22 Asian-inflected French food at Jean-Georges
1 Central Park West, Columbus Circle (www.jean-georges.com) $$$ More than any of New York’s other superhigh-end restaurants, Jean-Georges, from Jean-Georges Vongerichten, seamlessly pairs Eastern flavours (jade, shiso, lemon grass) with classic Western techniques. The dining room feels lighter, and lovelier, during the lunchtime sitting.
is not really beef (though there’s plenty of that on the menu). The go-to order is a fatty, funky mutton chop that’s as good as any porterhouse you’ll find. After dinner, try a Single Malt from the famously extensive Scotch list.
25 Pastrami at Katz’s Delicatessen
205 East Houston Street, Lower East Side (http:/ /katzsdelicatessen.com) $ This Lower East Side deli, which originally opened in the late 1800s, is most famous for its cameo in the film When Harry Met Sally—but the tender, smoky pastrami is what actually brings the customers in. Take a ticket at the door (it’s how they keep track of your order), stand in one of the lines at the counter, and have at it.
23 Mutton chops at Keens Steakhouse
72 West 36th Street, Herald Square (www.keens.com) $$ Another of New York’s institutions, this 125-plus-year-old steakhouse’s speciality
26 Classic French prix-fixe at La Grenouille
3 East 52nd Street, Midtown East (http:/ /la-grenouille.com) $$$ Classic French food has fallen out of favour in New York’s hottest restaurants, but this Midtown institution proves there’s plenty to love about cuisine classique. Try the frog’s legs (naturally) or the first-class Dover sole—and by all means make sure you order the Grand Marinier soufflé for dessert.
27 Coal-oven pizza at Lombardi’s
32 Spring Street, Nolita (www. firstpizza.com) $ The spot that claims to be New York’s first-ever pizzeria has seen many changes over the years, but the blistered, coal-fired pizzas—a rarity in a city where the super-hot ovens were long ago outlawed—are as good as ever. (A 2004 expansion did much to curb what had been brutal wait times for tables.)
24 A tour of Smorgasburg
27 North 6th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (www.smorgasburg.com) $$ With real estate costs soaring, start-up food entrepreneurs are looking for other ways to peddle their edible wares. Enter Smorgasburg, a flea market offshoot that offers stands to some of New York’s most inventive food businesses. Take a stroll on a Saturday and find pies, sandwiches, sausages and tonnes more, all made in the city’s hippest borough.
Clockwise from top: A painting at Keens Steakhouse; teriyaki balls by Mimi and Coco at Smorgasburg; ippoglosso, a seafood dish, at Marea; chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten of ABC Kitchen, with wife Marja
28 Italian-accented seafood at Marea
240 Central Park South, Columbus Circle (www.marea-nyc.com) $$$ Michael White has recently opened a small cadre of restaurants, but his best remains this white-table-clothed seafood spot on Central Park South. Fish and fat abound (to great result) in staple dishes like sea urchin toasts wrapped in lardo, lobster with burrata and basil seeds, and fusilli tossed with wine-braised octopus and bone marrow.
29 Breakfast at Mile End Delicatessen
97A Hoyt Street, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn (www.mileenddeli.com) $ New York is famous for its delis, but
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