Masaki,

Awhile back I read a topic where you gave a great description of what you did in New York and the restaurants you recommend.

We are on the Navigator Bermuda sailing June 5th and want to make reservations for dinner.

Please let me know where that site is.

Thanks so much.

Charvella,
welcome to LCT.
I've posted a link to Masaki's description of their two days pre-cruise in NY. I hope this has the info you're looking for:

precruise 1

precruise 2

There are quite a few of us who pre/post cruised last year in NYC. We did twice.

Our favorite restaurant is Felidia's which is Midtown. For a NYC "Foodie" place, the Chef's Tasting dinner is very reasonable and the food excellent. We did 21 Club and La Grenouille, which were also very good. We also ate at a seafood restaurant in Time Square we enjoyed.

Where are you staying for your precruise?

Hi Charvella! Thank you for the compliment. Vickie has beaten me to the punch. But as Kathy has mentioned, there are SOOOOO many good places to eat in NYC, don't limit yourself to just where we ate. Though I have to say, I recommend Babbo to everybody I meet. And I plan on trying Mesa Grill the next time I'm there. I probably wouldn't mind trying Per Se as well since we had such a fantastic time at the French Laundry in Napa Valley in November (both Thomas Keller restaurants). I know Lawrence is a big proponent of the Gotham Bar & Grill and their prix-fixe lunch. And Andi loves Next Door Nobu. Oh, the choices, the choices ...

Masaki

Masaki and all,

I venture to guess that you could easily eat three meals a day for a year in NYC and all of them would be good and not one repeat.

Masaki,

Mesa Grill is one of our faves, so I highly recommend that you give it a try the next time you're in NYC.

Since you loved Babbo so much, you might also want to try Po, Mario's first restaurant.

Yes, you're right, the choices here are mind boggling! Too many wonderful places!

CJ

CJ - thanks for the recommendation! I have friends who have been to Po and liked it a lot too so might have to try it next time. :) And definitely Mesa Grill (though at the rate I'm going, I'm more likely to get to Mesa Grill Vegas than I am in getting to the original in NYC)

Masaki

Masaki - No, no.....don't go to Mesa Grill in Vegas. It'll ruin you for the "real deal" here in NY! I hear it's not nearly as good.
In Vegas I like Spago.

I see that you're expecting a new family member. Big congrats! And no worry about Mesa Grill - we go there with our friend's one year old and it's noisy enough so that no one hears her! :)

CJ

I don't know restaurants in NY but I do know LV and would suggest anyone who has never tried it to/ It is the BEST!
Not a hotel restaurant a real deal..Frank Sinatra style...5 stars!
Pieros..
Address: 355 Convention Center
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Phone: 702-369-2305

C.. that picture doesn't do you justice.. send your picture to Karen so everyone can meet ya..

we have a real face thing around this board

For a yuppie steak place...Dylan Prime. They have chocolate porterhouse steak!

Boulet Bakery in Tribeca is excellent. Favorite restaurants for us are all in Tribeca.. Easy parking too!

Sedona,

Bouley Bakery went out of business a couple of years ago.
However, David Bouley reopened his famous Bouley restaurant in the same spot and it's one of our favorites. He also opened Danube right around the corner. It's a fusion of Austrian and french. It's also one of the prettiest restaurants I've ever seen.

Claudia - Okay, I can send a photo to Karen, if you tell me how. But I have a hard time believing that the above photo is a real one of Sedona! :)
CJ

CJ,

Sedona's photo is of Maggie, our board mascot. There is a really long thread about her. We've all adopted Maggie.

As for Spago, The Las Vegas one is only ok. Wolfgang has a better one here. Actually, most of the Vegas restaurants with locations outside LV are copycats and not as good as the orignals outside of LV. The Commander's Palace in Las Vegas is excellent, but, not quite as good as New Orleans.

I want to try Jean-Georges next time I am in NYC and French Laundry in Napa. oops, I hear the Weight Loss thread calling my name. Gotta run. (lol)

CJ - OK, I'll have to save myself for the original then ... :)

Andi - ah, how did I forget to mention Dylan? :) My carpetbagger was excellent ... and very cool drinks!

