Lincoln Center

There is nothing like putting on your best gown, tux or suit and heading out for a night at the Opera, or the Symphony. And there are very few venues like Lincoln Center. Rich in history, the museum here is filled with great memorabilia from bygone eras of the theater. Some of the greatest artists of our time have appeared here and a trip to New York City without experiencing this 'icon of the arts' is incomplete.

 Le Pain Quotidien

Located right across the street form the Lincoln Center is a great place to grab a relaxed meal before the curtain goes up. The area around Lincoln Center is home to some excellent fine dining and casual eateries, all designed to get you in and out in time for the show with some pre- performance menu offerings. One place that we have always been able to count on is Le Pain Quotidien. Though this is a chain, on a beautiful cool night in the city, this French cafe, with its communal dining, fresh bread and hustle bustle, gives one a bohemian rush. Prior to an evening's performance, sit with other well dressed patrons of the arts for a quick bite. The experience of dining together, the interaction with your fellow event goers, starts off your evening on an international note. Nearby, folks dressed as smartly as you quietly discuss their anticipation of the evenings performances, be it at Avery Fischer, The NY State Theater or The Metropolitan Opera House. 

   Cafe Sabarsky

Start your morning off with a stroll along Central Park's affluent east side, called Museum Mile. Begin your journey into the world of art at Cafe Sabarsky, located in the Neue Gallery, an authentic Viennese cafe, offering pastries, light lunches and some of the best drinking chocolate to be found anywhere. Rich mahogany woods, deep in history and hue, transport you back to the elegance of old world Europe.

 The Metropolitan Museum

Truly one of the great museums of the world, The Met is one of our favorite stops whenever we are in Manhattan. It can take an entire day to stroll through the intricate exhibits and displays of this building.

One of our favorite spots is the Moon Garden in the Japanese wing, where you will find an amazing array of Asian art. Also quite popular are the actual Egyptian ruins, and of course the artwork of the European masters.

 Rockefeller Center

The trip up to "The Top of the Rock" is worth it for one of the best views in all of Manhattan. If you visit in winter, partake of all that the Center has to offer by renting some skates and ice skating beneath the famous Christmas Tree. If you are there in summer, have a light lunch at one of the cafe tables. No trip here would be complete without stopping at Teschner Chocolates for a Champagne Truffle. If you are a true chocolate lover, it is worth its weight in gold.

Fives

Fives, named for being the signature restaurant in the prestigious Peninsula Hotel on 5th Avenue at 55th St., is an elegant restaurant with superb cuisine and excellent service. Reservations are recommended.

When you are done with dinner, head upstairs to Salon de Ning. Inspired by 1930's jet-setter Madame Ning, Salon de Ning's decor includes Chinese daybeds, Moroccan lanterns, and a sleek, glass-enclosed dark wood bar with plush leather stools. It is here that we had the most memorable Passion Fruit Martini we have ever encountered. The views of Fifth Avenue from this rooftop venue are spectacular.

There's nothing like the theater district. Times Square. You would think growing up a stones throw from here, I'd have gotten over it, or at least used to it by now. Had I been here yesterday, or like now being back after some time, I still get that wow feeling when I walk the streets of midtown.  

Restaurant Row is an especially favorite spot. Literally restaurant after restaurant catering to the theater going public. From Italian to French to classic American, you can pick from a myriad of cuisines to fit all budgets and styles. 

 FireBird 

One of our favorite spots is Firebird. The name "Firebird" is representative of Igor Stravinsky and his illustrious ballet that debuted in 1910. Located in a fashionable townhouse, the cuisine has a strong French influence and the décor is from turn-of-the-century Russia.

The owner’s wife was a Russian Baroness and her grandfather was the mayor of St. Petersburg prior to the revolution. The restaurant is filled with family collectibles and antiques reflecting the owner’s passion for Russian art, literature and cuisine. They also have the most amazing, exclusively home made, honey vodka we have ever tasted.

Start your day at Jane on Houston St. for easily one of the best brunches anywhere in the village. If you go on a Sunday, be prepared to wait, as the line to partake of this eatery's delectable offerings can get lengthy.

 Spend a day strolling the shops and art galleries of Greenwich Village and Soho. After walking, let the nightime rev your senses with dinner at Negril, an outstanding Caribbean restaurant located on W. 3rd St. Eateries all along Bleeker, Houston, Prince and Spring streets are abundant, and on any summer night, cafe seating is always open somewhere. 

