New York City Restaurants $$$

    Eleven Madison Park, Manhattan

  11 Madison Ave. - New York, NY            
Eleven Madison Park expresses the spirit of grand New York dining with a contemporary accent. Designed by architects Bentel & Bentel, with soaring 30-foot ceilings and windows overlooking beautiful Madison Square Park, the restaurant embodies an urbane sophistication that is at once relaxed and bustling. And the cuisine smartly follows suit. Executive chef Kerry Heffernan masterfully prepares French-inspired seasonal American food. Among his updated classics are Sweet Pea Flan, Tuna Cru, Prime-Aged Roast Beef for Two, Maine Lobster Pot au Feu, Terrine of Beef Shank and Foie Gras, Artic Char with Pea Shoots and Vinaigrette, and Seared Loin and Almond Crusted Shank of Lamb with Basquaise Peppers. Pastry chef Nicole Kaplan provides a sumptuous end to the meal with irresistible desserts such as her signature chocolate soufflé, chocolate dome, and an exquisite selection of cookies and confections. The award-winning, eclectic wine list offers 36 wines by the glass, available at your table or in the cozy wine bar set beneath a gold-leaded Art Deco ceiling. The bar also boasts a world-class selection of Calvados and an extensive array of cocktails. Opened in October 1998, the restaurant promptly earned a James Beard nomination as Best New Restaurant in America, and won a coveted spot in Esquire magazine's Best New Restaurants. More recently, Eleven Madison Park won the 2004 James Beard Award for Outstanding Service in America.
    Onieals Soho, Manhattan
  174 Grand Street - New York, NY           
Onieal's is well known for "Sex and the City." When Miranda's once and future boy-toy Steve partners up with Carrie’s ex Aidan to open the bar ‘SCOUT’, it is Onieal’s Grand Street in downtown NYC that serves as the backdrop for the casually hip New York bar.
The bar itself is directly opposite the old Police Headquarters and its former occupants, as a brothel, speakeasy and gambling parlor would seem diametrically opposed to the purpose of the Police Department. But see, that’s the corruption part. So endemic was this corruption (we’re talking the heyday of Tammany) that when the Police Headquarters was built in 1909, a tunnel was dug connecting the buildings.
    L'Ecole Restaurant, Manhattan
  462 Broadway - (Grand Street) - New York, NY             
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L'Ecole guests are always impressed by the scope and creativity of our menu selections. Their surprise turns to amazement, however, when they discover that every one of our spectacular dishes is prepared not by top New York chefs, but by our students. In a city where excellence is a price of entry, even the savviest diners have trouble believing that students could perform at such a high level. Dishes are contemporary French, and spiced with an array of ethnic influences that make each one especially memorable. Bon-appetit!
    Murals on 54, Manhattan
  65 West 54th Street - New York, NY           
Murals on 54 boasts a warm and elegant interior where fine art and history unfolds. Designed by Pierre Court, the concept of the dining room was to accentuate the historic murals painted by Dean Cornwell in 1937. The colours in the murals are radiant against the light background and natural light enters the room from the opening of the large, existing street-side windows, which creates the feel of an open terrace or a sun deck on an ocean liner.
    Felidia Restaurant, Manhattan
  243 East 58th Street - New York, NY            
Felidia is the acclaimed Manhattan East Side flagship of Lidia Bastianich, open since 1981. It is here that many of Lidia’s devoted fans find her greeting each guest with the same warmth and passion that she exhibits through her television shows and cookbook.
Executive Chef Fortunato Nicotra has been with Felidia since 1996 and has brought an innovative presentation and touch to traditional ingredients and dishes from all of the regions of Italy. The New York Times three star restaurant and nominee for Outstanding Restaurant U.S. from the James Beard Foundation was a proud recipient of the Wine Spectator’s Grand Award Winning Wine List for many years.
    Ricardo Steak House, Manhattan
  2145 2nd Avenue - Harlem, NY             
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The concept of Ricardo Steakhouse was born when brothers Jimmy Mateus and Eddie Mateus teamed up to open a new kind of venue. The first generation New Yorkers, have always dreamt of owning a place where they could gather with friends and family. Since they had just completed a 5 story residential building with ground floor commercial space they thought "why not" SPAHA (Spanish Harlem). It was here the concept of Ricardo Steak House was born. They sensed New Yorkers were starting to re-embrace "comfort food"; but where could they offer the public something special, something new.
