Where To Eat: Holiday Shopping Edition

During the holiday season, you always end up logging too many hours shopping for friends and family and too little time for a
good meal.  Sure, you can grab a fast food fix as you zip around the city,  or you can take a few extra moments to savor the season.   We’ve compiled a list of great pit stops to refuel before you head back out into the cold and crowds.  Some finds are so good that you don’t need a reason to stop in for a bite.

 

Fifth Ave

Fifth Ave
between 50^th St and Central Park essentially is a holiday shopping wonderland.
There’s Rock Center, Sak’s Fifth Avenue, Henri Bendel, Bergdorf Goodman and Barneys at the northernmost
point; that’s some hardcore shopping.  Consider taking a break at the Sea Grill in Rock Center where you can get one of the best
crab cakes in the city (yes, really) and a strong martini, while gazing at the Christmas tree and ice skaters on the rink.  Or, while you’re spending all your money on everyone else, treat yourself to an overpriced, but worthwhile lunch at Fred’s at Barney’s, located on the 9th floor.  There’s an amazing bowl of Estelle’s chicken soup, focaccia filled with robiola and truffle oil, and some stellar salads, including a chopped chicken salad (my favorite), warm lobster salad, and the Madison Avenue salad with imported tuna. 

Or, you could take a brisk walk to Ess-A-Bagel for a sesame bag with lox and the works is never a bad
choice.  Finish with the X-large black and white cookie. (You’ll work it off on the long walk back.)  Walk west and you’ll find the newest from the same restaurateurs responsible for Yakitori Totto, Soba Totto and Aburiya Kinnosuke.  This outlet meditates on ramen, including miso ramen, a chicken rendition, spicy pork, and vegetarian — all worth the trek west.

60’s & Lexington

The area around
59^th and Lexington isn’t exactly flush with great restaurants
(especially now that Gino’s and its zebra wallpaper is no more), but
there are a few good options to keep in mind. A few steps
down from the cosmetics counters, you’ll find the DavidBurke
at Bloomingdales eatery. Not just a go-to for salesmen and women,
the mini-café offers sandwiches on fresh, chewy pretzel bread and
Burke’s famous cheesecake lollipops.  There’s also a full line of
espresso drinks and grab-and-go
gourmet snacks, which taste a hell of a lot better than fast food.  Or
head through the men’s section and across the street to Brasserie
360 for an oversized salad and exemplary quiche.  The wine
list is succinct and easy to navigate and the tables
are far
enough apart to accommodate shopping bags. Don’t feel like sitting down?
Grab
some meatballs from Donatella’s Meatball
Wagon.

One of our favorite spots to escape the bustle of
Bloomingdale’s is Wajima, a serene Japanese spot with
wonderful and well-priced traditional fare.  Start with a green tea and
miso soup and try to forget the madness at the never-ending check-out
lines.  Wajima’s menu features sukiyaki, hot and cold
soba, udon, broiled fish, tons of tempura, and sake, of course.  

Herald Square

One of the best
reasons to brave Herald Square during the holidays (other than the original Macy’s) is its proximity to Koreatown.  While everyone else is eating at nearby burger joints, you can take comfort in bibimbap, twice-fried chicken, and traditional stews and noodle soups.  There are
plenty of Korean bbq joints along 32nd street,
serving grill your own meat and banchan (complimentary sides).  My favorite is Kum Gang San (with another outpost in Queens), with great buckwheat vermicelli noodles (naeng myun), bibimbap and grill-it-yourself galbi.  If you’re in the mood for fried chicken, try Mono+Mono, one of the best fried
chicken spots in town.  Choose your sauce­­­­­­—soy garlic or hot and
spicy—and
dig in.

The newest entree to the neighborhood is Sensebowl,
a “Chipotle-style” Asian spot with pretty tasty food.  This quick concept place let’s you create a meal
in a bowl based on rice, noodles or salad with your choice of protein, toppings, and
sauce.  There’s lots of possibilities, including the “beef bun” with slow-cooked beef, bun noodles, pickled onion, cucumber and sesame
hoisin, from the small bites menu is a great grab-and-go lunch.

Union Square

There are so
many terrific food options in and around Union Square that it’s hard to choose between them all.  One of the quickest is Num Pang, eponymously named after their signature sandwich,  the Cambodian equivalent of the Vietnamese banh mi.  We like the pulled Duroc pork, grilled skirt steak sandwich and the grilled mackerel special. The carrot coriander soup and a side of market pickles are a great alternative to a sandwich. If you’re in the mood for Mexican, Dos Toros Taqueria on Fourth
Avenue is great, particularly the carnitas (seasoned pork), which customers can get on either a soft or crispy tortilla.  There’s also quesadillas, burritos and Mexico’s trademark meats with all the fillings, minus the tortilla, and most importantly, cervezas to take the edge off the holidays.

Walk a few
blocks up and you take refuge at ABC Kitchen (one of our favorites) for Jean Georges’ seasonal bites or freshly made smoothies.  The menu features homemade, Indian-style yogurt with roasted beets, chicken liver toast, a bubbly-crusted pizza and plenty of wonderful French tarts.  Or, you could always use your shopping list as the perfect excuse to try the new Lotus of Siam, the acclaimed Thai restaurant from Las Vegas, which just opened its second outpost in the former Cru space.  At Lotus of Siam, you find solace in a bowl of Tom Kha Hed, spicy coconut milk soup with mushrooms crispy rice with spiced sausage, and a braised short rib penang, spiced with cinnamon and star fruit.  Not many Thai restaurants can boast a wine list as impressive as this one.

 

West Village/Bleecker St.

