The Close-to-Work Staples
North End Grill
“I go there a bunch, and not just because it is across the street from my building,” says Solomon. It’s a Union Square Hospitality Group restaurant. “I’m a supporter of Danny Meyer and all of his restaurants,” he says. “At lunch, they have interesting salads, and they’ll put a great piece of poached salmon on top for me.”
Locanda Verde
“I have been eating here a ton recently,” Solomon says of Andrew Carmellini’s homey Italian restaurant in Tribeca. “The food is delicious, the place is buzzing. The ricotta on the toast is going to make me a fat individual.”
The Pizza Masters
Pasquale Jones
At Charlie Bird’s nearby sister restaurant, in a corner, clubhouse-y space (where Solomon is also an investor), the menu slants toward dishes from the custom-built Stefano Ferrara wood ovens, including stellar pies. It’s signature clam pizza is his order, and he’ll pair it with a big red wine.
Arturo’s
A surprise pick: The neighborhood Greenwich Village place that serves coal oven pies and has been around since the 1950s. “I’ll go there for pizza sometimes. And drink their wine. They have fun, interesting Italian bottles.” His order is Arturo’s Fiesta pie, with sausage, peppers, and onions, though he’s a fan of almost all the meat pizzas.
The Downtown Gems
Root & Bone
Solomon is a fried chicken fan. He likes the version they serve at Perry Street, but his favorite is the more rustic, sweet-tea-brined bird at this Southern-style East Village joint. “It’s awesome and not as well-known as it should be,” he says.
La Esquina
Dominating a corner of SoHo, the restaurant has an upstairs taqueria and a dark, downstairs dining room where Solomon heads. “It’s got the best Tex-Mex comfort food, the best environment. The grilled corn on the cob is one of my favorite dishes in the city.”
The Sunday Night Special
NoMad
While he likes both the NoMad Hotel restaurant and the stunning bilevel NoMad Bar, Solomon’s current favorite experience is the old-school Italian pop-up masterminded by co-owner Will Guidara. “I love Mamma Guidara’s on a Sunday night; it’s one of best kept secrets in the city,” he says.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.