Move over people, the champ is here. Joe’s is the best slice in Manhattan. It’s been like that forever and will remain that way for eternity. If you can make a case for any other slice on the island of Manhattan, please let us know. The menu is simple and usually there are three options: plain, fresh mozzarella and Sicilian (sometimes you can catch a Pepperoni pie too). If you’re ordering by the pie then there’s the additional toppings option, but why mess with perfection? The kitchen operation is a well oiled machine and keeps hot pies blazing out of the oven one after the other. Unlike a place like Artichoke, which makes lining up to vote look like fun, the line at Joe’s is the epitome of efficiency. You can be backed up 15 deep on the sidewalk and still be in and out with your slices in 10 minutes, easy. Bonus points to Joe’s for owning one of the best fountain cokes around, with just the right balance of syrup, carbonation, and water.
History. Corner Bistro is filled with it, especially for Immaculate Infatuation. To fully understand why we back the Bistro so hard, we need to drop a little Infatuation history lesson.
Before it was the name of this website, the name Immaculate Infatuation belonged to a made up British rock band that my college friends and I dressed up as for Halloween one year. Check the pic, we were a bad ass rock-n-roll shred machine. Think Guns N’ Roses meet a British version of Motley Crue. The town of Ithaca, NY will never fully recover from that night. After the band retired, Immaculate Infatuation lived on as my fantasy football team name. Luckily, Diddy rejected it as a suggestion for Making the Band 4’s group name, and when Stang and I needed to figure out what to call our new venture, the choice was obvious.
Raoul’s is the shit. That’s really the only proper way to put it. If you can’t have a good time here, you probably can’t have a good time anywhere. This boisterous French bistro has been a Soho institution since the 70’s. It’s that awesome NYC restaurant depicted in your favorite Woody Allen flick, one that probably doesn’t exist in real life. Except it does and in reality it’s just as cool. Raoul’s is useful for a variety of different reasons. Having dinner with friends from out of town? They will feel the upbeat, lively vibe at Raoul’s. Double date with your favorite party couple who like to un-tuck, throw a couple back and grub hard? This is the place. Just be prepared to drop dollars. On the prowl after work with your favorite wing-man/wing-woman? There’s all kinds of good action here and a nice variety to choose from; a classy crowd of spunky ladies and well put together dudes. If you want to be all up in the mix, make sure to request a table in the front of the restaurant. For a more subdued good time, the back atrium through the kitchen is where it’s at. Time to talk food.
Should we have arrived on this earth centuries earlier, Immaculate Infatuation would have existed as an exclusive dining club instead of an internet circle jerk. Being added to the Infatuation telegram list back then would have been even cooler than being an “ambassador” at The Gates (that was a joke). Every suspenders wearing, pipe smokin’, handlebar mustache rockin’ 19th century hipster would have wanted in on our action. Our home base in this amazing, hypothetical world? Keens.
Keens is as Old New York as you can get. Open since 1885, this place is loaded with history. It’s pretty much the Museum of Natural Meat Eating History. Before it was open to the public, Keens was a members only hangout; a Soho House of sorts for NYC’s most powerful including Teddy Roosevelt and Babe Ruth. 115 years and counting, Keens is still home to one of this city’s best steaks. So good in fact, it’s in our top five NYC steakhouses along with Luger’s, Striphouse, Dylan Prime and Quality Meats.
Finally, a place at the top of our hit-list that actually lives up to the hype. Convivio is legit…who cares if it feels a little like eating in the lobby of an ultra-modern hotel? On first look, this doesn’t seem like an obvious Infatuation favorite. First of all, it’s in Tudor City, and second, this isn’t exactly our kind of crowd. I was definitely the only one in there rocking jeans and sneakers. But the after-work suits all seemed to be enjoying themselves, creating a nice buzz in a restaurant that we assumed would be a bit on the stuffy side.
As for the food, the $62, four course tasting menu is a steal. This is first class dining at an affordable price. While the antipasta and main courses are solid, the pasta is the main event, and the reason you need to immediately make a reservation. We’re talkin’ next level shit. It’s so good that we would like to formally petition for a full pasta tasting menu a la Convivio’s sister restaurant Marea.
Service is low key, but incredibly informative. Our waiter knew every dish inside and out, and was pleasant but not overbearing. Almost everything we ate met or exceeded expectation, and we had a good time. We will say though, those Tudor City suits must be on a tight leash. The place was completely empty by 10pm. So while Convivio does have an excellent Outdoor/Patio Situation, perfect for a Special Occasion, don’t expect things to get too wild.
Feature: Infatuation TV: P.O.S.
