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Almond (212-228-7557; 12 East 22nd Street; View MENU $$$): The sister restaurant to Almond in Bridgehampton, Almond opened in 2008 in the Flatiron serving French bistro fare. (www.almondnyc.com)

Reviews: Yelp (4 stars)

A Voce (212-545-8555; 41 Madison Avenue; View MENU $$$): Carefully crafted contemporary Italian cooking featuring pastas, meats and fish. (http://www.avocerestaurant.com)

Reviews: Yelp (3.5 stars)

Bar Breton (212-213-4999; 254 5th Avenue; View MENU $$$): A brasserie serving food inspired by the Brittany area of France, including the buckwheat crepes known as galettes.  A full menu is served in addition to the signature galettes. (www.chefpiano.com/bar-breton)

Reviews: Yelp (3.5 stars)

Bar Stuzzichini (212-780-5100; 928 Broadway; View MENU $$): “Stuzzichini”, or appetizers, features a menu of sharable small plates of Italian food, including cheeses, salamis, fried balls of vegetables/fish/meat, crostinis, and seafood.Beyond the small plates are entree size pastas, meats and fish. (barstuzzichini.com)

Reviews: Yelp (3.5 stars)

Ben and Jacks (212-532-7600; 255 5th Avenue; View MENU $$$): Waiters from the famous Peter Lugers opened their second Ben and Jack’s Steakhouse location in 2009 just north of Madison Square Park. (http://www.benandjackssteakhouse.com/bnj_5th/)

Reviews: Yelp (3.5 stars)

BLT Fish (212-691-8888; 21 west 17th street; View MENU $$$): The ground level BLT Fish Shack offers a raw bar, fish cooked to order, lobster rolls, and other new england style clam shack food. Above is the fancier BLT Fish, preparing whole fish and shellfish by the pound. (http://www.bltfish.com/)

Reviews: Yelp (4 stars)

Boqueria (212-255-4160; 53 west 19th Street; View MENU $$): Tapas and raciones are prepared to perfection in the Catalonian and Basque tradition from Spain. (http://www.boquerianyc.com/)

Reviews: Yelp (4 stars)

Breslin (20 west 29th street; View MENU): Opened summer 2009 in the new Ace Hotel from the people behind the Spotted Pig. (http://thebreslin.com/)

Reviews: Yelp (3.5 stars)

Country (212-889-7100; 90 Madison Avenue; View MENU $$$): Geoffrey Zakartian’s Country restaurant follows his uptown restaurant Town with well-prepared new American in the Carlton Hotel. (http://countryinnewyork.com/)

Reviews: Yelp (3.5 stars)

craft (212-780-0880; 43 east 19th street; View MENU $$$): The foundation of Tom Colicchio’s restaurant empire features the highest quality ingredients prepared as single plates to be shared family style. craft won the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 2002 (www.craftrestaurant.com)

Reviews: Yelp (4 stars)

craftbar (212-461-4300; 900 Broadway; View MENU $$$): Around the corner from sister restaurant craft, craftbar features a more informal environment for equally as impressive of a new American restaurant using the finest seasonal ingredients. (http://www.craftrestaurant.com/craftbar.html)

Reviews: Yelp (3.5 stars)

Dos Caminos (212-294-1000; 373Park Avenue south; View MENU $$$): Made to order guacamole, margaritas and traditional Mexican cooking in a modern setting. (http://www.brguestrestaurants.com/restaurants/dos_caminos_park)

Reviews: Yelp (3.5 stars)

Eleven Madison Park (11 Madison Avenue; View MENU $$$): An elegant restaurant right off of Madison Square Park featuring impeccably-prepared  contemporary French cuisine. (www.elevenmadisonpark.com)

Gramercy Tavern (42 E. 20th Street; View MENU $$$): The highest quality seasonal ingredients come together in  a warm environment in this well-respected contemporary American restaurant. (www.gramercytavern.com)

Hill Country (30 west 26th street; View MENU $$): Winner of the Best BBQ in New York City for 2008 by New York Magazine, Hill Country styles itself after Texas BBQ, with dry rubbed and smoked meats and all the sides and trimmings. (http://www.hillcountryny.com)

ilili (236 5th Avenue; View MENU $$): Authentic yet contemporary Lebanese and Mediterranean cuisine in a stylish setting. (http://www.ililinyc.com)

Les Halles (411 Park Avenue south; View MENU $$$): Parisian-style brasserie serving traditional French seafood and steak and the home base of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. (http://www.leshalles.net)

Markt (676 6th Avenue; View MENU $$): Relocated from the MeatPacking Distict, Markt offers waffles, mussels, meats, beers, and other traditional Belgian cuisine. The dame blanche dessert with Belgian chocolate sauce is a crowd pleaser. (http://www.marktrestaurant.com)

Petit Abeille (43 east 17th street; View MENU $$): Traditional Belgian food in a cafe-like atmosphere with a popular brunch and outstanding hot chocolate. (http://www.petiteabeille.com)
Punch (913 Broadway; View MENU $$): Eclectic and affordable new American dishes focused on seasonal ingredients. (www.punchrestaurant.com)

Resto (111 E 29th Street; View MENU $$): Casual bistro environment offering well-prepared Belgian dishes and beers, including what was rated the best hamburger in New York City for 2008 by New York Magazine. (http://www.restonyc.com/)

Shake Shack (in Madison Square Park; View MENU $): The Shake Shack serves up burgers, hot dogs, sausage, fries, frozen custards, concretes, and beer and wine in the middle of Madison Square Park. Some people consider their Shack Burger the best in the city. Lines are long but check out the Shack Cam before you go. (http://www.shakeshack.com)

Sirtaj Indo-Pak Restaurant (36 W 26th Street; View MENU $): Sirtaj is a fast and reasonably priced restaurant serving up flavorful Indian food to lunch crowds in the Madison Square Park vicinity. (http://www.sirtajny.com)

Tabla (11 Madison Avenue; View MENU$$$): A modern fusion of Indian and new American food. In addition to the main dining room is the adjacent Bread Bar for a more casual dining experience. (www.tablany.com)

Tamarind (43 East 22nd street; View MENU $$$): Excellent dishes from across Indian cuisine served in a higher-end atmosphere. Food is prepared and served with great care using the finest ingredients. (www.tamarinde22.com)

$=You can eat for ~$10/person    $$=You can eat for ~$15-30/person    $$$=You can eat for ~$30-50    $$$$ ~50-100/person     (Does not include drinks)