The Diplomat's Guide to Dining: New York City & Beyond

In time for St Patrick's Day: The Most Authentically Irish in NYC

Irish pubs litter midtown Manhattan and most parts of New York City.  But which would a diplomat from Ireland say serves the most authentic fare?  That was the question Murray posed to a group from the Irish Consulate at a recent reception.  They were reluctant to answer immediately, said they would discuss and get back to him … and so they did: Several days later one of the group called Murray to inform him that their selection for most authentic Irish food in New York is Broadway Langan's, in the heart of Times Square.

The chef hails from Tipperary, but the menu at Broadway Langan's features a wide variety of foods that goes beyond the strictly Irish.  So, although we might otherwise have been tempted to try their Santa Fe Shrimp Salad or Tortellini Alfredo, we generally stayed with the Irish items on the menu.  I drank Guinness, and here's what we ate:

• Langan's House Salad, mixed greens with carrot, red onion, cucumber and sherry walnut vinaigrette, to make sure we had some veggies
• The crab cakes appetizer, not because of any Irish tradition, but because the menu says they are the "house specialty."  Served with a salad of onion, tomato, peppers, sweet corn, mango, avocado and garbanzo beans salad, this was delicious.
• Fish 'n' chips, because this is listed in the "Traditional Dishes" section of the menu, and appealed to us more than some of the other selections.  The "chips" were perfect, and the fish quite good as well.

• Corned beef and cabbage, not because Murray and I are huge fans of this dish (we're not), but because I’d seen somewhere on their website that they had won "Best in New York" for their corned beef and cabbage.  And I will say, this was the best corned beef and cabbage I’ve ever had!

For dessert, I had an Irish coffee, and we shared a slice of the Irish Farm House Apple Pie, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

The food was excellent, and the service prompt.  I definitely recommend this restaurant, whether you are looking for Irish food or just a good meal near Times Square.  Our bill totaled $140, including tip, our food, and plenty to drink.

Where and When

Broadway Langan’s
150 W 47th Street (between 6th and 7th)
New York, NY
(212) 869-5482

www.langans.com

Open daily
11:30 am – 12:00 midnight

 

Northern Indian: So Good!

At a meeting with some Indian consular officials recently, Murray made a point to ask about the most authentic Indian restaurants in New York.  He was aptly provided with two names – one specializing in northern Indian cuisine and the other southern.  We decided to check out the northern Indian recommendation first – Yuva, on E. 58th Street, in Manhattan, which the chief administrative officer identified as the most authentic northern Indian restaurant in New York City.

It was President’s Day, and we were there on the early side for dinner, but still we were astonished at the number of empty tables around us.  The service was attentive, and the food was spectacular, making Yuva one of the many high points of our diplomat dining adventures.

We dined by ourselves at Yuva and so were unable to try as many different dishes as we would have liked. But we ordered a lot for two – enough for dinner and, we thought, a bit to take home. (In the end, everything was so tasty that we exceeded our usual quota for dinner, and had only a small amount for lunch the next day.) This is what we ate:

Appetizers

Vegetable Samosas: cumin-spiced potatoes and peas wrapped in a light, flaky crust, which Murray and I agreed were the best samosas we have ever tasted.  In the photo below, they are shown on the right.

Tandoori mushrooms: a special on the menu.  They sounded interesting, but ended up being nothing spectacular – just large roasted mushrooms smothered with some kind of cheese. 

Entrees

Boti Kabab: cubes of lamb seasoned with ginger, lemon and yogurt, skewered and grilled.  The lamb was exceptionally tender.

Chicken Shahi Korma: morsels of chicken cooked in a yogurt sauce.

Palak Paneer: Cubes of homemade cheese smothered in spinach.

This picture shows a sampling of the entrees on my plate, along with a piece of the poori, a puffed whole wheat bread.

In a rash moment of enjoying the food and feeling a bit concerned that the restaurant was so empty, I decided to tell our waiter how Yuva had been recommended to us, and why I was taking photographs.  We don’t always do this, but when we do, we always do so after we’ve finished our meal.  Well, there was a flaw this time that I need to confess: We were too full for dessert and so hadn’t ordered any, but after we told the waiter about diplomat dining, he brought us small dishes of kheer, a rice pudding with dates, cardamom and pistachios.  Needless to say, it was delicious.  But I swear I was not swayed into writing a nice review of Yuva by a bribe of a nice dessert.  We had a truly great meal at Yuva, and I hope to get back there in the not too distant future.

That said, the meal at Yuva was on the expensive side; we spent $168, including wine and tip, more than I can afford on a regular basis, but worth it for an excellent, special meal every once in a while.

All major credit cards are accepted.

Where and When

Yuva
230 E. 58th Street
New York, NY 10022
212-339-0090

www.yuvanyc.com/home.htm

Open 7 days a week
11am - 11pm