My New York in a Weekend

I’m a native New Yorker. I root for my Twins and Wolves, but I wear Knicks and Yankees T-shirts to bed. While I now consider myself a Minnesotan, in my heart of hearts I will always be a fifteen-year-old prowling the city streets, eating my way across the metropolis that gave me my food life. New York is the greatest eating city in the world, so it’s difficult to name the place to go to—it all depends on what you’re looking for. If you want a good guide to eating NYC, first decide what you want—Korean, Italian, bagels and lox, dessert—then check out my suggestions. Obviously, not every type of food is covered and not every “best restaurant” is mentioned. What you’ll see: great, solid, and innovative restaurants that offer something others in the city don’t. What you won’t see: Craft, Nobu, Mr. Chow—I eat there, but most people know about those already. So here it goes—where I eat when I’m “home” for the weekend.

Bagels: H & H
The best bagels in town—I like to go next door to Zabars with my bag of bagels and buy some salmon caviar, smoked salmon, pickled lox in sour cream, and whitefish salad, then walk along Broadway eating it all as I go. 212-799-6765

Bakery: Magnolia Bakery
There is no more charming place to shop than this venerable bakery. Magnolia offers the best cupcakes in New York, but the pies, icebox cakes, cookies, and tarts are also stellar. Plus, the goodies make for great treats while walking through the West Village. 212-462-2572

Bialys: Kossar’s Bialys
If you haven’t had a bagel without a hole, you owe it to yourself to check out a bialys at this East Village institution. Thinner than a normal bagel and loaded with baked onion, these little beauties will change your life. Around the corner is Russ & Daughters (212-475-4880), where I head after grabbing some bialys to pick up all the pickled and smoked fish I can carry. 877-424-2597

Breakfast: Barney Greengrass
The best breakfast joint—and the best blintzes and smoked fish—in New York City. The orange juice is fresh, the coffee is strong, and if you are lucky, you’ll have the chance to lean over and ask Jerry Seinfeld to keep it down—he’s always there. 212-724-4707

Burgers: JG Melon
This Upper East Side spot makes the best burger in the country, I kid you not. I have mine crusty and rare with a small spinach salad and a bowl of their killer pomme frites—heaven. 212-744-0585

Casual Food: The Red Cat
Ah, Jimmy Bradley’s Chelsea hot spot. The food is simple, the setting is chic, and I have never had a bad dish. Last time I was there, I ate the signature zucchini with lemon, pecorino, and almonds, a tomato salad, and a piece of grilled bass—easy choices, stellar food, local legend. 212-242-1122

Cheese: Joe’s Dairy
A must for mozzarella freaks. This Sullivan Street shop has arguably the best mozzarella in New York, and it also makes awesome sandwiches. The store is small, so keep your eyes peeled for the long, fast-moving line that winds around the building. 212-677-8780

Chocolate: Jaques Torres
If you only have one stop to make for cacao treats, this is your best bet. Kids love this place for the factory/candy store/café vibe that allows them to play while you browse. Plus, the chocolate is second to none. 718-875-9772

Dim Sum: Dim Sum Go Go
Manhattan’s bustling Chinatown has some of the best dim sum in NYC. The seafood dumplings are exquisite and the small plates of steamed buns, the pork ribs in black bean sauce, the juicy Taiwanese–style dumpling soup, and the traditional shu mai are musts. I dream most about the dumplings filled with hacked roasted crispy duck. 212-732-0797

Don’t Misscellaneous: Momofuku 
It was the bowls of ramen and great energy that got me in the door, but the razor clams, pig tails, and amazing Asian street food, put through the prism of local farm fresh cooking, keeps me coming back. Don’t miss this place. 212-475-7899

Experimental: wd-50
Wylie Dufresne’s food is so innovative, yet makes so much sense, it rivals Chicago’s Alinea for menu content. Recent tastings have featured corned duck meat served on rye crisps with purple mustard and horseradish cream. Words can’t describe the appeal of Dufresne’s unique combinations and brilliant constructions. Pot roast in a jellybean, anyone? 212-477-2900

French: Ouest
Tom Valenti is one of New York’s most popular chefs, and I’ve been eating his food for twenty years. He’s owned Ouest for a while now and it’s a stalwart of country French cooking on the Upper West Side. You have to love the house-smoked sturgeon with frisée, lardons, and poached egg; the spinach and sausage stuffed quail with lentils and cabbage; and the braised beef short ribs with sweet-and-sour baby beets and horseradish spaetzle. 212-580-8700

Seafood: Le Bernardin
For my money Eric Ripert may be the most technically flawless chef in the city, and Le Bernardin, the restaurant that he runs with owner Maguy Le Coze, is often touted as the city’s best. Warm sea urchin ravioli with osetra caviar and sea urchin emulsion, seared striped bass with tomato water, white tuna paired with Kobe beef napped with a lemon and brown butter emulsion—need I go on? Be prepared to spend, and sit, but it’s worth it. 212-554-1107

Italian: Da Silvano
The one-two-three punch of a great antipasti bar, killer roasted artichokes, and awesome people-watching make it a regular NYC stop. 212-982-2343