Your parents are in town and it's a Big Deal.
For some reason they're insisting on staying in Union Square?
The pressure of having to “host” out-of-towners, if you’re even remotely like me, is an all-consuming event. Striking the perfect balance of showing off the breadth of your knowledge about New York as a whole, without subjecting anyone to a crowd of tourists (god-forbid); making it a special occasion without making it too special and exposing how heinously expensive New York can be, is an impressive feat and a daunting challenge.
This challenge increases ten-fold when your guests are family, even more so when they’re your parents. While they claim they’re “just happy to see you,” they also resent you a little bit for forcing them to visit their child in a city where everything smells like pee or cigarettes and coffee somehow costs $12 a pop. That said, your task is a tricky one— you want their trip to be memorable and to show them the best of the city, while also catering to their preferences and aversion to the subway. You also can’t make it too obvious how excited you are for a free meal.
The key here, especially when hosting family, is not leaving too much to chance. It’s usually best in these circumstances to leave as little as possible to the last minute— no one wants to be hangry at 8pm aimlessly circling the West Village willing to settle for a mediocre burrata dish. So, here are my vetted (!!) recommendations for where to take your parents when they’re in town, and for whatever reason leaving lower Manhattan is out of the question.
Claud
I am 100% starting with a bang, because it is a bang I really believe in. Claud was a restaurant I had heard of, read about, and seen photos from for months prior to visiting. Resy sent a notification that a table for four had opened up when— what do you know!— my father was in town. Lucky him and lucky us. While skeptical, as always, to go somewhere that had gotten so much praise for fear of being disappointed, I knew it had to be good. I did not know how good it would really be.
Entering a cozy interior with far fewer tables than anticipated, warm lighting dimmed just the right amount, and an open kitchen, you can feel right away that Claud is special. There’s an ambience— and not in the loud music, overly romantic, needing a flashlight for the menu way.
Claud’s greatest flaw is the difficulty of ordering, when everything is objectively perfect and sounds like a dream.
What we ordered (note the menu changes semi-regularly): razor clams with apple and horseradish, escarole with spring onion, pecorino, and sesame, grilled broccoli with sunflower seeds and mint, mushroom mille-feuille with whitney cheese, chicken liver agnolotti, half chicken with foie drippings, dover sole with sherry and lemon, and of COURSE the devil’s food cake for dessert… and a mint ice cream… lol.
I’ll be first to admit we over-ordered, but it was one of my very favorite dining experiences I have had in New York. Every dish was perfect, unique, and gone incredibly fast.
Highlights: escarole salad, mille-feuille, agnolotti, dover sole, that goddamn cake.
I cannot lie that I absolutely could never afford a meal here— it is really not cheap. However, for a special guest and a really perfect dinner, I couldn’t recommend it more.
**Reservations open at 9am two weeks out, but 9/10 times you can get a cancellation.**
Dame
I’ve brought my parents here, I’ve brought friends here, I’ve met my sister here for a weekday dinner. I would go back weekly if my budget allowed.
Starting as a pandemic pop-up receiving press for their noteworthy fish and chips, Dame has transformed into another hard-to-nab reservation— in part due to the lack of space, and in part an indicator of just how good the food is. The window-side high-top tables are my personal favorite, but the outdoor dining during warm months is ideal for people-watching and enjoying an ice cold vesper and perfectly prepared fish.
I can’t tell you everything I’ve ordered at every visit but I will give you the highlights. First, I have never had a mediocre glass of wine here, and the vesper has nearly knocked me off my stool more than once. Grilled oysters with green chartreuse hollandaise, every single time. The fish and chips are, in fact, all they’re cracked up to be. Squid skewers, heirloom tomato sandwich, cucumber salad with mussels and horseradish, every iteration of tuna tartare. Another menu that changes frequently enough to keep you coming back to try one of everything, but maintains key items and always impeccably prepared pieces of fish. It is casual, yet special. Fun, unpretentious, and a very good meal.
**Reservations open at 12pm three weeks out, not walk-in friendly**
Revelie Luncheonette
Don’t be fooled by the name!! They're open for dinner, too. This one might seem rogue but I recently brought my mom here when we were all about to kill each other in Soho and desperately needed a carbohydrate. Severely less formal than its sibling Raoul’s, Revelie opened last year with an unassuming exterior that you might just miss walking down Prince Street. The cozy French cafe/diner has exactly the kind of bar you would want it to have, red leather booths, and a very kind staff. They also have the old-fashioned milkshake spinners, which is important.
The food is delicious, though maybe not life-changing. I just find myself particularly enamored by anywhere that I can wear a hoodie, order an egg cream, and eat a French omelette for dinner. Though their brunch and lunch menus are near identical, the fact that they have four (!) different menus and are open 7 days a week, 11+ hours a day, and are walk-in only, indicates the value of Revelie maintaining a casual demeanor. I want to eat fancy French food that doesn’t cost a fortune at all hours of the day— Revelie gets it.
I’m actually almost embarrassed to tell you all what I ordered but here goes <3 A glass of homemade coke, obviously, to start. We shared a baby kale caesar (honestly, would pass on this next time), chicken… tenders… with honey sriracha sauce (would ABSOLUTELY order again), haystack zucchini, and a BLT. Please keep in mind two of three people at the table are *allegedly* vegetarians. Next time, I want the daily dinner special, an omelette, and a French onion soup.
As promised, following my three suggestions for the week’s theme, I will be adding the top of my “want to go” list for the week. Here you are, friends. And, if you haven’t noticed, addresses will be linked to Google Maps in case you’d like to flag these spots and make your map look as ridiculous as mine.
Clearly, I am cold and craving soup.
This is the first of many newsletters, and the first three of many suggestions. I hope this format is intriguing to you, adding an element of a little weekly surprise. Please please share with friends you think might enjoy, and follow @rightonfranklin on Instagram to see all the food pictures and special supplements to the newsletter! See you next week :)
The only kind of food critic I want to read is the one who gets the chicken tenders and then openly admits it!