Where to Eat

• Café Boulud

  With the young Gavin Kaysen at the helm, Café Boulud meets the lofty expectations most diners have for a Boulud resto, except when it comes to the bill: exquisite French cuisine and fantastic service for less than its cousins.

  20 E. 76th St., 212-772-2600, danielnyc.com

• DB Bistro Moderne

  This is the home of the original DB Burger – ground sirloin stuffed with succulent braised short ribs, foie gras and preserved black truffle, made to order on a freshly baked Parmesan bun. The accompanying pommes frites, though, served in a parchment-lined silver cone, are actually as satisfying as the main attraction.

  55 W. 44th St., 212-391-2400, danielnyc.comFrom: Someone’s in the Kitchen with Daniel

• Buttermilk Channel

  Although the name refers to the strait between Brooklyn and Governors Island, it also reflects the restaurant’s emphasis on comfort food (fat is used to good measure). As they cure their own meat, expect to find Buttermilk’s own bacon and head cheese on the menu (not to worry, there’s a vegetarian menu as well). For dessert, the pecan pie sundae is a must.

  524 Court St., Brooklyn, 718-852-8490, buttermilkchannelnyc.com

• Little Owl

  This tiny West Village resto seats just 30, plus four if you count the bar (which is, allegedly, the chef’s choice table). Serving up unpretentious Mediterranean cuisine, the Little Owl’s meat sliders are a hearty favourite, as is the no-nonsense pork chop served with wild dandelion.

  90 Bedford St., 212-741-4695, thelittleowlnyc.com

• Mooncake Foods

  Delicious and affordable, the Pan-Asian menu offers fresh selections like miso salmon that are served up quickly, making it a perfect lunch spot (also open for dinner).

  28 Watts St. at 6th Ave., 212-219-8888

• Bar Jamón

  If you’re having a carnivore craving in Gramercy, head to this small, atmospheric room specializing in charcuterie. It’s part of celebrity chef Mario Batali’s mini-empire and carries an extensive and prize-winning selection of Spanish wines.

  125 E. 17th St., 212-253-2773From: Big Apple Turnover

• Moustache

  For a dining experience that’s both ridiculously inexpensive and ridiculously satisfying, try the delicious Middle Eastern food at the unpretentious Moustache. The leek and scallion “pitza” was our favourite.

  90 Bedford St., 212-229-2220, moustachepitza.comFrom: Big Apple Turnover

• Freemans

  Hiding in an East Village alleyway, this quirky gem boasts a taxidermy collection on the walls and wild-boar terrine on the menu. But Freemans isn’t all wild game and rustic kitsch. The menu offers solid, well-crafted standards, such as grilled trout with lemon and a delicious, down-to-earth spinach salad.

  191 Chrystie St. #2F (end of Freeman Alley, off Rivington between The Bowery and Chrystie), 212-420-0012, freemansrestaurant.comFrom: Air Canada's onAir, November 2008: Food & Drink in New York City

• Al di Là Trattoria

  A lush velvet curtain guards the entrance to this Park Slope Italian joint, one of Brooklyn’s foodie favourites. Pull it back and uncover a warm, glowing room overflowing with sophisticated, stylish locals and Manhattanites who’ve happily endured the commute. At Al di Là, it’s all about the food. Pastas like the beet and ricotta ravioli are simple and imaginative, while entrées of hanger steak with arugula or hake baked with cherry tomatoes and black olives are reassuringly simple.

  248 5th Ave., Brooklyn, 718-783-4565From: Air Canada's onAir, November 2008: Food & Drink in New York City

• Sripraphai

  For one of the best affordable Thai meals in New York City, make your way to Woodside in Queens. The casual decor misleads: dishes at Sripraphai are thoughtful and expertly prepared. Though the restaurant has a novel-length menu, there’s no need to stray from the staples to eat authentically. Green papaya salad, curries and perfectly cooked citrus-marinated fish arrive steaming in minutes.

