New York City

Most chefs choose to scrap menus, change business partners, and generally turn their professional lives upside down in times of crisis or economic distress. — New York Magazine

New York's Holy Grail for food critics—and diners. — National Geographic

Superstar French suited to your dramatic entrances. Like a Roman palazzo, hitting Corinthian columns, glitzy chandeliers, clean white scheme. — BlackBook

It'll still take you five hours to stuff yourself silly on foie gras and truffles as a cavalcade of servers fawns over you. — Forbes Travel Guide

Michael White goes for the trifecta after major scores with Convivio and Alto. Name means tide, high-end Italian seafood is the angle, with market-fresh fish from around the world. — BlackBook

The Bar Room's menu of small plates is already the favorite with diners, but both spaces have ravishing Danish modern settings and Meyer's famously perfect service. — Concierge

The tasting menu costs $400 before you take a sip of sake, but for fans, that's simply the price of perfection: Masa has been known to jet over to Japan to choose his impeccable fish. — Concierge

New York’s most storied steakhouse (in operation since 1887) serves up an amazingly tender porterhouse cut. Reservations essential; cash or debit card only. — Lonely Planet

An upscale culinary experience awaits those who get one of the few coveted reservations at the Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare. — Frommer's

Open since 1997, Jean-Georges Vongerichten's signature restaurant on Columbus Circle remains one of the world's greatest. — Concierge

If Sushi Yasuda is a shrine to raw fish, Naomichi Yasuda is the high priest. — Gayot

Chefs Alex Raij and Eder Montero decided to do something different by exploring the influences that the Jews and Moors had on Spanish food on Spanish food over the centuries. — The Infatuation

Tastes change, and Daniel Boulud, in his deliberate, careful way, is changing with them. The great chef has always been a connoisseur of down-home cooking. — New York Magazine

Gramercy Tavern sits in a stately building set steps away from the esteemed Gramercy Park. — Michelin Guide

His elemental shio ramen is made with a simple chicken stock, among many other things, and flavored with a special blend of Japanese salts. — New York Magazine

Most of the pieces I sampled had the kind of focused ­simplicity that you don’t find at many sushi palaces. — New York Magazine

The oldest delicatessen in New York City (established 1888), Katz's is also the only place in town that still carves all its pastrami and corned beef by hand——and it makes a huge difference. — New York Magazine

For years, Sripraphai has been the defiantly delicious rebuttal to complaints that you can't get good Thai food in New York. — New York Magazine

TO appreciate how far eating has evolved from a matter of survival to a statement of values, take a trip to Cookshop and a look at its chalkboards. — New York Times

David Chang has gone from East Village rebel to awards-circuit veteran, piling up accolades from Bon Appétit, GQ, the James Beard Society, Food & Wine. — Time Out