72 replies to this topic

[Wilfrid1]

Okay, south side of Houston, down to north side of Canal. West side of Lafayette to the river.

I will try to produce summaries on some of these threads when I have some quiet time.

Shall I start with best Italian-style sandwich/hero at Melampo?

[Orik]

best bone marrow at Blue Ribbon (also, best very late night dining, when even Balthazar is closed)

and best yogurt in the yogurt place

and oysters at Aquagrill

[macrosan]

Okay, south side of Houston, down to north side of Canal. West side of Lafayette to the river.

Which river would that be ?

Assuming it qualifies rivertorially speaking, I nomionate Twelve Tables at 58 Macdougal for best breakfast. Fresh squeezed oranges, Sullivan Street's pugliese, a home made garlic butter, eggs however you want them and always eggsellent and really good coffee. Nice people too.

[Wilfrid1]

I think Fanelli's is the best pub, and Milano's the best dark and dingy dive. Dean & Deluca may be a shadow of its former self, but it's still surely a destination for expensive food shopping.

[Daisy]

Best mozarella: Joe's Dairy
Best focaccia and pane pugleise: Sullivan Street Bakery
Best place for a drink on Sunday nights: Raoul's
Best frites: Balthazar--also, Balthazar for best place for a weekday breakfast
Best panini: 'Ino
Best place to sit at the bar and have oysters: Aquagrill
Best French onion soup: Blue Ribbon Bakery
Best dive bar: Fanelli's edited to add: what Wilfrid thinks is a pub, I consider a dive. Wilf, have you ever been in Fanelli's really late? There are some characters who look as if they have walked straight out of The Iceman Cometh.

[Wilfrid1]

No, haven't been in Fanelli's late, although I've certainly been found in the back of Milano's in the early hours. I'll take your word for it. In daylight, to the extent it penetrates, Milano's is still pretty weird, while Fanelli is doing quite a respectable lunch trade. Anyway, they are both good places.

I suppose we should single out the truffled egg toast at 'ino. Is the drag bar on the corner of that street still fun - what's it called?

[Daisy]

Bar D'O. Loved that place. Sadly, it closed several months ago.

And I'll add best Margaritas and Mexican-tinged pub food: Daddy-O's

[Wilfrid1]

I didn't know it had gone. They had some wonderful drag acts.

[Pingarina]

Ear Inn.

[ngatti]

I haven't been to Fanelli's in a while, but I always though it was really cool.

Now that I look at Daisy's post, I realize that those "really cool" charactors were all of "us"*, only thirty years later.

*you know who you are.

[StephanieL]

Best chocolates: Jacques Torres' Chocolate Haven and Chocolate Garden
Best hot chocolate: MarieBelle

[Wilfrid1]

Every time I am walking around SoHo, I see little shopfront restaurants packed to the gunnels with cheerful diners, and lines forming outside. Are any of these places any good? I can't think of names now, but there's a sort of Pan-Asian place, and there's a Cafe Havana or something. Do I have to go cheat with Zagat, or are they all crap?

Doesn't Savoy have a casual, "small plates" sort of thing going now?

[juuceman]

breads/pizza - sullivan street bakery

sandwiches - melampo is now known as alidoro

croissants/almong croissants/chocolate-almond croissants - ceci cela

penne a la vodka/cheap pasta meal - pepe rosso

moroccan tapas/bistro - cafe noir

block to snack your way down - Sullivan Street

bathroom - Balthazar (no where else in Soho can you find a spotlessly clean, well lit bathroom where, for a buck tip, you can duck in from your soho wanderings, use the facilities, grab a mint, and be on your way..)

[juuceman]

Every time I am walking around SoHo, I see little shopfront restaurants packed to the gunnels with cheerful diners, and lines forming outside. Are any of these places any good? I can't think of names now, but there's a sort of Pan-Asian place, and there's a Cafe Havana or something. Do I have to go cheat with Zagat, or are they all crap?

Doesn't Savoy have a casual, "small plates" sort of thing going now?

i'm not big on Kelley and Ping, if that's what you're referring to.. there's also Olives, where everyone seems to love the sesame noodles, salads and sandwiches, all made to go and eaten on the bench outside of the place..

Cafa Havana is decent.. i like their mexican corn with the mayo.. it's also east of your self-imposed boundaries..

if we're not paying attention to the Lafayette boundary and expand to include NoLiTa, Cafe Gitane should be included as a great place for a coffee, mid-afternoon cocktail, decent quick cheap food and great people watching.. especially when it suddenyly rains on a weekend afternoon..

[Wilfrid1]

Oops, sorry for straying.

Didn't know about the Melampo name change, even though I was there recently. Still, they never had a sign up with the old name, as far as I can remember.