Suba is worth a trip to the lower east side in and of itself. This Spanish restaurant, which boasts Flamenco dancing on Sunday nights, is completely unique in that its main dining room is a subterranean island surrounded by an up lit moat. Chef Mullen is putting out top notch cuisine and the service is excellent.

Mott/Mulberry/San Genaro...Morning just days before the San Genaro Feast in NYC, vendors are getting  their booths ready for the week long onslaught. Descending just days from now, will be seekers of all things Italian. A chance for out-of-towners and locals to join in the celebration that is life to those of us of Italian descent.... Food! And lots of it! 

Only in Little Italy, NY: "Ayyy, Ohhh.....as long as you keep

the meter full, you can sit here all night!!"

The Feast gets into full swing...  

Ferrara

According to the legend you can read on the Frerrara website, back in the 1890s, "New York had almost everything, except for a place where an opera lover, after a night of Verdi or Puccini, could relax, play a Neapolitan card game called "scopa" and drink a cup or two of espresso."

Enrico Scoppa and Antonio Ferrara, opera impresario and showman, opened a cafe called Caffé A. Ferrara. They say that Enrico Caruso thought the coffee marvelous, but he was a bigger fan of the cookies and cakes. No trip to Little Italy can go by without stopping for Italian pastries, cakes, espresso and more at this icon in Little Italy. Today, Ferrara is still a family owned business operated by the fifth generation. 

"Madonna, those cannolis"!!

Sfogliatella

 Hand Dipped, Hand Filled Chocolate Cannoli 

Tiramisu

 Dim Sum.

It's probably the first thing we think of when we get to Chinatown...well, okay.... there's the pork buns, and wait... those incredible coconut buns.. Um......I may have misspoke.... 

 ...back to Dim Sum.

There are many acclaimed dim sum eateries all throughout Chinatown. This is probably one of the best value meals in NYC. Little carts being pushed around the dining room offering an assortment of dumplings, rolls, soupy balls and other Chinese delicasies. One of our favorite experiences when eating in NY.

Chelsea Market

Chelsea Market is an enclosed, urban food court and shopping mall built within the former Nabisco factory complex, the birthplace of the Oreo cookie. The 22-building complex fills two entire blocks bounded by 9th and 11th Avenues and 15th to 16th Street. In addition to the retail concourse in the structure east of 10th Avenue, it also provides standard office space for tenants, including media and broadcasting companies.

 In January 2006 on the 10th Avenue side, Morimoto, owned by Food Network "Iron Chef" Masaharu Morimoto and designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando opened.

Opposite Morimoto across 10th Avenue, also in the Chelsea Market complex is Del Posto, an Italian restaurant owned by fellow "Iron Chef", Mario Batali. The Food Network films its shows Iron Chef America and Emeril Live in the Chelsea Market.

 Craftsteak

Several different ages of beef are on the menu at any given time  allowing guests to experience all the different textures and flavors of aged beef. An 11 seat raw bar is also available with oysters, crodo and marinated and chilled seafood. Craftsteak redefines the concept of a steakhouse by focusing on beef sourced from the world's top ranchers and artisinal producers and dry-aging it in the restaurant's own aging room.

Mandoo Bar

This restaurant always makes us smile. You'll know you've found Mandoo Bar when you see the two women in the window rolling and stuffing fresh mandoo (Korean for dumpling). Because of the constant preparation, the dumplings, stuffed with a variety of ingredients, are incredibly fresh.

Such is the demand at this little Korean dumpling house on 32nd St. Written up in numerous  publications, this is true dumpling heaven. 

These ladies tirelessly supply these sumptuous dumplings and you never know, she just might be making the ones you a will be eating shortly. 

The Green Market 

Every Wednesday and Saturday throughout the entire summer, New Yorkers can get organic breads and fresh produce at the Green Market in Union Square. Local farmers and producers from the New York/New Jersey region filter into the city to offer up their wares. 

 
Max Brenner's  

Right down the the street from Union Square is one of the sweetest addresses in all of Manhattan. The one and only Max Brenner's, The Bald Man, and his unbelievably Wonka-esque chocolate menagerie. We shared chocolate dreams with our new friends from Israel at the next table and wish them peace.