  13 39th Ave., #64, Queens, 718-899-9599From: Air Canada's onAir, November 2008: Food & Drink in New York City

• The Tavern at Gramercy Tavern

  Skip celebrity chef Michael Anthony’s prix-fixe menu in the dining room. Eating in the bar (also known as the Tavern) at this legendary New York City restaurant is by far the better value. Far from Buffalo wings and jalapeño peppers, the Tavern at Gramercy Tavern keeps things classy, simple and delicious, with comfort offerings from seafood chowder to mushroom lasagna.

  42 E. 20th St., 212-477-0777, gramercytavern.com

• Peter Luger Steak House

  Williamsburg is home to this renowned steak house, a favourite of Sinatra’s that still turns out the best porterhouse this side of Buenos Aires. With more than a century as one of New York’s top steak houses behind them (institutionally, if not personally), the servers have earned the right to be a bit abrasive.

  178 Broadway, 718-387-7400, peterluger.comFrom: Air Canada's onAir, May 2008: Weekend In Brooklyn

• Applewood

  This Park Slope mom-and-pop pays homage to the Slow Food movement. The menu lists the nearby farms that provide the restaurant’s largely organic produce. Its inventive small plates include braised duck leg bolognese, sautéed potato gnocchi and blue lump crab salad with crushed avocado and caramelized orange.

  501 11th St., Brooklyn, 718-788-1810, 718-788-1014, applewoodny.comFrom: Air Canada's onAir, May 2008: Weekend In Brooklyn

• Degustation

  In a dark corner on the Lower East Side, this minimal 19-seat wine and tasting bar feels like the kind of place that asks for a secret password at the door. Once you’re in, though, the savvy service makes you feel right at home. The name says it all: order the tasting menu.

  239 E. Fifth St., 212-979-1012From: Air Canada's onAir, June 2007: Food & Drink in New York City

• Momofuku Noodle Bar

  David Chang’s East Village Korean noodle bar is fortunately no longer just a bar. The first iteration, offering only counter service, was such a hit that there were constantly crowds of ramen junkies waiting for a seat. Now he’s got a little more space, but the vibe is no less raucous. The noodles are a meal on their own, but who can resist the steamed white doughy pork buns or roasted rice cakes in a fiery red chili pepper sauce?

  171 First Ave., 212-475-7899, momofuku.com

• Casa Mono

  Mario Batali's cozy corner in Gramercy Park would make any meat-loving Madrileño feel right at home. Sit at the counter and watch the chefs tend to huge flames beneath shiny pots. Sizzling baby octopus and garlic sing happily over the soft flamenco guitar, and the seared foie gras with sherry reduction melts dreamily in the mouth. This is no tapas bar – it's haute cuisine with a Spanish flair that just happens to be served on small plates.

  52 Irving Place, 212-253-2773, casamononyc.comFrom: Air Canada's onAir, June 2007: Food & Drink in New York City

• BabyCakes NYC

  If you have an addiction to baked goods but want to feel good about eating a dozen cookies, then try BabyCakes NYC vegan bakery. Made somehow delectable using exclusively all-natural, gluten-free and organic ingredients, the Red Velvet cupcake with creamy vanilla frosting is a taste of the divine.

  248 Broome St., 212-677-5047, babycakesnyc.com

• Strip House

  In NYC, the prevailing trend for steak houses has been cavernous, loud rooms with testosterone-priced wine lists for Wall Street warriors. But if all you want is a great dry-aged sirloin, try this Union Square classic. The cozy red velvet room is covered with headshots of ’40s and ’50s actors and burlesque stars. (Hence the name.) The service is attentive and professional, the wine list is diverse and the steaks rival any in the city. If you manage to save room for dessert (and we rarely do), get a Grand Chocolate Profiterole for the table.

  13 East 12th St., 212-328-0000, striphouse.com

• Blue Hill

  Opened in 2000, this hidden gem in the basement of a Greenwich Village townhouse was among the vanguard of the slow and sustainable food movement. Most of their ingredients come from the biodynamic farm the owners run at an old Rockefeller complex upstate called Stone Barns.

