A bite of the Apple
TEXT ANDREW CATCHPOLE
Our travelling gourmet jumps in a yellow taxicab for a taste tour of New York City
KATZ’S DELI IS
GREAT FOR PASTRAMI
ON RYE
Trying to find the quintessential taste of New York can take a lifetime or a day – it all depends on your point of view. After all, this is a 24-hour global city with a wealth of options from around the world for feeding your face or wetting your whistle at any time of the day or night. From the hot dog vendors to haute cuisine, by way of the ubiquitous delis, diners, bistros, hole-in-the-wall cocktail joints, swanky bars, and vendors and restaurants
selling every type of ethnic food imaginable, even the savvy locals have trouble keeping up with the Big Apple’s new openings and fast-moving culinary trends. While its always fun to seek out the latest hotspots favoured by the in-crowd, there are some New York eating and drinking institutions that you really shouldn’t miss, however long your stay.
Trying to find the quintessential taste of New York can take a lifetime or a day – it all depends on your point of view. After all, this is a 24-hour global city with a wealth of options from around the world for feeding your face or wetting your whistle at any time of the day or night. From the hot dog vendors to haute cuisine, by way of the ubiquitous delis, diners, bistros, hole-in-the-wall cocktail joints, swanky bars, and vendors and restaurants
selling every type of ethnic food imaginable, even the savvy locals have trouble keeping up with the Big Apple’s new openings and fast-moving culinary trends. While its always fun to seek out the latest hotspots favoured by the in-crowd, there are some New York eating and drinking institutions that you really shouldn’t miss, however long your stay.
Once you’ve finally got brunch out of the way you can start to consider your dining options. Few local institutions delight visitors more than the tile-clad vaults of the Oyster Bar, in the bowels of the fabulously atmospheric Grand Central Station (42nd Street, +1 212 490 6650). Amid the hum and throng, you can wolf down tangy clam chowder or feast on fresh oysters, all the while imagining yourself in an old Hollywood film.
Another splendid place I’ve returned to time and again is the boathouse on the lake in Central Park, a classic outdoor lunch venue. And almost everyone in the world seems to have been to Katz’s Deli (205 East Houston, +1 212 254 2246) – location for THAT scene in When Harry met Sally. Fortunately this hasn’t spoilt the long-famous joint and even Heston Blumenthal has included it in his ten top eateries in the world. This is where Jewish-Russian pickles, cured meats and mustards become a gourmet items and their pastrami-on-rye is well worth the detour.
But if it’s the great American burger you’re after then it’s a relatively short hop from the Lower East Side to the East Village where the laid-back 7A Café (109 Avenue A, +1 212 475 9001) serves up some of the best in town.
Georges, cool Nobu, pristine Gramercy Tavern, buzzing Balthazar and many, many others – it’s worth doing as New Yorkers do and taking recommendations from local foodies or burying your head in local restaurant bible Zagat to see what’s hot.
Definitely the best way to prepare for your meal – and to round it off afterwards – is with a cocktail. Cocktail lounges and bars range from vintage establishments like the Rainbow Room at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (+1 212 632 5100) to cool, contemporary spaces, such as the Buddha Bar (25 Little West 12th Street, +1 212 647 7314) and Pastis (see above). Or you can try out any of the groovy little hole-in-the-wall bars that pepper areas like the Lower East Side and disappear or reinvent themselves almost as quickly as they open their doors.
When it comes to your choice of cocktail – taking it as read that everyone must have at least one Manhattan while they are on the island – current trends are towards subtle, fruit-infused variations on classic drinks like the martini, often with a dash of the exotic from Asia, depending as much on the inventiveness of the mixologist as any city-wide fashions.
This is any number of bars boasting fantastic wine lists (and do try the home-grown Chardonnay’s, Rieslings and Pinot noirs from New York State), or great brew pubs, such as the Chelsea Brewing Company (Chelsea Piers, Pier 59, +1 212 336 6440), where small-batch wheat beers rub shoulders with porters and winter ales. In short, you need never go thirsty in New York.
So it seems that even in these straitened times, when it comes to food and drink at least, consumption still reigns supreme.
BEST BUY
NY BEERS
This is also the land of the boutique micro-brewery and real ale-hunters can delight in a number of great venues where you can eat, sup and enjoy while watching your beer being brewed, before buying a few favourites to take home.
Among the best are the Chelsea Brewing Company (Chelsea Piers, Pier 59, +1 212 336 6440), the buzzing Heartland Brewery (35 Union Square West, +1 212 645 3400), and the unmissable neon-lit Times Square Brewery (42nd Street, +1 212 398 1234) where three storeys of bar and restaurant action is crowned by the huge and very visible brewery.
NY WINES
New York has a wealth of great liquor emporiums selling the very best in American wines, beers and spirits.
Park Avenue Liquor Shop (292 Madison Avenue, +1 212 685 2442) has a huge range of Californian wines.
Sherry-Lehmann (505 Park Avenue, +1 212 838 7500) has the most impressive selection.
Best Cellars (1291 Lexington Avenue, +1 212 426 4200), with its funky, modern and well-priced approach, is hard to beat and, like its rivals, it will ship your selection home (at a price of course).
Would you like to leave a comment ?
You must be logged in to leave a message.