August-04 Newsletter

Midtown West Side
Hudson Cafeteria Restaurant, 356 West 58th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues) offers American comfort food that is wonderful on a leisurely Sunday afternoon. The rest of the week is equally good and you may even see a celebrity or two at this off-the-beaten-path restaurant with a devoted following.

Julian’s, 802 Ninth Avenue (between 53rd and 54th Streets) is a wonderful place to linger and enjoy fabulous Italian cuisine in a charming and hospitable setting.

Downtown West Side
Gavroche, 212 West 14th Street (between Seventh and Eighth Avenues) The garden tucked behind the restaurant is not only removed from the hustle and bustle of the street but is also a truly romantic spot to enjoy a meal with the one you love. A serene water fountain and a majestic giant elm make this the prefect little hideaway. Enjoy three types of ”planches” assorted cheese boards, meats and fish. Portions are ideal for sharing.

Son Cubano, 405 West 14th Street (between 9th Avenue & Washington Street) features 50’s Havana style cuisine. It’s fun, trendy and their mojitos will have you dancing to the live Latin music. They have small outdoor area where people watching can be fun.

August, 359 Bleecker Street (between Charles and West 10th Street) boasts all-weather outdoor dining featuring wonderful treats such as a sweet onion tart or sumptuous beer-braised beef. Their retractable roof will protect you from any unexpected rain. If you are a breakfast lover, visit them for a taste of their amazingly fluffy pancakes or their baked eggs cooked in an iron skillet with tomatoes and mozzarella.

Bread Tribeca, 301 Church Street at Walker Street has new sidewalk seating giving you full enjoyment of this popular neighborhood. The Italian cuisine is well portioned and tastefully prepared. Their pastas are the main reason to visit and are an excellent meal just by themselves.

Home, 20 Cornelia Street (between Bleeker and West 4th Street) serves the home cooking you wish your mom had made. This tiny and charming restaurant can be crowded but their quaint back garden should be placed at the top of your list. They are well known for their homemade ketchup and perfectly prepared yet simple dishes.

Gigino at Wagner Park, 20 Battery Place at West Street has an outdoor patio that overlooks New York Harbor with perfect views of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The Italian cuisine is always consistent with great flavor and creativity.

Downtown East Side
Bread Bar at Tabla, 11 Madison Avenue at 25th Street - The ground floor patio is a wonderful place to meet friends. Have great conversation or just watch the world walk by as you dine on superb Indian-inspired dishes or other wonderfully tasteful selections. Their creative cocktail selection has also become a big draw among their fans.

Ixta, 48 East 29th Street (between Madison and Park Avenues) takes you to the tropics for a sun-splashed dining experience complete with a palm tree and vibrant neon colors that surround you. The menu is a Mexico City-inspired with great seafood dishes.

Pure Food and Wine, 54 Irving Place (between 17th and 18th Streets) is an exciting new restaurant near Gramercy Park boasting fabulous raw food cuisine. This vegen establishment serves the freshest vegetables and is obsessed with purity when choosing the ingredients to be incorporated into their creative dishes. Their large outdoor courtyard adds nicely to the overall experience.

Dolphins, 35 Cooper Square (between 5th and 6th Streets) has a charming garden and a $20.00 early bird special that is one of the best deals in town. They specialize in well-prepared seafood dishes.

Uptown East Side
Metropolitan Café, 959 First Avenue (Between 52nd and 53rd Streets) offers large portions of American fare with something for everyone. Their salads are hearty and a meal in themselves. These and other dishes are sure to satisfy any appetite. This is a family friendly establishment so it is a busy and bustling place. For a quieter dining experience choose the back garden.

A quick tip for outdoor dining when staying at The Manhattan Club - If you haven’t made plans but the mood for outdoor dining strikes you at the last minute, take a walk along Columbus Avenue between 66th and 79th Streets. The avenue is lined on both sides with outdoor cafes representing a variety of cuisines. The casual dress and moderate prices are quite inviting on a laid back afternoon of evening.

New Dining Mecca
It used to be that for a prolific concentration of fine restaurants in Manhattan one went to the East Side, certainly midtown and eventually the West Side. Then came the village, SOHO, and, in recent years, Tribeca. Word has it that the latest fertile ground for sprouting restaurants is the south tip of Ninth Avenue. A recent addition to this area featured in several restaurant reviews is 5 Ninth, 5 Ninth Avenue at Gansevoort Street.

5 Ninth is the latest work of young chef, Zak Pelaccio who established his popularity in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in his former restaurant, Chickenbone Café. Pelaccio specializes in fusion cooking but has added big city dishes to the menu at 5 Ninth to make it more appealing to the Manhattan crowd. The list of appetizers includes several Asian-style soups among them something called “Noodles Raja Chulan.” It’s made of flat rice noodles and a creamy coconut broth, shot through with bits of lobster and galangal flowers, a gingery, peppery spice found in Southeast Asian cooking, Pelaccio does a lot of the cooking himself. A consistently large and glittery crowd means that service is often slow but generally worth the wait.

Big Apple Quiz

Test your knowledge of
Big Apple trivia.

1. What ancient artifact belonging to the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection finds its home outdoors in Central Park?

2. Of New York City’s five boroughs how many form part of the US mainland?

3. Which of the New York City boroughs has the largest population?

4. Where in New York City history does the name The Manhattan Club first appear?

5. In 1609 Henry Hudson sailed into New York Harbor aboard what ship?

6. The Great White Way refers to the Broadway theatre district.
How did this name originate?

7. How did New York City receive its name?

Answers

1. A 3500 year old Egyptian obelisk known as Cleopatra’s needle.
2. Only one, the Bronx. Manhattan and Staten Island are surrounded by water and Queens and Brooklyn, although they do not form part of Long Island, are physically on Long Island.
3. Brooklyn at 2.4 million exceeds Manhattan’s population by 1 million.
4. On Madison Square East between 25th and 26th Streets stood the fashionable and luxurious Jerome Mansion built in 1865 by Leonard Jerome at a cost of $200,000. The six-story home of brick and marble was often the site of large catered parties held in a ballroom above the stables. This area of the house was later converted to a theatre where he screened movies for as many as 600 guests at a time. Originally a newspaper publisher in Rochester, New York, Jerome eventually joined his brother in a New York brokerage firm. His daring fashion of making and losing large sums from one transaction to the next finally culminated in the loss of his entire 6-million dollar fortune. Upon learning of her husband’s marital indiscretions, Jerome’s wife, Clara left for Paris with their three daughters. One daughter, Jennie, grew up to marry the 2nd Duke of Marlborough and become the Mother of Winston Churchill. Over the years, The Mansion was leased to many prominent clubs; among them in 1913 The Manhattan Club, a democratic league. It was here that the Manhattan cocktail was invented.
Henry Hudson sailed aboard Half Moon

5. The Half Moon.
6. The theatre district, that at one time lined Broadway from 35th street to 42nd street, formed a series of illuminated marquis, which at night appeared to create a white beam of light.
7. Originally named New Amsterdam by the Dutch settlers, the City was renamed in 1664 by the British in honor of the King’s brother, the Duke of York.