I love New York! It is so energizing just to walk down a NYC street! Every street seems to offer something to see and something to do! I wouldn’t mind visiting NYC each year, but it is not my husband’s favorite place to go. He likes laid back, beach destinations.
The time before last when we were in New York we stayed a wee bit too close to Times Square, which meant we heard lots of street noise. It was a great hotel, but we wanted to try something different this go around. We chose to stay at Sofitel on 44th. It was within walking distance to Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Bryant Park, Broadway, 5th Avenue, the Garment District, shopping and great restaurants. It is known as “Club Row” because there are so many private clubs on that stretch of the street. We were next door to the New York Yacht Club, across the street from the Bar Club, and a few doors down from The Harvard Club.
In addition to its great location, it also had a friendly staff, comfortable rooms. I loved the room because it had an Art Deco feel, with burl wood furniture, modern art, and chrome accents. It will be our go-to hotel from here on out.
Here are a few of our other fun finds:
Cafe Un Deux Trois – located on 44th Street just a block from Sofitel. The concierge recommended this restaurant for a late, light, lunch. We loved it! We had breakfast there the next two mornings. The menu offered something for everyone. The breakfast menu featured crepes, American breakfast, omelettes. The coffee was amazing! The restaurant looked as though it were in France. It reminded me of the restaurant in Something’s Gotta Give, Le Grand Colbert. The crown moldings and corinthian columns were very ornate. The restaurant was decorated for Christmas, so it seemed even more special.
L’adresse – is a restaurant across from Bryant Park. We knew nothing about it other than it was convenient, and it had a table open at the time we needed it. We were meeting some young friends for dinner, so it was the perfect place. It was crowded, noisy, and hip! Lots of groups were gathered for holiday celebrations. They describe their food as “a casual approach to Contemporary American cuisine.” The food and service were both good. We were talking more than concentrating on food; our sweet server kept us on task. Like most restaurants in New York, they state up front how much time you will be allowed for the reservation. They have to keep the guests moving along so as to not run the next reservation behind.
Jungsik – this restaurant was a recommendation from a friend. It is located in TriBeCa so it was a bit of a distance by cab. Of course, it took longer to get there than anticipated due to traffic. We made it to the restaurant with one minute to spare! The atmosphere was much more calm and relaxing than we had anticipated. The friendly server, Oscar, made perfect recommendations. Every bite of food was delicious! The staff was like an orchestrated ballet. I watched as they turned another table around next to us. They did the normal process, but ended with a young lady with an iron perfecting the table cloth.
Apparently it is in vogue to offer preset menus. I noticed a few restaurants where this was the process. At Jungsik, there is a choice of two preset menus plus add-on dishes such as urchin or truffle dishes. If seated at the bar, a patron could choose individual items.
We chose the signature tasting which included eight courses and included a bit of everything such as caviar, octopus, Korean BBQ, and ice cream. Along with what was on the menu came an amuse bouche (a small bite, usually served first as a complimentary offering from the chef) and a mignardise (a small dessert, usually served last as a complimentary offering from the chef, pronounced mee/nyahr/deez). There were five components to the amuse bouche and three components to the mignardise. It sounds like a great deal of food, but most items were small artistic displays of a tantalizing delicacy.
Three things to know about Jungsik:
- This as the most expensive meal my husband and I have ever shared.
- If you are ever going to dress up in New York, this is the place to do it. A nice dress and heels would be more at home here than jeans.
- Dinner here is an experience. Relax and enjoy.
We had planned to visit the Vessel, but it was raining so much that we weren’t interested. Other than attending Hamilton and just walking around, that was the extent of our trip.