Bleecker Street
is one of the most expensive retail blocks in the world.  Fortunately, there are some
reasonable food options.  Within arms reach of Bleecker St are a
smorgasbord of foods, including stuffed pitas at the Hummus
Place, ocean-fresh oysters at Fish, or a slice at Keste Pizza. One spot we’re particularly excited about is Lievito Pizzeria, just on the other side of triangular Abington
Park.  The name doesn’t do it justice.  While the pizza is good, the appetizers are so much better, especially the
artichoke flan is not to be missed.  There’s salmon tartar in a sweet & sour marinade, green pea soup with mint and bacon, and eggplant parmesan with duck prosciutto, too.

For a quick snack, try a handcrafted gelato on a stick at PopBar.  This Italian gelateria lets you pick your own gelato or sorbetto base, dipped in dark, milk or white chocolate, and toppings like, brownie, nuts, granola, coffee grains (you get the picture).  You could also head to Italian import Grom for a classic cup of creamy pistachio, zabaglione, or Madagascar-flavored vanilla gelato.  If you have time for a proper sit-down meal before a meltdown, there’s August, a neighborhood favorite.  The menu is eclectic, but always reliable and comforting, like Swedish
corn dogs and grilled lamb belly with tzatziki.

SoHo

If you’ve ever tried to stroll through SoHo on the weekend, you know how difficult that is. In fact, it’s more like inching your way down the street, maneuvering between elbows and shopping bags.  Good food isn’t as easy to find as you might think in such a highly trafficked neighborhood.  Before you descend into the madness, you might want to have brunch first.  Kittichai
in the 60 Thompson Hotel does a bang up job. For $25, guests get an entrée and two
hours of unlimited bloody mary’s, blood orange mimosas and lychee bellinis.  Entrees include five-spice french toast or the Kittichai omelette with Thai sour sausage and jumbo lump crab.

Or you can grab Mexican at La Esquina Café
or from the take-out window if you’re really crunched for time. There’s an admirable burger spiced with jalapeno and chipotle mayo and quesadilla de huitlacoche (Mexican truffles), or killer tortas at the take-out window.  Also on the sandwich front, there’s Indian
kati rolls from nearby Liebe.  The menu features homemade Indian rolls, filled with minced lamb, chicken, vegetables, and yogurt sauce or kabab-topped salads with yogurt dressing.  If you’re calling it a day or need a leisurely shopping break, there‘s no
better place in SoHo, or the city for that matter, than Balthazar. This brasserie fixture is excellent for anything from an
afternoon cheese plate and a half bottle of wine, oysters and champagne, or an epic bistro meal involving a foie gras
terrine, salt-crusted whole fish and chocolate mousse.
(Just bring a few dollars for the bathroom attendant.)

 

ABC Kitchen

Address: 35 E.
18th St, between Broadway and Park Ave S.

Phone: (212) 475-5829

August

Address: 359
Bleecker St, between 10th and Charles Sts.

Phone: (212) 929-8727

Balthazar

Address: 80
Spring St, between Broadway and Crosby Sts.

Phone: (212) 965-1414

Brasserie 360

Address: 200 E 60th St,
between Second and Third Aves.

Phone: (212) 688-8688

David Burke @
Bloomingdales

Address: 1000
Third Ave, between 59th and 60th Sts.

Phone: (212) 705-3800

Donatella’s
Meatball Wagon

Address: 206 E 58th St,
between Second and Third Ave.

Phone: no phone

 

Dos Toros
Taqueria

Address: 137
Fourth Ave, between 13th and 14th Sts.

Phone: (212)
677-7300

Ess-a-Bagel

Address: 831 Third Ave,
between 50th and 51st Sts.

Phone: (212) 980-1010

Fish

Address: 280 Bleecker St, between Jones St and
Seventh Ave
South

Phone: (212) 727-2879

Fred’s at
Barneys

Address: 660 Madison Ave,
between 60th and 61st Sts.

Phone: (212) 833-2200

Grom Gelato

Address: 233 Bleecker St, at Carmine St

Phone: (212) 206-1738

Hummus Place

Address: 71 Seventh Ave South, nr Bleecker St

Phone: (212) 924-2022

Keste
Pizza & Vino

Address: 271 Bleecker St,
between
Morton and Jones Sts

Phone: (212) 243-1500

Kittichai

Address: 60
Thompson St, between Spring and Broome Sts.

Phone: (212) 925-2971

 

La Esquina Café

Address: 114
Kenmare St, at Lafayette St.

Phone: (646)
613-7100

 

Liebe

Address: 227
Mott St, between Prince and Spring Sts.

Phone: (212) 796-5744

Lievito Pizzeria

Address: 581
Hudson St, at Bank St,

Phone: (212)
645-5811

Lotus of Siam

Address: 24
Fifth Ave, at 9th St.

Phone: (212) 529-1700

Mono+Mono

Address: 314
Fifth Ave, at 32nd St.; 2nd Fl.

Phone: (212) 221-2222

Popbar

Address: 5 Carmine St, between Sixth Ave and
Minetta Ln

Phone: (212) 255-4874

Risotteria

Address: 270 Bleecker St, between Cornelia and
Morton Sts

Phone: (212) 924-6664

 

Sensebowl

Address: 150 East 52nd Street, between Lexington and Third Ave

Phone: (212)
702-9555

The Sea Grill

Address: 19 W. 49th Street,
at Rockefeller Plaza

Phone: (212) 332-7610

 

Totto Ramen

Address: 366 W 52nd St,
between Eighth and Ninth Aves.

Phone: (212) 582-0052

Wajima

Address: 134 East 61 St., btwn Park & Lexington Aves.

Phone: (212)813-9065