NYC Restaurants Worth The Splurge: A Food Writer’s Guide
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16 hours ago
Adam Roberts (aka The Amateur Gourmet) is a food blogger, cookbook writer and now a debut novelist
Food writer Adam Roberts’ debut novel, Food Person, is a real treat. Hitting UK shelves today (3 July), we centre on a disgraced digital food journalist who accepts a thankless job ghost writing the cookbook of a once-beloved actress. Expect a very-contemporary slice of New York with a whisper of Bridget Jones, all backdropped by a tantalising tour of the city’s unique, chic restaurant scene, whisked into verisimilitude by a writer who has worked at the heart of it all for decades. Having penned three cookbooks, founded a food blog, newsletter and podcast, and written for the likes of The Washington Post and The LA Times, Adam is a true insider when it comes to New York’s food scene. So who better to pick the brains of for some restaurant recommendations? Here are Adam’s top five NYC restaurants worth the splurge.
Food Person by Adam Roberts is out now. (Hutchinson Heinemann, Hardback, £16.99)
5 New York Restaurants Worth The Splurge
By Adam Roberts
Le Bernardin, Midtown
New York has many bastions of fine dining, but none has remained at the top of the heap for as long as Le Bernardin. Eric Ripert’s dining room has a zen-like feel that mirrors his zen-like approach to cooking fish. His training is classically French – see his famous tuna with foie gras, for example – but his influences span the world. Go for lunch (tables pop up on Resy), treat yourself to a bottle of white (selected by a celebrated sommelier), and revel in one of the world’s great dining experiences.
Address: 155 W 51st St, NY 10019
L’Veau d’Or, Lenox Hill
This French restaurant has existed on the Upper East Side for many decades, but recently it was overhauled by the owners of Frenchette in TriBeCa and now it’s soaring to the top of every restaurant critic’s ‘best of’ list. This is where you go for frog’s legs sizzling in garlic butter, Gigot of lamb with ‘coco’ beans, and a textbook perfect Ile Flottante (meringue floating in créme Anglaise). It’s where my husband took me for my birthday and I couldn’t have been more thrilled.
Address: 129 E 60th St, NY 10022
Tatiana By Kwame Onwuachi, Lincoln Square
The first time I went to Tatiana felt like a party. Kwame Onwuachi’s celebrated restaurant near Lincoln Center is one of the hardest tables to get into in New York and once you score a reservation, you feel like you’ve won some kind of lottery. The food that comes sashaying out of that kitchen is zingy and alive: from the crispy okra to the curried jerk patties to the braised oxtail and ‘take-out’ mushrooms. One hack I discovered: show up at 4.15pm and stand in the cancellation line. When they open at 5pm, there’s a very good chance you’ll get a table. And then you can see a show at Lincoln Center when you’re done.
Address: David Geffen Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, NY 10023
Torrisi, Nolita
Putting Torrisi on a list like this is a bit cruel because it’s also impossible to get into. That said, if you manage to score a reservation (setting alarms on Resy helps!) prepare for a spectacle. Imagine if your favorite Italian red-sauce joint went to finishing school and you’ll get the idea. Actually, Torrisi is less about Italian cuisine and more about New York cuisine. So many cultures are represented – chopped liver with Manischewitz, Cavatelli with Jamaican Beef Ragu, Beef Steak and Broccoli (a riff on the Chinese classic) – it’s become as essential to the NY dining scene as the Empire State Building is to the skyline.
Address: First Floor, Puck Building, 275 Mulberry St, NY 10012
Smithereens, East Village
Let’s take this list in a surprising direction by hoofing it down to the East Village for a less formal vibe – jeans aren’t just OK at Smithereens, they’re expected – and food that’s stunning in its creativity and refinement. This is where my friend Diana took me for my birthday (I mostly eat these splurgy meals on my birthday) and I couldn’t get over the buckwheat pancake with bluefish, the fried whiting with tartar sauce (basically the best fish stick of your life), and the whole BBQ mackerel. In case you think this restaurant doesn’t belong on the same ‘splurge’ list as Le Bernardin, that whole BBQ mackerel was $56. Add drinks and wine and you’re looking at an expensive night out but one where you’ll feel as relaxed as if you’re in a friend’s living room. That’s my kind of restaurant.
Address: 414 E 9th St, NY 10009
Adam Roberts is a food writer based in Brooklyn.
His debut novel, Food Person, is out now.
Hutchinson Heinemann, hardback, £16.99
