A running list, in the order they came to mind, of favorite restaurants:
Coco Pazzo, La Esquina, Raoul's, Chin Chin, Rosa Mexicano (East Side), Orsay, E.A.T., Pastis, Balthazar, Matsuri, Ye Waverly Inn, Francisco's Centro Vasco, Indochine, El Teddy's, Cafe Cluny, Carlyle Hotel (Bemelman's Bar), P.J. Clarke's, Serafina, La Lunchonette, Cafe Boulud, Freeman's, Sant Ambroeus, Rickshaw Dumpling, Shake Shack, Blue Smoke, Bar Pitti, Kelley & Ping, Nobu and Nobu Next Door, Odeon.
[more]Kate & Andy Spade
Crossing Town
New Yorkers divide religiously along East Side/West Side lines. But occasionally they are known to travel to the Other Side. If you find yourself in such an unlikely position, you might take a cross-town bus: they run along 66th/67th Streets, 72nd, 86th, 96th, and 110th. These are, however, some of the slowest buses in the MTA's roster, famously clocked at an average of about four miles per hour. So you might also consider walking, enjoying the park along the way, and grinning as you pass the bus unloading its charges.