Have you been to Agi’s Counter in Brooklyn yet, Pan? It’s on my wishlist for my next trip.
I love Café Rischart in Munich. For a posher Café, Café Luitpold in Munich is excellent, too.
I have not been to Agi’s Counter. I didn’t try the other cafe in Munich, either; that’s an idea for the next trip, whenever that happens.
1 Like
two nights out, wa jeal and the penrose. wa jeal was very good , penrose was fun but prices at both 20% higher than uws. My wife suggested we may have to eat our less, my rejoinder was that we could eat cat food once a week…I’m thinking with all the competition, thai has to be good/reasonably priced. anyhow, crazy amount of places to explore…
1 Like
here are some recent meals:
-
china jade (szechuan) - very good szechuan dumplings, good eggplant with garlic sauce, poor rendition of kung pao chicken or maybe I’m just looking for the szechuan version
-
malii thai - some online reviews call this best in nyc, others best on ues, not sure where these people have been eating thai food, pad thai too sweet, pork belly too salty, curry balance off. good service and pricing.
-
zabb putawn - went with a couple, husband from thailand, loved everything. didnt realize there are two types of e-sarn sausauge, they serve the soft type which we’ve never had, delicious as were the pork skewers. pad see ew was well-made, excellent panang curry and a good, not great beef salad. Well priced, great service.
-
amura for sushi - good, reasonably priced sushi joint.
-
wa jeal, 2nd visit, not great, thinking we have to explore the menu at these szechuan restaurants because unlike the places on the UWS, the food is not uniformly good.
-
coffee/baked goods, it’s mostly been black star bakery, varsity roasters and hutch+ waldo. didn’t like espresso drinks at stella and fly.
-
little frog - my wife went with friend, good but overpriced.
-
bagel bobs has been good but wow, prices for bagel/shmear much higher than uws
in general, I’m amazed that the restaurants are full of people paying what seem to be stupid prices. I’d rather hop the subway and head to south to the village, les, chinatown and brooklyn than pay these prices for this level of food. Or maybe we’ll pay more but find better cooking.
best,
2 Likes
Ah, this brings me back. It was a darling of some message board or another, so I went there for lunch one day (I work on the UES once a week) and what I had tasted like someone had melted a lollipop all over it. I have not been back.
Sushi Noz on 78th & 3rd is currently one of the best sushi bars in the city. Part of the recent vanguard (past 5 yrs) of high end (spendy) sushi bars that have dethroned LA as the premier sushi city in the country. They have a cheaper next door option ‘noz market’ however i believe it’s closed for renovations at the moment.
Mission ceviche on 2nd Ave (between 72 & 73) is pretty good.
Sables is a good sliced to order smoked fish place.
I’ve walked past the UES ice cream shop on 2nd Ave countless times (between 88 & 89) but never realized there’s a speakeasy in the back.
+1 for Schaller & Weber & Cafe Sabarsky
If you don’t mind heading further north no frills Lechoneria La Isla is excellent for stick to your bones Lechon. They’re open very early and was a regular stopover for breakfast.
Lobels (butcher) for spendy dry aged steaks
Pastrami Queen on Lexington
thanks for this list!
-
we’ll probably try noz at some point, I had a japanese bank as a client and we were at sushiden, where the chef used to work, quite a bit.
-
I’m a sucker for anything pig, will definitely check out Lechoneria!
-
we lived in the same town as the lobels and have had their incredible meat at a number of dinners/parties/events. on my list but for now, pretty happy with the aged steaks at stew leonards in yonkers for the occasional splurge.
-
pastrami queen is in the queue, I guess it saves a subway ride to katz…still haven’t been to leibman’s…
mission ceviche is sorta the poster child for what I’m seeing, $34 appetizers and $45 mains. Haven’t been but one can do better than “pretty good” in other parts of the city at those prices.
thanks again!
1 Like
I found mission ceviche incredibly overpriced with somewhat mediocre food (I can’t think of one thing I ate that was memorable). It came HIGHLY recommended by friends in the neighborhood, so that explains their insane popularity (also I think pandemic-frenzy).
Too bad about your second meal at Wa Jeal. I think it may depend on what you order, as with most places.
Glad you liked Amura. I’ll try to remember the name of the tiny place my friends like that’s next level.
Your description of Malii Thai reminded me of my reaction to Jaiya many years ago…
Umm… yes. I agree. But remember it’s the UES. A lot of people would rather stay in their comfort zone with the pricing and the food quality than get in a cab (never mind the subway) and find better elsewhere. I have location-inertia too, but I’m still pretty selective. I don’t understand the UES price to quality ratio.
Lechonera La Isla on 125 St. just west of 2nd Ave, yeah, they’re great and cheap! I love their pollo a la brasa, and definitely ask for the “hot sauce” with it, which is really a great spicy onion slaw. Everything else I’ve had there is good, too.
Please tell me what Szechuan or other Chinese restaurants you’ve been eating at on the Upper West Side that have uniformly good menus. I am sometimes up there and would love to have some good Chinese options.
Went to Boqueria after a long time, still reliable and a nice bite especially at off times when it’s not crowded.
And garlic sauce!
our favorite is szechuan garden, 105th and broadway. grain house is also good, not sure if they are dining in again but they were open for takeout through the pandemic. anyhow, suggest you start at sg.
Thanks, appreciated.
Yes, the garlic sauce is great, too!
