CAFES
1. Birch Coffee @ The Gershwin Hotel 5 E 27th Street (btwn 5th + Madison) 7 am – 9 pm (M – F) 8 am – 9 pm (Sat) 8 am – 8 pm (Sun) http://www.birchcoffee.com/
A fantastic cup of coffee and a simple, chic environment. Birch also serves sandwiches, beer, and wine.
2. Stumptown Coffee 18 W 29th Street (btwn 5th + Broadway) 6 am to 8pm daily http://www.stumptowncoffee.com/locations/nyc-ace
The coffee (and espresso) is strong and delicious, the Ace Hotel is funky, and the baristas look like they could play in a 1930s jug band.
RESTURANTS
1. Artisanal 2 Park Avenue (entrance on 32nd)
Mon-Fri, 10:45am-10:45pm; Sat, 10:30am-10:45pm; Sun, 10:30am-10pm http://www.artisanalbistro.com/Good French Brasserie fare, a wide selection of cheese and charcuterie, and reasonable (for NYC) three course lunch and dinner prix fixe menus (lunch, $24.07; dinner, $35).
2. Baden Baden Restaurant 28 W. 32nd St., 2nd fl. (btwn 5th + 6th)
Sun-Thu, 5pm-2am; Fri-Sat, 5pm-4am http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/restaurant-forte-baden/
Have you ever eaten Korean fried chicken? You should. Not every day, but every so often. As New York Magazine says, “Korean-style fried chicken is cooked in a rotisserie to an exquisite tenderness, let to cool slightly, and then deep-fried, giving it a perfect combination of yielding moistness and crisp, garlicky exterior. The best in town is Baden Baden, a hard-to-find sports bar on an upper floor of K-Town, where the chicken in served sauceless, in all its stark brilliance.”
3. Josie’s Restaurant 565 Third Avenue (@37th ) Mon-Thu, noon-10:30pm; Fri, noon-11pm; Sat, 11:30am-11pm; Sun, 11am-10pm http://josiesnyc.com/josie_east/josie_east.html
With a focus on local, organic produce, this restaurant caters to vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. The wide ranging menu is mostly dairy-free and tends towards Asian-fusion although you will also find a char-grilled natural beef burger and ancho-rubbed grilled salmon.
4. Kunjip 9 W. 32nd Street (btwn 5th + 6th)
Open 24 hours
http://kunjip.net/
Most of the Korean restaurants on 32nd Street (btwn. 5th + 6th) are quite good. Kunjip is a favorite! Delicious and reasonable Korean food such as casseroles, stews, BBQ, and rice dishes.
5. Ravagh Persian Grill 11 E. 30th Street (near 5th) Daily, 11am-11pm http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/ravagh-persian-grill02/
A simple, reasonably priced Iranian restaurant serving meze-like appetizers, yummy kebobs, stews, and grilled fish.
BARS
1. Failte Irish Whiskey Bar
531 Second Avenue (near 30th)
Daily, 11am-4am http://failtenyc.com/
Down home Irish pub with limited pub-food menu.
2. Enoteca I Truli 122 E. 27th Street (near Lexington) Mon-Fri, 3pm-11pm; Sat-Sun, noon-11pm http://itrulli.com/
Chic Italian wine bar.
3. Me Bar La Quinta Hotel (rooftop, 14th fl.) Sun-Tue, 5:30pm-2am; Wed-Sat, 5:30pm-4am http://nymag.com/listings/bar/me_bar/
Fabulous views of the Empire State Building, relatively inexpensive drinks, a pile of takeout menus, and it’s all right upstairs!
