Eleven Madison Park is truly one of the finest French restaurants that you can visit when you are in the New York City area. It's located within the Flatiron District, and this gorgeous restaurant is truly fit for royalty. You won't find better service than this anywhere, and the ambiance is truly amazing. It's hard to find words for this kind of quality. The signature entrees here are the suckling pig and the honey lavender roasted muscovy duck, and they are both truly delectable, really melt-in-your-mouth good. The entire menu highlights their game selections, and features many natural and organic ingredients. Their wine list is really noteworthy, and they have a private room available for your use as well. If you have a special occasion coming up, this is a one of a kind choice for your celebration.
11 Madison Ave. (24th St. in the Flatiron District)
Manhattan, NY
212-889-0905

Joseph's Restaurant is a wonderful Italian restaurant located in the Financial District, and many have said time and time again that this is the best restaurant in the area. It looks like a tiny restaurant when you're viewing the exterior, but once you walk in you'll realize how large this place actually is, with several different dining areas to suit your needs. The wine list here is truly noteworthy, and you will enjoy the game that's served here as well as the fact that you can take advantage of both takeout and delivery! They have table side cooking here which is nice, and if you ask us what our favorite dish is, we'd have to say the veal with cream of truffles. That's a rare flavor that you will not find anywhere else, and we'd very highly recommend it to you!
3 Hanover Sq. (Pearl St. in the Financial District)
Manhattan, NY
212-747-1300

Del Posto is another one of our favorite Italian restaurants in New York City, this one located in Chelsea, and it's certainly one of the most impressive places to dine! The prices are of course steep, true Manhattan style, but we believe it's worth every penny. They've got wonderful live entertainment here and a wine list that is truly renowned. Open for both lunch and dinner, you can nosh on such delicacies as crab pasta primi and their signature dish, agnollotti del plin. We've been here a few times in the past few years for special occasions, and it's always such a treat. The service is really as good as it can possibly be, and the atmosphere is just incredible. The desserts are just fantastic here, so be sure to save room! You'll definitely want to take a look at this place next time you're in Chelsea. Valet parking is a plus as well. Very good place to dine and have a nice bottle of wine with your meal.
85 10th Ave. (between 15th & 16th Steets in Chelsea)
Manhattan, NY
212-497-8090

Walter Foods is a wonderful all-American restaurant that has all your favorites, including perfectly cooked pork chops that puts all others to shame, wonderful fried chicken that is definitely in a class of its own, french dip sandwiches that rival any we've ever had, and a lobster club sandwich that is THE essential item on the menu if you ask us! Clearly we're in love with this place, and with good reason. We're big fans of oysters too, and they are known for theirs. They've got an excellent raw bar here too, and truly delicious cocktails that will really make your mouth water. They have excellent bartenders here who really know how to mix all your favorite classic drinks just perfectly. If you're looking for a classy American restaurant where you can relax with your friends or that special someone, this is it.
253 Grand St. (Roebling St. in Williamsburg)
Brooklyn, NY
718-387-8783

Purple Yam is Pan-Asian food at its very best! This one is located conveniently in DItmas Park, and you will not believe the amazing Filipino flavors here. Everything is truly the highest quality here, including their famous dishes, bibimbop and chicken adobo! The purple yam sliders are another one of our favorite dishes here, and the lamb curry is just out of this world. This is another restaurant where you will certainly want to save room for dessert, especially if you are the kind of person who really enjoys unique and exciting flavors. Some say that this restaurant is too expensive for the neighborhood that it's in, but we are very happy with what we have received here and feel that it's worth the price. Great for takeout too! Very highly recommended.
1314 Cortelyou Rd. (bet. Argyle & Rugby Rds. in Ditmas Park)
Brooklyn, NY
718-940-8188

Solo is a wonderful kosher and Mediterranean restaurant where you can nosh on some of the most unique and delectable flavors in all of the East 50s. The tuna carpaccio is one of our favorites here, and everyone else that dines here seems to love it just as much as we do. They're known for their salt baked Mediterranean branzini, and also for their solo cowboy steak au poivre. Mmm! It's just so good. They've got soup of the day here that's always good too, and we enjoy coming in for a healthy lunch including one of those soups. This is some of the very highest quality food that you will find in Manhattan, and though you'll certainly pay the price for it, it is worth it! Private room available too.
550 Madison Ave. (bet. 55th & 56th Sts. in East 50s)
Manhattan, NY
212-833-7800

Sushi Yasuda is a gorgeous sushi restaurant found in the East 40s, and we really adore this place for fresh sashimi, sushi, and other Japanese fare. You'll be shocked at the high quality here, and the unique way that the sushi chef serves the sushi with the wasabi and soy sauce already applied to it. It's delicious and perfectly done. Our favorites here have got to be the sea urchin and squid, and the yellowtail is also fantastic. The toro rolls are really out of this world, and you'll also love the eel and salmon. The omakase course is another great way to go. Open for both lunch and dinner, and also a great option for takeout. If you've been seeking out the highest quality sashimi in Manhattan, you should definitely include Sushi Yasuda on your list of places to check out. We think it's tops!
204 E. 43rd St. (bet. 2nd & 3rd Aves. in East 40s)
Manhattan, NY
212-972-1001

Gramercy Tavern is a trendy American restaurant that has some of the finest gourmet treats that you will ever have the pleasure of eating. They're open for lunch and dinner, and the dishes that they are best known for include their flavorful barley risotto, their striped bass, and their delicious sweet potatoes and caviar. They serve game here, and their ingredients are primarily natural and organic. The portions are small here, and the prices are very Manhattan if you know what we mean, but when you've got money burning a hole in your pocket this is one of the most flavorful ways to spend it! They're always busy here, so expect a bustling atmsophere. Wonderful wine list and dessert menu too!
42 E. 20th St. (between Broadway & Park Ave. S. in the Flatiron District)
Manhattan, NY
212-477-0777

Francois Chocolate Bar FPB is just stellar when it comes to their incredible selection of fine chocolate, panini, biscotti, tramezzini, cornetti, macarons, verrines.... We could go on and on and on. Walking into this establishment, you are overtaken by the incredible scents of all that chocolate, and you just can't wait to sink your teeth into all that goodness. You will really adore all the cookies here, and the buches are also so mouth wateringly good. As far as the macarons go, we would most highly recommend the pistachio, vanilla, passion fruit, and coffee. Those flavors are just too good to believe. Everything that they make here is truly gourmet and just luscious. We could not imagine visiting the West 50s and not visiting this elegant chocolate shop! Too irresistible to ever pass up. Highly recommended.
1 W. 58 St. (bet. 5th & 6th Aves. in West 50s)
Manhattan, NY
212-986-9241

Apizz... it's hard to believe that we waited until the very end of the list to showcase a pizzeria in NYC (truthfully we could give you an entire list of pizzerias that we love!), but this one is the one that we herald above all other pizzerias! Truly this is much more than just a pizza joint, with a complete menu of delicious Italian specialties including grilled eggplant, braised beef short ribs, chicken paillard, whole striped bass, and of course their two signature items, the meatballs and the wild boar lasagna! The brick oven is what really makes everything so good here, as well as the professionalism of the chefs. We've had so many wonderful dining experiences here over the years, and we would very highly recommend Apizz to you so that you can have some memorable ones too! Always a great time, and just the highest quality in the area. Best pizza around, hands down!
217 Eldridge St. (bet. Rivington & Stanton Sts. in the Lower East Side)
Manhattan, NY
212-253-9199