A Destination Celebration

There is absolutely no place like New York to get in the holiday mood. From Thanksgiving on, New York is bustling with tourists taking advantage of holiday shopping and the New York "season" of spectacular shop displays, plus the newest of Broadway shows, restaurants and museum blockbusters. In fact, New York provides a bazaar of the latest of everything. Seemingly, Entertaining in Dallas is rushing the season since we have not yet enjoyed Halloween, but we do not want you to have time to plan, if this should be in your near future.

We are big believers in "destination celebrations." Certainly, there is a birthday, anniversary or school vacation to observe between mid-November and Christmas week for a "celebration visit" to the Big Apple. If you were not in New York for the Village Halloween Parade, put it on your calendar for another year, and look forward to holiday shopping and new experiences for late November or December. From experience, we know that choice reservations during this season go quickly. If this could be on your horizon, make your lists and plan accordingly.

  

Once settling in to your hotel of choice, get out to enjoy the bustle and crowds. The Mark Hotel on Madison Avenue has completed its several-year renovation and has fall special rates to lure back its clientele. When we checked, the expensive rates are about half the usual rate. Aside from fabulous location, the new The Mark Restaurant by Jean George is the hotel's in-house restaurant. What could be better than knowing that room service will be haute cuisine and getting reservations will be a breeze? Like its neighbor, The Carlyle, this is location, location, location for the best of New York shops, museums and restaurants. One of those near-by shops is Bardith, a paradise for tableware collectors with its top quality antique porcelains.

We love to support the home team. The Carlyle, a Rosewood Hotel, the dowager of New York elite hotels, has an ever-faithful following. Even if not staying there, go for the popular Sunday brunch scene, or drop into the Café Carlyle for cocktails or after the theatre for a nightcap at Bemelman's Bar (named for the famed Eloise artist) for performances by always fabulous jazz greats.

The season really gets underway with the tree lighting at Rockefeller Center on the first Wednesday in December. Seeing the tree is always a great place to start. It will put even Scrooge into a holiday mood. Incidentally, one our favorite viewing areas is from the 8th floor restaurant at Saks Fifth Avenue across the street.

For the uptown visits, the windows at Bergdorf Goodman are always a creative and sophisticated holiday spectacle. Heading to the 7th floor of Bergdorf's is a must for a Christmas shopping trip, or any trip for that matter, especially if tableware is a passion. The tableware inventory, both new and antique, is the most concentrated "luxeware" in New York. The paradise of unique gifts can make the trip. It is, after all, a one of a kind store, and your family and friends will be flattered with a gift from Bergdorf Goodman. And, be sure to consider all the items in the Christmas shop with its phenomenal selection. Lunch in their lovely BG Restaurant , on the same floor, is a delight. The food is great, and the panorama looking north across Central Park is visual treat.

Next door to Bergdorf's is the refurbished Plaza Hotel, now mostly condominiums. The restaurants and shops have finally relocated, and one newcomer on the "concourse level" is the Plaza Food Hall by Todd English. The well-known celebrity chef has emulated Harrods Food Halls, with various stations for quick dining. It may be worthwhile to pay a visit while in the neighborhood.

While not everyone wants to focus on the more familiar uptown locations, the Gramercy Park Hotel at downtown's Gramercy Park has also been refurbished. The new Danny Meyer restaurant, Maialino, is the hotel's restaurant and, like all his restaurants, it is a stand-out. One could easily eat much of the city's great food right in the neighborhood at one of Danny Meyer's top-rated restaurants – Gramercy Tavern, One Madison Park and Union Square Cafe are all nearby. Balthazar, a perennial favorite brasserie, and Batali's Babbo are also downtown. One of our absolutely favorite pastry chefs/chocolatiers, Francois Payard, has opened a bakery on Thompson Street. It is a must destination for an afternoon stop. Part of the scene is a glass wall overlooking Payard's wholesale operation. Check our Source Section on Sweets for a number of our favorite chocolate shops in lower Manhattan, all of which should be destinations – Chocolat Moderne, Jacques Torres and MarieBelle -- and all great prospects for holiday shopping and self indulgence.

Food emporium Dean and DeLuca is nearby and one can always wander along the streets of the nearby Greenwich Village enjoying the outdoor food markets. The Union Square Food Market is a foodie paradise with far more than just fruits and veggies. ABC Carpet, a mammoth bazaar of new and old furnishings, and plenty of tableware, has landed a top restaurant for the sprawling complex, ABC Carpet with Jean George. If you are following celebrity chef names, Tom Colicchio has just opened Riverpark at the East River Science Park on 28th street. Both chefs are expanding their empires at a rapid pace. Also downtown in the Meat Packing District are the hotels attracting today's celebrities, the ultra-chic Gansevoort Hotel and the trendy The Standard, adjacent to the must-see High Line, the new, elevated park overlooking the Hudson River.

For both wine connoisseurs and neophytes, there are also the great wine emporiums
that you might want to visit while you are in New York. The Burgundy Wine Company, Sherry Lehmann and Acker Merrell Condit Co. have fabulous selections and great values as well. You may be fortunate to visit in time for a top wine tasting event. As in all the food markets mentioned above, their locations and web addresses are in our Source section on Wine.

There is never enough time to do everything in New York. Our focus is on food, wine and all the accoutrements that make entertaining fun, but do add museum visits to the Met and MoMA and to the new Broadway shows. Top tickets at the moment are A Little Night Music and Driving Miss Daisy . Without a doubt, if you will be in New York for Thanksgiving, there is the unequalled Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Restaurants on the "hot" list

We have chosen to provide a direct link to one of our favorite food sites, Eater New York, for 38 top New York restaurants with a wide variety of cuisine, cost and neighborhood. The 2011 Michelin Guide has also been released, with the top restaurant ratings. Eater New York also scooped the Michelin summary of the best of the city.

This "destination celebration" is being mailed before Thanksgiving, so it may seem that we have forgotten that Halloween comes next. Be certain to read our October newsletter, Goblins, Ghouls and Ghosts, with our thoughts on Halloween.

Happy Halloween.  We look forward to reports and photos for next year's newsletter.  Now --

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