Kisa is a Korean restaurant that is serving Baek Ban, which is a traditional Korean meal comprising of rice, soup, and banchan. If you’re into set menus similarly to Japanese bento boxes, this will satisfy that itch. I love Korean food in this manner because it’s all usually really tasty and very solo friendly. I was able to walk in at around 5:30 PM on a Wednesday evening without issues.
Le Chêne (Le Chene) is the first solo project for husband/wife team, Alexia Duchêne and Roman Duchêne Le May. The menu features refined French recipes with an extensive wine list. When I looked at the menu, it was appealing because it seemed to resonate French with a slight rustic feel to it. I was able to book a reservation for 2 a few weeks out without issues. You can’t miss this restaurant with its yellow door.
Woodam is a Korean gukbap house that serves a very few options in the Flushing area. Gukbap is basically a Korean dish where you can put rice into a very flavorful soup, and it is iconic rustic, comfort food in Korean homes. We were in the area, and I thought this was basic enough to take some elders that were sensitive to sodium and strong spices. We were able to walk in for a party of 4 around lunch time without any issues.
The Gallery by odo is a fusion of a restaurant and art space in the Flatiron area. It’s actually right next door to the odo restaurant and bar. I was easily able to make a reservation for 2 for 5:15 PM a few days in advance. When we walked in, I didn’t really think much of it as an art space. It does have some paintings of outdoor forests hung up on walls and also what appears to be a for-sale dinnerware selection on a table. We didn’t really look extensively as we were here for the food because my partner wanted to try out this place.
Oyamel is one of Jose Andres’ restaurants. Its first location is located in Washington DC, so they decided to open a second here in New York City in Hudson Yards. Jose Andres is one of those chefs and restaurateurs that has a good track record every time they open a restaurant. For his restaurants in NYC, we have been to Zaytinya, Nubeluz, and Spanish Diner. Coincidentally, Spanish Diner has closed and was replaced with Oyamel in the same location. I made a reservation for 2 for 5:00 PM easily for a Friday evening without issues the night prior.
Since we’re out in the Tarrytown area, just outside of NYC, we decided to also try out their lunch tray to see how it goes. A few nights ago, we went to a very fantastic, memorable tasting dinner at Blue Hill. For this lunch, we were expecting the ingredients to be very crispy, fresh, and delicious to commemorate everything we learned about the Blue Hill farm experience. I made a reservation for 2 for 1:00 PM on a Sunday without issues a few weeks back. We arrived early, and they accommodated us without issues.
Blue Hill at Stone Barns has been on our hit list for over 4 years now. Every year, my partner attempted to book the reservation online, but they would always be unsuccessful. This year, I decided to take a shot at it, and I scored a June 19th, Thursday, reservation for 5 PM. This restaurant has 2 Michelin Stars, and it is located near Tarrytown in Westchester County. It’s possible to do a train ride up from the city and take an uber, but we opted to make a weekend trip out of it.
Odo is a Michelin 2-star restaurant located in the Flatiron district of Manhattan. It comes from Chef Hiroki Odo, who moved to New York in 2012 and won a Michelin Star as the head chef at Kajitsu. We looked on the Michelin guide, and we saw this was a 2-star restaurant that we haven’t been to yet. We were able to make a reservation for 2 for 6 PM on a Sunday night without issues.
Bridges opened in the late fall last year, and is headed by chef Sam Lawrence who came from Estela, which is on our list to hit. Lately, this restaurant has been getting some notoriety for having good food and a good ambiance. It’s a bit difficult to get to since you have to walk a bit from the subway entrance. I was able to book a reservation for 2 for the bar about a few days in advance for 5:45 PM.
Matsunori Handroll Bar, not to be confused with Matsunori Sushi Club, originated as a Boston handroll sushi bar. They decided to open an additional location in Long Island City, where there is an influx of Asians moving in. They do not accept reservations, so we decided to try to walk in around 6:30 PM on a Friday evening. Fortunately, we got there just before the lines, and we were able to sit at a table for 2. The counter at the time was completely open.