Midtown's Greatest Hits
see also, where to take your dad to dinner
I know I’ve written about where to take your parents to dinner when they’re in town—the special occasion hit-list that will please a crowd and be somewhat geographically convenient for out-of-towners. My first and one of my favorite newsletters, which you can read here:
In my family (is this a universal experience?) taking both parents out to eat is a wildly different operation than taking just my dad. It’s a pretty simple situation: my mom has a nut allergy that is, rightfully so, terrifying. This made her averse to foods and cuisines that use a lot of peanuts/ tree nuts/ sesame, etc. She is by no means a picky eater, she just has some limitations. My dad, on the other hand, will eat just about anything. He doesn’t like eggplant. He loves Popeyes. Every time my mom left town for work, my dad and I would order Indian food, or sometimes Chinese, without fail. A time or two, we sought out ramen or udon. It was always a fun adventure—a faux-special occasion and an opportunity to try something new. Once I left for college and my parents became empty-nesters, my dad continued the tradition. He gets Popeyes when my mom isn’t home. Sometimes Chinese. Sometimes a bowl of cereal. The guy’s got good taste.
His job has had him traveling a lot, and every couple of months we have been lucky to host him in the city. More often than not, its a one-night-only tour that we don’t get much notice for. The challenge is, naturally, where to take him for dinner. We know what he likes (everything but eggplant), and we know where he is staying (usually midtown). So for one night in the city, and one meal with dad, where do you take him??
Tonchin
The Tokyo based ramen chain is no stranger to press, with Michelin Bib Gourmands and repeated recognition on the Michelin Guide. The key is getting to the original location, located just north of Koreatown and blocks from Penn Station, where I have been eager to go, even more-so than their newer Williamsburg location. When my dad mentioned he would be in town, staying in the east 40s, I knew this was our chance.
Tucked onto w 36th, Tonchin’s sleek entryway is a promise of what’s inside, a modern, yet casual, buzzing dining room full of patrons leaning over bowls of soup. A standard bar and dining room set up is supplemented by modern lighting fixtures and secluded booths lining the side of the restaurant. We were seated right by the kitchen—my favorite place to sit to watch all food leave the pass before heading to eagerly awaiting tables. Ravenous, we began to pore over the menu—a long list of ramens, rice balls, appetizers, speciality cocktails, and natural wines. Agonizing over what to order, Hallie and I settled on highballs and dad got the house martini with olive sake and an ume olive. For our appetizers, we agreed on kimchi mushrooms, a small snack of perfectly chewy oyster mushrooms covered in kimchi sauce, the unagi Tokyo Rice Ball, seasoned rice wrapped in a sheet of nori and topped with sweet, umami eel and sansho pepper, and the Tsukune buns for Hallie and my dad—a steamed bun with a chicken and pork meatball of sorts, with coleslaw and teriyaki sauce to break up its richness. I had a bite. It was really good.
For ramen, Hallie and my dad got the Smoked Dashi ramen, a pork based broth with an unmistakable slightly fishy, smoky dashi flavor, topped with a seasoned soft-boiled egg, clams, homemade noodles, tobiko, sprouts, the works. I ordered the vegan miso ginger ramen, and added the soft boiled seasoned egg. The broth was stellar, miso being one of my most favorite flavors, with a hit of fresh ginger and their spectacular chewy noodles. Cabbage, soy meat, sesame oil, scallion, and chili oil were key contributors to a well-rounded bowl. The egg was a necessary addition.
The star was the dessert, kaki-gori offered in several flavors. I watched in awe, for most of the dinner, as the chef on the pass piled shaved ice into large bowls, swirling with syrup, and topping with a cloud-like dollop of honey cream. We ordered the matcha, with layers of ice coated in ceremonial-grade matcha syrup topped with sweet red bean create a glorious green dome. I love matcha, and red bean, and any type of whipped cream—a mountain of shaved ice being the vehicle was a welcome surprise. A cold, crunchy, and sweet dessert that was indulgent but not overly rich. I want to eat this all summer.
Already looking forward to a return visit to Tonchin, and it got two thumbs up from dad.
