As the perennially crowded Meatpacking District creeps northward, it's spawned New York's hottest block for food:
10th Avenue between 15th and 16th streets. Tom Colicchio's sublime Craft Steaks sits next door to extravagant Del Posto
from Mario Batali and Joseph and Lidia Bastianich; across the street is Morimoto, run by the eponymous Iron Chef.
Best New Restaurants
Masa
Iconic sushi chef Masa Takayama is almost always behind the sushi bar at his 26-seat restaurant, working hard to create the mind-blowing tasting menus that start at $350. We loved: the shabu-shabu made with foie gras, and the sushi made from incredible fish flown in from Japan.
10 Columbus Circle, New York; (212) 823-9800 or www.masanyc.com.
Del Posto
The latest opening from superstar chef Mario Batali (of the brilliant, beloved Babbo) is his take on fancy dining. Everything about the place is big: the elaborate tableside presentations, the Italian marble floors and the three-story, 24,000-square-foot dining room. We loved: the roasted guinea hen for two, carved tableside and served with a savory side dish made from the leg meat with rice and squash.
85 10th Avenue, New York; 212/497-8090 .
Per Se
A few of the dishes at chef Thomas Keller’s opulent Manhattan restaurant will look familiar: The caviar-topped oysters and (tapioca) pearls are also served at his world-famous French Laundry in Napa Valley. But much of the menu is new, with input from executive chef Jonathan Benno. We loved: the butter-poached lobster with vanilla sauce.
10 Columbus Cir., Midtown West, New York; (212) 823-9335 or www.perseny.com.
Don’t Miss
Le Bernardin
It’s not just that the seafood is outstanding. It’s also the great wine list and pitch-perfect service that’s as attentive to first-time guests as to chef Eric Ripert’s groupies. We loved: the surf-and-turf of seared skate and pork belly.
155 W. 51st St., New York; (212) 554-1515 or www.le-bernardin.com.
Jean Georges
Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten has opened more than a dozen restaurants around the world. But the Central Park location, which features his spectacular French-Asian cooking, is his flagship. The dining room is the city’s most sophisticated. We loved: the veal cheeks with celeriac puree and an apple-and-jalapeño salad.
Trump International Hotel, 1 Central Park W., New York; (212) 299-3900 or www.jean-georges.com.
Best Wine Experience
Cru
Chef Shea Gallante is exceptionally good at both raw-fish dishes (tuna with olives and apple vinaigrette) and pastas (ravioli stuffed with braised lamb). But while the dinner menu is only three pages, it takes two whole books to contain the wine list—120 pages of reds, 100 of whites.
24 Fifth Ave., New York; (212) 529-1700 or www.cru-nyc.com.
Only In New York
Prune
Most chefs as talented as Gabrielle Hamilton would have a hard time confining their ambitions to a space as tiny as Prune. But Hamilton has stuck to her mission: to keep the atmosphere homey and the updated American classics unfussy yet unusual. We loved: the roasted suckling pig with pickled tomatoes.
54 E. 1st St., New York; (212) 677-6221 .
Best Deals
Lupa
Since this crowded West Village trattoria jump-started the city’s cured-meat craze, it would be a shame not to sample the salumi, including the silky prosciutto ($10 per serving). The pastas are unbelievable, too, cooked perfectly al dente. We loved: the bavette cacio e pepe, a ridiculously simple and delicious combination of pasta, butter, pepper and pecorino that goes for just $12.
170 Thompson St., New York; (212) 982-5089 or www.luparestaurant.com.
Momofuku Noodle Bar
This tiny East Village noodle shop specializes in innovation, courtesy of chef-owner David Chang (a Craft veteran). We loved: the ramen with Berkshire pork belly, thin strips of nori, and sugar snap peas from the Greenmarket.
163 1st Ave., New York; (212) 475-7899 or www.eatmomofuku.com.
Tía Pol Web Exclusive
Manhattan was oddly lacking in great tapas bars until Tía Pol came along. Owners Heather Belz and Mani Dawes aren’t Spanish, and neither is chef Alexandra Raij, but they’ve put together a lively spot that wouldn’t be out of place in Madrid. We loved: the sandwich of chorizo sprinkled with bittersweet chocolate.
205 10th Avenue, Chelsea, New York; 212/675-8805 .
Best Bites Near The Sights
The Modern’s Bar Room
No tourist can come to New York without seeing Yoshio Taniguchi’s stunning reimagining of the Museum of Modern Art. Happily, star restaurateur Danny Meyer (Gramercy Tavern, Union Square Cafe) has opened a restaurant complex right in the building. Chef Gabriel Kreuther creates satisfying Alsatian-inflected dishes at the casual Bar Room (adjacent to his fancier Modern restaurant). We loved: the fat pork sausages with buttery sauerkraut-style turnips.
9 West 53rd Street, Midtown, New York; 212/333-1220 or www.moma.org.
db Bistro Moderne
Just as tourists crowd into Times Square, the city’s media and finance types squeeze into db Bistro two blocks away. Now in its sixth year, star chef Daniel Boulud’s casual spin-off of his exquisite Daniel offers haute comfort food beyond the $50 truffle–and–foie gras burger. We loved: the bacon-wrapped cod with brandade-filled gnocchi and leek fondue.
City Club, 55 West 44th Street, Midtown, New York; 212/391-2400 or www.danielnyc.com.
Where The Foodies Go
Fleur de Sel Web Exclusive
Most of the art on the walls of this romantic Flatiron space was done by the chef, Cyril Renaud, who also makes luscious French dishes. We loved: the roasted veal breast with a mix of wild mushrooms.
5 E. 20th Street, New York; 212/460-9100 .
Hotel Pick
Mandarin Oriental New York
This luxurious hotel—on floors 35 through 54 of a Time Warner Center tower above Columbus Circle—provides a lofty respite from Manhattan’s bustle. The acclaimed French-Asian restaurant, Asiate, has 16-foot windows overlooking Central Park, plus an impressive wall of 1,350 well-chosen wine bottles.
Doubles from $695.; 80 Columbus Circle at 60th St., Time Warner Center, New York; (866) 801-8880 / (212) 805-8800 or www.mandarinoriental.com.
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