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10 places to eat in Manhattan

May 5, 2016 4 Comments Filed Under: Food, Recipes, Travel, Uncategorized

It’s really hard to do a ‘best of’ listicle about eating in Manhattan because most places are good. As fromager Tia Keenan said to me: ‘You can eat so well in New York, you can eat a different meal, three times a day, for years without repeating the same restaurant.’
I ate a bit randomly, not following a structured route. There were three places I wanted to try before I got there: Dirt Candy, byCHLOE. and Dominic Ansell. 
Dirt Candy and byCHLOE are both vegetarian/vegan restaurants and Dominic Ansell, well- I wanted to try a cronut. The others I just sort of happened upon or was recommended.
Meatless cuisine is taken seriously in the states, unlike here.You have superb chefs and restaurants creating nose to tail vegetable dishes- for me a kind of culinary ecstasy.
One issue on this visit to Manhattan was how expensive it was to eat out. In previous years, New York restaurants have been very reasonably priced, but several factors listed below means that eating out in London is, by comparison, a bargain.

  • The disadvantageous exchange rate of the pound to the dollar 
  • The gentrification of Manhattan Island, for no grungy or down-at-heel areas remain
  • The ridiculous levels of tipping. You are tight-fisted if you only leave 10 to 15%. At a minimum 18% is expected and more commonly 20%. Along with the reported insults you get from staff if you don’t leave a sufficient tip, the whole business becomes fraught. Eating out should not be this stressful. 
  • Sales tax. In Manhattan it’s 8.875%. (Although in the UK VAT, effectively the same thing, is 20% in restaurants so with our customary 10 to 15% tip, you are paying up to a 35% surcharge on a meal).

Another thing I noticed is that when you pay a bill, they arrive with their machine for your card, you punch in the numbers and they leave you a ‘check’. You then fill in the amount of tip. I spent the first few days impatiently waiting for the waiter to return and collect the check. They don’t, which I find disconcerting, after all they could write anything in that section, changing the numbers of the tip amount.

I think we should all be like the French and not tip at all. Food prices charged at restaurants should cover a living wage for employees. Furthermore tipping means that front of house are paid more than back of house employees, and New York restaurants are struggling to find chefs right now. Some restaurants are experimenting with service charges included in the food rather than tipping. 

Dirt Candy

Oh my god this was just as good as I imagined – better, even. And chef Amanda Cohen was waiting on tables! And people ordered her about as if she were an ordinary person! W the actual F! I wanted to scream at them: 

‘How very dare you! Do you not know you are making a culinary genius clear your plate? You ignoramuses! Apologise at once.’ 

But thanks to the presence of my much more sensible daughter, I managed to restrain myself.
I ordered the squash biscuits. Biscuits are basically American scones, but so much nicer – flakier, more buttery, imbuing a melt in the mouth divinity. I’m a convert. These were served with yellow pepper jam and pumpkin butter.
I also ordered savoury mini glazed red pepper flavoured doughnuts, corn French Toast, a ‘greens’ sandwich with crispy fried potatoes and an enormous spicy green Bloody Mary. Everything was AMAZING.
And then I met her and took a picture with her. I totally fan-girled over her. I want to be her. Ok, this is getting embarrassing.
I also love the fact that there is a no tipping policy, because Canadian Cohen pays her staff a living wage.

by CHLOE.


Fronted by the young and photogenic Chloe Coscarelli, this is a foray into vegan fast food that has succeeded very well. The menu is fun, quick, nutritional, flavoursome and cruelty-free! I had the guac burger, daughter had the mac ‘n cheese and we shared the air-baked fries (which arrived a bit cold but were not bad for a low fat version). We both enjoyed it and would go back. I’d like to do something like this in London. 

