11 They Left Out

Last week, New York Magazine’s Adam Platt published his top 101 restaurants in New York City – supposedly ranked in order. As you might expect, we have plenty to say about that. Such as, how is it possible that only 35 restaurants in New York City are considered better than “very good”? That’s absurd. And it would also seem that ranking 101 restaurants by no other qualification than “goodness” is both ridiculous and arbitrary – but we understand that it sells magazines. So instead of dissecting the entire list of 101, today we’d like to point out eleven restaurants that we feel have been criminally omitted from this list of all lists. Thanks for the layup Plattypants.

L’Artusi

We go to L’Artusi a lot. Why? Because it’s always fantastic and consistent as they come. The best way to dine here is sitting at the bar, with a bottle of white lambrusco and a sh*tload of food in front of you. Sister restaurant Dell’Anima made the New York Mag list at #96, but we think L’Artusi is better. It would be in our top 15 (at least), if for nothing else than the olive oil cake.

Blue Ribbon Brasserie

This one was left off the list because the increasing number of Blue Ribbon restaurants on the map leaves the original feeling less than “special.” We humbly disagree. The flagship location on Sullivan Street is still one of New York’s great restaurants, regardless of how many other buildings have the same name on it. The food here is top notch, the service is excellent, and where else in town can you sit down for a world-class meal at 2:30am?

Mas (farmhouse)

We send people to a lot of restaurants, and Mas (farmhouse) has always been one that people come back raving about. It’s fine dining that won’t make you feel uncomfortable, and it’s almost always a perfect meal from start to finish. We still can’t figure out why Mas was left off the NY Mag list, and we’d imagine they can’t either.

Ippudo

Yes, this is a Japanese chain, but it’s also a restaurant in New York, and one of our all-time favorites. Judging by the constant hour plus waits, we’re not alone in that sentiment. We could main line the broth from their famous Akamaru Modern ramen, and the pork buns are absolutely incredible. Ippudo is one of the few restaurants in this city that’s really worth waiting for.

Buvette

Buvette is not only one of the hundred best restaurants in New York, but was also a strong candidate for best new restaurant of 2011 – at least according to us. This little French cafe on Grove Street is the kind of place that makes us angry we don’t live in the West Village. Pretend that you’re already retired, and stop in on a weekday morning for breakfast.

Post Office

Don’t worry about the fact that this is a little bar in South Williamsburg that you’ve probably never heard of. Just go drink some whiskey and have a few things off the menu. Then thank us for leading you to one of the most satisfying meals you’ve had recently – all from a kitchen that makes the one in your apartment look like Ina Garten’s.

Blue Smoke

Blue Smoke is, and always has been, one of the best BBQ restaurants in New York City. But nowadays, the “cool” BBQ joints get all the attention (see Fette Sau, Fatty ‘Cue). Regardless, Blue Smoke remains an Infatuation favorite. That pulled pork sandwich still gets us aroused.

Raoul’s

If you’ve been to Raoul’s you know that this is not just an essential New York restaurant, it’s an essential New York experience. Raoul’s has been a SoHo institution since the ’70s, and it’s got the more action at the bar than you’ll find pretty much anywhere. The food is all top notch, but the Steak au Poivre is why you go. Put it on your list.

Traif

These days, Williamsburg is a culinary hot spot and Traif is one of its best kept secrets. For months, we read emails and tweets from you about how badly we needed to get to this place and, as usual, they were dead on. Since then, it’s become one of our favorite restaurants. Traif’s menu of pork-heavy sharable small plates is both inventive and delicious. We can’t get enough of the Thai Spicy-Sweet Chili Glazed Calamari or Strawberry-­Cinnamon Glazed Baby Back Ribs.

Lucali

Lucali can be unpredictable, annoying, uncomfortable, and expensive (for pizza). But we’ll take the pies here to task with any in this city. Plus, this place is so badass that the owner got in a knife fight in broad daylight on Smith Street. Now that we think about it, maybe we should just keep our mouths shut on this one. Either way, you need to be eating here.

Mary’s Fish Camp

Plattypants may think that “the age of the urban lobster roll is over”, but that doesn’t mean that Mary’s Fish Camp isn’t still f*cking awesome. We’ll eat lobster rolls regardless of whether or not people are writing about them, and Mary’s is one of the best. The rest of the menu is pretty incredible too.