gr8tlakes

Will be back for a NYC visit for the first time since 2016. Interested in some midtown (staying at Barclay) dining suggestions. Had about settled on Seafire for one evening, but the dining room looks sterile..and probably loud. Was also looking at the companion Benjamin Steakhouses, tilI saw mention of it being loud. I'd love to hear about anyone's 'favorite little neighborhood place'….not loud, not trendy, reliably good food. Anyone?

(PS - not a newbie here, tho I,ve not posted or looked, really, in quite a while and had to re-register. Actually, this will be my first real trip in five - ‼️ - yeah, five years thanks to covid and then a series of surgeries… So, I'm def looking forward…)

tracilee

For Italian, we really enjoyed Il Cantinori last summer. It’s not really midtown, between Washington Square Park and Union Square. The food was very good and we really liked the atmosphere. It wasn’t warm enough when we were there, but it looked like they have large windows that open up to the street in good weather.

https://www.ilcantinori.com

SeaF

For excellent steak and cheesecake, I really enjoyed Gallagher’s Steakhouse on W 52nd St.

TDudette

Just before Covid, I had a nice dinner at:

Benjamin Prime ( https://www.benjaminsteakhouse.com/prime/ )

and a spectacular lunch at:

Morgan Library Café; Turkey sandwich with guac, bacon, and balsamic onions. Fries with a slightly spicy ketchup. Apple tart tatin. It was enough for two people.

Below is my trip report...do double check that venues are still open, and share what you end up doing!

New York City – Sargent and the Zoo

Madam397

Stella 34 Trattoria is an Italian restaurant in Macy's with a separate elevator right near the front entrance on Broadway. I've only been there for lunch but there is a nice menu with a view overlooking Herald Square.

Many restaurants that were standbys in midtown closed during the pandemic and many people including me are not really in midtown too frequently these days.

ekscrunchy

We just had a good meal at CI SIAMO, west of the new Moynihan Hall in the west 30s.

The onion tart is a dish I will long remember. It is a large and brassy restaurant but it's fun and the food is excellent.
Also look at some of these which are always good.

UPLAND
I SODI
MAIAILINO

CASA MONO

Do not necessarily look at a steakhouse for good steaks.






I have no idea about the Benjamin but I do not think it's all that popular with locals, at least the locals that I know. In fact I have been a NYC resident with a great interest in restaurants for many decades and have not been to any of the places mentioned. Does not mean that they are not good, but I would keep looking.

Maybe you can do better than a restaurant inside Macy's...but I've not been there.

Good food in that area, for steaks, is COTE. Bit I've not been since they received all their accolades.....its really fun with a great wine list.

For all the you need to book ahead......

You did not ask about pizza but we were at Don Antonio a few weeks ago for pizza but there also have good and moderately priced Italian food in the theatre district......I'd keep it on my list.....pizzas were quite good if not the standard of the original in Naples......pretty cheap..

Fra_Diavolo

I don't live in the neighborhood anymore, and it's been some time since I was last there, but we used to enjoy the Crave Fishbar (2nd and 50th) https://cravefishbar.com/crave-fishbar-midtown-menu/ for well-prepared original fish dishes. Warning -- avoid weekdays and happy hour, when it's jammed.

Madam397

Don Giovanni is a good option for a casual meal in the theatre district. We also enjoy Marseille and Cafe Un Deux Trois. Restaurants come and go pretty quickly these days, especially those that closed during the pandemic.

ekscrunchy

FRA DIAVOLO, you know I live less than 2 blocks from Crave and have never been there!! Thank you for reminding me!
Truth be told, when I go to a restaurant, it usually means taking the 2nd Avenue bus downtown to EV or Chinatown or someplace with interesting places to eat.....a little leery of saying this but more and more I have been taking taxis, also, to dinner. The area near CRAVE, and my house, is a disaster for good eating, in my opinion but I know many would disagree with me.

I did like CI SIAMO..their onion tarte was a real keeper...its Danny Meyer and that says a lot to locals...

gr8tlakes

To all the fodorites for the original suggestion and subsequent ideas. I did write a lengthy reply the other day ….that for some reason didn't get posted. So a quickie: made a rez at Il Cantinori (first rec here) which did look like it would fill the bill. But, after a day of schlepping all about, we decided against the trek back towards downtown, cancelled and dined instead at the very nearby and very good Toscana 49. Good food, good waiter and it had the 'neighborhood feel' I was after. Our blowout dinner was at Sea Fire, every bite worth every penny (and a lot of pennies!).

Headed to Central Park, we came on Carnegie Diner, 57th and 7th. Huge menu and portions, good sandwiches. For our visit, the greeter was as much a part of the appeal as the food - a man in smiling, constant motion, dealing with everything in unflappable good spirits - including seating folks while placing a 911 call for some non-visible emergency and dashing out in the street with a napkin to assist a wheelchair-bound passer-by in distress.

And a shout out and recommendation to Classic Harbor Line for their sunset cruise aboard the yacht Manhattan, ticketed table seating, comp champagne and a wonderful breather from non-stop crowds on city streets. Loved it.

Madam397

Toscana 49 is a good choice. We have friends who live in the area and is one of their go-top places as so many places closed during the pandemic or reopened with pricey menus.They survived the pandemic with reasonable prices as well as nice menu and service.We might actually have dinner there this week.

KTtravel

gr8lakes, how nice of you to report back. I'm going to try and keep this post in mind for our next trip.