Kajitsu

Kajitsu specialises in Japanese Buddhist vegan ‘shojin’ cuisine, with a series of small artfully presented dishes in the kaiseki style. I’ve always wanted to try a Kaiseki restaurant and this wasn’t too expensive at $95 per person for the ‘Hana’ meal comprising of eight courses.
At the beginning of the meal, the waiters display a basket of the raw seasonal ingredients that will be used in the meal, which in this case represented spring. Then we were asked to choose a vessel from a tray of different porcelain cups, some of which are hundreds of years old, in which they poured sake. The method of serving the food is as important as the ingredients and cooking.
The restaurant is housed in a typical New York townhouse and we ate at a window table on the first floor. The atmosphere and furnishings are spartan and calm, service is deliberate and ritualistic.
A fascinating experience.

Tacombi

This beautifully designed Mexican restaurant on Bleeker isn’t cheap but serves delicious food and drink. Hard alcohol can’t be served because they are situated near to a church but I had a version of tequila, a fermented agave liqueur, in a cocktail. I ordered two types of tacos, fried fish and bean & sweet potato. The generous guacamole with totopos (fried tortilla chips to you) was terrific. It’s probably a tourist trap but I’d recommend the food.

Barney Greengrass

This bagel restaurant, located on the upper west side a couple of blocks from Central Park, has been a New York stalwart since 1908. Now third generation Gary is manning the main till. It does classic New York style bagels: large, fluffy, chewy, savoury. They pride themselves on not toasting them, ‘they don’t need it!’. Barney Greengrass is particularly known for their selection of smoked fish such as sable and Novia Scotia salmon.
Other bagel recommendations include Murray’s (best actual bagels), Sadelles (long wait, fashionable, get the Smoked Fish Tower), Russ and Daughters and the Montreal-style bagels at Black Seed. Read more about the difference between New York and Montreal bagels here.

Salvation Burger

My recently widowed aunt took my cousin, my niece, my daughter to April Bloomfields’ restaurant. They kindly gave us an entire booth and let us sit there all afternoon. The food was not bad: highlights include the shakes, the fish burger, the fries, the creamy buttermilk and poppy seed dressing on the green salad, but the veggie burger was frankly disgusting. That needs work, it is misconceived. The fried apple pie, McDonalds style, didn’t quite work. I would have preferred an actual McDonalds one.

Dominic Ansell

Reams have been written about social media star baker Dominic Ansell and his cronuts. I was game for doing the crack of dawn queue but having tried and failed to master the vagueries of the frustrating afternoon line for the ‘cookie shot’ (a cup made of cookie dough, filled with milk), I lost faith. I did try the much lauded frozen S’more (horrible) and the lacklustre croissant (my litmus test for a bakery is that their croissant should be superb – if they can’t do that, they can’t do anything). Maybe the cronut is life-changing on a patisserie level, who knows? Not wasting several hours of my life to find out. I’ll leave that to the mode-driven millenials for when they fall off the clean eating bandwagon. Disordered eating much?

Bar Sixtyfive at The Rainbow Room

This is a very touristy thing to do in New York, but actually not too many tourists seem to know about it. Located at the top of the Rockefeller building, your coat is taken by the hat check girl before you ride the elevator up. The thing to do is to go at sunset: pearlescent sky scrapers and neon-lit buildings silhouetted against peachy skies. Have a glass of pink champagne and take some selfies. Wear nice clothes and book. Ditto for the restaurant, which isn’t cheap but has live music. 

La Bonbonniere


Old style New York diner, full of characters and actors (both resting and famous). I loved it. Read more about the ‘bonbon’ as locals call it, here in my piece on nearby Jane hotel.

Cafe Gitane

This trendy cafe is apparently the original source of the avo-toast recipe, which is now ‘overcado’ on Instagram. I’ve been eating avocado on toast for years and it’ll never be over for me. How can two basic ingredients be a matter for fashion? I ate in the super trendy Jane hotel branch. The first time I thought it was expensive but then I realised the prices were the norm.
On the second visit, I was tapping away on my laptop vaguely aware of two ladies sitting at the next table when my daughter announced:

‘Mum, you need to be friends with these women.’

