tallamericano

Reliable, tasty, very San Francisco

Friends brought me here shortly after I moved out here 5 years ago, and I have been delighting myself and friends ever since at lunch, dinner and brunch. Really good stuff.

Set sail on the Hudson

It must be admitted that the Standard's standard room is small. Think of a ship cabin. Everything is there and cleverly fit in, but there's little room for your suitcase, let alone a roommate. But with the full-sweep Hudson River view, I had no trouble getting past that, and had a great time. The gym up top is well appointed and has great views. The grill and Biergarten scene downstairs is thriving. The lounge on 17, to which access is reserved for guests in the late afternoon, is maybe the most stunning hangout in town. You pay to hang there, for sure, and, not being a popular model or celebrity, I'm very unclear about how to get in after dark. With all the buzz and the fun, rates are heading higher, especially if you price it by the square foot. But if you want to splurge and won't be bringing a steamer truck, go for it.

Retro-modern

Lots of people know the Bowery for its bar scene, in a mock-gothic lounge that reminds me uncannily of my Ivy League eating club. But as a hotel it's a pleasant, personalized, unusual place. The rooms have nice old-fashioned touches: rugs on hardwood floors, stained-glass and exposed-brick accents, marble bathrooms that feel old but have very modern water pressure. The wi-fi works, the hi-def TV has all the latest cable features. The sheets are sweet and soft. Room service arrives in a flash. The neighborhood is fun - and has more of a neighborhood feel than other parts of town these days. It's an easy walk to interesting restaurants of all sorts and East Village and Lower East Side night spots are a few blocks away. It's become one of my favorite New York stops.

The hot dog on the bar menu is great. You have to go after 8 or in the afternoons.

If this were a neighborhood in Paris...

You'd be thrilled to find this place (and you'd not blink at the prices). This is a charming, authentic-feeling bistro in a shaded block of Noe, just off Market.

Tiny and tasty

Little is the operative word, although calling it 'the Chihuahua" might be just as good. The kitchen here can turn out plenty big burritos, using really fresh quality ingredients. Each time I go back I like it a little bettter.