The Landmark Tavern in Manhattan

June 19, 2019 / Midtown West Neighborhood NYC / Manhattan History NYC / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

One of the great finds this year in terms of Irish history in Manhattan came when I stumbled upon the Landmark Tavern on the far West Side of Manhattan. The Landmark Tavern first opened in 1868, not long after the American Civil War. The tavern originally opened as a waterfront saloon along the Hudson River as there wasn't any 12th Avenue over a century and a half ago.

The Landmark Tavern maintains a classic Irish Pub establishment with pints of Guinness, Irish whiskeys and Irish Pub fare - including shepherd's pie. But they have also augmented their classic Irish fare offerings with modern eclectic American fare.

The Landmark Tavern is located at 46th Street at 11th Avenue, which is nearby both the Intrepid Air, Space & Sea Museum on the Hudson River, as well as near the emerging art exhibition spaces along the Hudson such as Piers 92, 94, 96 and 97. The Piers have been used for art, photography and architectural exhibitions that periodically open shop in Manhattan.

Luke's Lobster House in Downtown NYC

Luke's Lobster House is a Hole-in-the-Wall Find near Wall Street

January 14, 2019 / Downtown Manhattan Neighborhood NYC / Manhattan Restaurants / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

Over the holidays I spent a fair bit of time in downtown Manhattan with out-of-town guests, who are expanding their interest in one of America's oldest seafaring towns ... Manhattan.

We visited the large Christmas tree on Wall Street in front of the NY Stock Exchange and then headed for a mid afternoon bite to eat at Luke's Lobster House at 26 South William Street between Broad and Beaver street. Luke's isn't exactly an ancient restaurant of Downtown NYC - since 2011 - but it has the look and feel of something that's been around much longer.

Luke's Lobster House in the Financial District or FiDi NYC

We walked in on a cold winter afternoon and there were a few parties sitting at several of the tables in the small shop. Along the side wall near the back of the small lobster house is a very simple menu, with three different combination plates in three different flavors [lobster, crab & shrimp], salad, soups [clam or lobster], sides [cod fries, slaw] and drinks [none alcoholic]. The one roll, plus side, plus drink runs from $12 to$19.

According to the Luke's Lobster website, the owner, Luke Holden, hails from Maine, from where he sources his catch. He opened a Luke's Lobster in the Village in 2009 and has been expanding ever since. The site tells us that Luke's Lobster has multiple restaurants in Manhattan, one in Brooklyn, as well as restaurants in Maine, Washington D.C., Miami, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Taiwan and Japan.

Luke sources many of its lobsters through a Maine cooperative, of which Luke's is a member, so he knows what he's serving his customers. And that diligence was borne out in the half lobster roll I split with one of my out-of-town guests. The lobster was a flavorful, tender, juicy, flaky meat inside a bun that did its job by not interfering with the subtle flavor of fresh lobster.

We drank our root beers, while enjoying the light meal, and then headed on our way. Generally Luke's Lobster House in the FiDi [Financial District] of New York is open from 11 am - 7 pm daily.

Upper East Side French Restaurants – Café D’Alsace

Casual Dining at French Restaurant on the Upper East Side

May 7, 2018 / Upper East Side Neighborhood / Upper East Side Restaurants / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

It was a warm pleasant May afternoon as I strolled into the Café D’Alsace on the Upper East Side. We’d planned to dine elsewhere, but the outdoor seating looked so inviting that we decided for a change of plans.

Formerly Elaine's Restaurant on the Upper East Side

The Café D’Alsace is located in what was once a kind of well known Upper East Side restaurant of the 1980’s and 1990’s – Elaines. Café D’Alsace is located at the corner of 88th and Second Avenue, just two blocks from the 86th Street stop off the Q line and the Second Avenue stop off the 86th Street crosstown bus – so it’s a fairly convenient location to meet friends.

Today I was meeting a retired graphic artist, who spends his time managing some of his and his wife’s business interests and their teenage kids’ busy schedules. We took a spot outside to enjoy one of the first really nice days of 2018. The waiter appeared promptly and we began perusing the menu.