I started to eavesdrop on their conversation: they were funny, outrageous, crude, rude, loud, colourful and vibrant. They sounded like American versions of me. So I introduced myself by repeating what my daughter had said. It turned out that they were professional body painters. They paint baby bumps, children’s faces, makeup for films and TV. One gave me a little cock – a small plastic chicken, her calling card. I’d like to be painted nude by them, a vegetable, perhaps an artichoke: all spiky but with a tasty heart.

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Comments

  1. Pasta Bites

    May 6, 2016 at 8:06 am

    How did I miss Dirt Candy!? Looks great. I am also going to post some stuff about where to eat but like you say, it's impossible to do so for new york… so much to do and choose from. And couldn't agree with you more on the taxes, the exchange rate and the tipping. it's sooo stressful! I went to Tacombi too and actually really liked their food, both at the now closed Gansevoort market in November and in their Bleecker st branch in April…

    Reply
    • Kerstin Rodgers aka MsMarmiteLover

      May 6, 2016 at 1:21 pm

      Tacombi's food: their tacos for instance were delicious. But quite small and a teensy bit pricey.

      Reply
    • Pasta Bites

      May 9, 2016 at 9:15 am

      Absolutely agree. But it's like most stuff in Manhattan … had a smoothie at Liquiteria, really good but $9!?

      Reply
  2. jason

    June 13, 2016 at 6:41 am

    Hi,
    The Vegetarian restaurants Manhattan is such a very nice restaurants. The foods are very delicious to looked at. Dirt Candy is awesome to looked at. All the foods are really attractive.

    Reply

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MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

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Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
Got the sewing machine out last night and hemmed t Got the sewing machine out last night and hemmed the top of these toile de jouey curtains in my summer house shed. The days are lengthening a little which brightens up my mood. Self care= trying to get up and washed. Trying to leave the house once a day. Keeping my hands busy. Finding small ways to be creative. #coronaloner #sewingmachine #curtains #shedsofinstagram #sheshed #springiscoming #supperclub #stayingsane #selfcare #lockdown3
Pasta aglio olio. I’m turning into a vampire. I Pasta aglio olio. I’m turning into a vampire. I get up later and later every day. I’m living in a twilight world- dim skies, getting nothing done. Next week it’s my birthday and every year I’m at my lowest ebb just before my birthday. Lockdown on your own is tough. My motivation, my mojo has disappeared. #lockdown3 #coronaloner #pastadinner #nofilter #january2021 #januarychallenge #selfemployedwomen #single #aquarius #0degrees
On the heath on Sunday. Must. Walk. More. #coronal On the heath on Sunday. Must. Walk. More. #coronaloner
Tonight’s lockdown dinner with my bubble. Proper Tonight’s lockdown dinner with my bubble. Proper pesto alla genovese with trofie, small boiled salad potatoes, steamed green beans (good tip: steam the beans in a colander plopped on top of the potatoes or pasta), good quality pesto sauce ( mine from local microbakery @seansloaf ), good olive oil (@pomoragoodfood), torn fresh basil, a few pine nuts. This turns this student dish into a balanced meal of carbs, veg and a little protein.  It’s cold outside, I’ve lit the fire. Covid rages in Kilburn high road in north west london. The rate is 1 in 30 london wide but I feel it’s higher in this poor inner london area. We have a high BAME population who are particularly vulnerable. It’s a little bit anarchic on my high street: cars perched on kerbs waiting for hijabi women, braving pound shops and Aldi . We are all covered up now. In winter masks keep your face warm, but you have a choice between safety and being able to see. I’ve not managed to prevent the inevitable steaming up of my glasses when wearing a mask. Nothing works.  #january #londonwinter #pestopasta #pestoallagenovese #vegetarian #pasta #trofie #supperclub #covid_19 #lockdownlife #lockdown3 #bubblegang
Galette des Rois, made yesterday in 12th night. Mi Galette des Rois, made yesterday in 12th night. Minus Crown and king as I cannot find either. This one is made with Tonka bean. Plus homemade puff pastry (well worth the effort). According to ike delorenzo at The Atlantic:  The tonka bean, a flat, wrinkled legume from South America with an outsize flavor that the US government has declared illegal. Nonetheless, it proliferates on elite American menus. The tiniest shavings erupt in a Broceliande of transporting, mystical aromas.
The taste of the tonka bean is linked strongly to its scent. "Scents," I should say, as the tonka bean has many at once. I register the aromas of vanilla, cherry, almond, and something spicy—a bit like cinnamon. When served cold—say, in tonka bean ice cream—the taste is like a vanilla caramel with dark honey. When warm, perhaps shaved over scallops, it moves toward spiced vanilla. Additionally, the aroma of the tonka bean shavings (it's almost always shaved) is so affecting that it seems like an actual taste in the way that opium, which has no taste in the traditional sense, "tastes" like its rich, flowery smoke.  Here is the recipe: 