*An important part of this meal was that my dad realized Tonchin was right across the street from Keens Steakhouse. Naturally, after our enormous dinner, my dad wanted to run over and see if we could find a seat for a slice of cheesecake (his favorite dessert). At 9pm on a Tuesday, Keens was packed—we were ushered over to an equally busy bar full of patrons (almost entirely men) enjoying steaks and martinis and cold beers. We found a few stools at the drink rail, my dad ordered a singular cheesecake with the bartender, and we headed on our merry way.
Ci Siamo
Another outing courtesy of dad being in town brought us over to Hudson Yards, to a very strange plaza with a not-so-obvious path to our final destination. The new restaurant from Danny Meyer, Ci Siamo, had garnered a lot of initial buzz. Executive Chef Hillary Sterling created a menu centered around live-fire cooking and homemade pasta, in a space that seems to go on forever. Every table will be full, from birthday dinners to date nights to business meetings and you can spot quite a crowd, all of whom have gathered in this one corner of Manhattan for wood-fired meat, homemade bread, and fresh pasta. Ci Siamo does feel like an occasion spot—it is pricey and not particularly casual. For me, it is also completely inconvenient, so having my dad requesting an upper-west adjacent dinner was a suitable opportunity to give it a shot.
This dinner was in January 2023, just after opening, so forgive a lack of detail. What I do remember, is that we ordered a lot, and I remember being exceptionally full at the end of the meal. We started with the pizza bianca, a foccaccia-like bread with anchovy and salsa verde—though I quickly learned this was a misstep, and we should have gone for the caramelized onion torta. We live and we learn. We got a delicious, mustardy, bitter insalata verde with radicchio and fried garlic, as well as braised white beans with rosemary, parm, and olives. All these smaller plates were delicious, though perhaps not mind-blowing. We were obsessed with the beans, but probably could’ve done without the salad. We watched from a few feet away as the live-fire cooking was on full display, watching glorious steaks and roasted chickens be pulled from the heat and plated for guests. We opted for a full round of pasta—an insane broccoli ravioli topped with crunchy breadcrumbs, the cavatelli with crab and lots of chili flakes, the rigatoni alla gricia with guanciale and black pepper, and my favorite—the tagliatelle with tomato and buffalo butter. Such a simple bowl of pasta that I remember so vividly—long al dente noodles covered in a butter and tomato sauce that was a perfect balance of acid and fat, something I would have to go back Ci Siamo for, specifically.
We ended the evening with a lemon torta (my absolute favorite), flower-shaped bomboloni with amaro chocolate dipping sauce, and a coffee gelato. We way overdid it, but we showed my dad a good time. Barring the strange crowd and overly-large dining room, Ci Siamo is worth the trip.
Café China
This is a spot I haven’t taken my dad to, but I know he would love It. Café China is the newer sister restaurant of the beloved Birds of a Feather in Williamsburg. Located on w 37th, it is in a bit of a strange spot but arguably worth the trip towards Penn Station. I initially had looked into Café China when helping a friend plan a birthday dinner, plagued by the constant concern of a large enough reservation, without being charged a $150/person pre-fixe fee. Café China has a top floor with several private rooms available for different sized groups and various (affordable!) price rates. It was a great spot for a birthday party, and would be an equally great spot for an out-of-towner’s night in midtown.
If you have been to Birds of a Feather, you can vouch for how good the Chinese restaurant is. It’s sister restaurant is no different, with a long menu of dim sum, whole fish and tea-smoked duck, ma po tofu, fried rice, and stir fried vegetables. They have everything you crave when venturing to Chinatown, in a slightly-upscale package. Smoked tofu, spicy cucumbers, and chive pancakes are a few hits at a restaurant with a long menu and a lot to offer. This is a perfect dinner after a Broadway show or other fun midtown touristy outings, and when convenient, is a hit in the ever-ignored 30s and 40s in midtown.
Here’s where I would take him that I haven’t been:
See you next week! Got a request?
hudson yards was nottt on my right on franklin bingo card
Cho Dang Gol is pretty good authentic Korean food in a less-intimidating setting. A casual lunch or dinner, especially when it's colder would be good. They're known for their house-made tofu, but they also have a lot of lesser known Korean dishes that you should try!