The restaurants that call the Upper East Side of New York City home are situated on some of the most expensive slices of real estate in the entire country. This section of Manhattan between Central Park and the East River is home to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and some of the most exclusive New York private schools, but thankfully, the restaurants here are a bit more affordable than those paintings and classes.
Daniel is routinely found at the top of any list of best restaurants in New York City. This restaurant once again received the coveted 3-stars from the Michelin Guide in 2010. The hotel's proximity to Central Park makes it a good choice to begin a romantic evening after a carriage ride through the park. The cuisine is French, with choices such as foie gras-stuffed Scottish grouse and lamb chops. The six-course tasting menu includes chilled rabbit porchetta, marinated fluke with seaweed, Black Angus beef and chocolate coulant for dessert. Reservations are highly recommended, and men should wear dinner jackets.
Daniel
60 E. 65th St.
New York NY 10065
(212) 288-0033
danielnyc.com
Diners looking for Upper East Side seafood should head to the Atlantic Grill. The dress code is upscale casual, and outdoor patio seating provides some nice Manhattan views. Lunch items range from a crab cake BLT to blackened chicken salad. Dinner selections include lobster bisque, snapper, bass and free-range chicken. The raw bar menu is extensive and includes both sashimi and sushi. Reservations for dinner are highly suggested and absolutely necessary for the Sunday brunch when the restaurant is always filled to the brim.
Atlantic Grill
1341 Third Ave. at 77th
New York, NY 10075
(212) 988-9200
brguestrestaurants.com/restaurants/atlantic_grill
When in a worldly city like New York, you owe it to yourself to break away from the conventional and experiment. Not every town has an Austrian restaurant, and the Cafe Sabarsky on the Upper East Side is a good place to sample this cuisine. Breakfast menu specialties include items like a Bavarian ham and cheese plate, called Schinken und Kaseplatte, and scrambled eggs with roasted potatoes and bacon. On the menu from 11:00 a.m. is traditional Hungarian goulash, a beef consommé with semolina dumplings called frittatensuppe, and a type of Austrian pot roast with a very long name that stands for roasted potatoes and creamed spinach. The beverages served at Café Sabarsky are almost as important as the food: cold drinks include a fresh elderberry syrup with sparkling water, called holunderblutensaft, and hot beverages include a selection of Viennese coffees, teas and hot chocolates. The dress code is casual, and the Café is located almost perfectly between the Guggenheim Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art making it an ideal stop for lunch between browsing the artistic masterpieces.
Café Sabarsky
1048 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY 10028
(212) 288-0665
wallse.com
