"For lunch, which, for the nature of my business, is my favorite time to go around to interesting and off the beaten path restaurants in New York City, a great place with counter service on 11th St. and 2nd Ave. is Momofuku Noodle Bar -- great soup and a major hang out for chefs and people in the restaurant business. Barbuto, in the West Village, is lots of fun. If you like Italian, Lupa in the Village is definitely one of the best. For lobster rolls, try Mary's Fish Camp – fantastic, and Fatty Crab on Hudson St. – funky place, great food. I love these places because aside from great food, they represent the most innovative ideas in restaurants. So, if you have two or three hours during the late morning / early afternoon, you can try a few of the places one after the other, like we New Yorkers do."
[more]Pino Luongo, Restaurateur & Author
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side has the same north-south perimeter as the Upper East Side (110th Street to 59th Street), with Central Park at her east and the Hudson River on the west. In the spirit of the freedom of thought on the Upper West, residents may also define their neighborhood as including Columbia University, which begins at 116th Street and heads north. The north-south avenues are, from west to east: Riverside Drive, West End Avenue, Broadway, Amsterdam Avenue, Columbus Avenue, and Central Park West.
The Upper West Side includes Lincoln Center, a wonderful performing arts center which encompasses twenty-two venues including the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, New York City Opera, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Julliard, and the School of American Ballet. Columbus Circle is newly revived with jazz performance spaces and ...