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'Cesca
Be prepared to eat hearty and eat well at 'Cesca, where the earthy decor and rustic tables are a precursor to the bulky platters of meat and pasta that await you. The slabs of tuna, grilled perfectly and dipped in tomato sauce, and chunks of tender lamb are totally worth wading through, but you better be hungry. Lighter fare like paninis are available at the bar. It's a great place for cocktails, too.
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'Inoteca
Get in line for one of the square, chunky wooden tables that are always packed at 'inoteca. The tasty bite-sized panini and framezzini (pressed or regular sandwiches) are wholesome and delicious (try the hollowed out one, filled with egg, truffles and fontina cheese), and deep dishes like eggplant parmagiana, lasagna or frutti di mare pasta are famously garlickly and good.
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24 Prince St
It's not dishing up anything all that unusual, but 24 Prince has found a recipe for success: serve delectable mac-n-cheese, burnished chicken, creamed spinach, cornbread and other American favorites in a convivial and casually elegant atmosphere, and everybody leaves happy.
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360
360's three-course prix fixe (around US$25 at press time) is a steal, and the owner will talk your ear off about which organic or biodynamic wine you should order with the veal tongue confit with pickled radishes and cornichon, or the steamed PEI mussels in thai curry, or even the red wine braised short ribe with oil cured black olives, smoked bacon and orange zest, sautéed kale and penne pasta.
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Africa Kine Restaurant
One of the first African restaurants to open up along the stretch of West 116th St now known as Little Senegal, Kine's got the best Thu Yap and Thiebu Djeun in New York. Succulent lamb and fish dishes backed with big bowls of brown rice, garlicky veggies and sometimes couscous bring in droves of Senegalese every lunch hour. Located on the second floor, Kine's doesn't look like much from the outside, but don't let that deter you.
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Al Bustan
Al Bustan's does a brisk trade in delicious hummus and baba ganoush, as well as moudardarah (green lentils and rice pilaf), grilled lamb chops, ovals of ground beef stuffed with cracked wheat and deep fried, and other Middle Eastern fare. It's meze - the best way for a group to eat - is one of the most succulent in the city.
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Al Di La Trattoria
Make reservations waaaay in advance as this place is perpetually packed - for good reason though: the food. There are plenty of pastas and antipasti, but also braised rabbit with black olives and polenta, calf liver, and pan-roasted cod.
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Alcala
A well-kept secret near the UN, you won't find a quieter backyard anywhere. It'd be a shame not to try the excellent Basque wines - they go so well with dishes like salted codfish salad with black olives, baby squid, meat cannelloni with truffle and béchamel sauce, and the obligatory seafood paella.
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Alias
The sole survivor of a trio of restaurants that opened up when Clinton St was considered culinary Siberia, Alias continues to deliver delicious, fresh food, heavy on seasonal ingredients with dishes like Wild Alaskan black cod, maple syrup drenched pears with ricotta and tomato braised brisket.
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Amuse
You'll love grazing on the small plates of Amuse Fries (served with chipotle and aioli), olive poached tuna, braised beets or roasted shiitake mushrooms (to name but a few). To try it all, get the prix-fixe sampler.
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Amy Ruth's Restaurant
Weekend throngs are frequent, such is the fame of Amy Ruth's waffles - you can choose from chocolate, strawberry, blueberry or one with fried chicken - but during weekdays it's usual calm enough to enjoy your candied yams, deep-fried fish with okra, collard greens and red-velvet cake in relative peace.
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Andre's Patisserie
An Upper East Side secret, Andre's is a fabulous Hungarian eatery and bakery, with some of the best desserts in town, and homemade stews, goulashes, crepes and more. It's a narrow room with pretty blond wood and friendly waitresses who all come from the Old Country.
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Angelica Kitchen
A much loved vegan eatery with long lines and good (but slightly slow) service, Angelica's has been around for ages. Its famous dragon bowls are stuffed with rice, bean, tofu and sea veggies, and its hot Reuben is one of many tempeh-based sandwiches. Thai Mee Up is all raw foods, and there are some Japanese noodle treats.
