[sweetbabyjames]

Can anyone recommend any great eats in NY? We're headed there (on the cheap) for the weekend and would love to wind up in some special spot. We particularly love old holes-in-the-wall with loads of character and solid cooking - breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Thanks in advance for your ideas!

[nima]

Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn aren't areas that I know particularly well, but there are just countless possibilities!

Here are a few, off of the top of my head:

Prune (East Village): Inventive American food. Great brunch w great Bloody Mary's. But plan to go early--it gets super packed.

Cafe Habana (Nolita): Mexican and Central American food. Nice Coffee.

Momofuku (East Village): My favorite is the Ssam Bar, but the Noodle Bar is great too.

Convivium Osteria (Park Slope): Italian, Spanish and Portuguese focus.

Dim Sum Go Go (Chinatown): Fast and fresh and made to order--one of my favorite dim sum joints. If you want the more traditional cart service, you can try Ping's in Chinatown too.

Spice Market (Meatpacking): Southeast Asian themes. Really spectacular interiors and great, intense food flavours. Upscale but worth it. Drinks at the bar are fun too.

And if you want to combine eating with sight-seeing, you can walk from Chinatown (after a big dim sum brunch) to City Hall and walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to DUMBO, where there's a lot to explore and eat. My favorites include the Jacques Torres Chocolate Factory and Grimaldi's Pizza. Maybe listening to a Barge Music show by the water. If the weather is nice, it's spectacular.

There are a ton of other things I am forgetting now.

I hope you have a great time! Enjoy!

[sweetbabyjames]

Wow, Nima, what a list! I'll definitely try some of these, and I know we're planning to spend some time in DUMBO on Sunday, so maybe that will work in nicely.

Thank you!

[gingerpale]

Thank you both for making me aware of "DUMBO" -- completely unaware was I about this acronym/place. "...premier arts district...chocolate factory..." !

Sweetbabyjames, it sounds like you'll need more than one day for such a list.

[nima]

I hope you have fun. I was in New York a few weeks ago, and if the weather holds out, this is a lovely time of the year in the city. I know what you mean about hole-in-the-wall finds. Those are always my favorites. My recommendations here are more like classics--always a good bet, if sadly over-crowded!

Good luck and tell us what you discover.

[sweetbabyjames]

Gingerpale, I think you'll enjoy this hint at Sunday's action in DUMBO, it's the opening to the Toy Theater Festival going on there for the next few weeks:

The Opening Reception will be heralded by the first-ever Greatest Smallest Parade! Tiny floats accompanied by a full-force marching brass band will wind through the sidewalks of DUMBO and finish at the Warehouse, where all the shoebox-sized rolling masterpieces will be displayed.

[gingerpale]

How charming! You will be smiling the whole day, practically guaranteed.

As for me, I have a terrible craving for Asian type noodles now.

[NewYorkDely]

I'm guessing this trip is over already, but I thought I'd leave some suggestions here for others. I'm pretty sure Brooklyn is the best place to eat in New York, particularly Williamsburg. Start by walking down Bedford Ave, you'll find something you like. Some suggestions off the top of my head: Sel de Mer, DOC Wine Bar, the burger at Five Leaves, Motorino, pick up some bread and cheese at Bedford Cheese Shop (there's a wine store across the street), ice cream at Van Leeuwen (no matter what the weather), the BBQ at Fette Sau.
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[deniseka]

I personally never could make peace with New York. Chicago is like the better version of New York to my taste.