We were walking around the Chelsea area near the Pier, and we had to decide on what to eat. As we walked towards the Little Island, we saw this restaurant that seemed to be open right next to the Crane Club. My partner mentioned they were interested in trying this restaurant, and I did a quick search and noticed this was a pretty new restaurant. The menu wasn’t super interesting, but I figured it was worth a shot. We did a walk-in for 2 at 5:00 PM.
Miss Nellie’s was one of those restaurants near the theaters that always appeared to have an interesting menu. I had this restaurant saved for a few years, so I figured we’d check this out before watching a show. We walked in without reservations for 2 around 5:30 PM without any issues. As I sat down and looked at the menu again, I noticed some of the things I was interested in, such as smoked French Dip, had mushrooms in it. This really narrowed what I would get, so I had some skepticism.
Suki Desu is a relatively newish sushi restaurant that has a few branches opened in Manhattan. It has a small menu, consisting of mainly kaisen don though it does offer alternatives if you’re not a fan of raw fish. Kaisen don is basically raw seafood on top of rice. Their goal is to make rice bowls with authentic Japanese flavors accessible to everyone. Like the recent trend of hand rolls, this one brings raw fish rice bowls at a very affordable price.
Giuletta is a new casual Italian restaurant right next to Grand Central Terminal and the Met Life building. The word signifies “youthful” in Italian. The restaurant comes from the team behind La Pecora Bianca, which is another casual Italian eatery across Manhattan. I made a reservation for Giuletta a few days in advance pretty easily for 2 people at 5:30 PM on a Friday night. According to the business owner, it is “inspired by the feeling of a summer on the Amalfi Coast, the restaurant combines classic Italian dishes, a lively atmosphere, and a welcoming approach to dining that feels both refined and relaxed.”
At a whim, we’re around near the Bryant Park area. We didn’t make any reservations, and we wanted to try something new. I offered the option of yakitori (or skewers) because I knew about Double Knot being part of this movement of Philly restaurants expanding to NYC. We were able to walk in to this restaurant at around 6:00 PM, when it was prime time for the Midtown after work crowd.
Balaio is a large straw-like basket, and the purpose of the name for the restaurant is to blend the different culinary cultures of Brazil. It’s located on the ground floor of the Instituto Moreira Salles, which houses exhibitions and a library in photography, theater for screenings and music concerns, and classrooms for courses and workshops. The restaurant comes from chef Rodrigo Oliveira, who opened this restaurant located near our hotel on Paulista avenue. He’s also well known for Mocotó, a restaurant focused on Northeast Brazilian flavors. The restaurant is well known for its cocktails, but we came for the food. We made a reservation for 12:30 PM on a Saturday a few days in advance without any issues. If you are unable to speak or understand Portuguese, they do have the menus in English.
This Barbacoa location along Rua Dr. Renato is a well known steak house and rodizio featuring that classic AYCE experience. In social media, influencers often glamorized many of its cuts and servings, and it looked very tasty. We visited this restaurant about 10 minutes before it opened, and we waited in line in the lounge. The only way to make reservations, allegedly, is through WhatsApp. The host said that we were fine as we were only the 5th walk-in party, so there will for sure be seating for us once they opened. Keep in mind that there are several Barbacoa locations, but the one we went to here is the only AYCE churrascaria one of their locations.
In the São Paulo city of Brazil, there are three prestigious rated restaurants with 2 Michelin Stars: Evvai, DOM, and Tuju. Since this is my second time visiting this city, we decided to knock out the third one this time around. In the Michelin Guide, they classify the flavors of this restaurant as creative, so the expectations are high that it will use plenty of Brazilian ingredients to bring a very local upscale finesse to the food. Tuju is led by chef Ivan Ralson, who steers this restaurant’s 10-course menu based on the seasons, trying to use the freshest ingredients available.
The Jardan Bar and Restaurant has a few locations, but the one we went to is located on Paulista avenue. What interested us about this restaurant was it had a vibrant crowd outside and inside, primarily because there was a Sao Paulo soccer game going on. We walked in for 2 at 8:00 PM, and we were seated immediately. The seating area is pretty wide open with a lot of tables, where most of the views face the large TV in the corner.
This Manioca location is in the JK shopping mall, where it’s surrounded by professional offices such as Amazon, Johnson & Johnson, Santander, and many more. The restaurant opens sharply at 11:30 AM local time, and at 12:00 PM, all the workers flock from their offices to this mall to eat in the food court and all the various restaurants. Manioca is a restaurant by Helena Rizzo, who also happened to own Michelin-rated Mani as well. We went to this restaurant to try because she has built a very nice reputation of having great foods.