Cafe D'Alsace French Restaurant on the Upper East Side Manhattan

They included a prix fixe menu, offering three courses for $29. It included their Merguez Shakshuka, which I found to be of great interest. Nonetheless I began surveying the rest of the menu, adding up a combination or two of the other entrees, before I decided to give the Merguez Shakshuka a royal try. I also received the Soup of the Day, which was potato leek, and for dessert I went with the Molten Hazelnut Chocolate Gateaux. My dining companion wasn’t in a very venturesome spirit today, and he settled on the Burger D’Alsace, preceded by the Winter Salad.

The conversation turned to some of the business ventures in which the artist and his wife are involved. It seems things are going reasonably well at the moment, and based on the conversation, it seemed they were expected to continue.

I have the rest of the story written, but I need to convert it to web format and add photos which I'll do Tuesday. Stay tuned.

The Penninsula Hotel in Manhattan

Luxury Historic Hotels in Manhattan Midtown NYC

January 8, 2018 / Manhattan Neighborhoods / Midtown Manhattan / Luxury Hotels Manhattan Historic Hotels / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

Over the holidays I had an opportunity to visit one of the finest luxury historic hotels in Manhattan - the Penninsula Hotel. The Penninsula Hotel is part of a world renowned hotel franchise dating back to the mid 1800's in Asia. The first Penninsual Hotel was built in 1928 in Hong Kong, which is where I had my first encounter with their old world hospitality and elegance many years ago.

Historic Gotham Hotel is now the Penninsula Hotel

The Penninsula Hotel Manhattan was first built at the corner of 55th Street and 5th Avenue in 1905 as the Gotham Hotel. It's a beaux artes structure that suffered over eighty years of ill-fated turnovers, before being acquired by the Penninsula Hotel Group in 1988. Today the hotel is noted as one of the finest in Manhattan.

I entered the lobby off of 55th Street. There's a staircase leading up to the lobby off to the right and the Clements restaurant off to the left. Just off the hotel lobby is Gotham Bar, in a hail back to the hotel origins, which overlooks 55th Street off 5th Avenue.

The Clements restaurant is an elegantly appointed restaurant that was, for a short time in the latter half of the 20th century, the American location of Maxime's of Paris. The restaurant is adjacent to another bar designed to accommodate restaurant patrons while waiting for their guests.

Rooftop Bars in Manhattan Midtown NYC

We chose to spend our time on the rooftop of the Penninsula Hotel, as it has a nice view of the Midtown rooftops, as well as some looking south on 5th Avenue. It was a balmy winter day - about 60 degrees - and with the heaters out it was very comfortable. The rooftop bar is primarily for drinks - and for those who smoke - provides one of the few locales left in Manhattan where one can actually enjoy a cigar or cigarette while have a drink with friends.

Prices aren't cheap, as one might expect. Bottles of wine run from about $90 on up and cigars run in the neighborhood of $40 on up [I'm doing this by memory which may not be 100% accurate, but directionally close]. Anyhow it was a beautiful locale, the service was very good and the company was great.

But alas, all good things must come to and end, and after finishing our cigars and wine, we bid adieu or rather Tiajian 再见.

Lil Frankie's in the East Village / Bowery

Frivolous, Fun Fare in the East Village

August 27, 2017 / East Village Neighborhood / East Village Restaurants / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

The school year was about to begin as I made my way down to the Bowery to meet an out-of-town guest and family members for a farewell dinner. It was a nice end-of-summer evening as I came above ground in SoHo, and I had a little time so I browsed around.

I made my way up to Lil Frankie's at 19 First Avenue, only a couple doors north of Houston Street. Lil Frankies was bustling. It's a cash only restaurant that serves pizza and assorted Italian fare at affordable prices - meaning most of the appetizers and entrees run between $10 - $20 apiece.

The photo at right shows the store front of Lil Frankies on First Avenue north of Houston in the Bowery / East Village.

Thankfully we had a reservation so we didn't have to wait. The restaurant is divided into two sections, one in the open area surrounding the bar and opening out onto the street, and the other in the back room which is made not quite so claustrophobic by the use of mirrors.

We started with a plate of fried calamari which was fresh and tender. This was followed by main entrees including margherita pizza, wood roasted chicken and a pappardelle with veal ragout. I had ordered the pappardelle which was served while still hot, with the pasta cooked al dente, providing a dense, flavorful texture to accommodate the tomato based ragout sauce which surrounded the tender bits of veal.