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Applewood
Applewood fills nightly with chatty locals who like the working fireplace and back bar with cocktails and a long wine list. The upstate venison - sliced and grilled - comes with leeks and shallots (around US$26 ). There's always a lone veggie option - like the spinach and basil risotto with mascarpone cheese - and several fish dishes.
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Artisanal
For those who live, love and dream fromage , Artisanal is a must-eat. More than 250 varieties of cheese, from stinky to sweet, are on the menu. Along with classic French entrees like steak au poivre , you can sample four types of fondue (including chocolate) and gougères (little servings) of everything from Brie to Ossau Iraty.
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B & H Dairy
Fresh, vegetarian, homemade Kosher fare, including six types of soups on offer daily with a big knot of challah bread. Join the crowd at the bar and grab someone's attention - you've got to speak up here, or you'll go hungry!
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Babbo
Celebrity chef Mario Batali has multiple restaurants in Manhattan, but everyone has a sneaking suspicion that this two-level split townhouse is his favorite. Whether you order 'mint love letters' or lamb's brain francobolli or pig's foot milanese, you'll find Batali at the top of his innovative, eclectic game. Reservations are in order.
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Bao 111
Make a reservation or you won't get inside until last call at . Chef Michael Huynh's delicately spiced, super plump summer rolls are known all over town, as are his satay steak on a stick, iron pot chicken, lemongrass infused hot sake and other specialty cocktails.
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Barbossa
A breezy, wide-open front window and low-level bossa nova in the background give this café a sultry and jazzy feel that's complemented by a light, tropical cuisine, heavy on salads (mango and peanut and avocado are favorite toppings), delicious soups and a few hearty mains.
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Better Burger
This sleek, bright, fast-food joint offers organic, hormone-free burgers made from your choice of beef, ostrich, turkey, chicken, tuna, soy or mashed veggies. All come on homemade whole-wheat buns and are topped with homemade 'tomato zest,' a sophisticated version of ketchup. To really treat yourself, add an order of the air-baked 'fries,' which are so good you'll swear they were dunked in grease, and one of several smoothies or bottled beers.
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Beyoglu
Blue tiles and pretty plates make dining at Beyoglu a festive affair, especially if its summer and you can join the beautiful people sitting at the sidewalk tables. There's a delectable meze, plenty of vegetarian options and lots of fresh seafood. Check out the Turkish wines, too.
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Blaue Gans
Critics called this latest effort from Austro-American whiz kid Kurt Gutenbrunner 'slapdash,' but everybody else loves the red cabbage salad, big sausages, chicken fried a la Viennese, with venison goulash and potato salad. Austrian wines and desserts add to the fun; it's a no reservations, children welcome, sit back and unbuckle your belt kind of place.
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Blossom
This sweet spot housed in a Chelsea townhouse and owned by a healthy but creative husband-and-wife team, offers a casual juice-bar vibe by day and ambient, candle-lit, fireplace-warmed dining room by night. Try the delicately sweet pumpkin gnocchi with wild mushrooms or tofu fra diablo , which pairs bean curd with spicy tomato sauce and broccoli rabe. Chocolate ganache tortes or pineapple crepes are the perfect way to finish.
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Blt Steak
Any steakhouse that sets aside part of its menu just for mushrooms has a lot more going for it than meat - BLT's pays as much attention to its sides as it does the main attraction. The bar is a buzzy, playful place, and the warmly-hued restaurant very relaxing; perfect to digest your slab of porterhouse or big Kobe burger.
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Blue Hill
They're not kidding with the 'This Morning's Farm Egg' appetizer. Everything on the menu is from upstate, organic growers, so the 'grass-fed lamb' entree is made from precisely that. Linked to the Stone Barn estate, an experiment in growing local, Chef Dan Barber makes the most of every ingredient's seasonal freshness.
