New York City Restaurant Tips by acemj

Chat N Chew: Comfort food, comfortable place Chat 'n Chew Review

Chat N Chew's decor is old-fashioned and casual. There are lots of old signs and empty cans lining the wall and the menu is full of good comfort dishes like mac n cheese, challah french toast, burgers and milkshakes. I was there in June of 2008 with Susan and enjoyed the atmosphere and the food.

Favorite Dish: The challah french toast was good and the wild mushroom, onion and fontina cheese omelette wasn't bad.

Address: 10 E 16th Street

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Between 5th Ave and Union Square

Phone: 212 243-1616

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 4

Theme: Other

Gramercy Cafe: Another good brunch Gramercy Cafe Review

Hey, $9.95 for a big plate of eggs and home fries, plus some bread and an orange juice is a great price in New York! This place makes for a good spot for brunch if you're in the Union Square area. The service was prompt and we sat right next to an open window allowing us to enjoy the beautiful weather.

Address: 184 3rd Ave

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: 17th St and 3rd Ave

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Other

Spring Street Natural Restaurant: Good brunch spot Spring Street Natural Review

This place has a great, airy and open atmosphere. Lots of windows and a nice polished design inside. The service was average. Not bad, but not gushing with enthusiasm either. The place has been around since 1973 and has always had a philosophy of serving wholesome, organic foods, so you can certainly find a healthy meal here.

Favorite Dish: I had a big white bean salad with yellowfin tuna, which was good. It was served with a lemon vinaigrette. The coffee was very good also. My friend had the Mayan Eggs, which includes two eggs on a yellow tortilla with beans and guacamole. He said it was great.

Address: 62 Spring Street (Corner of Lafayette)

Comparison: about average

Directions: SoHo

Phone: 212.966.0290

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 3

Theme: Health Food

Website: http://www.springstreetnatural.com

Petit Abeille: Good Belgian Beer Selection Petite Abeille - 20th Review

I came to Petite Abeille with some friends in February of 2006 to do a little research on my upcoming trip to Belgian beers. It turns out that this place is a great place for that kind of research with a great selection of Ales and Trappists, Lambics and more. The service was good (our waitress was actually Brazilian) and the atmosphere is decent with blue and white checkered tablecloths and chalkboards advertising the specials.

Favorite Dish: We had calamari and a bowl of mussels to start. The mussels are served traditionally with pommes frites and were quite good although the mussels were just average. I had pan seared salmon over rice for dinner and it was just okay. The beer, however, is great. I suggest trying a beer sample, which included four beers for $10 and allows you to try more beers over the course of the evening.

Address: 401 E. 20th St

Comparison: about average

Directions: 20th and 1st Ave

Phone: 212-727-1505

Price: US$21-30

Rating: 3

Theme: Other

Sunburst Espresso Bar: Good coffee

If you're on the East Side at 18th and 3rd Avenue, stopping at Sunburst isn't a bad idea. The coffee is very good, although I did have a rock hard and fairly dry scone here. The atmosphere is interesting as you can see from this picture and there is seating by the front window, which makes for some good people watching to go with your coffee and conversation. They serve beer as well.

Address: 206 3rd Ave

Directions: 18th and 3rd Ave

Phone: 212-674-1702

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Coffeehouse

Arte Cafe: Great for brunch and for large groups

If you're on the Upper West side and you have kids with you, then this is a good place. It's very roomy inside so if you have a stroller or if you need a large area for the kids, they can probably accommodate you. We were here with some friends with an 8 month old and we were able to have our own little corner which was nice a private. There was another part of the restaurant being used by a group of kids and parents and they were having a party with kids songs and games.

On the other hand, there is a bar and a few other rooms that you can use if you want to be as far away from screaming kids as possible!

Favorite Dish: I had a Frittata with prosciutto and some coffee. The food was good, not incredible and the prices were fair.

Address: 106 W 73rd St

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Upper West Side, between Columbus and Amsterdam

Phone: (212) 501-7014

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 3

Theme: Other

Chinese Mirch: Indo-Chinese

This small restaurant might make you wait for a table, but once you get seated, the food is good. It's a blend of Chinese and Indian food and everything was good. I was here with a group of 8 and tried about 7 main courses and all were good.

Favorite Dish: Try the Chicken Lollipos appetizers and the Honey Chili Lamb is a great main dish. The Singapore Noodles are also good. Click on the link below for a complete menu.

Address: 120 Lexington Ave

Comparison: about average

Directions: 28th and Lexington

Phone: 212-532-3663

Price: US$21-30

Rating: 4

Theme: Other

Website: http://www.chinesemirch.com

Chennai Garden: Excellent South Indian (Vegetarian) Chennai Garden Review

Not only does this place have good, authentic South Indian food, it's also vegetarian AND Kosher! The service was attentive and the food is great. If I lived close to here, I'd come all the time.

Favorite Dish: I had the Mysore Masala Dosai, which is a spicier version of the Masala Dosia (a huge crepe-like thing with potatoes, onions and some great sauces to dip it in). I also had some Kheer for dessert which is an Indian version of rice pudding and some Masala Chai. Yum.

I was also here with a large group and we all shared our food, so I've tried about 8 items from the menu and all were excellent!

Address: 129 East 27th St

Comparison: about average

Directions: 27th and Park

Phone: 212-689-8199

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 5

Theme: Indian

Website: http://www.chennaigarden.com

Patsy's Pizzeria: Good pizza, etc. Patsy's Review

Patsy's in Murray Hill, has good pizzas with fresh ingredients although at $2 for additional toppings, it's a bit pricey. The atmosphere is roomy, with a bar to the right when you enter and a few tables outside on the sidewalk.

Favorite Dish: The arugula salad was good as was the pappardelle pasta with mushrooms and a cream sauce.

Address: 509 3rd Ave

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Between 34th and 35th Streets

Phone: 212-689-7500

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 3

Theme: Pizza

Chinatown Ice Cream Factory: Unique flavors Chinatown Ice Cream Factory Review

The Chinatown Ice Cream Factory usually has a fairly long line and some very unique "Chinese" flavors. For example:
Almond Cookie
Avocado
Coconut
Ginger
Green Tea
Lychee (Chinese Fruit)
Mango
Passion Fruit
Red Bean (Dessert Bean)
Taro (Potato-like)

Hungry yet?

Favorite Dish: I had two scoops, lychee and pistachio. Yum, yum.

Address: 65 Bayard St

Directions: Chinatown

Phone: 212-608-4170

Rating: 4

Theme: Ice Cream

Website: http://www.chinatownicecreamfactory.com/