The Next 40 Restaurants I Want To Go To

These restaurants are ranked in order of desire.

1. Union Square Cafe

2. Daniel

3. Gramercy Tavern

4. Masa

5. Per Se

6. Jean Georges

7. Sushi Yasuda

8. Le Bernadin

9. Aquagrill

10. Gotham Bar and Grill

11. Del Posto

12. Saul

13. One If By Land, Two If By Sea

14. Gordon Ramsay

15. Cafe Boulud

16. Pearl Oyster Bar

17. Milos Estario

18. Nobu

19. Babbo

20. Spotted Pig

21. Balthazar

22. Blue Water Grill

23. Wolfgang's

24. Four Seasons

25. Sparks

26. La Grenouille

27. Ouest

28. Viand

29. The Modern

30. Telepan

31. Picholine

32. db Bistro Moderne

33. Sugiyama

34. Savoy

35. Il Mulino

36. Tabla

37. Tomoe

38. Yuma

39. Kanoyama

40. Chanterelle

Cafe Gray

The most recent restaurant that I went to was Cafe Gray.  Cafe Gray is located in the Time Warner center.  Although Cafe Gray might be dwarfed by its counterparts, Per Se and Masa, I still enjoyed a top notch meal.  When you walk down the long dark hall way that leads up to the restaurant itself, you are completely unprepared for the glitzy and shimmering restaurant.  One thing that was thought-provoking was; why did they decide to place the kitchen between the restaurant and the wonderful view.  The decor was very nice, even though there were so many mirrors.  The decor was a bit distracting.  The appetizer that I ordered was the mushroom risotto.  It was possibly the best appetizer I have ever enjoyed and also the richest.   I explained this in depth to the extremely charming and nice couple sitting next to us. My grandmother ordered a steak tartare that was palate awakening and well uncooked.   It was also very graceful in its presentation.  For my entree I ordered a skate schnitzel.  This was cooked to perfection and it was very good.  The only problem with my entree was that they piled unnecessary items on top of the skate, such as capers and spinach,  The texture of the fish was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.  My grandmother's dish was short ribs and it was surrounded by a spicy mustard sauce.  I tasted it by did not enjoy it at all.  It was too delicate and not enough meat.  For dessert I enjoyed a half-dozen tiny donut holes filled with jelly and dipped them into chocolate and vanilla sauce.  My grandmother had a baked Alaska that came on fire.  It also made her spirits stay on fire the rest of the evening.  The service was excellent and some of the staff even wanted to find out my blog's address.  The maitre'd was also very nice.  The cost was around 80 dollars per person.  I bid adieu to the couple next to us and started down the hall, still enjoying the meal in my head.  I give Cafe Gray a 9.5/10

Il Buco

The second that you enter the cozy Italian restaurant of Il Buco, you are greeted with a rustic, woodsy, Tuscan sort of feel.  When you sit down to your table, even though it may be cramped, you are excited for more.   The restaurant is a little crowded and the noise level is very high.  The staff is energetic, but not very enthusiastic.  However, they are very helpful.  The menu has a very wide selection of choices ranging from sashimi to flying pigs.  I am not allowed to drink wine, but the wine list was very satisfying and one customer stated that their 2004 Monteblanco wine was"full of flavor, and very smooth.  The lighting is very dim considering that it is only lit by candlelight.  When the appetizers came, I noted that they had great presentation and were all very good.  I would definitely recommend the mozzarella  which had great texture and good consistency.  The appetizers were all fresh but very filling.  When the entrees came, everyone was very full from the rich and filling appetizers that they had already eaten.  My entree was ribbon pasta with mushrooms.  The mushrooms were possibly the    most flavorful mushrooms I'd ever had.  They felt like they came straight out of a forest in Tuscany.  The same occurred for the wheaty Italian pasta in the same dish.  However the meal was also too decadent for my stomach and i could not finish my entree.  The price was around 6o dollars per person.  I thought that this meal was good, but not anything above great.  I rate Il Buco a 7.5/10

Nobu Next Door

The most recent restaurant that I went to was Nobu Next Door.  The service there was very welcoming and the food was great.  One platter that I would definitely recommend  would be the Black cod.  The preparation of this dish was formidable and the taste was intense.  Also if you decide to opt for a larger meal, you can buy the Omasake which is the chef's choice of a platter.  You could also opt for the sushi which is what the restaurant is famous for, after all.  However, don't order too much or you'll have too get a loan to pay the bill.  The ambiance of the restaurant was romantic.  If any of you are wondering, Nobu Next Door is the sister of Nobu , and therefore it is not easy to get a table.  Overall, I greatly enjoyed Nobu Next Door and I rate it a 9.5/10.