New York Restaurant Week 2019 and Hot Hotel Pick

(New York Restaurant Week in the summertime)

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New York Restaurant Week runs until August 16, 2019.  A good reason to visit The Big Apple this time of year. You can try a James Beard Award Winner, Union Square Café owned by famous pioneer restaurateur Danny Meyer where you can have a chilled melon soup and brook trout “a la plancha” – a 2 course lunch for $31+. Having had dinner there, they simply take customer service to another level by knowing about their guests…and there’s no tipping allowed (read Danny Meyer’s book “Setting the Table”).

And another one to add to the list is the legendary Tavern on the Green in Central Park.  You can have lunch there for $26++ (2-courses) and select an appetizer like refreshing watermelon and feta salad, with plated salmon or chicken kabobs. Dinner for restaurants participating is $42++ (3 courses).   It’s one of those places you want to mention to others you went to.

Ian Schrager has a boutique-y hotel with sleek lines and cool vibe hotel lighting you can visit and stay at for a very reasonable rate, especially considering central NYC — in the heart of the City near Washington Square, SOHO, West Village, and whatever your NYC visit is about.

ICYMI, Schrager is the OG credited for putting boutique hotels as a new category on the map. And if that doesn’t strike a chord, he was the original co-founder and owner of “Studio 54” 🪩

The Hudson New York Central Park is a great hotel to stay at for many reasons.  It’s a posh and busy hotel (a real see-and-be-seen type hotel), decorated and designed by world-renowned Philippe Starck.  I love his clear stackable acrylic chairs that make the space seem light and airy. The weightless chairs come in fun colors are inspired by the hotel decor (and were in my stay in this Paris posh hotel I stayed at).

The lobby is very cheery with some brick walls and neon color lights and chandeliers, and a dramatic escalator leading to the lobby.  The hotel is a great value in the location that it is, next to Central Park.  It’s so close to Central Park which is one of my favorite parks… so peaceful and beautiful with the horse-drawn carriages lined up.  I’ve taken one of those and it’s romantic.  You can even get a New York-style pretzel right there in Central Park to top off your visit.

The only downside is that the standard room is 150 square feet shoebox size (and really meant for just one person or someone you know intimately, like a spouse or a good friend).  Don’t let that turn you off, because it’s still worth every penny. 

You save money and if you’re in NYC on a mission like trying the trendiest restaurants during NYC restaurant week, shopping, or visiting touristy sites, then you spend very little time in your room other than to sleep and shower.  But yes, in a room this size you’ll probably bump into each other on the way to the closet or the bathroom and shelf space, which is all this room has. 

My sister and I made a great stay of it because we were able to “bond” sitting on the bed and talking about our lives. But there are I think 8 or 9 sizes and styles of room, including a suite option that’s 450 square feet.  Of the two times I’ve stayed there, it has been the best value. August always has good deals for under $200, which is amazing for the great location.

And they make wonderful drinks that you can sit in many areas to enjoy including the Lobby Bar and there’s a lobby library lounge that you can sit at also if you want to work on your laptop or chat on the phone without many others around.  They are run by a group that is known for very modern chic hotels.  I stayed at one in South Beach, Miami, Florida called the Mondrian. 

In Miami, this is cutting edge with avant-garde room artwork with a Japanese cartoon girl’s face on one of the transparent walls separating the living area from the bedroom.  And the pool was amazing along the Biscayne Bay in South Beach.  Just trying to paint a picture of their brand and what it’s like to stay at another property.  You feel very trendy on the trendy side of town but that’s less touristy than some of the Beach Week hotels where word gets around (like the famous 24-hour News Cafe restaurant).

Back in NY vibes, if you want to check out less touristy neighborhoods with a food scene, try Hell’s Kitchen district, but don’t let the name scare you.  Or maybe you are curious because of the Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen food show.  

There you are close to the best shopping in the city.  And just a short subway or cab ride from the busiest Apple store and largest FAO Schwartz I’ve ever been to.  My sister and I like to make a girl’s weekend getaway out of it. You are close to Time Square where all the crowds are.  And you can people watch at the now very popular Bryant Park. 

We go in the August summer usually when the US Open tennis match is advertised everywhere.  It’s often New York Restaurant Week in the Big Apple.  We’ve tried a few “foodie” New York restaurateur restaurants owned by David Burke (BTW, he has a restaurant that has a great rooftop seating view of One World Trade Center) and Joe Bastianich (aka related to Lidia Bastianich and Eataly) restaurants in great neighborhoods like Greenwich Village.