NYC: LT Burger Midtown

LT Burger 
8 W 40th St, New York, NY 10018 
ltburger.com 
(212) 582-8200 ext. 1

Having a celebrity eatery be instantaneously successful can boil down to what it 
can give you once you walk through the doors. With Laurent Tourondel, you are
certain to get a dining experience that delights the palate no matter the cuisine.
And so, we have the second restaurant of his with hamburgers as the dish of 
prominence. After the success he had in Sag Harbor, New York, Tourondel opened
up LT Burger right by Bryant Park. So far, it has proven to be a great success. A
recent visit during the week found the place buzzing with activity, but there was
never the sense of feeling crowded once you entered. The waitstaff was highly 
attentive; even sitting at the bar, they checked in with you every so often. The 
menu is definitely eye-catching as far as burger choices go. The Standard was a 
satisfying choice, but The Mexican, replete with chili enchiladas, fresh guacamole,
pickled jalapenos and monterey jack cheese was excellent. Their smoked gouda 
curly fries were sinfully delightful as well. One other standout element to LT Burger
was their drinks list. While the wine list wasn’t too big, they more than made up
for it with an extensive beer list as well as specialty cocktails. (They even have a 
Happy Hour, from 5-7 PM during the week.) LT Burger is definitely a nice place to
get a classic American dish with a refined but relaxed spin.

Restaurant: Mile End Deli

Mile End Deli
www.mileenddeli.com/
97A Hoyt St, Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 852-7510

One of the quintessential things that makes New York the city it is, is the
Jewish delicatessen. You know at least two people that enjoy a good corned
beef on rye, sauerkraut optional. In an era where some of the more notable
spots are closing down due to rising prices, there are one or two places that
look to fill the void in new ways. And one of those places fitting the bill nicely
is Mile End Deli located in right in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn.


Smoked brisket poutine and Labatt’s.

The deli is a homage to the food of Noah Bernamoff’s youth in Montreal,
Quebec. Combining Jewish home cooking with a French-Canadian accent
gives you succulent dishes such as the classic poutine, served up with 
hand-carved smoked brisket. Other tasty items include the chicken soup
with matzo balls, smoked whitefish salad, and even duck pastrami. Take
note that the weekend brunch is a heavy draw and the space while it is
inviting, is cozy. Be prepared to wait a bit, but it is worth it. Mile End is 
guaranteed to give comfort to your belly with ease.

Restaurant: RUB BBQ

RUB BBQ - Righteous Urban Barbeque
208 W 23rd St # 2
New York, NY
http://www.rubbbq.net/

Amidst the hustle and bustle of 23rd Street, RUB BBQ has a
way of both sticking out and blending into the Chelsea scenery.
Past visits here have found the restaurant to be comfortable
enough for casual dining during a ballgame or raucous enough
for happy hour. The menu prices are about average for the
area, with the exception of the Down Home Pig Pick'n(which is
an entire BBQ'd side of pork with four sides) and The Empire,
which is a full-out platter of everything with a bottle of Dom
Perignon champagne. As far as appetizers go, definitely go with
the fried green tomatoes. The wings are okay, but a bit pricey
considering how much you get in an order. The brisket was a
bit dry but not to the point where it was rough and devoid of
all flavor. The chicken was especially good as well as the ribs,
although paying an extra 50 cents for sauce on your order?
Not so much. Be forewarned: they do run out of menu items
(as we found out when we tried to order the burnt ends) and
depending on what you want it can be a bummer. But the staff
is overwhelmingly friendly and overall, RUB BBQ is decent for
some 'cue on the go.

Restaurant: Merchants East

1125 1st Ave
(between 61st St & 62nd St)
New York, NY 10021
(212) 832-1551
www.merchantsny.com/east

Once in a while(if you're like us here at Manifesto)you
get the urge to go to a restaurant that has an elegant
feel but still retains a mellow vibe once you walk in
the door. Merchants has that combination down pat.
This is the East Side location; the outdoor seating
gives you a pristine view of the 59th Street Bridge.
The sister restaurant is right down in Chelsea. The
prime appeal of Merchants is the fact that it is one
of the few licensed cigar bars left in New York City,
located downstairs. And when you walk in, it is as
if you've entered a drawing room straight out of
'The Great Gatsby'. The staff are extremely friendly,
the menu boasts good fare such as pan roasted
monkfish and rack of lamb. They provide a good
selection of spirits(on our last visit we enjoyed a
nice glass of Macallan 12 year) and on certain nights,
you can enjoy live music. If you want a place to
slip out of the hustle and bustle of NYC, Merchants
East is the way to go.

