served but you can order food for delivery from one of the nearby restaurants.  17 West …read more

2 Comments

Starbucks came from fairly humble beginnings, a small storefront in Downtown Seattle, dedicated to the art of making coffee.  Yet, somewhere along the way to world-domination, it all went wrong. 
I realized how dependent I was on the chain when, in February, every single Starbucks was closed for “emergency training.”  I didn’t get the memo and didn’t bother to read the small sign posted on the door of my Soho Starbucks.  That night, in a rainy and cold New York, I was on a mission, running around downtown trying to find a Starbucks that was open.  Unable to wrap my …read more

Comments Off

The Sixth Annual Snapple Big Apple Barbecue Block Party comes to Madison Square Park this weekend. 
Listen to live music as you enjoy award winning food from top pitmasters.  Fourteen of the country’s top pitmasters will represent their restaurants, including John Stage from New York’s own Rack & Soul and pitmaster Chris Lilly from Big Bob Bar-B-Q in Decatur, AL. When you’re not noshing on bbq, check out the free seminars and cooking demos.    
Eat for a cause!  Proceeds from the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party support the Madison Square Park Conservancy.  Visit Big Apple BBQ for more information …read more

Comments Off