Best Restaurants Near The New York Film Festival
Probably the most prestigious festival of the entire season, the New York Film Festival is where to go to see the best movies from around the world before they hit theaters near you. Our only complaint? You can't bring snacks into the theater. Here's where to go to fuel up between screenings. By Jessica Allen.
More: NYC's Fall Film Festival Guide | Fall Food Festivals | Fall Restaurant Openings
More: Best Pre-Theater Dinner Menus In NYC
The tagline says it all: "fresh, simple, and satisfying." There are plenty of higher-end, pricier options on this list, and in the neighborhood, for sure. But indie food and wine consistently pleases for its quality, affordability, and overall affability. The menu options range from a sweet pea and baby arugula salad, to eggplant parmigiano, to confit duck leg, to an avocado sandwich with hummus, sprouts, tomato, and fresh chili paste, to a bread pudding made from croissants and brioche and topped with caramel. Yum and yum.
Lincoln Ristorante takes local, seasonal products, then turns them into modern Italian dishes, like citrus cured Scottish sea trout with cauliflower panna cotta, smoked trout roe, and blood orange gelee. As you enjoy your freshly-made pasta or pastry, you can watch the chefs do their thing in the open kitchen, or look out onto Lincoln Center's plaza, itself a whirlwind of activity. The menu changes daily.
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Chef Michael White's paean to the deep blue sea, Marea specializes in frutti di mare, from clams and oysters, to tuna, to snapper, to caviar, to lobster, octopus, and swordfish. The elegant restaurant has earned such designations as three stars from the New York Times, being named Best New Restaurant by GQ magazine, and winning a James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 2010.
Going to the movies and out for Chinese food is as classic a combination as ham and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, or surf and turf. In other words, you can't go wrong. Shun Lee West is decidedly more upscale than your local to-go place, and, since 1981, has offered "haute Chinese" from around the country. Noteworthy dishes include Beijing duck, served tableside with hoisin sauce, homemade crepes, and scallion brushes, Szechuan style lamb, orange beef, twice-cooked pork, and baked lobster with ginger and scallions.
Truth time: we have been known to dream on occasion of the beer-battered string beans, ever-so-crunchy and sprinkled with salt, from The Smith, an American brasserie. Directly across the street from Lincoln Center, you'll never be far from a screening. And, since the lively, unpretentious restaurant serves breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner, you're set no matter what the time of day.