Tonka bean galette des rois

Serves 8
Ingredients
* 140 g caster sugar
* 125 g salted butter, softened
* 100 g ground almonds
* 2 eggs, medium
* 1 tonka bean, grated
* 2 packs ready made butter puff pastry on a roll
* 1 yolk for brushing the pastry
Instructions
* Preheat your oven to 200c.

* Blend the butter with the sugar then add the almonds. Make sure it’s well mixed. Add in the 2 eggs one at a time, then add the tonka bean.

* If using a block: divide the puff pastry into two and roll out to 5mm thick. 
* Make two circles about 15 cm’s each in diameter. Lay one circle on a silicone mat/parchment paper on a baking tray and fill with the almond cream leaving a 3 cm border around the edge. 
* Paint the border with the egg yolk. Then lay the other circle on top, sealing the edges with a fork. 
* You could then carve designs into the top. Make a little slit in the middle to let steam escape then brush the top with the egg yolk
Mapo tofu is probably my favourite Sichuan dish. T Mapo tofu is probably my favourite Sichuan dish. This is a vegan version. ***

Ingredients:
- 400 g box of soft tofu not silken
- 5 soaked dried shiitake mushrooms, diced, keep water
- 1 red bell pepper, finely sliced
- 400 g fresh shiitake mushroom, sliced thinly
- 400 ml vegetable stock
- 1 thumb fresh ginger, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 4 tbsps groundnut or vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp fermented bean paste
- 1 or 2 small red chillies, minced or a spoonful of Chinese chilli paste
- 1 tsp heaped sichuan peppercorns, finely ground
- 2 tbsps soy or tamari sauce
- 2 tbsp cornflour in 3 tbsps water, mixed into a slurry
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced
- large pinch fresh coriander leaves

Prepare the tofu by cutting it into one inch cubes and soaking it in hot but not boiling salted water. Drain after 15 minutes.
Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms, covering them in boiling water. Leave until soft, then dice the mushrooms. Retain the mushroom soaking water and add to the vegetable stock water.
Prepare the other ingredients so they are ready to stir-fry: red bell pepper, fresh mushrooms, ginger, garlic.

