After reading this list, I lolled at some, nodded sagely at others, and found one spot I have to try:
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I haven’t made it to any of them yet.
The closest I’ve been is 2 lunches at Bar Room at The Modern, which is rich enough for my blood. LOL. That’s my idea of a nice splurge in NYC.
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For me, I love Le Bernadin, IMHO, one of the truly great ’ seafood centric ’ restaurants in the western world.
The other favourite, which is not on the list, is ’ Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare '. Love the food and the open-kitchen set-up.
I used to love EMP. However, now that they have changed business model, no way I will dish out near USD 400 for a vegetable meal! For that price, might as well eat at Passard’s L’Arpege in Paris?! Veggies and fruits from Passard’s farms and gardens in the Loire valley are way more exotic and outstanding.
Per Se ( and the French Laundry ) were great, but now, not worth it for the price-tag. Way more 3* around the world with better tasting food at a better price point…especially in Japan! ( great exchange rate these days ).
Eaten at both The Modern and Aquavit and enjoyed the meal. Both IMO underrated at that time. The addition of another star made things right!
Lastly, one Michelin star place in NYC I really enjoyed and found quality consistently good!!..Casa Mono!!
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Not a very trustworthy list, because those aren’t the 10 most expensive restaurants in New York. Frenchette’s not that expensive, for starters, and where are all the omakase places? EMP isn’t $150/pp, it’s $335. Le Bernardin is $445 (not $420), but only if you get the chef’s tasting with the wine pairing , so I call bullshit on that as the “average” price.
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At least by including ’ MASA’S ', they managed to get something right!
USD 600+ for the Omakase, I can eat at BOTH Jiro and Saito in Tokyo for that price ( if one can get in?! Ha! )
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Yeah, this is a dumb list. Peter Luger is no more expensive than any other steakhouse, which is to say, expensive but nowhere near the price of Masa or other high-end prix fixe places.
I have been to EMP and Per Se, although not for many years (i.e. when prices were much more reasonable). No desire to return, especially to EMP for a $500 salad. Peter Luger was a one and done - there are plenty of equally good or better steakhouses in Manhattan that don’t require a three hour ride on the J train. I’ve been to Aquavit and The Modern more recently and would happily go back.
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Spilling mustard on your $3000 suit at Papaya’s is my pick. A client tried it and didn’t like it that much.
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Finally got to Frenchette the other night, and though definitely not cheap, not outrageous either. Best roast chicken I’ve ever had. My dining companion had the steak, but ended up scarfing down quite a bit of my poulet and mashed potatoes. We agreed, definitely returning for that chicken. And I’m not sure what the magic is except well salted…
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Sounds great. We haven’t eaten there, mainly because we haven’t found any natural wines that we like enough. As for roast chicken, now you have my attention. Have you tried Barbuto? Or Le Crocodile in Bklyn (one of the owner/chefs used to be at Barbuto). My benchmarks.
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Right, that’s pretty much my assessment also. I’d definitely go for the grey sole schnitzel, but I doubt I’ll ever be ready to spend $58 for a plate of food. Unless it was a REALLY big plate.
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Well, I think their pricing of snacks, apps, and sides does count as slightly outrageous… even if we are numbed to mains in the 40s. But if you’re actually going to go get a multi-course meal with drinks, the rest adds up quickly.
(Agree the chicken was very good; a well done chicken is a beautiful thing. I’ve had Barbuto and Jams, this was as good if not better.)
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Here are some nice picks from the wine list…
CAMILLO DONATI
Az. Agr. Donati, Malvasia Rosa Frizzante dell’Emilia 2020 75
AZ. AGR. DARIO PRINÄŚIÄŚ
Merlot, Venezia Giulia IGT 2013 250
AZ. AGR. RADIKON
Pignoli, Venezia Giulia IGT 2006 500ml 160
CANTINA GIARDINO
Clown Ĺ’nologue, Campania Aglianico IGP 2017 135
ARIANA OCCHIPINTI
Siccagno, Nero d’Avola, Terre Siciliane IGT 2019 125
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we have been to some of these, most notably emp when it first opened was reasonably priced. not on the list but we love jean george, unfortunately the days of their $35 price fixe lunch are a distant memory. we did splurge there for our first post-pandemic dinner out…
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@SteveR So sorry to say, I’m a completely unfocused, haphazard diner…Never been to Barbuto or Le Crocodile, so nothing to compare the chicken to. Putting them on my ever-expanding (since I found H.O.) list!
@small_h, the roast chicken was a REALLY big plate (actually served in an enameled pot)!. Just sayin’…
@Dean, glad to see some suggestions from that wine list. I’m not particularly knowledgeable anyway, but that one was totally incomprehensible to me, though the wine we had was really good with the food. (Tends to be my only benchmark…)
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I can’t find any images of the grey sole schnitzel, but the pork schnitzel looks like it measures about 8 X 8 chickpeas.
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I’m not familiar with that system. Any idea on lima bean dimensions?
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1.35 chickpeas = 1 lima bean
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we had a couple of very good restaurant week meals at Le Coq Rico before the chef moved on, wonderful roast chicken.
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Here again, my lackadaisical dining habits are their own punishment. Fear I’ve Missed Out (FIMO) again!
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we’re about an hour from NYC - the cost of the resto is only a small bit of the trip.
hiring armed private security & bomb/bullet proof limo to get you there and back safely is a much bigger expense.
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