Five of us will be coming into the city over Christmas. We are staying in the theater district. I have booked Carmine's one night. I would like to hear some reviews. I would like to take them to a couple of interesting, good food and reasonable prices. We would like to dress casually. We like Sushi, Seafood, Asian etc. I am footing the food bill. If you have a better Italian restaurant recommendation , please let me know.

Thanks!

There are certainly more upscale Italian restaurants, but Carmine's is definitely the most fun, and the food is wonderful. The only thing that ever disappointed me there was the fish. The Porterhouse steak is amazing, as are the meatballs and spaghetti. Eggplant parm is great. If you like stuffed artichoke, you'll be in heaven. I personally don't like calamari, but everyone else says theirs are the best.

The waiter will tell you that each dish feeds two. It's more like four-six. One pasta dish will feed all of you. Also just get one salad and one dessert. Really! The make a wonderful Cosmo too.

For Asian, I would recommend Buddakan in the Meatpacking District. I also love Spice Market.

Carmines is a great choice. It's amazing how many covers they serve every night and still maintain such high quality. The place will be pack and delicious! Asian, Spice Market is a great choice. Sushi, so many choices. You could come out to Sunnyside to Oki www.okimenu.com another borough! In Manhattan, right below 14th street Union Sqaure there's [www.japonicanyc.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/2009 05:31AM by askanewyorker.

if you can make it just a bit outside of manhattan, to sunnyside in queens, there's a new-ish restaurant here that's really quite good called Salt and Fat, on Queens Blvd and about 41st St (7 train to 40th St). It's sort of small-plates so you order a few things, and everything I've tasted has been great, especially the "crack and cheese", a mac and cheese dish that is addictive as the name implies. There's also Pomme Cafe in Astoria (N to Broadway) which is quite good. www.pommecafeny.com It's a tasty little french restaurant with friendly service and reasonable prices.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/2011 10:53AM by askanewyorker.

ok, while I'm going on about restaurants in sunnyside...let me tell you about a new one that opened called The Dog and Duck which recently opened, and which isn't so great.
I read all of the reviews and they are so mixed, that I was skeptical trying this place out last night, but decided to go anyway. My husband and I walked in and were pleasantly surprised at the transformation of the space, from how it was as Bliss bistro. We really liked the atmosphere and the look of the place.
And, the waitstaff was very friendly - each person we encountered was very friendly. We were thinking "what are these bad reviews about? It seems great!".
Then, the food came.
It was seriously horrible. I thought about going into great detail here, but will not bore you with that. Suffice it to say, the food was terrible, really bad, and if any Sunnysiders are reading this, wondering if they should give the Dog and Duck a try...don't. The new Bliss 46 Bistro is much better, for a new restaurant in the area.

What a disappointment! Sorry to hear that.

I had an amazing lunch yesterday at an old favorite, Artisanal. Instead of my usual fondue, I tried their "Frenchie" sandwich -- grilled brie with mushrooms and truffles. Thought I died and went to heaven.

This might be a bit off-topic, since it's not a cheap sandwich at $19. But definitely worth it.

another in sunnyside...the new Tapenade on queens blvd/44th.
Well, they serve no Tapenade, which I thought was strange. Otherwise...you can tell they're new. the waitstaff is a little in need of practice, they were out of some things listed on the menu, little things were off. And, its still BYOB. But, the food was quite good. Same owners as the old bliss bistro which was on 46th/skillman, similar food.

oh, here's another...Miranda in Williamsburg. [www.mirandarestaurant.com]
it's sort of a mix of spanish and italian food, delicious. And it's really cute inside, staff was great, it was nice and quiet and not as "hip" as other places in williamsburg, but in a good way. The bill came to about $125 for three of us, without tip.

Miranda looks nice, I like that their menu is small. How is the dining room? Every place I see lately has tiny tables close together and no table linen. I'd love to find a comfy space with good food.

hi Oracle, about Miranda (just saw this now)...it's not tiny tables so close together, it was comfortable.

Found another place yesterday which is more like "cheap eats" than "reasonable". It was really good....Caracas Arepas Bar on E. 7th St between first avenue and avenue A. It was Yummy! Now, this place was crowded little tables very close to one another, and the place was packed. I'd go back though.
[www.caracasarepabar.com]
apparently there is one in williamsburg too, and the pictures of that place make it look quite a bit more spacious than the manhattan location.

another good new neighborhood place...Takeshushi, a really yummy, more upscale sushi place on 42nd st between queens blvd and 43rd ave. Prices are higher than the other sushi places around, but it's a lot better at the same time. There is a rumor going around the neighborhood that a chef formerly at Nobu is here, but I don't think that's true.

another to consider....a very cute french restaurant in Williamsburg, called Juliette.
[www.juliettewilliamsburg.com]
it\\\'s great for brunch, lunch, and dinner. went there last night and had moroccan Tagine, and it was great...an unusual dish to find on a menu.