Using a wok or deep frying pan, add the oil and heat to frying temperature. Add the bell peppers,fry for a couple of minutes, then add fermented bean paste, chilli paste or chillies, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sichuan pepper.
Add the mushroom/vegetable broth and simmer on high for a couple of minutes.
Carefully add the cubes of tofu, taking care not to break them too much.
Add the cornflour slurry, stirring for a couple of minutes.
Serve with rice or noodles, garnishing with spring onions or chives and or coriander leaves.  #veganuary #mapotofu #sichuanfood #tofu  #shitakemushrooms #supperclub #londonchef #msmarmitelover #ham&highcolumn #eatplants #lockdown3 #selfisolation #coronaloner #cooking #recipe #cookingfromscratch
Macaroni cheese with odds and sods from the Christ Macaroni cheese with odds and sods from the Christmas leftover cheese board. I’ve used @paxtonscheese truffled brillat-savarin and a mystery hard cheese that’s lost its label. Plus cream and topped it with samphire fried in butter. Haven’t bothered with making a roux- this is the lockdown lazy version.  #lockdownlazy #lockdown3 #supperclub #macandcheese #macaronicheese #truffledcheese #leftovers #leftovercheeseboard #londonlockdown #breakfast #coronaloner
Another thing the Japanese are brilliant at is san Another thing the Japanese are brilliant at is sandwiches. They use the softest, whitest, fluffiest bread. Their mayonnaise kewpie is gorgeous I don’t know why. Perhaps someone here can explain? Here I’ve used sourdough as it’s what I have; kosho which is a Yuzu citrus and green chilli condiment and the aforesaid kewpie Mayo to make an egg 🥚 sandwich.  I’m not a big egg fan but I suddenly had the urge. Also I’ve noticed when I eat eggs it satiates my hunger for hours. All that protein.  #sandwich #sandwiches #japanesesandwich #kewpiemayo #kosho #eggsandwich #sourdough #supperclub #cookingforone #solo #londonlife #lockdownlondon #recipe #snack #sundaysnack #sando
Agedashi tofu for New Year’s Day. With a vegan d Agedashi tofu for New Year’s Day. With a vegan dashi stock, it’s perfect for veganuary. How to make dashi: put a piece of kombu seaweed in water. Soak for half an hour then simmer for half an hour (don’t let it boil). Then mix 2 cups of dashi with 2 tbsps of mirin and 2 of soy sauce.  For the tofu: press soft tofu with weights for half an hour, then cut into cubes. Dust all over with cornflour.  Then deep fry the tofu cubes in 180C veg oil until they float. Set aside to drain, then place say 3 cubes in small bowl. Pour the sauce around and top with spring onion and daikon and togarashi 7 spice.  #easypeasyvegan #veganuary #agedashitofu #tofu #japaneseveganrecipe #newyearsday #freshstart #supperclub #londonsupperclub #msmarmitelover #visforvegan #recipe
Writing about tofu which I think has an unfair rep Writing about tofu which I think has an unfair reputation in this country. It’s so flexible and is a brilliant flavour sponge. Here I’m preparing my soft tofu for a Japanese dish: agedashi tofu. I first pressed it in a clean tea towel with a weight on top to firm it up a bit but not too much. Then I dusted it with cornflour and I will deep fry it in oil. Then I will serve it in a broth of dashi/mirin and tamari sauce, sprinkled with finely chopped spring onions and togarashi pepper from Japan. I would usually add some finely mandolined daikon radish but couldn’t find any. It’s a subtle dish of texture: soft yet crispy. After Christmas I’m desperate for light zingy fresh flavoured food. #supperclub #tofu #vegan #vegetarian #agedashitofu #newyearsday #cookingagain #lunch #asian #japanesefood
Happy new year from my bubble to yours! Keep holdi Happy new year from my bubble to yours! Keep holding on...
#happynewyear #happynewyear2021 #supperclub #hootenanny
Some of my Christmas food 🥘 lots of veg includi Some of my Christmas food 🥘 lots of veg including mashed swede with cheese and butter. I put pomegranate seeds with my sprouts, and cooked my carrots in marmalade ( worked v well), the mushroom wreath fell apart as I was transferring it to a tray 😤, roast potatoes and parsnips, then a cheese spread with fruit nuts, quince cheese (homemade), Chocs @lindtuk 😍 @guylian_uk @disaronno_official @baileysofficial @taylorsportwine and Brazil nuts. Plus a pavlova wreath ready to be topped with whipped cream and persimmons. 
#christmasdinner #vegetarianchristmas #vegetarianchristmasdinner #supperclub #londonchristmas #liqueurs #christmasspread #grazing #cheeseboard #port #pavlova
