Restaurants near Juilliard
I'll be at the Starling-DeLay Symposium in a few weeks and I could use some expert advise on where to eat, all three meals of the day. I don't want to go broke, but I would like to have some nice meals, see some cool places, have the occasional bargain meal, the occasional fantastic meal, etc.
What do you think?
Replies (31)
Best north Italian cuisine at the Arte Cafe on 73rd street near Columbus avenue.
Ollies (chinese) is a block away on Brodway and 67th, a juilliard favorite .
I don't know anything about fantastic meals, tragically, but I kind of like Le Pain Quotidien on W. 65th Street, about a block from Juilliard. It's a Belgian bakery, and it's a chain in Manhattan, but it doesn't feel like a chain. The cafe at Alice Tully is pleasant for its soaring glass walls, and on weekends it's pleasant and uncrowded, but I was there today and it was hellishy overbusy. Just today someone told me the name of a wonderful cafe in midtown around 54th and 7th, but I can't remember the name, so I'll find out.
Hi Laurie,
Here are some suggestions from a guy who lives just a few blocks from Juilliard here in Manhattan:
Applejack Diner (Brdway @ 55th)--great for breakfast/lunch;
Patsy's (W56th @ 8th Ave)--$$$ but *the* quintessential Italian place in Midtown frequented by Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, et al.;
Trattoria dell'Arte (7th Ave @ 56th--across from Carnegie H)--$$$, great upscale & hip lunch/dinner spot, frequented by a lot of well-knowns from CNN, ABC, etc. in case you're into celeb spotting...
Those are my picks. Send me a message if you need any more advice--I've got a stack of suggestions!
Eric
Greetings,
well, no3 on the previous list sounds remarkably like a Cosa Nostra hangout so maybe you could do a little quiet research as to why Szeryng`s career was blocked.....
Cheers,
Buri
If you are on the move, the restaurants in Grand Central Station could be handy. There is a large selection of fairly inexpensive restaurants there and of course it's an interesting setting.
I was in New York a couple of years ago and found the portions so huge that I had to ask for a doggy bag after almost every meal. It's not that I'm that mean, or anorexic; I just hate waste.
CAFE MOZART!!!
154 West 70th.
Within EASY walking distance of Juilliard.
Great breakfast and dinner with live classical piano at night. Go there in business casual attire and you'll feel right at home.
Another one is Isabellas over on Columbus. Nicely situated just south of the Museum of Natural History in a nice part of town.
Cocktails you say?
Step right in to the bar over looking Columbus Circle at the Empire Hotel!
Actually, my favorite place for cocktails is the Algonquin Hotel down on 44th. Home of the Writers Round Table of yore. What a great, great place.
(Dang, I wish they'd finish construction up there at school so we don't need to walk around the block there.)
Enjoy!
-Jim (New York City nickle tour king)
The restaurant that I heard about today but couldn't remember the name of is Radiance Tea House at 55th and 7th.
I second the Carnegie Deli, if you have never been there. Remember they do not accept credit cards.
And a sandwich there is big enough for a family of four! So if you don't have a fridge in your hotel room, order light! Oh and about the first entry-- if you have time, you could take the kids for a rowboat ride in Central Park. And for a great view, take them to the top of 30 Rock.
This thread makes me want to jump in a plane over the Pond back to NYC - oh I am sooo envious (and hungry!)
I would add another vote to the Carnegie Deli. But I think half the fun of being in NYC is doing a bit of exploring to find your own "favourite" eatery... For example, one of the best breakfasts I've ever had was in the YMCA restaurant just off Central Park, made to order and eaten in the company of a really fascinatingly diverse group of characters from bag-ladies, cops, businessmen, foreign students, a woman in full evening wear plus jewels and even a group of hunky firemen!
Edit to add that this thread is definitely going to be printed out and put in my luggage in time for my next NYC trip...!
I used to like Carnegie deli a lot, but was hugely disappointed last time I was there (about a year ago)...greasy stuff, served cold, etc.. Best pastrami sandwich I've had lately was at "Mister broadway", Broadway and 37th.
If you like Sushis, there's a great place on Amsterdam and 74th I think, Sushi planet, and another one (very refined) inside the 6 Columbus hotel on Columbus circle.
Laurie, where are you staying?
If you look at the videos that caeli had about the youtube symphony orchestra, they stayed at the parker meridien. (57th near 6th ave) Well, inside the lobby of the parker meridien is where you can find one of the best burgers in the city - Burger Joint. It's behind these floor to ceiling black curtains.
