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Full disclosure: the family who runs this direct-mail wine retail business are good friends of mine, and I've helped them out from time to time. That said, I'm a full believer in what they are doing...
Full disclosure: the family who runs this direct-mail wine retail business are good friends of mine, and I've helped them out from time to time. That said, I'm a full believer in what they are doing and I haven't found anything like it elsewhere in terms of value, reliability and interesting product. Anyway, it's called the Wine Messenger, and they source small grower wines from around the world that you will almost never find anywhere else. The wines are hand-selected, primarily from France and Italy and rarely from the US. There are about 8 new wines every couple weeks, and do detailed writeups that help you choose. This focus gives you a certain minimum level of assurance you'll like what you get, which isn't true at the liquor store. They do particularly well in the $10-$20 range. Sign up for the newsletter they mail, or just get the emailed version at winemessenger. com. Great way for folks who drink, say one bottle or more per week to have a stash of interesting stuff ready to go from out-of-the-way places.
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Burger Joint, buried behind a curtain in the back of the lobby of the Parker Meridien Hotel (but smellable throughout the first floor), used to be a great place to get a quick, simple meal well...
Burger Joint, buried behind a curtain in the back of the lobby of the Parker Meridien Hotel (but smellable throughout the first floor), used to be a great place to get a quick, simple meal well done. However, too much hype has made the place simply impossible to patronize any further. Show up any time you want--you won't wait less than a full 20 minutes to get your food (a good rule of thumb is, if the line is inside the door, you *might* consider waiting it out). Plus, they have raised their prices at least 30% since I first went there--what was once a $7.50 meal of a burger, fries and a drink will now run you at least $12. And hey, it's just a friggin' burger. Go up the street toward 7th to the Teleon Deli and get essentially the same thing in half the time for less money.
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Asiate
Category:
Uncategorized
10 Columbus Cir
New York, New York 10019
(212) 805-8881
Asiate, the restaurant within the opulent Mandarin Oriental hotel in Time Warner Center, offers a can't miss view with hit-and-miss service and decor. The food is very good--I had an excellent,...
Asiate, the restaurant within the opulent Mandarin Oriental hotel in Time Warner Center, offers a can't miss view with hit-and-miss service and decor. The food is very good--I had an excellent, melt-off-the-bone duck in miso broth and rabbit appetizer that was perhaps the best-textured cut of rabbit I've ever had. Plus, the lights of the city dance beneath you while you eat. However, I found the decor stony-cold, and it always bothers me to see wine bottles displayed out and exposed to sunlight and no refrigeration. Also, you can ONLY order prix-fixe, which starts at $75. Further, the meal began with the staff falling all over us and by the end (it was busier, to be fair), we were waiting 20 minutes for a dessert that had been forgotten in the first round of delivery.
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Menchanko-Tei is a hidden, affordable little place on 55th that's great for solo eats. They have sushi if you've gotta have that, but their main attraction is the Menchanko soup. For less than $11,...
Menchanko-Tei is a hidden, affordable little place on 55th that's great for solo eats. They have sushi if you've gotta have that, but their main attraction is the Menchanko soup. For less than $11, you get a huge cast-iron bowl of noodles and broth with all manner of seafood, veggies and such. Customize it with beef, pork, etc--it's a real plowman's meal and doesn't leave you stuffed. Don't be surprised if it's crowded at weird hours--the nearby banks' Asian-market staff takes lunch at night.
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