Dear American friends in Boston and New York

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  • philm2272
    philm2272 Posts: 1 Member
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    IN NYC all restaurants and fast food places are required to post the calories of all their menu items. This will help you make decisions.
  • HanyaBreak
    HanyaBreak Posts: 13
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    IN NYC all restaurants and fast food places are required to post the calories of all their menu items. This will help you make decisions.

    That is good to know. Something we are lacking in the UK.
  • b14a3w3
    b14a3w3 Posts: 61 Member
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    You and your Mr. could split whatever you order (Philadelphia Cheesesteak...yummmm) and ask for an extra clean plate. We do that all the time. Restaurants here are used to that.
  • Girl_du_jour
    Girl_du_jour Posts: 46 Member
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    If you're visiting, I CANNOT recommend the New York Pass enough. I went to NYC for the first time earlier this year - we got the three day pass and it paid for itself in the first day.

    We made a concerted effort to get around and do/see as much as possible which meant we were all over the place and walking lots - things like getting free cheesecake (naughty but nice) in Brooklyn meant we'd then walk back across the Brooklyn bridge for example. Another thing that came free on the pass was a bike tour of Central Park - it was honestly one of my favourite things in the whole tour and again helped burn a few cals. You need to get there early though!

    You do end up walking loads, and it really makes a difference. Don't be afraid to treat yourself to small luxuries (esp the sandwiches) because on your 'good' days there are amazing - I do mean amazing - healthier options in Manhattan delis. I still dream of some of the salad bar options there compared to the UK! Be good when you can - you do get sick of rich food after a day or two - and you'll be fine. Enjoy it - I loved the place from start to finish!
  • elisabeisme
    elisabeisme Posts: 308 Member
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    I live in New York City. Compared to other places in the US, people who live in Manhattan are relatively slender, so it's possible to stay on track here whereas it might be harder in some other American cities.. Here are a my tips for NYC:

    - Try to eat at "local" spots rather than "tourist" restaurants. The local restaurants are used to catering to Manhattan's models, actors, and professionals so they often serve portion sizes that are half of what is served in tourist restaurants. Tourist restaurants typically cater to the average American diet and focus on "good value" over "good quality."

    - If you're staying at a hotel, tell your concierge that you are "a foodie" or would like a "farm to table" spot. Depending on your budget, those types of restaurants often have fantastic veggie dishes and less fried food. For example Blue Hill in the village is fabulous.
    http://www.bluehillfarm.com/food/blue-hill-new-york/menu

    - Don't feel like you have to finish what's on your plate. If you look around at the NY women in a restaurant, you'll see they rarely clean their plate.

    - Order an appetizer as your main course so that you have two apps instead of an app and a main. Very common to do that here.

    - if you want to try one of the famous NY delis, share an entry. For example, the sandwiches at Stage Deli or Carnegie or Katz are just ridiculous. I've never once eaten my own order there. I've always shared.

    - Don't feel bad about being picky, asking lots of questions about the menu, demanding dressing or sauce on the side, etc. American service protocol is that the customer is always right. I've been to France many times and in France it's practically sacrilege to ask them to change the menu in any way. That's not the case here. Think of that scene in "When Harry Met Sally" where Sally redesigns the whole dish. It's totally acceptable to be high maintenance like that in NYC.

    - Walk as much as you can. Almost everywhere in Manhattan is safe to walk during the day or night. Watch the pickpockets near Times Square, Empire State Building and Ground Zero, but you should feel comfortable walking everywhere. Most of the city is designed in a grid so it's really hard to get lost.

    It's going to be hot, so drink lots of water. Water is silly expensive on the street so keep the empty bottle and fill it in your hotel before you leave. NYC tap water is very good quality. Feel free to ask for tap water in restaurants. They'll always try to upsell you to sparkling or bottled - but most New Yorkers know to ask for tap water.

    Hope this helps!
  • HanyaBreak
    HanyaBreak Posts: 13
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    Elisabeisme, that was brilliant. Thank you. I don't think of myself a worried eater, but tend to shy from asking the questions. There is a lot of reassuring information there that makes me feel confident that I can order without feeling obliged or under pressure.
  • Laces_0ut
    Laces_0ut Posts: 3,750 Member
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    New York is such a great city.(stating the obvious i know) so many amazing food options i wouldnt worry too much about the diet.
  • spiregrain
    spiregrain Posts: 254 Member
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    Private message me about it if you want, I am a Bostonian who went to grad school in the UK (Aberystwyth).

    I want to, I think, "third" the recommendation of Legal Sea Foods. They have lots of health friendly stuff and they are very sensitive to any peculiarities of diet, including food allergies which I consider the litmus test for restaurant tolerances. They are a chain in MA at least, go to the one kinda near the Aquarium and then walk around on the wharves.

    If you join the coupon site livingsocial they have a coupon right now for an eco friendly Boston harbor day cruise. Going out to the islands is nice too but personally I'd bring a healthy picnic. Do Martha's Vineyard for something like that (Nantucket is wicked far and the Cape is a traffic disaster).

