Cuerno has been on our list for quite a while. We ended up seeing an early afternoon show, so I was able to book this restaurant for 5 PM for 2 the day of. Cuerno is an authentic Mexican steakhouse known for fire-grilled prime steaks, bold Northern Mexican flavors, and refined dining. Outside of the restaurant, the whole area smells like grill and charcoal. When we entered, we checked in, but we had to stand around for a few minutes.
Shmone is a Michelin-starred Greenwich Village restaurant, known for Chef Eyal Shani’s neo-Levantine cuisine. Although this is Mediterranean, I wanted to see how it represents Israeli and Middle Eastern. Keep in mind that Michelin Stars are awarded for the food alone. We were able to make a reservation a few weeks in advance without any issue. Do note that this is adjacent to their wine bar which is not their restaurant.
As we prepare to move further away from Astoria, we’ve been on a mission to try different Astoria restaurants that are the epitome of Astoria. The next one on our list is Bahari Estiatorio. This is conveniently located off the N/W Broadway exit, and it serves authentic, rustic Greek comfort food. The kitchen is open-air, so you can see the cooks making the food. When we arrived on Friday at around 6:30 PM, it was mildly packed, but we were able to walk in for 2 people.
Loukoumi Taverna was recommended and suggested online for a nice Astoria Greek restaurant. Since we’re planning to be exploring Brooklyn more, we wanted to try more quintessential Astoria restaurants. We’re huge fans of the mainstream restaurants like Taverna Kyclades and Hamido Seafood, so we wanted to see what else there was to offer. This one was raved about for the food, so we took the N-train to Ditmars and walked about 10 minutes to this restaurant. We were able to walk in for 2 people at 4:30 PM on a late Saturday afternoon.
Grand Brasserie is a large French restaurant located in the Grand Central Terminal. It’s situated in the historic Vanderbilt Hall. The main parts of the restaurant have an open area view to the Grand Central hall, so you can see the chandeliers and some of the nice subtleties of the terminal. The main interesting aspect of this restaurant is they have a “green room” which used to be the former Michelin Star restaurant “Agern” before it closed during the pandemic. I was easily able to make a reservation for 2 for 5:30 PM.
Located at Mercado Little Spain, Txula Steak is chef Jose Andres love letter to Spain. He’s one of the chefs that has opened a bunch of restaurants, including Nubeluz, Zaytinya, and Oyamel to name a few. The Mercado Little Spain sits at ground level of mall next to the Vessel. You can enter thru the mall via Little Spain to get here, or enter at ground level off 30th St outside. We easily made reservations for 5:30 PM same day on Friday.
There’s been a recent boom in Thai restaurants opening in NYC. This one has an interesting name and is located in the Flatiron area. It is based on an old riverside town by the Chao Phraya river where there’s a food market serving authentic Thai home-style and street food. I took a look at their menu, and it looked smaller than other Thai restaurants, so I am hoping the flavors are less predictable and more refined. I easily made a reservation for 2 for 5:30 PM.
Bar Primi is a casual Italian eatery from the NOHO Hospitality Group and Chef Andrew Carmellini. We’ve been to several of his restaurants already (e.g., Locanda Verde, Carne Mare to name a few), and we’ve found the food pretty consistent. This one is less posh and more casual, located near Penn Station and across the street from the Moynihan train station. It was easy to make a reservation just a few days in advance for 2 for 5:30 PM.
The Noortwyck is a casual restaurant that opened a few years ago by Eleven Madison alums, chef Andrew Quinn and sommelier Cedric Nicaise. What I enjoy a lot about restaurants like these is that the menu isn’t super complicated, and you can easily navigate around. The meal is all meant to be shared, and the portion sizes are very friendly. We booked a reservation for 2 for 5:30 PM on a Friday evening very easily.
Red Rooster at one point in the last decade was well known for its fried chicken. From acclaimed chef, Marcus Samuelsson, this was his first restaurant that he opened in December 2010, focusing on casual Southern eats. It became even more famous when it was on the Michelin Guide, but it has since kind of gone off grid. We were in the Bronx area, so we thought this would be a good time to stop by and check it out. We were able to walk in with 2 at 4:45 PM on a Saturday early evening.