Poll Results - What's your favorite restaurant in Manhattan?

Everywhere I dined in New York City last week I asked my server, “What’s your favorite restaurant in Manhattan?”

Here’s a list of places where I asked the question followed by the replies in quotes:

BOULEY - “Bouley, of course! I also very much like Daniel, Cru, and Jean Georges.”

JEAN GEORGES - “This one and Hearth–it’s a new restaurant in the Village. It’s the best restaurant in the Village.”

LE BERNARDIN - “You are eating at it! But when I’m not working I like to go to places where I can wear jeans. I like Lupa. It means female wolf.”

KURUMAZUSHI - “If I want Japanese cuisine I go to Japan. But for here I say I like Nobu and Megu.” (That was Mr. Kurumazushi himself. And for every question I asked him, he asked me three.)

GOTHAM BAR %26amp; GRILL - “I like Piccolo Angolo at Hudson and Jane. Try their meatballs. I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard Per Se is an adventure. Eleven Madison Park has a new chef from San Francisco. He was given three stars by the New York Times.”

LEVER HOUSE - “Wow, I’d have to think about that. I like Café Gray. I like La Grenouille. It’s old school. It means ‘the frog.’ They are our direct competitor across the street, but have lunch at The Four Seasons.”

Note: The waiter at Lever House spoke to the maitre d’ about my interest in restaurants. As I was leaving, the maitre d’ presented to me a handwritten list of his own recommendations %26gt;including%26lt; addresses, cross streets, and telephone numbers.

The restaurants on his list are:

Le Bernardin

Per Se

Café Gray

L’Atelier de Joel Rubuchon at The Four Seasons

Daniel

Masa

Sushi Yasuda

Del Posto

Babbo

FLEUR DE SEL - “Jean Georges. Blue Hill—they grow their own food on a farm. Eleven Madison Park.”

Note: My server at Fleur de Sel also took time to write her recommendations on a card along with addresses and telephone numbers.

44 %26amp; X HELL’S KITCHEN - “I like Angelica Kitchen in the East Village. Their food is organic, vegetarian, and healthy.”

ELEVEN MADISON PARK - “Blue Hill. I like their philosophy of growing their own food and only serving what is in season. It’s an easy place to walk into without a reservation. My boyfriend and I have had dinner at their bar and it was fine. It’s in the basement of a townhouse.”

GEISHA - “Fiamma Osteria. Artisanal. Nobu----the one downtown, not the one up here. The one up here’s food is bland. After three and a half years I still like the food here [at Geisha.] I think it’s very good and reasonably priced.”

UNION SQUARE CAFÉ - “Uh, I’m kind of new in town. This one [USC] would be at the top of my list. And for a fancy place I like The Modern.”

TELEPAN - “I don’t have a favorite restaurant. I like to cook at home. When I’m at a restaurant I feel like I’m at work. I’m too aware of what’s going on in the kitchen. But I do like Angelica Kitchen and Republic.”

_____________________________________________________

Congratulations to Blue Hill for being the most enthusiastically recommended restaurant in my informal poll of NY waiters and waitresses.

My own remarks in the form of a trip report to come.....

Poll Results - What's your favorite restaurant in Manhattan?

Looking forward to that report!!!!

Poll Results - What's your favorite restaurant in Manhattan?

Traveling Guy, what a cool and fun thing to do!

Special kudos to the Maitre %26#39;D at Lever House, and the server at Fleur de Sel who went the extra mile.

Who says New Yorkers ain%26#39;t friendly?

Also looking forward to your report!

Great idea, TG! I loved reading the responses!

By the way--I%26#39;m a huge Blue Hill fan and think it%26#39;s one of the very best restaurants in town, so I%26#39;m happy to hear it so enthusiastically recommended, but don%26#39;t let the secret out!

TG - My wife and just returned from our favorite restaurant in Brooklyn (and one of the best in Brooklyn) - Applewood - I asked the co-owner, Laura Shea, what her favorite places in Manhattan were.

Here%26#39;s her answers

1. Cookshop

2. Blue Hill

3. Annisa

BTW - Cafe Gray is exceptional - one of the least appreciated Michelin 1 stars in town ;-)

Bruni reviews the Four Seasons in tomorrow%26#39;s Times.

Great idea to ask this question and thanks for reporting the results.

Thank you! This is a fascintiong post and such an interesting idea. I loved how the servers gave you lists with addresses and phone #s.

Looking forward to reading your whole report!

%26gt;%26gt;Special kudos to the Maitre %26#39;D at Lever House, and the server at Fleur de Sel who went the extra mile.

Who says New Yorkers ain%26#39;t friendly?%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

Yes, indeed, voy.

When I thought of doing this I thought the servers might be impatient with my question. After all, these are busy dining rooms.

Without exception they paused to give thoughtful replies to my question. They may have even been pleased that someone was asking for their opinion of NY food....