Chris Stang
Co-Founder and CEO
Since its inception in 2009, Chris Stang has been the architect of The Infatuation’s editorial voice, creative vision, and marketing strategy. Today his role still encompasses all of those things, but also includes pushing the company forward into new arenas, including the creation of The Infatuation’s food festival, EEEEEATSCON, and the company’s acquisition of Zagat from Google. The Infatuation has evolved into one of the most influential voices in restaurant discovery, and was deemed one of the “World’s Most Innovative Companies” by Fast Company in 2019. Chris was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2015, co-authored a best selling book, How To Drink Wine (Clarkson Potter), in 2020, and has continued to lead The Infatuation & Zagat’s growth through its new ownership by JP Morgan Chase, which purchased the company in 2021. Prior to taking on The Infatuation full time, Chris was the VP of Marketing at Atlantic Records, working closely with many of the label’s biggest acts including Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Skrillex, Gnarls Barkley, and Panic! At The Disco.
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Page 3Dante
Dante is the rebirth of a beloved 100-year-old Greenwich Village restaurant. It’s ideal for a first date over drinks and small plates.
Elizabeth St. Café
Elizabeth St. Cafe isn’t just one of the cutest spots in Austin - it’s also one of the best places for a healthy-ish (or not) meal.
Bill's Bar & Burger
We had hoped that instead of conforming to Midtown, Bill’s Bar and Burger would make Midtown conform to it. It did not.
Papatzul
Papatzul seems to be just more middle-of-the road Mexican that pairs acceptably with strong margaritas. It’s the kind of place where you have to yell at the person sitting across from you, and should probably order everything the moment you see your server because you might not see him again for a while.
Charlie Bird
Most everything on the menu at Charlie Bird is fantastic. They do service and wine better than almost anyone else.
Piccolo Angolo
We love Piccolo Angolo because it’s the antithesis of every other restaurant within walking distance. There is nothing cool or buzzworthy happening here, just really good, classic Italian food that will make you happy and probably very fat.
Frank
A legendary East Village Italian restaurant that we have decided we can now only visit when nobody else will be eating there. Like at 3pm on a Tuesday.
Motorino
Motorino isn't the best pizza in New York City, but it is one of our most frequented pizza joints in town.
The Modern
The Modern is really two different experiences: the bar, and the dining room. Here’s what you need to know about both.
Hell's Kitchen
This casual but hip restaurant is not an attempt at authentic Mexican, but rather an inspired interpretation using Latin flavors and fresh ingredients.
Sons of Essex
This restaurant, Sons of Essex, is a damn near facsimile of Beauty & Essex, not necessarily in decor, but certainly in purpose. The idea here is exactly the same: Come looking good and looking to get wasted, and maybe have some food.
Moti Mahal Delux
Moti Mahal Delux, on the Upper East Side, is the first US franchise of the massive Indian restaurant chain from New Delhi.
Grand Banks
If the Queen Mary just ended up being a nicely appointed tug boat loaded with alcohol and raw oysters, you’d have Grand Banks. Load up on ceviche and fried veggies, just make sure you aren’t prone to motion sickness.
Fish
We found pretty much everything we ordered at Fish to be supremely mediocre, and in some cases surprisingly bad.
Totto Ramen East
This city needs more ramen restaurants like it needs more privileged people, but we're getting more of both anyway. At least we're getting the right kind of ramen...
Madangsui
It seems like lately, all of the Korean food we’ve been eating has been of the “trendy re-interpretation” variety. While we’re fine with that, occasionally we get a craving for a more traditional meal, and for that, we head to Madangsui.
Terra
Is it a restaurant? Is it a wine bar? Nobody may ever know. But there is one thing we do know - it's too pricey, whatever it is.
Rotisserie Georgette
We’ve seen some seriously good reviews of Rotisserie Georgette in reputable publications, like the New Yorker. As far as we can tell, your fondness for this place is directly related to how worried you’ll be about bill at the end of the night. And that’s really the clientele here – people who don’t worry much about bills.
Pianos
If you have ever been to Pianos to see a band in the back room, you probably didn't expect that it's the kind of place that would turn out some damn good bar food.
Jin Ramen
Though not the very best in town, Harlem's Jin Ramen still provides great ramen and pork buns for the Columbia community and neighborhood locals.
Ducks Eatery
For some reason, everything at Ducks Eatery is so over spiced, over smoked, and overthought that none of it works. The beef jerky has squid ink on it. Why?
Tipsy Parson
Tipsy Parson has done a perfect job of creating a place that looks and feels like a Southern restaurant, but at the cost of under-delivering on the food. Look elsewhere to satisfy your comfort food cravings.
Osteria Morini
Osteria Morini is a popular Italian restaurant on Lafayette street, known for pasta and lots of lambrusco. Expect crowds and very little elbow room.
Boulud Sud
Ultimately, we are sure that Boulud Sud is some kind of Mediterranean culinary stroke of genius, just like the critics say that it is. But this is the kind of restaurant best suited for people who still keep an actual Zagat guide in their house.
Lombardi's
The self-proclaimed "first pizzeria in America," Lombardi's has long been at the top of the list for tourists looking for a taste of real NYC pizza.