Five Top New York Restaurants for Beginners
Where to Find Great Meals in the Big Apple for First-Time Visitors
Mar 1, 2009
If you love to eat really good food and have a trip planned to New York City, you are in for a treat. It can be a tough task to choose where to spend your precious food budget, especially if it’s your first foodie foray into Manhattan. Here are five restaurants to start with that will please your taste buds, and are worth every penny.
Brasserie Les Halles
The home base of Chef Anthony Bourdain, author of the bestselling novel Kitchen Confidential, Brasserie Les Halles offers delicious French dining that’s authentic and affordable. There are two locations in New York, one on Park Avenue and one downtown off Broadway. The lunch menus offer great value including onion soup for $6.75 or croque monsieur, the classic French ham and cheese sandwich topped with fried egg, for $12. Both locations feature the Les Halles famous steak, frites and salad for $17.50. Or enjoy a classic cassoulet or choucroute for under 20 bucks.
Otto Pizzeria
The vibe at Chef Mario Batali’s restaurant is fantastic and the pizza is even better. Located at One Fifth Avenue, Otto offers a huge selection of pizzas including the simple Bianca with olive oil and sea salt for $7, or the classic Romana with anchovy, capers, and chillies for $12. Mix up a few antipasti for $4 each like the warm house cured olives or spicy rabe with ricotta salata. The meat, fish, pasta and cheese selections are also delectable and priced right. The gelato, handmade on the premises daily, comes in flavours like salty caramel and meyer lemon huckleberry swirl.
Katz’s Delicatessen
You hear a lot about Carnegie Deli, and it’s certainly good, but Katz’s at 205 E. Houston Street is the deli you want to go to first for a sandwich like no other. Established in 1888, the savoury, juicy meat reflects years of tradition in smoking and preserving. The hot pastrami sandwich for $14.95 is delicious- and enormous. Other highlights include the hot corned beef, baked brisket, and Rueben smothered in Swiss cheese and sauerkraut. Wash it all down with a Dr. Brown’s black cherry soda and some pickles on the side, and you’ve had a real New York deli experience.
Cho Dang Gol
If you thought tofu was a bland ingredient with nothing to offer but the health benefits of soy protein, just try one of the dishes at Cho Dang Gol, where the tofu is handmade on-site every day. This restaurant on 55 West 35th Street offers authentic Korean cuisine that is wildly flavourful and artfully presented. The stir-fried tofu trio for $19.95 combines spicy kimchi, pork and noodles and is served with handmade tofu triangles. Other highlights include the classic stone rice bowls and sizzling Korean barbecue.
Mesa Grill
Chef Bobby Flay’s restaurant at 102 Fifth Avenue was his first, and has earned widespread acclaim for good reason. His American southwestern fare is spicy and delicious and flavours are combined to give your taste buds a unique experience, like the sweet heat of the carrot-habanero sauce served with the sixteen spice duck breast, or the chile-star anise sauce in the blue corn pancake appetizer. Lunch entrees are between $15-20 and dinner entrees are about $30. Sides are $7 and highlights include the double-baked potato with horseradish, green onion and crème fraiche.
