Lotus of Siam: A Gamble on Manhattan

Finding great Thai food in NYC used to mean having to catch the 7 train up to Queens. That all changed when Lotus of Siam officially opened its doors to the public last week. Occupying Cru's former space on the corner of Fifth Avenue, Lotus of Siam inherited an impressive wine cellar and an equally lofty set of expectations. It was bound to happen after Jonathan Gold of Gourmet Magazine anointed Lotus of Siam's Vegas outpost as, "the single best Thai restaurant in North America." Accustomed to over-sauced, sugar-laden, dumbed down versions of Thai cuisine, it was only natural that New York was ready to embrace this legendary restaurant. Having seen Lotus of Siam's comparatively "expensive" prices and being the cynic that I am, I arrived for my pre-opening dinner reservation a bit skeptical to say the least. But after enjoying seven courses of well thought and executed food, all the cynicism in the world couldn't deny the fact that Lotus of Siam is a potential game changer and is already firmly entrenched in the discussion as the city's best Thai restaurant.

Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca

Since I've been burning the proverbial "midnight oil" at work this week words can't describe how nice it was to finally relax this weekend. I spent my Saturday at a wedding held at the grand Oheka Castle in Long Island. After a sweet ceremony my girlfriend, MW and I found our seats in the stunning dining room. It wasn't long before the conversation at the table turned to food and each couple discussed how they spent Valentine's day. I mentioned that we went to Babbo and everyone asked how I had managed to snag a reservation. I told everyone that I just arrived in person at about 9:50 a.m. on January 14th and avoided all of the busy signals and redialing. Conducting due diligence on Chowhound revealed that this method was the best way to get reservations at the popular Mario Batali restaurant. Looking around the table, I noticed the women nudge their dates as if they now possessed the key to entering Babbo...I even was told by one guest that my suggestion was the most useful information he had heard all day.