As is the tradition at Eater, our closeout of the year is a survey of friends, industry types, bloggers, and readers. We've already covered Best Standbys and Top Newcomers. Now it's time for Best Dining Neighborhood. Readers, please add your thoughts to the comments.
[Krieger]
Q: What was the best dining neighborhood NY in 2011?
Jordana Rothman, dining editor, TONY: The West Village did well this year: Fatty Cue, Tertulia, Empellon, Buvette, RedFarm, Miss Lily’s is right on the cusp.
Danyelle Freeman, Restaurant Girl: New Yorkers live by the “will travel for food” motto, so I don’t think there was just one neighborhood, but if I had to pick, the West Village probably has the largest number of outstanding restaurants. And, of course, Brooklyn at-large just keeps getting better all around.
Gabriella Gershenson, senior editor, Saveur: West Village
Kate Krader, restaurant editor, Food & Wine: Williamsburg
Amanda Kludt, editor, Eater NY: I'm glad Williamsburg came to play this year what with St. Anselm, Isa, Masten Lake, Mabel's Smokehouse, and Maison Premiere. But the West and Central Village has the edge, clocking in with the new Frankies, Red Farm, Fedora, Tertulia, Empellon, Buvette, and the continuing success of Kin Shop. Weirdly enough (or not), both neighborhoods got a new Meatball Shop.
Josh Ozersky, columnist, TIME: Probably the West Village, with the addition of Tertulia, Redfarm, and Fatty Cue, joining the wonderful Little Owl, Market Table, L'artusi/Dell' anima, and of course Commerce, my favorite restaurant of 2011.
Lockhart Steele: Twenty Eleven was the year that saw me decamp my Rivington Street residence of the past decade for Peck Slip and the South Street Seaport—a neighborhood that's deservingly no longer lumped in with FiDi. Most everyone knows how good the drinking is at the Seaport—Fresh Salt, Jeremy's Ale House, Meade's, and my longtime sports standby Paris Cafe—but don't sleep on the eating. I consume about a pizza a day from Il Brigante, and one of my more memorable meals of the year was a dinner on the Front Street cobblestones outside Barbarini. And next year brings the promise of a steakhouse rebirth in the defunct Carmine's space from the Five Guys guys? Count me in.
Kim Davis, The Pink Pig: Williamsburg
Greg Morabito, features editor, Eater NY: Probably The West Village, but the award for most-improved goes to The Flatiron.
Chris Stang, Andrew Steinthal, Immaculate Infatuation: South Williamsburg
Bret Thorn, Nation's Restaurant News: Begrudgingly, I hand it to Williamsburg.
Robert Sietsema, restaurant critic, Village Voice: 1) Flushing, 2) West Village
Marc Shepherd, NY Journal: I’m gonna be a contrarian, and go with the Upper East Side. No, it’s not yet the best in the absolute sense, but it made the most progress of any neighborhood, with openings like Crown, East End Kitchen, Jones Wood Foundry, Desmond’s, Untitled (at the Whitney), and Toloache. I’ll give Hell’s Kitchen an honorable mention.
Ben Leventhal: If measured by how much better the neighborhood got for locals, the West Village came to play again in 2012. Fedora, Cafe Gitane, Empellon, Red Farm, Frankies 570, Tertulia, Buvette
Jay Cheshes, restaurant critic, TONY: Williamsburg
Josh Stein, senior editor, Departures: Madison Square Park and its environs in Manhattan. The intersection of Havemeyer and Metropolitan in Brooklyn.
Josh Beckerman, foodie magician: Chinatown
Gabe Ulla, features editor, Eater National: Hudson Street and the West Village in general.
Scott Solish, nightlife editor, Eater NY: West Village continues to shine, although Mulberry between Prince and Spring may be best dining block.
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