I was told that the fresh tomatoes and authentic mozzarella, combined with the flavorful dough used in creating the margherita pizza made its out-of-town recipient one happy camper. And that the roasted chicken was moist, tender and deliciously flavored with lemon, capers and sage.

The ambiance was festive, the service was excellent, and it was a bit loud as Lil Frankie's attracts a youthful audience. And since the youthful members of our party were about to return to school, Lil Frankie's turned out to be just the right pick.

Lil Frankies is a fun, casual place to get together with family and friends.

French Restaurants West Village: La Ripaille

One can Enjoy a bit of the Left Bank on Abingdon Square

January 11, 2017 / West Village Neighborhood / French Restaurants in the West Village / French Restaurants Manhattan / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

In November I had an opportunity to visit La Ripaille French restaurant off Abingdon Square in the West Village. It's a quaint place, with plenty of charm that is owned by a Frenchman who reminded me a little of Gerard Depardieu in the movie entitled Addicted to Love. Full of life and personality and he knows quite a bit about the food he serves and loves.

It was a fairly quiet Wednesday night, on the eve of Thanksgiving, as I made my way through the quiet, narrow West Village streets. I stopped for a moment at Abingdon Square to take in the karmaic location, before entering the restaurant and sitting down with my friends.

They had arrived just before me and were seated at a table in the middle of the restaurant.

We'll have a full restaurant review of La Ripaille a bit later this week.

Flatiron District: Le Coq French Restaurant

Midtown French Restaurant has become a Crowd-pleaser

July 19, 2016 / Midtown Manhattan Neighborhood / Midtown Manhattan Restaurants / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

I took a trip into the Flatiron District just after the July 4th holiday to try out a new French restaurant that came recommended by friends. I arrived a bit late and my table had been seated in the main room in the back of the restaurant.

As I walked past the long modern bar to my left, I found myself tempted by its airy openness and ambiance as the front of the restaurant opens onto the street and the ceilings are in the neighborhood of 12 feet high. Just past the bar, along to my right there were bottles upon bottles of refrigerated champagnes. Hmm.

In the main room there were between a dozen or two tables. Some of the tables for couples were set in front of the walled booth-like benches, which were arranged next to one another. There were round tables for larger groups and families in the middle of the room, and an alcove containing a couple of tables set away from it all. The lighting was well done, with the inset lights on the ceiling radiating a quiet ambient light, supplemented by accent lighting on the ceiling that provided ample light on the table.

My party had already begun ordering, so in an attempt to be a good, but late guest, I went along, to get along.

Dining on the Banks at the Boathouse

Central Park Boathouse Provides Bucolic Ambiance in Big Apple

June 15, 2016 / Upper East Side Neighborhood UES / Upper East Side Restaurants UES / Manhattan Restaurants / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

About a month ago, I met an out-of-town guest for breakfast at the Central Park Boathouse. The Central Park Boathouse is one of the few venues that has remains a consistent treat not just to visiting guests, but resident hosts as well.

The Boathouse is located in the center of Central Park, north of the Great Lawn, just beyond Bethesda Fountain, along the winding roadway on the eastern side of the park. You can access it from 72nd Street, 76th or 79th Streets off Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side.

While I was there for brunch on this particular Sunday, my favorite time to visit the Central Park Boathouse is in the middle or late afternoon on a weekend for a glass or more of wine to wind down the day and the week with friends.

It's frequently crowded and takes a bit of patient waiting and strategic positioning, to get a seat to rest one's weary bones ... but once settled in ... it's an unbeatable venue for late afternoon relaxation. More later.

Nice Matin Restaurant in the Lucerne Hotel

Nice Matin is a Great Way to Start or Continue a 'Nice Morning'

May 16, 2016 / Upper West Side Neighborhood / Upper West Side Restaurants / Manhattan Restaurants / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

The Lucerne Hotel was designed by Harry Mulliken and Edgar Moeller, and opened in 1904. The Lucerne Hotel exhibits the architects' trademark facade which is a rich, brownish-red and pink, brick and terra cotta facade. The architects designed a number of other well known New York City buildings, which still stand today.

