I did weekend lunch with GF. Full menu and was actually a really great way to do the meal.

While we were there someone ordered a really nice bottle and they opened it with tonge service tableside. Supposedly only place in NYC that does it tableside.

Is zagat a good guide to get some tips on where to go eat?

We've had a lot of success with Zagat. Word of mouth is best for new places.

Has anyone here been to Leggetts in Manasquan on the Jersey Shore- not the douchy guido side.? Was prob the best summer bar I've been to in terms of crazyness and girls. We named it BBIA.

Recommend Galanga by West 4 - Thai food. Awesome place, amazingly cheap. Food is delicious too, it's my fav spot in ny.

Going to see Chicago on Broadway on Sat. night with my SO. Any good recs for an after theater spot nearby for coffee/dessert. Would go to Junior's but it is too casual. Looking for somewhere nice but not too fancy.

TIA

Marseille on 9th avenue might be good for coffee/dessert. It's a little touristy, but so is everything within 10 blocks of Broadway.

Anyone doing Livingsocial Beerfest in Brooklyn tomorrow? I was supposed to go to the 7pm one but tickets sold out before some friends could buy so I'm either looking to buy 3-4 tickets or looking to sell 1-2 tickets.

It's $59 at 7pm for the tickets, I'm willing to pay more to buy some and willing to let it go for less to sell some. Figures.

I will be in NYC for the holidays and am currently looking for a place to have dinner (2 persons) on christmas eve. I guess my budget (something like $100-$150) isn't really appropriate, but any recommendations for a "nice" place with maybe a holiday menu? Open to pretty much any kind of food.

Try this place, thought it might strain your budget: http://www.henrysnyc.com/

Way too many places fit this description, I'm assuming you'll be in Manhattan, list what areas you'll be in/preferred food types, it will be easier to guide you.

This is random, but back in like 04 my old boss was building the place (maybe bought and renovated not sure?). Not fun work putting up the ductwork..

Did dude named Kevin still own the joint last u were there?

I can't find anything online about an EMP a la carte/bar menu. Can anyone here provide more info on that? ActionJeff implied it was a bit of an unknown secret that you didn't have to get the tasting menu yet I can find almost nothing online about it.

Well our hotel is close to the La Guardia airport, so we will be riding the subway to get to places anyway. I guess the area doesn't really matter. And food types, I'd say whatever is "exotic" (at least to somebody from a mid sized German city). So maybe stuff like Korean, Arabian, African. Things you get in NYC but not at many other places. Sorry if I suck at explaining, it's tough to give a description if you dont know exactly what you want yourself lol. Thank you for your help anyway.

Thanks, that looks good. After checking the menu I think its definitely affordable for us. Might very well give it a try.

Depending on how adventurous you are, the 7 line in Queens is basically a trip around the world in terms of culture & food. You may be able to pick up the 7 near your hotel.

The NY Times did an article about it, which I'm sure could be found with some research, otherwise here's another article.

Link

While most of the neighborhoods are safe, it's definitely not the comfort zone of midtown Manhattan.

There is definitely a lot of great ethnic food in Queens, which is where LGA airport is. Definitely lots of places to get great food for cheap.

http://www.sripraphairestaurant.com/

This place for Thai in Woodside. Best drunken noodle I've ever had.

http://www.sevaindianrestaurant.com/

Indian in Astoria, very close to LGA. Everything is great.

http://www.himalayanyakrestaurant.com

Tibetan/Himalayan food in Jackson Heights, lots of unique dishes. I had yak momos when I was there - so good, but I know the yak meat is seasonal so not sure if available year round.

All these places are cheap and easily accessible via the subway. As said earlier, most of Queens is fine, but it is definitely different than Manhattan.

If you're looking a bit fancier here are some recs -

http://www.madibarestaurant.com

South African food in Brooklyn, so definitely exotic. Oxtail soup, ostrich carpaccio, ribs with "monkey gland" sauce, and they have a bunch of South African wines. Service can be a little slow at times but overall I like this place.

http://www.fondarestaurant.com/manhattan/index.php

Great Mexican food in the Lower East Side in Manhattan. Tons of bars and other things to do in that area too after dinner.

Some other places that are in Manhattan also in your price range -

Tamarind (Indian, Flatiron District)
Room Service (Thai, Hell's Kitchen)
Beauty & Essex (American-style tapas, LES) - this one prob pushing your budget

Good luck & enjoy your holidays in NYC!

Has anyone checked out Charlie Bird?

This is the only place I've ever done AYCD brunch where the food was actually good.

hey guys!

Long topic so it will take me some time to make through it. I know it was said here few times but gonna ask anyway.

I was in NY twice, but just for 1/2 days stay (on my way to Vegas). This time I'm coming (with my gf) for 10 days as I bought cheap flights to NY (EWR) few days ago.

I'm starting to look for a place to stay, I will probably use airbnb.
My Q is: how important is it to really stay in manhattan?

We're not a huge fans of night clubs, so we won't be out till late nights/early mornings. Although we gonna visit some bars/ jazz clubs etc of course
We also don't mind taking a 10min bus etc
And a prices in Manhattan are much higher (+/-50%) than in other places.

I know how you NY'ers hate NJ, but there are some decent rooms to stay at NJ's end of Lincoln tunnel.

What we going to do in NY? probably normal touristic stuff, although we prefer to walk around the city rather than museums etc. Also want to see any baseball match etc.

what location would you suggested?

2nd Q: If we want to go for a shopping day, which outlet would you reccomned ? keep in mind that we won't have a car.

3rd Q: are NY heli trips worth the price? which firm is the best? is there any place I can get a discount for early booking etc?

regards,
LFC

PS. sorry for my poor english

Q2: SoHo. Start and broadway/laffayette and go down. 59th/lex also has a nice shopping area.

NJ is good as long as the place is close to path, that is the train that connect NJ with NYC. It takes 20 minutes depending where you get off. Are there any offers in brooklyn? Look out for nice neighborhoods close to water/manhattan and you'll be fine.

I work on the other side if the tunnel, and while I understand it saves a lot of money, it can be an enormous PITA to get into Manhattan. Many hotels have bus stops near, however at many times during the day the 5-mile bus trip can take 30-60 minutes. I would rather stay in Brooklyn or Queens where subways are readily available.

Keep in mind that the MTA has been more... unreliable... as of late - getting from Brooklyn to Manhattan can sometimes take over an hour, even if you're near. The NQ line also gets shut down sometimes, so if you're in Queens, you might be boned.

I'd consider splitting your stay in two - stay for five days in Manhattan, and five more in Brooklyn or Queens - especially if there are things you want to check out in those boroughs.

That's a pretty crazy generalization. If you're near a ****ty line like the JMZ, the F, or the NQ, then stuff is very unreliable. But the 23 and 45 are really reliable and the AC ain't bad. I don't take the BD enough to know.

D is also reliable, at least for me. And it's damn fast. I don't have anything bad to say about N in Manhattan/Brooklyn part. It doesn't shut off too frequently.

The worst train in the city award definitely goes to the R.

and safety-wise which place is better NJ (near Lincoln tunnel) or Brooklyn?

Williamsburg or Brooklyn Heights (near brooklyn bridge) ?

and If I decided to stay in Manhattan then LES ?