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Dinner at Annisa last night (Barrow Street just East of 7th Avenue). Along with Wallsé, this restaurant has restored my faith in the concept of dining outside of your own kitchen—and I’m always excited to go to Lupa. Annisa is smart and unpretentious with glorious food. I looked around the dining room and wondered how WD-50 could acquire a clientele like this: real people. The partner/manager showed me her new Table Top software that tracks reservations and customer details, there were diners who had been there 70 times. This is what you want, less of the obscene scene; more people, less press.
With just a few weeks left in 2002 I have after a 3rd stunning meal at Jewel Bako, decided to give it my #1. Each year we dine at three spots on the last few days of December. This years picks are a return to Fresh, Kai for the first time, and a long awaited meal at Honmura An (I have wanted to go for years but have sadly never made it, my food guru gives it one of the top 5 overall restaurants in NY over the last 20 years).
Top Restaurants 2002
NYCity
#1 Jewel Bako
#2 Lupa
#3 Jean Georges
#4 Grand Sichuan Int'l Midtown
#5 Felidia
#6 Union Pacific
El Mundo
#1 Da Guido (Piedmonte, Italy)
#2 Taubenkobel (Burgenland, Austria)
#3 Zur Rose (Sud Tyrol, Italy)
#4 L'Astrance (Paris)
#5 Temple Club (Siagon)
#6 Altwienerhof (Vienna)
#7 Locanda Dell Arco (Piedmonte, Italy)
#8 Les Tonnelles (Loire, France)
#9 Indochine (Siagon)
#10 Walter Bauer (Vienna)
Special Merit/No Particular Order
The Minnow, Veritas, Sistina,
Fresh, Holy Basil, Al Di La
Manducati's, Willi's Wine Bar (Paris)
Tomasso's, Gramercy Tavern, Picholine
Locanda Vini Olii, Al Ponte (Verona, Italy)
L'osteria del Vignaiolo (Piedmonte, Italy)
L'Oste Scuro (Verona, Italy)
Il Gattopardo, Jaglhof (Styria, Austria)
Weininger (Vienna), Loibnerhof (Wachau, Austria)
Zur Blauen Gans (Burgenland, Austria)
another great meal at Jewel Bako!! will go back in the spring, once a season is great, the summer trip had my favorite one fish (a mountain bass textured like silk), the fall meal overall was more interesting but not better than tonight, love this place.....last night at Aix was better than the first
modern drunkard magazine
anyone have a good bread pudding recipe? jeanne?
Range Rover
A double helping of Wylie in today's Post. He and the new stove are featured (with photo) in a piece on favorite kitchen equipment, while the gossip column includes a tidbit about WD 50 opening "at the end of January."
Top Restaurants 2002 (NYC unless noted)
NYCity
#1 Lupa
#2 Jean Georges
#3 Jewel Bako
#4 Grand Sichuan Int'l Midtown
#5 Felidia
#6 Union Pacific
El Mundo
#1 Da Guido (Piedmonte, Italy)
#2 Taubenkobel (Burgenland, Austria)
#3 Zur Rose (Sud Tyrol, Italy)
#4 L'Astrance (Paris)
#5 Temple Club (Siagon)
#6 Altwienerhof (Vienna)
#7 Locanda Dell Arco (Piedmonte, Italy)
#8 Les Tonnelles (Loire, France)
#9 Indochine (Siagon)
#10 Walter Bauer (Vienna)
Special Merit/No Particular Order
The Minnow, Veritas, Sistina,
Fresh, Holy Basil, Al Di La
Manducati's, Willi's Wine Bar (Paris)
Tomasso's, Gramercy Tavern, Picholine
Locanda Vini Olii, Al Ponte (Verona, Italy)
L'osteria del Vignaiolo (Piedmonte, Italy)
L'Oste Scuro (Verona, Italy)
Il Gattopardo, Jaglhof (Styria, Austria)
Weininger (Vienna), Loibnerhof (Wachau, Austria)
Zur Blauen Gans (Burgenland, Austria)
Loibnerhof rocked as did Jaglhof in Styria but the last two nites were off the charts....Taubenkobel in Burgenland was one of the greatest wine/food/hotel experiences in my life and our finale at Altwienerhof in Vienna were the cellar was pristine was liquid heaven (the food was ok, the service slow, the clients seemed of the older and stuffier, but the wine made up for it, I have yet to experience such a purrfect set of wines)...
We are in the Wachau, we had some fine meals on the tour but the best is Bauer in Vienna (both wine and food), was excellent wine, service, food....Kornat is fresh fish, Steirereck is resting on past but fine wine and ok food, Wieninger Heurigen is not to be missed (fun room, some dishes super, nice wines at great prices)....we are off to Knoll family Loibnerhof.....
Souen Rocks, love that place...loaded up on tofu, brown rice, etc to help the upcoming "pig on pig wraped in pig with a side of fat tour"
bizz dinner at Picholine was fun but expensive, wines were very good but we had to npay to play, the apps and middle truffle couses and cheese outshined mains, but we were happy (very)....
lunch at Aquagrill had more just ok parts than great parts but I have never loved this popular place.....dinner at Chimichurri Grill was great, the owner is nuts, very fun to hang with, the staeks purrfecto, best empenadas in town....
the market these last weeks has had the grape people, they come every fall, we had 5 different grapes, one of the best market treats (oh and our little kitty likes the Delaware variety, pulp only).....
that pumpkey is too funny
This place sounds good....and expensive....
Cho Dang Gol, excellent Korean, was 2* in NYT in 1998 (Ruth I assume), daily tofu made, different and a worthy stop....55W35 / near 6th....
spent 4 hours at Lupa doing everything on the menu for the last meal there in 2002, still my favorite in NYC....the night before at GSIMidtown for 3 hours eating evrything in sight for my last meal there this week, holds it spot as well....
Reporting from off the beaten path, in the highly path-ified LES. Apizz, eldridge street just off stanton. No window exterior, but warm and friendly on the inside. I think they have some connection to peasant (soho).
Italian. Everything is cooked in a huge wood burning oven. Pizza's, baked lasagna (with wild boar), whole fish, chicken, steak, baked skate. $18 - $22.
Food is simple. Good. Room is very nice.
I'm not blown away, but very seviceable (if a bit expensive.) This will be a great addition to the neighborhood, except I bet it will get crowded. It's early (no press yet for them) and already the crowd is 100% from out of the neighborhood.
Worth a look.