    All the good New England beaches are in Rhode Island which is about a half inch away and you can take a commuter rail train there. Oh except there is a nice one in Ipswich MA which you can take a train to, Crane Beach.

    There's a super healthy macrobiotic restaurant I am obsessed with in NY called Angelica's Kitchen. http://www.angelicakitchen.com We go there every time we visit NYC. Once I think my friend saw Gwyneth Paltrow there. It's reasonably priced and very cool.

    You can basically get any imaginable food somewhere in New York. If you are looking for a raw + gluten free + vegan-except-for-fish-sauce + italian food place, you can probably find three different restaurants that do just that and are phenomenal. A lot of places are also really really small and sell just one thing and it's the best That Thing in the world. Like, they will only sell chicken wings, or they will only sell cheesecake with apples, or they will only sell wheatgrass, or something. It's really hard to stop eating in NYC... but the healthy options are MANY and AMAZINGLY GOOD. (Can you tell I am in the process of trying to move there??)

    There are a lot of apps for NYC (for navigating it, finding stuff, etc.) so if you have a smart phone I would check one out. Or, bring a laptop.
  • HanyaBreak
    HanyaBreak Posts: 13
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    I just want to say a huge thanks to all you lovely people who gave me tips for our trip.
    I did put on 10lbs but it was all worth it!!!

    New York was fabulous but I am so very much in love with Boston, even more now my partner proposed to me on the sunday at 7am (because our body clocks were in a mess) in the public park looking out on the lake. Not a soul about :) Nothing comes close to the greatness that is Yawky Way either! Will definately be back!

    Thanks again everyone :)

    Hugs all round x
  • wildcata77
    wildcata77 Posts: 660
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    I just want to say a huge thanks to all you lovely people who gave me tips for our trip.
    I did put on 10lbs but it was all worth it!!!

    New York was fabulous but I am so very much in love with Boston, even more now my partner proposed to me on the sunday at 7am (because our body clocks were in a mess) in the public park looking out on the lake. Not a soul about :) Nothing comes close to the greatness that is Yawky Way either! Will definately be back!

    Thanks again everyone :)

    Hugs all round x

    Aww...congrats! That's amazing news. You should honeymoon there when you get married...take a little side trip up to Maine, too!
  • AJ_Pete
    AJ_Pete Posts: 863 Member
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    Boston- NORMBURGER.
  • jillybeanruns
    jillybeanruns Posts: 1,420 Member
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    Portion sizes are indeed larger in the US. Drinks especially, such as sodas, are enormous, as are the amounts of ice they will put in said glasses. DO NOT feel as though you must clean your plate. When indulging in seafood dishes, just use common sense. Most places will offer various cooking methods- fried, grilled, broiled, pan seared, etc. Grilled and broiled will be your best bets.

    There isn't anywhere you need to avoid, just be aware the amount you are eating. Also, you are going to two cities that are very walkable. You should be able to burn some of those excess goodies off! I live between Boston and NYC (in Connecticut) and am certain you'll have a blast!

    Ditto everything said here - even the part about living between Boston and NYC in CT. Boston is the best, but NYC is good as well...as long as you don't root for the Y*****s
  • rachelrb85
    rachelrb85 Posts: 579 Member
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    I work in Boston, and I have to say there are actually some healthy options around! There are lots of local cafes (Boston News Cafe, Boston Common Coffee, Sip Cafe, Cafe de Boston) that sell healthy sandwiches and salads. There are also some great chicken kebab places that I grab lunch from. Feel free to message me if you have any questions!
  • fieldsy4life
    fieldsy4life Posts: 155
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    Please don't come to my lovely city and count calories ;)

    Seafood you have 2 choices - hole-in-the-wall places and more fine dining establishments.

    For hole-in-the-wall, ask around about a place called "The No Name". Get fried seafood there. Don't count calories.

    For nicer, easier to get to places, check out Atlantic Fish Co. on Boylston Street (which is in the neighborhood called Back Bay - the heart of Boston in my opinion). Legal Seafoods is always good - they have locations all over Massachusetts; my recommendations are the 2 locations in the Seaport District: Legal Test Kitchen (known as LTK) and Legal's Harborside. The Seaport District is home to the best bars as well - be sure to check out the roofdeck at Legal's Harborside, as well as the tequila bar Temazcal.

    Also the Chart House is consistently one of the best rated seafood restaurants.

    McCormick & Schmick's is good too.

    My best suggestion would be to check out yelp.com. The reviews are usually always accurate!!

    EDIT: Didn't realize this thread was from way back. Somebody brought it back from the dead. Oh well, for next time :)
  • BG10708
    BG10708 Posts: 91 Member
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    I can't comment on Boston but here in NY if you order fish it is often served swimming in liquid butter even though it just lists broiled (grilled to you) salmon or whatever on the menu. You need to ask for your fish to be served DRY to avoid a greasy mess.

    The portions here are indeed huge but in many places, for an extra charge, two can share a main course and have a soup or salad each.

    Hope you have a wonderful trip.

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