The idea was to combine the "Theater" open kitchen restaurant that is a showcase of the outbursting flavors of the angus steaks and house seasonings, with a warm sexy non traditional Steak House, in effect creating a "New World" Latino Steak House offering excellent, gourmet, healthy food at affordable prices. With its upscale spacious interior, exposed kitchen, long, sweeping bar/dining counter area, and open -air terrace, Ricardo Steak House has become one of the in demand restaurant-lounge in the community and a Tri-State destination, helping to further generate the already booming development and renaissance that is currently taking place in Spanish Harlem.
    Smith & Wollensky, Manhattan
  797 Third Ave. - (49th Street) - New York, NY           
Smith & Wollensky is one of the most trafficked restaurants in New York and among the most celebrated steakhouses in the world. Specializing in fresh seafood and lobster and assorted steaks and chops, Smith & Wollensky is well recognized for its healthy portions, seasoned service staff and pop Americana ambience. The surnames, Smith and Wollensky, were chosen from the local telephone directory by the restaurant’s founder Alan Stillman, of T.G.I. Friday’s fame. Wollensky’s Grill, a small but spirited bar room installed in the side of the famed midtown restaurant, is open until 2 a.m. Catering to night owls, Wollensky Grill offers a late night bill of fare featuring lighter supper versions of items from the grander Smith & Wollensky steakhouse menu and plenty of high-end red wines by the glass to choose from.
    Peter Luger Steak House
  178 Broadway - Brooklyn, NY            
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Serving the finest steaks since 1887. The finest USDA PRIME meat available. The selection process is crucial and therefore is done only by members of the family who visit the wholesale markets on a daily basis. It begins with fresh sides of beef that usually come from the Midwest. The section of beef used is called the short loin. Only those cattle graded PRIME by the United States Agriculture Department are even considered. It is then important to examine the color, fat conformation and bones.
    Austin's Steakhouse
  8915 5th Ave - Brooklyn, NY           
Brooklyn's premier eclectic fine dining steakhouse, specializes in classic hearty fare of generous USDA Prime 21 day aged beef as well as fish, lobster, veal chops, lamb chops, pork chops, chicken and a 42 ounce porterhouse which is the house specialty for two people. The Menu is complemented by a wine list of 130 selections from California, Italy and Australia. We are "Professionals serving Professionals" with a commitment to excellence.
    Riverdale Garden, The
  4576 Manhattan College Parkway - Bronx, NY            
The Riverdale Garden welcomes you with a comfortable fine dining experience in the tree-lined Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx, New York. The restaurant features no-nonsense seasonal cuisine in a casual and elegant atmosphere, including a flower garden (for dining al fresco), terrace and a wood burning stove.
    Riverview Restaurant, Queens
  2-01 50th Avenue - Long Island City, NY           
Riverview Restaurant commands the most spectacular views of New York City's skyline. Directly facing the United Nation with Citicorp Center, Trumps International Hotel and the Queensboro Bridge to the north and the Chrysler and Empire State Building to the south, Riverview is unmistakably, " A Room with a View".
    Aska
  90 Wythe Avenue - Brooklyn, NY           
Aska, "Ashes", represents new and old, an ending and a beginning. Here, cooking is more than just a craft and chefs are constantly focusing on our ingredients. Vegetables and meats, fish and offal and weeds - all are valued equally. Aska chefs hand-pick the majority of produce served at the restaurant. All ingredients are sourced from humanely-raised animals, sustainable seafood, and local farms. Aska cooks with equal parts forward thinking and nostalgia. Aska always looks to our place in the Northeast while remembering its roots in Scandinavia, its traditions and its culture.
    Uncle Jack's Steakhouse - Bayside, Queens
  39-40 Bell Blvd. - Bayside, NY           
Specializing in 21 day dry aged USDA Prime meats, Kobe beef, Australian lobster tails and offering a wide array of seafood and wines. Join us for our old world charm and impeccable service.
    Ponticello Ristorante, Queens
  46-11 Broadway - (46th-47th Streets) - New York, NY           
Whether you’re in the mood for one of the classics or something a little different, you’ll always find it on our menu. Whatever you choose, you’ll find it an enchanting experience. Ponticello Ristorante is more than just an unforgettable dining experience, it’s a place where memories are made… first dates, birthdays, engagements, etc.
    The River Cafe
  1 Water Street - (under the Brooklyn Bridge) - Brooklyn, NY            
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What began as the singular vision of Mr. O’Keeffe for an elegant waterfront restaurant took many years of lengthy negotiation with The City of New York before permission was granted to start construction. At the time, the notion of building a restaurant amid what was such an isolated and neglected part of New York seemed like a great risk. Since opening in May of 1977, however, The River Café has been the recipient of numerous awards including selection as one of the five best restaurants in New York by the French culinary guide “Gault Millau”. The restaurant will forever hold the distinction of being at the forefront of what has become the re-birth of the Brooklyn waterfront.