21 Club
Address: 21 West 52nd Street
Phone: 212-582-7200
Website: www.21club.com
Don't forget to wear a jacket and tie to this New York classic. A favorite for Captains of Industry and the like, the steak tartar is of particular note. The wine cellar is also exceptional.
Africa
Address: 346 West 43rd Street
Phone: 212-399-6100
A new alternative for a quick, inexpensive bite. Senegalese food may not look as exotic as it sounds, but it's always flavorful. Grilled fish and lamb stews are just a couple of the chef's top choices. Not for the meek of palate, most meals are a bit spicy and come with a heaping side of plantains.
Alain Ducasse
Address: 155 West 58th, Essex House Hotel
Phone: 212-265-7300
Website: www.alain-ducasse.com
The highest of high-end dining on the west side. Dinners are likely to run several hundred dollars per person. What do you get for that kind of money? Simply the best French food you'll ever taste outside of Paris. Faultless service. And a meal you'll savor for the rest of your life.
Aquivit
Address: 13 West 54th Street
Phone: 212-307-7311
Terrific Scandinavian food in a modern, dramatic setting. Chef Marcus Samuelsson has been grilling up his Nordic take on fish for many years without a hiccup. The service is always good and the wine cellar vast. If you're not quite up for the main restaurant experience, there's also a less formal café at the same location.
Located just off the lobby of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Asiate boasts tremendous views of Central Park. The French-Japanese food is lauded for its delicacy. Other standouts include Kobe-style beef and suckling pig. Of course, the service is stellar and the interior lavish and impeccable.
B.B. King Blues Club
Address: West 42nd between 7th & 8th Avenue
Phone: 212-997-4144
Website: www.bbkingblues.com
Located in the center of Times Square, this club and restaurant boasts an impressive roster of guest performers. The real star remains the in-house Gospel Brunch Buffet, accompanied by the Harlem Gospel Choir.
This restaurant has been a hit with tourists and locals alike. The freshest of seafood is prepared by Chef Steven Hanson and his crew. It even keeps those who don't particularly like Time Square, in either its old or new Disneyfied guise, coming back for more.
Nouveau American dining by the grassy knoll of today's Bryant Park. The outdoor seating and expansive brunch menu make this place a favorite for many. Happy hour scene is also alive and kicking.
Chez Napoleon
Address: 365 West 50th Street
Phone: 212-265-6980
Website: cheznapoleon.com
A dependable French bistro that serves up a tasty pre-theater meal. Traditional items like frog's legs are always a hit. The atmosphere is elegant without being stuffy.
For a different take on the hamburger, this place offers a $29 foie gras, truffle-filled version. Voted by some as the best darn burger in all the city, others contend that it's all a gimmick. Find out for yourself. By the way, the other fare on the French Bistro menu is definitely worth a try.
Film Center Café
Address: 635 Ninth Avenue (between West 44th & 45th Street)
Phone: 212-262-2525
Website: www.filmcentercafe.com
Since the 1930s, this midtown mainstay has been drawing a mixed, multi-media crowd. Film crews, directors and actors mingle with the young and hip hoping to spy a big name celebrity or two.
Hudson Bars
Address: Hudson Hotel, 356 West 58th Street
Phone: 212-554-6217
Website: www.hudsonhotel.com/
Not just one. Not just two. There are three bars in the historic Hudson Hotel. All trendy and stylish, they range from the faux-drawing room dubbed the "Library" to the lavish Hudson Bar and the seasonally open courtyard. All are an experience to behold and definitely worth the trip.
As hip as the day it was born, this is where the young and stylish come to eat gourmet renditions of meatloaf or mac-and-cheese. The swanky mod interior was created by super-star designer Philippe Starck and is worth checking out even if you're not in the mood for a plate of shoe-string fries.
An after-theater dining experience for decades, this place was drawing in crowds when Cats was still a glimmer in a chorus girl's eye. Enjoy a classic Caesar salad or a burger while scanning the crowd for celebrities. Although you're most likely to find mostly tourists, occasionally the likes of Al Pacino or Rosie O' Donnell will make an appearance.
This is the Midtown outpost of the legendary Szechuan dumpling house. The soap dumplings are still worthy of every word of praise ever heaped upon them. The rest of the menu might not be up to the same standard but that's one high bar to reach.
Always a strong contender for best thin-crust pizza in the city, this outpost of John's is especially noteworthy. Set in a former church, the conversion to restaurant did not exorcise the church's wonderful original features.
Market Café
Address: 496 Ninth Avenue (between West 37th & 38th Street)
Phone: 212-967-3892
A hidden gem in an area not known for its selection of dining choices, the interior of this popular eatery looks more like an upscale diner than a restaurant. And the prices validate this fact. The menu, however, is a far cry above the usual burgers and fries. What other diner serves up grilled gravlax with a great glass of wine?
This popular lunch spot is literally besieged by media power brokers. Big shots from the networks, publishing companies and magazines all come to tell their tales of triumph. The menu is basic American fare, but food is hardly the point.
A hidden burger and shakes place in a Midtown hotel. Stroll through the marble lobby and find your way to some of the tastiest burgers in all of Manhattan.
