Jean George
Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten's eponymously named restaurant is an upscale favorite of New York diners. The eatery is known for elegant food presentation. Guests have the option of sampling several different tastes via a two-course prix-fixe lunch menu, a four-course prix-fixe dinner menu, two seven-course tasting menus and the chef's own signature menu. Dishes include caramelized sweetbreads, steamed red snapper, a rack of lamb with chili glaze and a Maine lobster with glazed chestnuts and brandy butter. It is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday, and closed Sunday. Reservations are recommended.
Jean George
1 Central Park West
New York, NY 10023
(212) 299-3900
jean-georges.com
A Voce Columbus
This upscale Italian restaurant offers guests great views of the city from its big windows inside the Time Warner Center shopping, dining and office complex near Trump International Hotel & Tower. Its chef, Missy Robbins, came from Chicago restaurant Spiaggia, a favorite of President Barack Obama. "(Robbins) has a knack for taking simple Italian basics and elevating them to a different plane," wrote Adam Platt in New York magazine. It has a full elevated bar and is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Dress up to dine at this sophisticated restaurant. It takes credit cards, and reservations are recommended.
A Voce Columbus
Time Warner Center
10 Columbus Cir.
New York, NY 10019
(212) 823-2523
avocerestaurant.com
Per Se
Per Se, in the Time Warner Center, is a high-end restaurant operated by the same people behind the Napa Valley's French Laundry, widely recognized by critics as one of the United States' finest restaurants. Guests can peer out over Central Park from tables in the separate dining rooms. The decor is modern and spare. The waitstaff, known for an encyclopedic knowledge of the menu, are decked out in custom suits and Armani ties. "They troop silently to and fro in the ghostly evening light," wrote Adam Platt in New York magazine, "the whole scene looks elegant but solemn and vaguely stagy, like a studious California version of what a first-class New York restaurant should be." Menu standouts include a bone marrow custard with sturgeon caviar, pan-roasted sea scallops, Hudson Valley duck foie gras sherbet and a Peking duck breast. Prices are very expensive, and it offers a popular tasting menu. It's open daily for dinner, and for brunch Friday and Saturday. It takes credit cards, and reservations are recommended
Per Se
Time Warner Center
10 Columbus Cir., 4th Fl.
New York, NY 10019
(212) 823-9335
perseny.com
About The Author
Based in the Southwest, John C. Lauzon is a freelance writer and editor who has been writing professionally since 1997. His articles have appeared in "Details," "New York Press," "Entertainment Weekly," "British Esquire," "Penthouse" and "German GQ." He worked in magazine publishing for 10 years in New York City. Lauzon received a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology from Indiana University.