Masaki

Kathy,
I agree with you that the LV versions of places are not as good as their home place. I've never been to Spago in LA and I'm sure it's better than in LV. But I still like the LV place.

In Las Vegas I really like Pamplemousse a lot. It's a class Vegas place and there is no other.

I'm not a fan of Jean-Georges, but do hope to get to French Laundry one of these days.

CJ

ChatKat,

We are doing the two day pre-cruise at the Waldorf and Broadway Play.

Charvella,

We did the same week last year. We enjoyed our cruise very much, as I am sure you will too.
Make sure you join the Hilton Honors Program before you go and then on check in ask for an upgraded room - if you can get a corner room, it will be bigger. The rooms there are small but nicely appointed. We stayed there twice last year and it worked. We also got a later checkout. Also, I don't recommend taking the RSSC transfer from the hotel. They made us everyone check out and then wait a few hours in the lobby before busing everyone over to the pier. Cab fare is $10.00 - $15.00 and well worth it.

Charvella - we booked that as well (well, minus the Broadway play). You might want to rethink doing the precruise package through RSSC. While it's nice to have the transfers included, you could probably book your own transportation from the airport to the hotel, hotel to the pier as well as book the Waldorf much cheaper on your own. And as Kathy has mentioned, you lose the flexibility of going to the ship when you want to. If we were going to repeat this cruise, we'd probably do the precruise on our own this time.

Masaki

Masaki,
There is a special that RSSC includes two nights in NYC and the play. It's included in the fare. In lieu of free air kind of thing. They did it last year too.

Claudia, my jungle friend, how do you like my avatar face? I think your friend CJ looks lovely! She will add to Doug and Andy as being another NY expert on our board!

I always thought those Navigator cruises out of New York gave the pre-cruise at the Waldorf plus theater tickets, or a $750 off the cruise. Masaki may have done it differently.

I don't know if that package is available on all Navigator NYC cruises. It certainly wasn't available on our cruise (we booked through RSSC a precruise that we paid for). If it's included in the fare, then that's one thing but if it's something you're paying for, then charvella may want to reconsider. At $750 ... it's kind of a toss-up.

Amanda just reminded me that we had free air on our cruise. That's the difference, I guess.

Masaki

O.. you are gorgeous!

Masaki and ChatKat,

We are doing the special ChatKat did. It includes air, transfers, hotel and play.

ChatKat.....thanks for the heads up on not using Radisson's transfers from the hotel. What time did you depart for ship?

We left for the ship at 1 and we boarded at 1:30. You can't go to your room until 2:30, but, we did anyway and dropped off our hand luggage and locked our valuables in the safe.

All of these are great restaurant suggestions.
We love Bouley. It was #1 for years, then David Bouley closed the townhouse location and
relaxed abroad. Upon his return, he opened
Bouley Bakery [an actual bakery w. extension].
It is less elaborate than the original but soon became so popular that it enlarged [2-3 yrs ago, I think]. Now it once again calls itself simpkly Bouley. Their tasting menu is about 65-75$
and quite interesting.

I still love Nobu and Nobu Next Door. My favorite places...with the tasting menus.

PaulaJK,

Yes, Bouley Bakery is closed and extensive renovation was done. It is now Bouley again.

We were huge fans of the original and were so sad when it closed. We liked Bouley Bakery but didn't *love* it. With the new Bouley, we're back in love with David. <g>

We also really enjoy Danube, his other place around the corner. It's so beautiful. If you're going to Bouley for dinner, then stop at Danube for a pre or post dinner drink at their bar and have a look at the place.

CJ

Masaki,

We have reservations for Baboo June 6th! So excited!

Also got our cruise documents today!

charvella - congrats!! You HAVE to let me know what you thought when you get back. :) And a doc dance for you ...

<img border="0" alt="[hula]" title="" src="graemlins/hula.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[hula]" title="" src="graemlins/hula.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[hula]" title="" src="graemlins/hula.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[hula]" title="" src="graemlins/hula.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[hula]" title="" src="graemlins/hula.gif" />

Nothing like getting your docs in!! :D

Masaki