  75 Washington Place, 212-539-1776, bluehillfarm.com

• Grimaldi’s

  The best pizza in New York is a topic that gets almost as heated as Mets versus Yankees, but almost everyone can agree that Grimaldi’s, an old-school brick oven joint under the Brooklyn Bridge, deserves a spot in the top five. Purists go for the simple but satisfying tomato, mozzarella and basil pie. Work up your appetite walking over the Brooklyn Bridge to get there and you’ll have killed two NYC landmarks with one stone.

  19 Old Fulton St., Brooklyn, 718.858.4300, grimaldis.com

• Community Food & Juice

  A diner offering fresh-off-the-farm seasonal brunch and free-range buttermilk fried chicken, Community Food & Juice doesn’t let the concrete and bustle of Manhattan’s Upper West Side keep it from serving sustainable, local food. Certified by the Green Restaurant Association, the local favourite composts and uses energy-saving kitchen equipment, while guests devour grass-fed antibiotic-free burgers at tables made from reclaimed wood.

  2893 Broadway, 212-665-2800, www.communityrestaurant.comFrom: onAir, November 2008: New York, Without Reservations

• Clo Wine Bar

  It might look more like the starship Enterprise than a wine bar, but Clo Wine Bar – on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center – is where wine tasters of the future meet. With more than 100 wines displayed in temperature-controlled cases, patrons can click on the multi-touch menu for tasting notes and, with the swipe of a card, fill a Riedel glass with, say, a 2007 Kerner from Manni Nössing. No tip required.

  10 Columbus Circle, New York, 212-823-9898, clowines.com

Arts & Culture

• Museum of Modern Art

  The MoMA’s long-awaited renovation by Japanese architect Yoshio Taniguchi transformed the space into an architectural marvel, highlighting modern-art masterpieces such as Van Gogh’s The Starry Night.

  11 West 53rd St., 212-708-9400, moma.org

• P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center

  Set in an abandoned public school in Queens, this museum is primarily dedicated to the work of experimental artists in a wide range of media. Don’t miss the Warm Up music series in the summer, a unique multisensory experience with internationally acclaimed DJs echoing art and architecture.

  22–25 Jackson Ave. at 46th Ave., 718-784-2084, ps1.org

• New Museum of Contemporary Art

  This museum reopened its doors in the middle of New York’s newly gentrified neighbourhood, Nolita, in a stunning new building made out of six giant white boxes that welcome collections and exhibitions focusing on contemporary works.

  235 Bowery St., 212-219-1222, newmuseum.org

• Metropolitan Museum of Art

  The Met is one of the world’s largest art galleries, with an incomparable permanent collection. It’s located at the edge of the Park, so drop in after a walk and soak up the Greek antiques or European paintings.

  1000 Fifth Ave., 212-535-7710, metmuseum.org

Health & Spa

Looking for an unconventional spa treatment? Here are some rare New York oases:

• The Spa at Mandarin Oriental

  80 Columbus Circle, 212-805-8800, mandarinoriental.com

• Okeanos Club Spa Banya

  211 E. 51st St., 212-223-6773, okeanosclubspa.com

• Shizuka New York

  7 W. 51st St., 6th floor 212-644-7400, shizukany.com

• Spa Castle

  10 11th Ave., #131, 718-939-6300, nyspacastle.com

• Yelo

  315 W. 57th St., 212-245-8235, yelonyc.comFrom: Big Apple Turnover

Getting from the Airport

LaGuardia and JFK are both serviced by public transportation, but most people take cabs. To get into midtown Manhattan from either airport, a yellow cab will set you back $45 (flat rate) plus tip. If you’re arriving at Newark, take the Airtrain Newark train to Penn Station in Manhattan. The 35-minute ride costs only $5.50.

Taxis

There are more than 10,000 yellow cabs in New York. New Yorkers complain if one doesn’t stop within 90 seconds – you really can always hail one quickly. And don’t be shy; there’s almost nothing you can’t learn about the city from a New York cabbie.

Public Transportation

The subway system is extensive and cheap – you can get anywhere for the $2.25 flat fee. Buses also cover most of the city and cost the same as the subway. Whichever you use, get a metrocard (mta.info).