The rebooted Tavern On The Green, under the guidance of chef Katy Sparks, now serves up more accessible food in a friendlier environment than in days gone by. You still get style and substance in the beautifully curated plates at the Tavern, with small and large plates that run the gamut from local sea scallops with citrus butter and fried duck egg with smoked ricotta crostata to a marinated Vermont quail with creamy white grits and a grass-fed beef burger with patatas bravas and aioli. Built in 1870, the rural Victorian Gothic structure now known as Tavern on the Green was designed by Jacob Wrey Mould as a sheepfold. It housed 200 South Down sheep, which grazed across the street in Central Park's Sheep Meadow. The sheepfold remained intact for close to 65 years, until legendary parks commissioner Robert Moses decided the building had a higher calling -- that of a restaurant. Moses was anxious to usurp the power of the Central Park Casino, located on the opposite side of Central Park, which had taken on the moniker "Jimmy Walker's Versailles." It seems the flamboyant mayor, Jimmy Walker, was conducting more business at the casino than at City Hall. Alarmed at the repercussions for his beloved parks system, Moses sued to oust the casino's management and eventually arranged to have the building torn down. His mission nearly complete, Moses banished the sheep from the sheepfold to Brooklyn's Prospect Park and assigned their shepherd to the lion house in the Central Park Zoo. Within months, WPA workers were busy constructing what would soon become Tavern on the Green -- the restaurant. The first incarnation of Tavern on the Green was launched on October 20, 1934, with a coachman in full regalia at the door. Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia opened the restaurant with a brass key and in the company of a proud Moses, toured the facility. After chatting with the chef and sampling a breakfast sausage, LaGuardia and Moses announced their satisfaction with Central Park's latest attraction. Embraced by New Yorkers, Tavern on the Green became an integral part of the city's social life and was operated by a succession of management firms throughout the '40s, '50s, and '60s. The brilliant designer Raymond Loewy was hired to renovate the building, resulting in the addition of the Elm Room (now the Park Room) -- named after the tree around which it was literally wrapped. By the early '70s, however, Tavern on the Green had fallen largely out of touch with the times; in 1974, the restaurant's once-bustling interiors were finally shuttered. Unknown to many, the restaurant's closing was about to herald the beginning of an exciting new era for the venerable edifice. Enter the creator of New York's wildly popular Maxwell's Plum, Warner LeRoy. Known for his "over-the-top" sense of style, as well as keen business acumen, LeRoy fashioned his own imprint for the restaurant with a spectacular two-year, $10 million renovation. LeRoy oversaw the construction of the now-famous, glass-enclosed Crystal and Terrace Rooms, creating ceilings for each, which gave way to flights of rococo fancy. He lavished brass, stained glass, etched mirrors, paintings, antique prints and above all, chandeliers, upon the entire structure, creating a visual theatre in which to display his passion for fine art and fantasy. Finally, after paneling the rustic baroque-inspired Rafters and Chestnut Rooms in rare, wormy chestnut, LeRoy signed off on his masterpiece by liberating long-hidden and-hewn rafters and their soaring vaulted ceilings from decades-long exile in pedestrian plaster. From the moment it opened on August 31, 1976, the reinvigorated Tavern on the Green took New York by storm, dazzling the city with its decorative whimsy, eclectic menus, and all-around playfulness. Once so passé that it had been forced to close, Tavern on the Green, under LeRoy's leadership, was well on its way to becoming one of New York's hottest dining destinations. Soon, celebrities were flocking to the restaurant to "see and be seen." Not surprisingly, the restaurant's size, setting, and radiant charm quickly made it the location for New York's most prestigious events -- charity and political functions, Broadway show openings, and international film premieres -- a position it maintains to this day.

A persistently packed and perfect French cafe in the West Village. Expect lines, and as the restaurant is BYOB, expect to form an impromptu block party!

Twenty-six years after the Palm opened its second New York City location right across the street from the original, the Palm has come full circle with the opening of its Times Square location. Right in the heart of the theatre district, the Westside Palm has become a hotspot for theatre-goers, celebrities, tourists and Palm regulars alike. Superb as ever, this spacious steak and seafood heaven lives up to the original. From coast to coast, people know that The Palm is synonymous with prime steaks and outrageously outsized lobsters. What many don`t realize is that The Palm is thoroughly family-bred. It has been run by the sons and now by the grandsons of both founding partners. In fact, The Palm Restaurant is the oldest family-owned white tablecloth restaurant to expand across the United States and still maintain family ownership. Pio Bozzi and John Ganzi's original New York City steakhouse on Second Avenue has grown into a thriving empire of over 25 restaurants spanning the continent from Boston to Los Angeles. The northern Italian entrepreneurs who began The Palm tradition in 1926 intended it to be a restaurant specializing in cuisine from their native Parma, Italy. According to Palm folklore, the name "Palm" originated when the proprietors obtained a business license. They wanted to call it "Parma," but because of their Italian accents, it translated into "Palm." Steaks and seafood were not part of the original concept of The Palm but began out of an effort to cater to its clientele of artists and writers. Every time a customer asked for a steak, John Ganzi ran up Second Avenue to a nearby butcher shop, bought a steak, and cooked to order. Today, The Palm runs its own meat wholesale company to ensure the quality of its steaks. The Palm`s reputation for seafood started with third generation owners Wally Ganzi and Bruce Bozzi who introduced the gargantuan four-to-eight pound lobsters in the 1970s and disproved the theory that large lobsters are tough. Almost overnight The Palm went from selling 150 pounds of lobster per week to 25,000 pounds per week. Even with these signature additions, tradition at The Palm honors its roots. Some of John Ganzi's original Italian dishes are still on the menu!

"Home of the original cappuccino" since 1927, Caffe Reggio is an effective Italian cafe in Greenwich Village, serving celebrities and passersby alike. Reggio succeeds where so many European-style cafes fail because it feels unconcerned with the opinions of others—not in terms of service, not by a long shot—it is simply resolutely itself, and that attitude gives the place an intoxicating vibe and a level of comfort in dining (or just getting a cup of coffee) that's rare in New York in general, let alone within the careening environs of NYU's Greenwich Village Thunderdome.

Papillon is a stunning classic French Bistro featuring an elegant rustic decor that brings you back through time to a provincial town in France. The exquisite decor is the perfect setting for Papillon's culinary delights.

Charming spot tucked into the heart of the West Village. Beautiful, intimate decor with reclaimed wooden bars, eclectic assortment of antiques and art work. Enjoy seasonal artisanal cocktails or a selection form a carefully curated lists of Bourbon and scotches. Intimate space on the first floor, or head to the subterranean speakeasy for a chance to mingle. Beautiful patio in the warm months if al fresco is your jam.