The Nice Matin French restaurant is located on the ground floor of the beautiful, 12-story building housing the Lucerne Hotel, which is located at the corner of Amsterdam and West 79th Street on the Upper West Side.

The Lucerne Hotel closed for a while in the last half of the 20th century, and the building was temporarily converted into Columbia University housing. In 1995 the Lucerne Hotel reopened. And it's worth noting that the building was landmarked sometime in the last half of the 20th century.

But I digress, as it's Nice Matin, the French restaurant that we're about to explore. I have eaten at Nice Matin on numerous occasions, and within the past month enjoyed yet another fun outing. I arrived embedded with a large party of just under a dozen at around half past noon on a Sunday. We weren't allowed to make reservations for the party because of its size, but we had called ahead and within about 15 minutes we were seated.

The ambiance has always been festive, as the 20 foot high ceilings, and the floor-to-ceiling windows along both the southern and western walls allow in ample light and a great feeling of space. While the ambient conversations fill the background with sound, it's not noise, but rather part of a melodious rhythm.

The photo at right shows the Lamb Sausage and Scrambled Eggs at the Nice Matin French restaurant on the Upper West Side.

Crowd Pleaser: Bar 65 Where Are You?

Classic, Art Deco, Roof Top Bar at Rockefeller Center

January 16, 2016 / Midtown Manhattan Neighborhood / Midtown Restaurants & Rooftop Bars / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

Over the holidays I had an opportunity to meet with friends at Bar 65 atop Rockefeller Center in Midtown. It's a classic meeting destination, particularly if you're hosting friends from out-of-town as the Manhattan rooftop view is unbeatable. You can get in without reservations, but during the holidays it's highly recommended you don't leave things to chance, and the reservations will also save you a wait in line.

The photo at right shows the breathtaking views provided by Bar 65, the rooftop bar and restaurant at Rockefeller Center.

The bar is located on the 65th floor at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, which is on 49th Street between 6th and 5th Avenues in Manhattan. The bar is also located across from the world famous Rainbow Room which first opened in 1934 shortly after the repeal of the Prohibition. The Rainbow Room is now mostly used as an event space, as it was landmarked in 2012, and carefully remodeled / restored around that same time. Between the Bar 65 and the Rainbow Room, there is a third location, which is a long bar looking south over Midtown Manhattan.

Interior Design magazine compared the rooftop complex configuration to the old fashioned elegance of luxury ship, like the Titanic, over a century ago. The restaurant and dance floor are located at the fore of the ship, the gallery looking south in the middle and the Bar 65 in the rear.

The whole complex is beautifully designed reflecting the height of 20th century, modern, art deco style. The 1936 film Swing Time, considered Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers finest, was set in part at a club modeled after the Rainbow Room. The room is two stories high, with multiple levels, floor-to-ceiling windows and a revolving dance floor.

The photo at right shows the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center which is now used exclusively to host private events.

Meanwhile, back along the west side of Rockefeller Center is Bar 65 which is a private dining club during the day, and open to the public as a bar at night. Although Bar 65 doesn't match the elegance of the Rainbow Room [few places in the entire world do], it also has high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, inset lighting and stunning views. There's a door at the south end of the bar / restaurant where you can walk outside to enjoy the view and take photos.

The night I was there, the service was quite good, even though it was the week before Christmas and bustling with tourists. We enjoyed a bottle of wine, along with some Crispy Chicken Sliders, Braised Beef Short Rib Sliders and Roasted Artichoke Hearts and Lemon Hollandaise. The appetizers which we split cost just under $20 apiece and the bottles of wine was about $60, plus gratuity.

The sliders were done with some culinary panache that augmented the sense of excitement of being at the Top of the Rock. The Chicken Slider was made with succulent pieces of chicken covered with bacon and lime-chili mayonnaise. The Braised Beef Short Rib Sliders may have even been better as they included a mouth-watering serving of short rib beef flavored with a horseradish sauce and pickled green tomatoes. The artichoke hearts were good, but the least surprising.

The photo on your right shows the Beef Short Rib Sliders and the Artichoke Hearts at Bar 65 atop Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan.

And then there were the views ... on all sides, save the bar behind which were the elevator banks and the Rainbow Room. But we could see south the whole length of Manhattan, glistening with jeweled lights, and north to Central Park and down 65 stories to the streets of Manhattan.

