Favorite NYC Restaurants - Favorite NYC Restaurants Cont'd

Gigino at Wagner Park - Battery Park (off Battery Place)

Website: http://www.gigino-wagnerpark.com/

One of our favorite warm weather dining spots in NYC. Outdoor seating looking out at New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty. We usually make reservations here for about an hour before sunset so we can watch sunset over the harbor as we dine. Solid Italian food and thoughtful wine list. Before and/or after dinner you can walk along the Battery Park promenade, taking advantage of the cool breezes off the Hudson and taking in the views.

Isabella's - Columbus Ave and 77th Street.

Website: http://www.brguestrestaurants.com/restaurants/isabellas/index.php

Pleasant dining room and nice sidewalk seating on Columbus Avenue. We go here often because it's right across the street from the Museum of Natural History. Food is consistently good. The sunset menu is one of the great values in NYC.

La Boite en Bois - 68th Street near Columbus Ave

Website: http://www.laboitenyc.com/

We go here often - very good French food at reasonable prices. Extremely consistent. Both the $26.50 3-course lunch menu and the $40 fixed-price pre-theater menu are great values. Love when they have the wild mushroom ravioli as a special and also great sausage with lentils, steak au poivre, coq au vin, etc. Short, fairly priced and well thought-out wine list. Close to Lincoln Center.

Lupa - Thompson Street, Just north of Houston

Website: http://www.luparestaurant.com/

Like eating in a Roman trattoria. Great place for sharing small plates as appetizers, excellent pastas, meat and fish and excellent wines by the glass. One of our favorite places to dine in the city - fun to sit at the bar and dine. I love the skate here when its on the menu - it's a mild fish that is perfectly seasoned.

The Little Owl - Corner of Grove and Bedford

Website: http://www.thelittleowlnyc.com/

A small restaurant with big windows looking out on a picturesque street in the West Village. This can be tough to get into, since there are only about 10 tables in the place. "The Pork Chop" and their "Meatball Sliders" are a couple of their signature dishes. The pork chop might not sound exciting, but what they do with it is incredible. One of my top picks.

Otto - 8th Street near 5th Avenue

Website: http://www.ottopizzeria.com/restaurant.cfm

Great place for sharing small plates, great pizza and pastas as well as excellent wines by the glass. The gelato here is absolutely outstanding. Noisy and fun - always love it here.

La Pizza Fresca – 20th Street (between 5th and Park Aves.)

Website: http://www.lapizzafresca.com/

Great pizza and extensive wine list in the Flatiron district. One of my favorite places for pizza in NYC – love when they have pizza topped with asparagus, robiolla cheese and truffle oil.

Poe - Cornelia Street near Bleecker Street

Website: http://porestaurant.com/

Small restuarant in the Village that is an outstanding value. The White Bean Ravioli with balsamic brown butter sauce at $15 is a signature dish that is hard to beat for the price.

Wine Bar – 2nd Ave (between 3rd & 4th Street)

Website: http://winebarnyc.com/

Love this place – terrific wine list, excellent selections by the glass and wonderful tapas, flatbreads and cheese plates. Nice to get a seat on the sidewalk and while away a few hours with a bottle of good wine and the food to complement it. If you had a big lunch and are looking for a place to go to enjoy a glass of wine and share a cheese plate, tapas or one of their flatbreads as a light dinner, this is a great place.