Wednesday, October 17th, 2012

Eater NY periodically releases a list of what it calls “The 38 Essential New York Restaurants.”

The “Eater 38″ your answer and ours to any question that begins, “Can you recommend a restaurant…” This highly elite group covers the entire city, spans myriad cuisines, and collectively satisfies all of your restaurant needs, save for those occasions when you absolutely must spend half a paycheck.

The October 2012 list recently came out and included four Upper West Side restaurants:

• Nougatine At Jean Georges: “The 15-year-old casual counterpart to Jean Georges recently received a design refresh that added some sizzle to the dining room. And, as Pete Wells noted in his two star review, the kitchen is still turning out inventive, satisfying seasonal fare. This is a choice for great weeknight splurge.”
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• Boulud Sud: “Daniel Boulud’s foray into Mediterranean cuisine is a solid choice for date night on the UWS, or a meal before a show at Lincoln Center. Even the most exotic dishes like the zaatar baked cod have that signature Boulud touch.”
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• Salumeria Rosi Parmacotto: “Cesare Casella’s small plates parlor is great place for a few bites of premium imported antipasti and a glass of wine, or a larger meal of more substantial meat and pasta dishes. It’s the perfect spot to hit up before any event at Lincoln Center, or after long stroll through the park.”
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• RedFarm: “Joe Ng and Eddie Schoenfeld’s charming contemporary Chinese restaurant is one of the hottest tickets in New York right now. The best things on the menu here are chef Ng’s playful dim sum creations, like the ‘Pac man’ dumplings, The Katz’s pastrami egg roll, and the pan-fried lamb.”

NOTE: Eater is referring to the West Village location for RedFarm, but the restaurant is opening an UWS branch before the end of the year (2170 Broadway, between 76th/77th), so I’m including it here.

UPDATE 12/3: Sichuan Chinese restaurant Legend has opened an UWS outpost. The original Chelsea location was featured in Eater’s October list, so I’m adding it here.

• Legend: This generic-looking Chelsea Chinese restaurant serves some of the best Sichuan food in New York City. The chef here, Ding Gen Wang, is something of a star in his native China. Although everything here is very good, the best dishes are off-the-menu. Make sure to ask about the vegetable specials, and if you’re in a large party, get the incredible fish soup.

Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster is also on the list — it’s near 125th Street and technically in Harlem, but that’s close enough to the UWS to merit a mention (steps from the 2/3 train at 125th).

You can find the full list of all 38 restaurants here.

Filed under: Food & Drink, Going Out, Manhattan, New York City, News, NYC, Restaurants, Upper West Side, Upper West Side Blog, Upper West Side Review, UWS 1 Comment »
Tags: Boulud Sud, Legend, New York City, Nougatine At Jean Georges, NYC, Red Rooster, Restaurant, Salumeria Rosi Parmacotto, Sichuan, top restaurants, Upper West Side, UWS, Yakitori Totto