Best Upper West Side Mouthfuls Options

[bloviatrix]

I've only sampled a few of their offerings, but Leaf Storm Tea (SE corner of 94th and Amsterdam) has nice loose teas.

[Wilfrid1]

[Wilfrid1]

Update time for the 2007 Best Mouthfuls. Please especially note any closings. New additions welcome, but a reminder that we're not trying to list anywhere which is just pretty good, only "best" places you would actually recommend to people. Casual, take-out, hole-in-the-wall, food and drink shopping and any related novelties - but NOT destination/reservation mid-to-upscale restaurants. Why? It would be a huge amount of work, and wouldn't much help anyone who already has a Time Out guide or a Zagat.

I will try to pick up suggestions already made on the thread.

The current 2006 text follows:

UPPER WEST SIDE

West of Central Park, all the way to the Hudson, from the north side of 60th Street.

Sitting down mouthfuls

An UWS institution: Barney Greengrass (for its smoked fish, especially for breakfast or the very popular brunch; the nova, eggs and onions is the best egg dish in the city, and their corned beef sandwich is also mentioned). Some claim Fine & Schapiro is the best all-round deli, while Artie's gets a mention for chicken soup with matzoh balls. Best all-round diner: City Diner (their meatloaf is noted) or Metro (fabulous rice pudding); Omega recommended for its greasy breakfast sausage. Best Greek: Onera (it seems the offal tasting menu now needs to be requested in advance).

For grilled meats, go to Pampa; for pistou, Nice Matin; and for the cheese plate, Celeste. Niko's is recommended for chopped salad and garlic gorgonzola bread; Dock's for clam chowder, but not for fish entrees; Henry's for clam chowder and a beer. Best all-round seafood: Ocean Grill and Neptune are mentioned, but both have dissenters. For Peruvian food: the 84th and Amsterdam Flor de Mayo, especially the daily specials, saltados, pariheula, spicy fish soups, aji de gallina, pollo a la brasa (although the rotisserie chicken might be a little better at the uptown Broadway location).

Best sushi: Sakura or Lenge. For avocado salad: La Caridad. For New Orleans food, Jacques Imo's. Go to Bella Luna for linguini with white clam sauce, Good Enough to Eat for meatloaf, Dinastia for Chinese greens in garlic sauce, and La Mirabelle for rognons a la moutarde. For a cheap dinner with BYO: A on Columbus.


Standing up mouthfuls

Best pizza: V&T; also Bettola on 80th and Amsterdam (many of their other dishes are excellent, too). Best bagels: H&H, or maybe Absolute. Best knishes: Zabar's. Best burger: Big Nick's (not to mention the chicken steak sandwich) or SQC. Best croque monsieur: the cafe in Fairway (some like the burger too). Best way to spend 75 cents: a Gray's Papaya hot dog.

For turkey shwarma with homemade laffa bread and the chicken soup, and good falafel (get it in the laffe with fried eggplant): Ali Baba on 85th and Amsterdam. For corned beef hash: Good Enough to Eat.

Sweet mouthfuls

Apple and cheese strudel from Zabar's (they also carry the recommended Green's babka and Eli's biscotti). Best coffee and dessert: Cafe Lalo or Edgar's; some like Cafe Fortuna. Not to mention Beard Papa's cream puffs.

Thirsty mouthfuls

Best pubs in a neighborhood with a lot of frat-boy beer halls: Dublin House, All State, Malachy's and The Brew Pub. Best hidden bar: Cafe des Artistes (the menu from the upscale restaurant is available, as well as bar snacks).

Also, Homer's for milk shakes.

Shopping mouthfuls

Best all-round market: Fairway, although Zabar's is popular too and is excellent for kitchen/cooking supplies, small appliances, etc. on its second floor. Citarella's is best for fish. Best smoked fish, appetizings: Murray's Sturgeon; Supersol for their whitefish salad (chunks not a smooth paste). 67 Wine and Liquors has a good selection on two floors, but some warn about the wine storage; others mentioned for wine - Nancy's, Rose's, Acker Merrell & Condit, and Beacon. Leaf Strom tea for loose teas.

[Cathy]

How did we leave out the cookies at Levain?? And the birthday/occasion cakes at Soutine?

I like Chirping Chicken, which just moved to bigger digs across the street. The birds are spatchcocked, marinated and grilled over an open flame. Very tasty. All the sides suck, though.

[R Washburn]

Didn't SQC close?

[Cathy]

Yes.

[Melonious Thunk]

Add GARI to the UWS best list for sushi and its many good cooked dishes.

BTW: Has anyone been to Ouest lately? My most recent visit (9 months ago) was promising in that the food was noticably better than it had been.
But for some reason, not compelling enough to go back.

[omnivorette]

I heard the same about Aix....is there a new chef at Aix or something?

[bloviatrix]

Leaf Storm is no long for loose teas.

Also, Hummus Place has opened a branch on Amsterdam.

[omnivorette]

Where on Amsterdam? That's good news.

[bloviatrix]

Right near the Shark Bar - so about 75th. It's down some stairs.

[mikeyrad]

I'll nominate Tenzan (Columbus bet 73rd and 74th) for best Sushi. Fresh fish, imaginative selections, and unlike Gari it's not overpriced.

[omnivorette]

I've been to Tenzan. It's a decent neighborhood sushi place, better than some, but it's nothing special, and is not even in the same league as Gari.

You get what you pay for.

I can't help myself. I'm a snotty sushi snob. Tenzan serves a Boston Roll, a Dallas Roll, a Philadelphia Roll. Puh-leeze. Special Dragon Roll. Spicy Girl Roll. Rainbow Roll. Dancing Eel Roll.

[Steve R.]

Since the area is described as W60 and up, while the Harlem area starts at W116th, I'll assume that Florence's should be added here not there. It's on 8th Ave (F.Douglass Blvd) and W113th St. It's African food, the specific area of which escapes me but is on our thread for the place. It's good. I think all that went liked it enough to recommend?

Edit Note: now posted on "Harlem..." board, since Wilf has seen the error of his geographic ways and changed the boundary to W.110th St.

[Wilfrid1]

Need something in the Symphony Space neighborhood, 95th and B'dway. Pampa is a stone's throw, but we did that last time. Maybe take a cab down to Nice Matin on 79th. Am I missing anything obvious?