BillyKnowsBest

The Best Restaurants in Chinatown (NYC)

As a kid, my folks used to take me down to Chinatown all the time for delicious, inexpensive Chinese food. Their favorite was a place called Sun Lok Kee at 13 Mott, which later moved to Flushing, Queens (which was convenient after a Mets game), and sadly closed last year.  Now Mom and Shel eat at Great NY Noodletown, which appeared today on a list of great Chinese restaurants on Spire.  The folks at Spire share my perspective on quality and the value of savvy, curated information.  They recently published this list of great NYC Chinatown restaurants.  Read the article on Suzanne's Files for complete descriptions.

Great NY Noodletown
28 Bowery Street • 212/349 0923

New (aka Nice) Green Bo
66 Bayard Street • 212/625 2359

Vegetarian Dim Sum House
24 Pell Street • 212/577 7176

Big Wong King
67 Mott Street • 212/964 0540

Bo Ky Restaurant
80 Bayard Street • 212/406 2292

Nyonya
194 Grand Street • 212/334 3669

69 Chinese Restaurant
69 Bayard Street • 212/227 1173

Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
65 Bayard Street • 212/608 4170

The Best Restaurants in LA

My friend Dr. Rick (whose brilliance is belied by the nickname) is in LA this week for the 14th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. He asked me for a few restaurant recommendations, which prompted me to put together a list.  Clearly, it's a subjective list, subject to change, and there are sure to be many ommissions, but it's a great starting point for any visitor.

STYLISH WITH GOOD FOOD

Tower Bar - Clubby Hollywood atmosphere
JAR  - Multi-cultural comfort food
Grace - New American
Taste on Melrose  - Comfortable and homey in West Hollywood
Simon LA  - Inventive American Fare
La Cachette  - Romantic room, Provencal cuisine
Katsuya  - Great Japanese and Philippe Starck design
Providence  - Sophisticated seafood in Hollywood   
Patina - Serious dining at the Disney Concert Hall

SOLID CHOICES - GOOD FOOD

Mimosa - Classic French bistro fare
Cheebo - Organic soups, sandwiches and light italian fare
Canter's - NY-style deli food, open 24/7
Ammo - Zen comfort food
Angelini Osteria  - The epitome of neighborhood northern Italian
Locanda Venetta - Romantic Italian
A.O.C   - Small plates and wine bar
WA Sushi Bistro - Strip mall location by Matsuhisa alums
The Hungry Cat - Hollywood mall location, great seafood
Aroma - Neighborhood Italian in Silverlake

GOOD and INEXPENSIVE

The Apple Pan  - Legendary lunch counter burgers
Doughboys  - Soups and Sandwiches - huge portions
Pinks - Legendary Hot Dog Stand
Palm's Thai - Great Thai with entertainment by a Thai Elvis impersonator.
Gingergrass - Silverlake Vietnamese
Yang Chow - Chinatown chinese
Hunan Cafe - NY-style storefront Chinese on the Hollywood/West Hollywood border

WHEN MONEY'S NO OBJECT

Spago - Still some of the best food in LA
Hotel Bel Air Dining Room - Lush and elegant
Matsuhisa - Not much atmosphere, but possibly the best Japanese food in the country
Cut - Wolfgang Puck's happening Steakhouse at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel

UNUSUAL ATMOSPHERE

Cobras & Matadors - Tapas, two locations
Getty Center Restaurant - Tour the museum, watch the sunset, stay for dinner
Little Door - Romantic hidden courtyard
Yamashiro - Cal-Asian Japanese with extraordinary views
Dar Maghreb - Full on Moroccan, including belly dancing nightly

The Best Online Restaurant Reservations System: OpenTable.com

If calling for restaurant resevrations frequently frustrates you, then you need to click on over to OpenTable.com.  OpenTable is a restaurant reservation system that connects directly to the in-house reservations system of more than 5,000 restaurants, including some of the very best in 45 states and a handful of international destinations.  Enter your party size, date and time, and OpenTable spits back real-time availability that you can confirm with a click.  It's great for last-minute reservations and for discovering new restaurants, but the best part is not only is it free, you actually earn points towards free dining for each reservation made.