Bar/Lounge: Lotus Lounge

Lotus Lounge
1420 K Street
Washington, DC 20005
www.lotusloungedc.com

Tucked away in the middle of the block steps away from McPherson
Square lies Lotus Lounge, fast becoming a new hotpsot for the
after-work crowd. The club itself is cozy but extremely inviting. The
Far Eastern theme works well with its lower level location, and if
you get there early enough, you find yourself becoming extremely
relaxed. The bartenders are easy to talk to and are all about you
having a good time, even hooking you up from time to time with
drink specials. The happy hour here is a major draw. Cool and
alluring with a lack of pretension, Lotus Lounge is a nice place to
lay back among the polished sophistication that is K Street.

Restaurant: Miracle Grill

Miracle Grill
222 Seventh Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
www.miraclegrillbrooklyn.com
718.369.4541

For those who miss the old Miracle Grill in Greenwich
Village, take comfort in the fact that this location is still
open and does grand business. The dining area opens out
onto the main vein of Park Slope, 7th Avenue and gives
you the feeling of being out somewhere in Phoenix, or
El Paso for that matter. Their menu boasts both
traditional and more innovative dishes, such as Blue
Corn Fried Chicken Tacos and Scrambled Eggs Fajitas.
On our last visit, we had a chance to sample the
Chicken Tortilla Pie and were enamored with the tasty
contrast between the red and green chile sauces
and the savory chicken all covered in Monterey Jack
cheese. The drink selection boasts caipirinhas as well
as fresh fruit margaritas and a neat little concoction
called ‘Blueberry Lemonade’. Miracle Grill also boasts
great happy hour specials and is a hotspot for brunches.
On your next sojourn through Park Slope, stop in and
smell the Southwest.

Restaurant: Maffei's

Maffei’s
688 Avenue of The Americas
212.929-0949

We know what you’re thinking. ‘This is a regular pizza joint!’
To the unsuspecting, it may be. But this little spot at the
corner of W.22nd and 6th Avenue is a wonderful slice of
Sicily at a reasonable price. The staff have been here for
years, and the food is robust and tasty. A lasagna plate
will get you a cut of beef lasagna dripping with sauce the
width of a hardbound dictionary. And they even grace your
dish with fresh garlic bread. The slices are decent, but the
standouts are the full-bodied entrees that have people standing
in line outside for twenty minutes at a time at lunch. Try
Maffei’s for a nice bit of Italian food with no frills but plenty
of appeal.

Restaurants: Candela Candela

Courtesy of Noah Kalina

Candela Candela
92 Second Avenue (between 5th and 6th Streets)
Manhattan, NY 10003
212-529-2563

When you think of the merger between Italian and Cuban
cuisine, you wonder how successful it could be. Thankfully,
Candela Candela proves to be a good mix. Although in truth
it leans more towards Italian cuisine, there is enough Cuban
influence…especially when it comes to the drinks. Their
mojitos are a choice specialty of the house. A recent outing
found a rustic setting not unlike what one would expect in
Tuscany. The food was, in a word, sublime with its flavor
and presentation. The chicken milanese held its tangy taste
with each bite and the whole wheat gnocchi was so good it
was almost gone immediately!! The service was superb and
there was no inclination to rush people out of the door. All
in all, Candela Candela is a nice choice if you want an elegant
yet languid dining experience.

www.candelacandelanyc.com

Restaurants: Itzocan Bistro

 Itzocan Bistro         

1575 Lexington Avenue (corner of 101 St.)

New York, NY 10029

(212)423-0255

Amidst the revitalized apartment buildings and the local restaurants
that still serve cuchifritos at 1950’s styled lunch counters within Spanish
Harlem lies a bistro that manages to combine the old and the new in 
a subdued yet impressive manner. Itzocan Bistro, located on a quiet corner, charms you the moment you walk through its doors  with aged oak tables and exposed brick walls. The food is exquisitely prepared to appease the eyes as well as the palate. The goat cheese flan simply melts in your mouth with the first bite.

Another dish of note (pictured above) is the ancho chile rubbed chicken breast. Complementing these wonderful dishes is a wine list that displays choice selections from Spanish and Latin American vineyards. If you’re looking for a quiet and sophisticated eatery that will catapult you to another mood, Itzocan Bistro is an inspired choice.