I’ve attempted to compile a decent mix between, good places to go and the somewhat “must do” things on a trip to the big apple. New York is the best state i’ve ever lived in and as such i wanted to give it the culinary respect it deserves.

* denotes a McCoy recommendation. Peter John Martin McCoy is my favorite person, and as i’ve said 100s of times he’s a quasi Asian. His sushi making abilities are second to no one except maybe Jiro

//———————
// Upper West Side
//———————

not much to do up here

Flor de Mayo – decent peruvian, try the chicken
484 Amsterdam Ave
New York, NY 10024
(212) 787-3388

//———————
// Upper East Side
//———————

MET (touristy) – i prefer the MoMA
1000 5th Ave
New York, NY 10028
(212) 535-7710

Guggenheim (touristy) – its smaller than what it looks like in movies
1071 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10128
(212) 423-3500

//———————
// Flatiron
//———————

ABC Kitchen – american/french food
35 E 18th St
New York, NY 10003
(212) 475-5829

Gramercy Tavern – decent american food
42 E 20th St
New York, NY 10003
(212) 477-0777

Eataly – lots of italian food, upstairs is a beer garden
200 5th Ave
New York, NY 10010
(646) 398-5100

Shake Shack – usually compared to In n’ Out burgers, its different, more gourmet; multiple locations
E 23rd St & Madison Ave
New York, NY 10010
(212) 889-6600

//———————
// Midtown -ish
//———————

Yakitori Totto – japanese, awesome skewers
251 W 55th St
New York, NY 10019
(212) 245-4555

MoMA (touristy)
11 W 53rd St
New York, NY 10019
(212) 708-9400

Times Square (touristy) – see all the lights and stuff, better when dark
Broadway and 42nd St
New York, NY 10036

Grand Central Terminal (touristy) – check out the whispering archway, iconic terminal
42nd St
New York, NY 10017
(212) 340-2583

Empire State Building(touristy) – wasteful to go up, unless you’re into that
350 5th Ave
New York, NY 10118
(212) 736-3100

Kyotofu – nice dessert place, tofu centric
705 9th Ave
New York, NY 10019
(212) 974-6012

//———————
// East Village
//———————

Ippudo – japanese, best ramen, soup base is good, noodles are not so great; their pork bun thing is ok.
65 4th Ave
New York, NY 10003
(212) 388-0088

Artichoke Basille – like eating pizza with a thick clam chowder on top
328 E 14th St
New York, NY 10003
(212) 228-2004

*Pommes Frites – belgian fries, lots of sauces, better when drunk
123 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003
(212) 674-1234

Chickalicious – dessert stuffs
203 E 10th St
New York, NY 10003
(212) 995-9511

Sake Bar Decibel – nice japanese feel, sake bar
240 E 9th St
New York, NY 10003
(212) 979-2733

//———————
// Lower East Side
//———————

Il Labratorio Del Gelato – best sorbet every, wide variety of interesting sorbet, their gelato is ok
188 Ludlow St
New York, NY 10002
(212) 343-9922

Katz (touristy) – known for pastrami
205 E Houston St
New York, NY 10002
(212) 254-2246

Elsa – one of my favorite bars, try the black book
217 E 3rd St
New York, NY 10009
(917) 882-7395

*Top Hops – awesome beer place, has all sorts of beers in refrigerators
94 Orchard St
New York, NY 10002
(212) 254-4677

WD-50 – very interesting one of those molecular gastronomy places
50 Clinton St
New York, NY 10002
(212) 477-2900

//———————
// West Village -ish
//———————

Minetta Tavern – best burger ever ($25), its called black label
113 Macdougal St
New York, NY 10012
(212) 475-3850

Babbo – Mario Batali restaurant
110 Waverly Pl
New York, NY 10011
(212) 777-0303

/———————
// Lower Manhattan
//———————

*Public – nice brunch place
210 Elizabeth St
New York, NY 10012
(212) 343-7011

/———————
// Brooklyn
//———————

Grimaldi’s (touristy) – pretty good pizza, there are multiple locations
1 Front St
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 858-4300

Brooklyn Bridge (touristy) – you can walk across, its nice
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Brooklyn Brewery – avg priced beer
79 N 11th St
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 486-7422

Peter Luger – really big steak, has a mafia-like feel
178 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 387-7400

/———————
// Other Touristy Stuff
//———————

Battery Park – see the statue of liberty from here
State St & Battery Pl
New York, NY 10079

World Trade Center – the waterfalls are nice, need to make reservations
http://www.911memorial.org/
1 Albany St
New York, NY 10007
(212) 312-8800

SoHo – South of Houston, where all the shopping is done, spend all day here

5th Ave – more shopping, more expensive stores, the glass apple store
767 5th Ave
New York, NY 10153
(212) 336-1440

Central Park – its big, you can walk around

/———————
// Cautions
//———————

Momofuku – there are different ones, the Ko is probably worth going to, the regular one, not so much
Any restaurant mentioned in a movie – they all suck (ex: Serendipity, Cafe Lalo)
Baked by Melissa – horrible mini cupcakes
Try not to eat in Times Square, super touristy
Circle Line (boat tour) – waste of time
Gray’s Papaya – just sweet sauce on a tiny hot dog
Crumbs,Magnolia’s – pale in comparison to Sprinkles cupcakes
Continental – cheap drinks, 5 shots for $10, watered down, super young crowd

/———————
// Notes
//———————

* Starbucks – are your friend, theres almost one every corner; use them for bathrooms
* Public transportation – 3 or more visitors, cheaper to take taxi
* smart phone users should download NYCMate – for a compilation of subway, transportation maps

Michelin Stars

Three Stars:
Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare
Daniel
Eleven Madison Park
Jean Georges
Le Bernardin
Masa
Per Se

Two Stars:
Atera
Corton
Gilt
Gordon Ramsay at the London
Marea
Momofuku Ko
Soto

One Star:
Adour
Ai Fiori
Aldea
Annisa
Aquavit
Aureole
A Voce Columbus
A Voce Madison
Blanca
Blue Hill
Bouley
The Breslin
Brushstroke
Cafe Boulud
Café China
Casa Mono
Danji
Danny Brown Wine Bar & Kitchen
Del Posto
Dovetail
Dressler
15 East
Gotham Bar and Grill
Gramercy Tavern
Hakkasan
Jewel Bako
Jungsik
Junoon
Kajitsu
Kyo Ya
Lan Sheng
Minetta Tavern
The Modern
The Nomad
Oceana
Peter Luger
Picholine
Public
The River Cafe
Rosanjin
Rouge Tomate
Saul
Seasonal
Spotted Pig
Sushi Azabu
Sushi of Gari
Tamarind Tribeca
Tori Shin
Torrisi Italian Specialties
Tulsi
Wallse
Wd~50