The third in a series of posts about the exceptional food I ate in 2.5 days in New York.

A few weeks before my trip, I posted a request for restaurant recommendations on Twitter and Facebook. I ate well on previous trips to New York, but have gotten significantly more into food since my last visit in 2008. I’ve also made a few friends who are very into both food and New York. I was also thinking of this trip as my reward for making it through my first semester of teaching – so I was willing to swing a slightly higher food budget than I would’ve normally planned for a solo trip.

Photo by Joe Schulz

On my first actual evening in New York, Carrie and I grabbed dinner at a sweet restaurant in her neighborhood that she’d often walked by but hadn’t had the excuse to try. James was both upscale and welcoming, a small space packed full of people yet still surprisingly intimate. A family of three was seated at the table next to us, the small child playing with toys and eating bites from his parents’ plates throughout the meal. The next table over was a birthday party. There were couples out for a private meal – and then the two of us, hungry and tired after long days.

I wish I had photos of the food we shared, but the lighting was low and the food too delicious to wait. We shared three small plates: a fancied-up shrimp and grits – smooth and rich, with a spicy harissa jus – and the asparagus, grilled or roasted and served with an impossibly wonderful Taleggio cream. Oh, and herbed fries, because what meal isn’t even slightly improved by the addition of fries? All in all, a wonderful dinner, followed by Italian ices and a walk with a very cute dog through a very lovely park.

If you go:
James
605 Carlton Ave (at St Mark’s Ave)
(718) 942-4255