Right across from the Burger Joint is Norma's. again, in the lobby. It's one of the best brunch places in the city - be careful, it's quite expensive (if you say "yes" to both coffee and orange juice, you've already spent about $18.) The OJ is wonderful, freshly squeezed and free refills, but I think it's 9 bucks or so.
if you walk west to 8th and 9th avenue in the high 50s, you'll see a lot of great restaurants... if you give a cuisine preference it'll be easier to give suggestions. One thing - promise us you won't come all this way then end up eating at chain restaurants! Try to stay away from tourist traps like ruby foos and other ridiculously priced restaurants for so-so quality food.
Oh. and please, I need to disagree with Marina... don't go to ollies :) not bad for students but chinatown is cheaper, better, and a short train ride away...
H & H bagels (80th and Broadway) has the best bagels in NYC (this is a hotly debated topic, I know, but I've never had better). They're open 24 hours a day...best way to pick a bagel is to walk up to the bins and feel which bin is warmest---those are the ones that just came out of the oven.
I agree about Ollie's. It's okay, but you can do better.
If you take a bus about 20 blocks north, there's a neighborhood Itatlian restaurant on Amsterdam (91st and 92nd) called Gennaro that I used to go to all the time. They don't take reservations, so unless you go early (before 6:30) you might have to wait outside, but the food is fabulous and it's not that expensive---most of the entrees are under $15.
Thanks everyone! Wow, I'm getting hungry already! I'll actually be staying at the Juilliard dorm. Last time I went, I was at the Hilton, so I stopped at the Whole Foods quite a lot.
walk up to the bins and feel which bin is warmest--- GREAT...and who checked this same way before you, and you, AHCHOO
Is your entire family staying in those tiny dorms?
The outside of the bins. The bagels are on the inside, your hand is on the outside, the store clerks get you the bagel from the opening on the other side of the bin. Perfectly sanitary.
i am salivating over laurie's up and coming piece titled: a visiting violinist's guide to eating around juilliard! :)
Must disagree about Carnegie Deli. I cringe just thinking about it. It's definitely for tourists, don't know many locals that go there. But then again I was never a fan of 12 inch tall sandwiches and big bowls of putrid pickles. I would avoid this tourist trap.
If you walk north from Julliard there's a cuban/chinese restaurant on broadway and 71st called la caridad 78. The service is horrendous but the food is excellent. stick with the cuban fare.
A bit farther up and you have all the great eats in the upper west side:
Cheap eat: gray's papaya. 72nd and Broadway. 2 hot dogs and a papaya juice for something like 3.75(??)
Peruvian chicken: Flor De Mayo. Amsterdam between 83rd and 84th... it's a peruvian/chinese joint, again, stick with the peruvian fare - their roasted chicken special is a lot of food but awesome.
If you want to splurge one night and get some excellent food/service: Per Se. (TIme warner building columbus circle. It's expensive.)
Honestly there are a lot of choices for you!
No, this time I'm going with a teaching colleague, Lauren Deutsch, and the family will stay at home. I wish the whole family could go as well!
It's my first experience with the tiny dorms. I know that Lauren and I will be sharing a room with two others. Not sure exactly where/when I'll be able to do the writing! I'm sure they won't mind if I stay up til 1 every night, pecking away....right? I'll figure it out.
Speaking of the Carnegie Deli...last time, my daughter and I went there JUST for cheesecake, now that was awesome!
cuban/chinese restaurant...NOW, THAT'S DIVERSITY
heck, I really don't understand all this talk about dine here, dine there. Isn't the Starling-DeLay Symposium enough food for thought? should be quite filling, yes?
Where to eat in 'the Villiage'????
FWIW, when we were there two years ago, my favorite restaurants were O'Neals, and Angelo's Pizza on West 57th. I didn't care much for Cafe Mozart. Laurie and the kids also liked a fondue place in midtown whose name I can't remember. We did eat at the Le Pain, but we have one of those in Pasadena, too, so we knew we'd like that.
But, yeah, we ate most lunches at the Whole Foods, and breakfast at the hotel.
One of our favorites is Joe's Shanghai in Chinatown. Their soup dumplings alone are worth the trip. My wife will be staying in the dorm also, and she has directions.
Here are thoughts. Started jotting them down and the list got a little long. These generally focus on the area around Lincoln Center, staying away form midtown and avoiding crosstown trips because those add significant amounts of travel time.
