nyc experiment: week eleven

There goes week 11! We are taking off to go visit our daughter tonight and I wanted to get out a short update before we left. After unprecedented weather through Saturday night, fall has arrived, the cold weather gear is in full use and it is getting dark at 4:45 pm. We have just two full days left in the city when we get back next week and then we will be home in the Bay Area, so really 99% of the New York experiment is over. I am starting to reflect on what aspects of this experiment we will take home with us and whether we will do another experiment next fall. I am planning to write a full postmortem but know that this was a success, we highly recommend it and feel just a tiny bit proud of ourselves for saying we were going to do it and then actually did it. 

Here is a list of the approximately 80 restaurants and bars we have been to since arriving on August 31 in the order that we went to them. The ones in bold are our favorites and most are downtown. If you would like more info, please go to my NY restaurant spreadsheet which lists most of these and includes neighborhood, type of cuisine and a short description.

• Dhom 
• Saddell’s 
• Pastis
• Rubirosa
• Quality Eats
• Mamo
• Gramercy Tavern
• Shukette
• Upland
• Via Carota
• Ilili 
• Cowgirl 
• Bubby’s
• Menkoi Sato Ramen
• Jack’s Wife Frida
• Cookshop
• Fairfax
• Odeon
• Kobrick’s
• Il Buco
• Tacombi
• Frenchette
• Olio Y Piu
• Scampi
• Blue Ribbon Sushi
• Cafe Luxembourg
• The Smith
• KYU
• Extra Virgin
• Buddakan
• Artichoke Basille’s Pizza
• Clocktower Restaurant in the New York EDITION
• Balthazar
• Charlie Bird
• Empellon
• Butcher’s Daughter
• Morandi
• Chip City (cookies)
• Three Guys Diner
• Mermaid Inn
• Raoul’s 
• Locanda Verde
• Saint Theo’s
• Peasant
• Django at the Roxy Hotel (jazz & dinner)
• Best Bagel on 35th
• Carbone
• P.J. Clarke’s
• Cafe Mogador (We went to Brooklyn but we had hoped to go to the East Village)
• Denino’s Pizza
• Crown Shy
• Los Tacos #1
• The Westlight at William Vale Hotel  (Brooklyn)
• Jeffrey’s Grocery
• Saint Tropez
• L’Artusi
• Katz’s Deli
• Marian’s
• Aurora
• Wo Hop
• Baby Brasa
• American Bar
• Essex Restaurant
• Joseph Leonard
• Due West
• Zou Zou
• Lola Taverna
• Si Ciamo
• St Jardim
• ABC Kitchen
• Little Owl

• COCKTAILS & SPEAKEASIES (we recommend all of them)
• Marie’s Crisis Cafe (sing-a-long, showtunes only)
• The Spaniard 
• Brandy Library 
• Bathtub Gin
• The Ludlow Hotel 
• The Beekman Hotel 
• The Duplex (sing-a-long, all music)
• Up and Up
• The Monster

• A FEW PLACES WE STILL WANT TO GO TO
• Aire Ancient Baths
• Marc Forgione
• Cote
• I Sodi
• Bread Bakery for bagels & rugelach
• 2nd Avenue Deli for pastrami
• Please Don’t Tell speakeasy
• Cafe Carlyle (jazz, dinner & drinks)
• Levain Bakery 
• The Polo Lounge