It's a great place to spend a bit of time, feeling like you're on top of the world ... because in a sense you are.

Bryant Park Grill, Cafe & Restaurant

Lunch At The Bryant Park Cafe In Midtown Manhattan

June 8, 2015 / Midtown Manhattan Neighborhood / Midtown Restaurants NYC / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

It was a beautiful day in early June as I made my way to meet a friend and occasional Gotham Buzz contributor at the Bryant Park Cafe in Midtown Manhattan. We had planned to meet early afternoon, following the lunch rush, so we could relax and enjoy the day a bit before resuming our respective duties.

The Bryant Park Cafe is located just behind the New York Public Library which runs along Fifth Avenue between 42nd and 41st Streets. And it looks out onto Bryant Park which begins at the back of the library and runs westward toward Times Square, but ending a bit short of it one long block away at Sixth Avenue. In the other direction lies Grand Central Terminal which is only two blocks away.

Thus Bryant Park Cafe not only overlooks a festive location, but is a convenient meeting location for folks traveling from various parts of the city. On most days and at most times, the park is fairly well traveled because it's a green oasis in the heart of the city. It's a place where locals, tourists and workerbees all intermingle. And thus the Bryant Park Cafe is generally populated with some fair measure of guests, which adds to the joyful ambiance.

We'll have more on the Bryant Park Cafe restaurant in Midtown Manhattan at a later date.

Taste of Gramercy Hits The Spot

Taste of Gramercy Showcases Gramercy Park Neighborhood Restaurants

September 28, 2015 / Gramercy Park Neighborhood NYC / Gramercy Park Restaurants NYC / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon as I made my way up Irving Place to the Taste of Gramercy Park. Irving Place had been cordoned off between 17th and 18th streets and there were a number of food tents, tables and bar stools situated in the midst of the blocked street to let attendees sit while tasting the delicious morsels served by restaurants from the surrounding Gramercy neighborhood.

I began visiting each of the booths, surveying their goods and sampling some of them. Chef Brando De Oliveira is shown in the photo at right standing in front of a collection of Florian's famous short rib meatballs.

We'll post more about the Taste of Gramercy later tonight.

Taste Asia Times Square

2nd Annual Celebration Of Asian Cuisines

June 30, 2015 / Midtown Neighborhood NYC / Manhattan Restaurants / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

The second annual Taste Asia Food Festival was held last Friday and Saturday in Times Square. The event is part outdoor cooking show, part street fair and part Asia buffet and it is sponsored by the Epoch Times.

I attended the event early Saturday afternoon. About every hour or two there's a cooking demonstration / competition wherein a number of the chefs from participating restaurants compete for prizes in live cooking demonstrations [see photo at right].

The competition is fierce as most of the chefs are life long curators of their ethnic cuisines and marshall their talents and trade secrets to win the prize.

The event was held in Times Square along Broadway between 42nd and 43rd streets, which given the attraction and the natural crowds, was crowded.

Taste Of Times Square

Festive Food Event Along Restaurant Row In Theatre District Of NYC

June 2, 2014 / Manhattan Restaurants NYC / Theatre District Midtown NYC / Manhattan Buzz NYC

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I went to the Taste of Times Square on Monday evening. The festive food event was held on 46th Street between Broadway and 9th Avenue, and it had begun at 5 pm and was to run until 9 pm.

Needless to say, Times Square is nearly always crowded and busy, and this Monday evening was certainly no exception. The sun was out, the temperatures were in the 70's, and it was fairly dry and comfortable. I started in from Broadway, where the restaurateurs were busy serving the hungry attendees, who paid $6 per ticket which was good for one taste.

I sampled a number of delicious morsels and had a chance to talk to some of the people working the event. As near as I could tell, all of the participants were from restaurants from the immediate vicinity and the offerings ran the gamut from appetizers to full meals.

In the top photo at right you can see the Taste of Times Square between 8th and 9th Avenues along 46th Street in the Theatre District of Manhattan as the Taste of Times Square was winding down. In the photo at left, you can see a crabcake croquette from O'Lunney's Times Square Pub which was so good that I'm still thinking about it. We'll post more about this fun food event in Midtown NYC at a later date - including photo slide show of the food and restaurateurs.