Marvelous Manhattan

“A wonderfully lively, knowledgeable journey through the past and present of places that help make New York City what it is, and which we must cherish and (hopefully) preserve.” 
—Salman Rushdie  
 
New York might have Broadway, Times Square, and the Empire State Building, but the real heart and soul of the city can be found in the iconic places that have defined cool since “cool” became a word.

Places like Di Palo’s in Little Italy, where you might stop in to pick up a little cheese only to find yourself in a long conversation—part friendly chat, part profound tutorial—with fourth-generation owner Lou Di Palo, sampling cheeses all the while. Or Raoul’s in SoHo, to enjoy a classic steak-frites in the company of downtown artists, celebrities, and dyed-in-the-wool locals. Or Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem, to be in the room where some young guys named Thelonious, Dizzy, and Charlie invented bebop. Or maybe Russ & Daughters, to pick up the city’s best lox and bagels, which they’ve been selling since 1914.

A lifelong New Yorker, writer Reggie Nadelson celebrates her city and all the places that make it special. Part guidebook, part cultural history, part walk down memory lane, alive with the spirit and the grit of small, often family-owned businesses that have survived the Great Depression, World War II, 9/11, and the coronavirus lockdown, Marvelous Manhattan is a seductive and timely book for anyone who lives in New York, loves the city, lived there once, or wishes they had.

Because that’s the thing about Manhattan: all you need to do is walk into the right place—say, Fanelli’s on Prince Street—sit down at the bar, order a drink, open this book, and suddenly you’re a New Yorker.

Praise for Marvelous Manhattan

“A nostalgic look at New York’s beloved haunts . . . . A refresher on reasons to stay committed to New York City living.”
—WWD

“Attention New Yorkers missing the Before Times. . . . [These] stories and photos will make you proud you stayed in town.
—Tasting Table
 
“This book is perfect for the nostalgic New York City lover, an ode to all of the special places that make New York City feel like an old movie set.”
—Dame Traveler, The Best Gifts for the New York City Lover

“A wonderfully lively, knowledgeable journey through the past and present of places that help make New York City what it is, and which we must cherish and (hopefully) preserve.” 
—Salman Rushdie  
 
“Reggie Nadelson is synonymous with New York, and her book will make the most ardent anti-urbanist fall in love with both the thrumming city and her evocative prose.” 
—Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story and Lake Success
 

At Balthazar: The New York Brasserie at the Center of the World

At Balthazar is the ideal reflection of a great restaurant. Balthazar has survived and thrives because it has never dropped the ball. The room, the service, the atmosphere. Reggie Nadelson doesn’t drop the ball either. She’s our perfect host.” 
SALMAN RUSHDIE

At Balthazar is a beautiful New York love story. Nobody could have written it better than Reggie Nadelson who captures the tastes and smells, the glamour, nitty-gritty, and the theater of the restaurant and of the city itself.” 
NIGELLA LAWSON

Published in  April 2017, At Balthazar celebrates the iconic Soho restaurant Keith McNally opened in 1997, in an area of New York City that was then, as Clark put it, “a new downtown Bohemia.” Nadelson’s title, Clark elaborated, will be a history of the restaurant (which serves some half a million meals a year), as well as an examination of downtown Manhattan and, in a larger sense, “food, design, economics, and celebrity.” Balthazar will also feature recipes from the restaurant’s chef de cuisine, Shane McBride. The book’s release is being timed to coincide with the restaurant’s 20th anniversary.

Recent Journalism

Exploring Greenwich Village

(published in Travel and Leisure) As dusk falls over Greenwich Village, I’m at Minetta Tavern, sipping a martini with friends who last drank here 61 years ago. “It’s like night and day,” says Lynn Reiser, ...
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Exploring Trieste

It’s lunchtime in Trieste, the handsome Italian city on the Adriatic, and at Buffet Da Pepi, a genial crowd surges forward toward the serving station, lured by fresh pork simmering in fragrant broth. The steam ...
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Spoilt for choice

Manhattanite foodie Reggie Nadelson was born and lives in downtown Manhattan, and is always being asked by friends and visitors where they should eat. While the area has been invaded by celebrity chefs, their restaurants ...
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Stockholm Syndrome

(for Travel & Leisure) Late on a chilly afternoon, a cold rain is falling. It turns dark. The streets empty. The cobblestones are slick. A man seems to follow you. Suddenly, Stockholm—with its sunny summers, ...
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Venice: Inside Il Palazzo

Reggie Nadelson discovers a ravishing boutique hotel Seated in a white leather armchair in her boat, the Phoenix, Francesca Bortolotto Possati looks out at the canal as the wind whips around her. A long-limbed blonde ...
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31 January 2013