balthazar

http://www.balthazarny.com/

 

 

 

I spent a whole summer in Paris and have to say that I found no restaurant more memorable, more delicious, more Parisian, than Balthazar. And I found some amazing restaurants. Balthazar - another Keith McNally hotspot - bears his mark: like Minetta's Tavern, the space is both trendy and authentic, warm and appealing, although, thanks to the restaurant's popularity, tables have been squeezed into every inch of the space, and getting into one's seat can sometimes require nothing short of acrobatics. You'll be glad, however, once you're seated. The food is spectacular: try the garlicky roasted chicken, the warm salad nicoise, or the delicate skate that flakes apart with the slightest touch of a fork. Bite into the perfectly-salted and crispy fries and, I swear, you'll be just as content as if you were strolling by the Eiffel Tower. You'll pay, yes, but you won't regret it.

80 Spring St. (b/w Broadway and Crosby)
website

osteria morini

nymag.com

The absolute best kind of accessible, homey Italian cooking. Unlike Marea, Michael White's midtown seafood restaurant, Osteria Morini feels intimate (sometimes to a fault - the tables are close together and can become a little cramped) and authentic - the photos on the walls picture the restaurant in Bologna where White worked earlier in his career, and much of the wood is imported from Italy. Go with friends so you can taste as much as possible. The pastas are my favorite, filled with fresh cheeses, spices, seafood and meat, but I'd also recommend the brodetto - a rich and spicy seafood soup that, if you close your eyes for just a second, will take you instantly to the Mediterranean. A favorite spot of Mario Batali and Gywneth Paltrow.

218 Lafayette (near Kenmare)
website

*recommendations:
  raviolini
  stracci
  brodetto