Immaculate Infatuation

We held off on the Blue Hill New York review until we made our way up to the Stone Barns, and we’re glad we did. It’s a very good restaurant – one of the best in Manhattan. But to go to Blue Hill New York and say you’ve had the full Blue Hill experience would be false. You might have had “a” Blue Hill experience, but you definitely didn’t have “the” Blue Hill experience.

“The” Blue Hill experience is the Stone Barns experience – a fantastic petting zoo for adults where you get to eat all the animals. Blue Hill New York is a top-tier New York City restaurant that’s equally ideal for Special Occasions, but is better suited for a fancy date night (just ask Obama) rather than Mom’s birthday or an anniversary. All the same farm-to-fork principles that you find upstsate are in place at BHNY, and the service is amazing. You’ll also still find unmatched dedication to serving quality ingredients, a great wine list, and some incredibly memorable food. Just don’t cross a trip to the Stone Barns off your list after dinner having dinner here. That’s a field trip everyone needs to make at least once. You look like you could use a day or two out of the city anyway.

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There are very few things in this world that we are willing to stand in a line for, including but not limited to: a Burger Joint burger (when desperately hung over, and only late afternoon), tickets to a World Series game seven at Yankee Stadium, front row seats to Lebron’s first game as a Knick, and Padma’s hand in marriage. Dinner at a Greenwhich Village sushi restaurant is definitely not on that list. That is, it wasn’t on that list – until we ate at Tomoe.

OK well it still isn’t really on that list. Waiting in a line outside of any restaurant seems a bit silly to us, but Tomoe is arguably one of the best sushi restaurants in the city, as you will see by those patiently standing single file out front on most nights. And it certainly isn’t the atmosphere that’s got people queued up on Thompson Street. The place is a dump. A studio apartment with a sushi bar and some Japanese paraphenalia hanging on the wall to cover up holes and various electrical hazards. People line up for a table at Tomoe strictly because the sushi is excellent. Yes, prices are a bit high, and there are plenty of annoying things about the place that we could go on and on about. But at the end of the day it’s a great once-in-a-while spot, when you’re in serious need of something excellent. Those looking for a destination for Girl’s Night Out, a First/Early In The Game Date, or a Birthday should look elsewhere. Tomoe is for getting down to business only.

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Head spinning after a long day of getting dragged around Soho with the female? Find salvation in a crisp Blue Point Toasted Lager draft and steak frites at Jane. It’ll help restore the equilibrium. The predecessor to fratty East Village favorite The Smith, Jane is its slightly more sophisticated older sister. Holdin’ it down in a prime location just above Soho, Jane is the epitome of utility neighborhood staple. A warm, friendly ambiance and diverse menu of relatively simple, but flavorful dishes make it perfect for Early In The Game Dates, Dinner With The Parents, Groups of 4-6 and Chronic Brunch. Jane has long been an Infatuation standby, and that’s not changing anytime soon. Next time you’re looking for a low-key, reasonably priced meal, hit up our girl Jane.

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We’re not alone in loving Strip House. The New York Times just dropped two stars on it, and the review was mostly on-point…but it just didn’t really get to the heart of why we like the place so much. The steaks are definitely great, and sides like goose fat potatoes and black truffle creamed spinach make us very happy as they slowly narrow the path of blood to our heart. But we also like the place for the simple fact that it’s just about the only steakhouse town that isn’t either full of grandpas, dudes wearing blackberry holsters, or rude made-for-TV Italian waiters. Strip House is a vibey downtown bordello of goodness, and is the antithesis to the things we hate about a place like Sparks or The Palm (AKA upscale Applebee’s). When you’re in need of a Damn Good Steak, but want something a little sexier than Luger’s, Strip House should be your stop. You might wait a little while, even with a reservation, but it’s worth it. This is one of the best steaks in town.

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Lobster rolls are a hot button topic in this town. Bring up the subject of whose is best in a large group and you’re likely to stir up either a passionate discourse or a knife fight, depending on what kind of crowd you run with. We’re healing up nicely, thanks.

We certainly have an opinion on the topic, but are also equal opportunity eaters. We haven’t met too many lobster rolls we don’t like. Not the case for some. As a matter of fact, there is a rivalry that exists between fans of Pearl Oyster Bar’s roll and Mary’s Fish Camp loyalists that’s almost as heated as the Biggie/Tupac beef was before Al Gore had them both killed (we’re entitled to our theory).

We’d like to use this review to go on record and say two things: we really like Pearl Oyster Bar, and stop the violence. Pearl’s lobster roll won’t take the title of best in town from us, but the place does score high on the Infatuation meter. Almost everything on the menu is fantastic, and we love sitting at the bar with an Anchor Steam and getting into some seafood with our hands. What really keeps us coming back though, is the fried oyster sandwich. That thing is food worth fighting over.

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