NYC - European Cuisine

Below, a sampling of some of my recent and/or favorite European cuisine restaurants in NYC:

Anthos

36 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019
212-582-6900

This quietly beautiful restaurant in midtown is the brainchild of whiz-kid chef Michael Psilakis. Psilakis was never professionally trained, but turns out modern Greek food (with a special emphasis on fish) that is to die for.

Balthazar

80 Spring St
New York, NY 10012
212-925-5340

Balthazar brings a bit of Paris to SoHo. This spot serves of French brasserie food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. While I like the food, I go more for the atmosphere.

Barbetta

321 W 46th St,
New York, NY 10036
212-246-9171

My family and I used to go to Barbetta before attending a show on Broadway or catching the latest opera or Philharmonic concert at Lincoln Center. The restaurant is situated in a gorgeous brownstone – if the weather’s nice, ask to eat in the garden outback. Simply elegant Italian food. What more could you ask for?

Café Sabarsky

1048 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10028

212-628-6200

If you, like my husband Stephen, like Austrian food, you must check out Café Sabarsky. It is located in the Neue Museum on Fifth Avenue. It looks like a Viennese Café and offers up fare to match.

Franny’s

295 Flatbush Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11217
718-230-0221

This place has amazing Italian food. Located in a smallish space, the restaurant gets crowded quickly. I had amazing pizzas here as well as delightful antipasti. Fantastic

Insieme

777 7th Avenue
New York, NY 10019
212-582-7932

I hemmed and hawed about putting Insieme on this list. It often gets written up with many accolades in all the big foodie magazines. However, I found it to be a bit wanting. Everything was overdone or a bit weird. An appetizer that consisted basically of taking a shot of cod oil (that’s right, fish oil), set the tone for an unfortunate dinner. I’ve only been once, so I don’t want to completely pan the place, but it was not great. Take it as a warning.

Kefi

505 Columbus Ave
New York, NY 10024
212-873-0200

Kefi is Michael Psilakis’ more rustic restaurant. You get the same Greek emphasis, as at Anthos, but here the food is more about affordable comfort than rarefied elegance.

Marea

Perbacco

234 East 4th Street
New York, NY 10009-7419
212-253-2038

A simple little Italian “tapas” and Wine bar in the East Village. It has a great wine list, Italian of course, and an excellent selection of dishes. There’s a lot of sidewalk seating and when the weather is nice the doors to this corner spot are thrown open to let the atmosphere in.

Spotted Pig

314 West 11th Street
New York, NY 10014-2369
212-620-0393

The Spotted Pig is an intriguing mix – a British-style gastropub that serves mainly Italian-inspired dishes. This combination is the result of Chef April Broomfield’s British heritage and Italian training at the famed River Café outside of London. This place always seems to be on a wait. The food is tasty and filling.