Christmas has started! Home-cured smoked beetroot Christmas has started!  Home-cured smoked beetroot and aquavit salmon with homemade blinis, creme fraiche, dill, Prosecco.  The fire is lit 🔥, the tree is up, 🎄the presents 🎁 are wrapped, we have a #brexit deal- a Christmas miracle. Peace and harmony. #christmas #christmasinengland #homemade #christmaseve #blinis #smokedsalmon #prosecco🍾 #londonchristmas
Done some doorscaping, the latest trend in Christm Done some doorscaping, the latest trend in Christmas decorating. It might also cheer up passersby. #christmas #christmasdecor #doorscaping #doorsofinstagram #londonchristmas #doorwreath #doordecor #doorsoftheworld #doordecoration #exteriors #london #supperclub #covidchristmas
Look at my gorgeous Nordic pine Christmas tree 🎄 from @pinesandneedles with some family ornaments and beautiful foodie ornaments from @gisela_graham  it’s 7 foot high and no drop. My parents brought over the candle lights. I’ve also used paper ornaments (apples and pears cut from maps) from @dionne_leonard which I first commissioned for a supper club.  #christmas #christmastree #christmasdecor #foodiedecorations #glassbaubles #supperclub #christmasinlondon
More #fbmarketplacefinds I find meeting the seller More #fbmarketplacefinds I find meeting the sellers interesting. It’s often about moving on whether through death, a change of circumstances, moving country, loss of a job. Today I visited a gorgeously renovated Edwardian house where the owners, an antique dealer & a master decorator had died with 18 months of each other of cancer.  The sister was there emptying the house, an incredibly painful experience. The husband who died was an expert in putting up lincrusta wallpaper which I’ve pictured here. All that craftsmanship and knowledge lost now.  The piece I got on Sunday, the teal chinoiserie cabinet, was from a Spanish guy returning to Spain. He’d lost his job as a hotel manager, the hotel, a big one, has now closed. The marble coffee table and arepas grill was from a Spanish couple who’d had a restaurant here for 40 years. They are now returning to Spain. Other slides: green Edwardian fireplace tiles, William Morris wallpaper, 2 small scalloped coffee tables, a knife and fork cutlery hook set.  A fireplace for my bedroom if I can find someone to put it in. #lockdownstories #covidstories #movingon #decor #interiors #bargains #secondhandstyle #edwardianstyle #williammorris #tiles #wallpaper #scallopededge #teal #chinoiserie #whitemarble #vintage #kitchenalia #supperclubrefurb #london #lincrustawallpaper
Another #fbmarketplace find £30. I can’t afford Another #fbmarketplace find £30. I can’t afford proper chinoiserie so I make do with fakes. The gradual doing up of my flat proceeds apace. Need to start on main bedroom. Looking for a storage ottoman (velvet?) bench to turn into a horizontal filing cabinet.  Any ideas? Above is a map of london based on the A to Z map which a minicab office was tossing out. Remember when we all carried mini A to Z books in our handbags? Before google maps? #nocrushedvelvet #chinoiserie #supperclubrefurb #londonapartment #londonflat #norfweezy #decor #organising #storage #interiors
My new/old rise and fall light over the dining tab My new/old rise and fall light over the dining table. Found for £50 on #fbmarketplace  but originally from @thefrenchhouse.net_ one of my favourite shops. Every day, a little more progress. #supperclubrefurb #supperclub #londonflat #interiors #lighting #riseandfalllights #lightingisimportant #frenchstyle #vintagestyle #rusticstyle #turquoise #diningtabledecor
Two vegetarian meal kits, laksa and ramen, from @k Two vegetarian meal kits, laksa and ramen, from @kit.eats.uk. Took only a couple of minutes to cook(see stories) and very good. I’m trying a few meal kits of late to see how hospitality has adapted to the great reset. As a cook I’ve always thought why would I need these but now I get it: it’s like going to a restaurant- the pleasure of food prepared by someone else. Getting jolted off of your normal repertoire, so it’s teaching cooking too.  #mealkits #vegetarian #homecooked #hospitality #covid #takeawayfood #foodpackaging #laksa #ramen #supperclubchef
Still working on my glass cupboard. I’ve hung up Still working on my glass cupboard. I’ve hung up all my wine bottle openers and cork screws. My favourite is the zigzag bottom left. If you find them at a flea market in France, if you are lucky you may get it for around 35 euros.  #supperclub #londonflat #londoninteriors #corkscrews #frenchkitchenalia #zigzag #tirebouchon #oakcupboard #diy #diyprojects
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