Mark Bittman

We’re huge fans of Mark Bittman here at Immaculate Infatuation, so it goes without saying that we’re excited to have a Friday Fives from the prolific food writer and journalist. If you are a home cook, chances are pretty good that Mark’s now-classic book How To Cook Everything is somewhere near your kitchen. If it’s not, it should be.Mark is also a New York Times columnist, Today Show regular, and recently released The Food Matters Cookbook, a “guidebook” on healthy and responsible eating that will make your life better without sacrificing things that taste good.

While we have certainly cooked a thing or two from Bittman’s books, we mostly became fans after watching him in the PBS mini-series, Spain: On The Road Again. Basically, Mark and Mario Batali drove around the country in Mercedes Benz convertibles with the Gwyneth Paltrow and Spanish actress Claudia Bassols, eating stuff. It made for some incredible television, and ever since, we’ve been lobbying PBS to host our own installment, where we drive around France on scooters with Julia Roberts and the girl from Avatar. No response yet.

So, if you didn’t before, now you know that Mark Bittman most certainly knows his food. Instead of selecting from “Perfect For” categories, Mark gave us a straightforward rundown of his five favorite places to eat in New York City. We’ll allow it, since he’s a badass. Click below to see Mark’s picks.

Mark Bittman’s NYC Picks

Peasant (194 Elizabeth St.) – “My go-to restaurant; I’m there monthly or more. Simple stuff – brilliant salads (especially seafood, but whatever vegetable is in season), very straightforward pasta and meat dishes (many spit-roasted over live wood), fantastic seafood cooked with little more than olive oil, garlic, herbs, chiles, in the wood-burning ovens. Frank De Carlo knows what he’s doing. (The sister restaurant, Bacaro, is less ambitious but gorgeous and total fun.)”

Szechuan Gourmet (21 W. 39th St.) – “Undoubtedly not the best Szechuan food in New York but very, very good, consistent, and ridiculously convenient for those of us who spend a lot of time in midtown (there’s also a 56th street location, which, when it’s on, is just as good). Very busy at lunch. Tofu/celery salad is incredible.”

Minar (138 West 46th St.) – “Until someone clues me in to the great New York Indian restaurant, Minar is the standby; I eat vegan here but you don’t have to. You do, however, have to order paper dosa.”

Jean Georges/Nougatine (1 Central Park West) – “Ok, the guy is a friend of mine; we’ve written books together. But you can have a stunning lunch at Nougatine for less than thirty bucks, and experience real world-class cuisine (or, of course, you can spend hundreds on dinner). Great rooms (Nougatine is less formal, and my preference, but you can order off the more extensive Jean Georges menu if you want to), terrific service.”

32nd St. “That’s not the name of a restaurant, but the best food street in New York: 32nd between 5th and 6th, a/k/a Koreatown. Try chicken soup at the third-floor Arirang, or the last remaining live charcoal grilling downstairs at Kom Tang Soot. I remain partial to Kang Suh (perhaps for sentimental reasons but it was still good the last time I was there), the vegan Hangawi (east of Fifth, actually), and Mandangsui is a terrific standby. (Sadly, for the best fresh tofu place, you have to schlep all the way up to 35th: www.chodanggolny.com)