My first recommendation for quick and relatively inexpensive takeaway food would have been Balducci’s at 66th street, just west of Broadway, which had good snacks and prepared sandwiches, but it appears to have closed recently. www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/nyregion/27balducci.html
Slightly farther away, but still not hard to get to, is Citarella's at 75 & Broadway. They have good breakfast pastries, prepared foods, fruits and premade sandwiches downstairs and other items upstairs to put together a quick and relatively inexpensive breakfast or lunch (or picnic). http://www.citarella.com/locations.asp Next door Fairway has more selection, and is a remarkable place (with a restaurant upstairs that is a good alternative to diners for breakfast and lunch - never tried the dinner), but can be overwhelming and is not always quick to get through. I recommend avoiding Whole Foods at Columbus Circle because it seems to be a magnet for crowds of tourists due to its location and has an inefficient layout that makes it take a long time to get through. (Also it's a Texas chain - Citarella and Fairway, and Zabar's farther north, are local and have more local variety).
For nearby Chinese, Shun Lee at 65 just east of Broadway is nice. www.shunleewest.com/index2.htm
For nearby Mexican, Rosa Mexicano at 62nd Street & Columbus Avenue is good (including for brunch and lunch), but can get crowded and have waits around show times. www.rosamexicano.com/Locations/NewYorkNYLincolnCenter/tabid/96/Default.aspx
For brunch (and other meals) there's Sarabeth's at Central Park South between 5th & 6th Avenue, which is something of an alternative to Isabella's, which others have mentioned. http://www.sarabethscps.com/
Isabella's at 77th & Columbus can be crowded and have waits, but is fairly reliable and is a popular brunch location. www.brguestrestaurants.com/restaurants/isabellas/index.php
For Chinatown, I recommend Peking Duck House at 28 Mott Street. www.pekingduckhousenyc.com/. The food and the neighborhood are worth a trip, although you would want to set aside some time for a round trip from Lincoln Center.
For the "fantastic meal" category (and many good moderately priced suggestions), there are many choices. The most handy reference to reliable restaurants (ranging from moderate to expensive) I know of is the Michelin Red Guide to New York City. Zagat's guides are more inclusive, but they also include many many restauraunts that are not "worth a trip." http://www.michelinguide.com/us/stars_nyc_09.html
A few blocks to the south along 9th Avenue (same as Columbus avenue farther north), the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood has many new, interesting and not too expensive restaurants.
I would also recommend against Ollie's. It has always seemed like fast food.
And, to enter the "best bagel" argument, those are at Barney Greengrass, "The Sturgeon King," at 86th & Amsterdam (closed Saturday). The bagel sandwich with Nova Scotia salmon, tomato, onion and capers is a classic. www.barneygreengrass.com/welcome.php
Dan Z wrote:
My first recommendation for quick and relatively inexpensive takeaway food would have been Balducci’s at 66th street, just west of Broadway, which had good snacks and prepared sandwiches, but it appears to have closed recently. www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/nyregion/27balducci.html
Balducci's did close about a month ago, but a new gourmet grocery/takeaway is opening in its spot, so perhaps it will be in operation when you arrive. Then you could take a picnic to Central Park!
I agree Ollie's is awful-- worst Chinese food I've ever had.
I want to put in another plug for two restaurants I mentioned earlier because I went to both today:
Le Pain Quotidien, on 65th, just a block from Juilliard (cross B'way and walk towards the block. It's on the right.) It's a chain, but the food is exceptionally fresh, healthy, and the atmosphere is pleasant.
Radiance Tea House & Books 158 W 55th St (between 7th Ave & Avenue Of The Americas). This is about a 10-15 minute walk from Juilliard, very close to Carnegie Hall. It's a very calm, welcoming place. The menu is not expensive by NY standards, and the tea is awesome. They don't rush you-- it's a great place for a quiet lunch with friends-- and they have free wifi. The service was cheerful, chatty, and unhurried. This is the first time I've been there but I plan to go back many times.
This discussion has been archived and is no longer accepting responses.
Violinist.com is made possible by...
Dimitri Musafia, Master Maker of Violin and Viola Cases
Johnson String Instrument/Carriage House Violins
Laurie's Books
Discover the best of Violinist.com in these collections of editor Laurie Niles' exclusive interviews.
Violinist.com Interviews Volume 1, with introduction by Hilary Hahn
Violinist.com Interviews Volume 2, with introduction by Rachel Barton Pine
May 13, 2009 at 11:19 PM ·
You may try the Boathouse Restaurant on the Lake in Central Park...Dining is available outside,under a canopy....On the Lake you will see rowboats and gondolas drifting by...Great place to eat and is popular with the locals also !!! Maybe slightly more than 1 mile from Juilliard & Lincoln Center......Have a wonderful time--it's difficult not to in the area...................