New York City Restaurants - SoHo/Tribeca/Downtown Restaurants

Formerly known as American Park at the Battery, Battery Gardens restaurant serves upscale American fare with a global influence and views of the Statue of Liberty, Staten Island and the setting sun that make meals memorable.

Dining at Bayard's restaurant is as much about the inspired French fare as it is the treasure chest of maritime history housed within its elegant walls. The restaurant is set in the more than 200-year-old former Cotton Exchange building.

Italian.

American.

As big as city hall, City Hall restaurant evoke the Gotham of old and serves hearty but refined American fare such as roasted monkfish, grilled hanger steak with balsamic onions and port butter and cross cut saddle of lamb.

Rustic Italian food, but only by New York standards, is the focus at the Della Rovere restaurant and wine bar in Tribeca. Fusing Italian cooking with New York appetites the restaurant attracts many New York businessmen to its wine bar and keeps them fed with a selection of crudi or Venetian small plates like milky ricotta or cauliflower dressed with anchovies. Continue on to enjoy Della Rovere's main courses, perhaps gnocchi with braised rabbit, pea and pancetta risotto or osso buco stuffed tortellini.

American.

Chef Daniel Angerer serves up freshness in the form of "the finest seafood from the most pristine waters of the world" at Tribeca New York's newest upscale eatery.

Not quite as trendy as it once was, but I Tre Merli restaurant still packs them in with upscale, refined Italian food, late night service and lively bar.

A little bit of spice, a whole lot of swank. Kittichai restaurant in Soho's Thompson Hotel in New York City, makes Thai trendy. Kittichai restaurant serves Thai tapas like braised black cod with shiitake mushroom and lime coriander broth or braised short ribs with green curry and sweet basil. Kittichai restaurant décor fuses Thai teak and New York style in a hip-urban atmosphere including a rooftop bar.

Italian.

Look for classic, rustic French at cozy Madison Bistrot. Generous dishes like roasted monkfish migon, cassoulet and seafood casserole keeps locals and tourists coming to this restaurant.

Metrazur restaurant boasts a great view of busy Grand Central Station and first class regional American fare from Chef Charlie Potter. Wood-fired roasted seafood, raw bar and seasonal fare make the restaurant worth repeat trips.

Inviting Peasant restaurant celebrates the simple but satisfying food of Tuscany. A brick oven and open fire grill turn out great dishes such as pizza, rabbit and seafood. Desserts shine, too.

Portuguese.

Chef/owner Prakit Prem-on serves the same updated Thai dishes at Prem-on Thai in New York City's Soho as he does at his other New York City restaurants Siam Inn, Sala Thai, Red Garlic and Bluechili. Prem-on Thai restaurant adds a little flair to the table serving the green curry chicken or rib eye in a young coconut and dressed up with bamboo shoots, Thai eggplant, and coconut milk and presenting pad Thai with a choice of shrimps or scallops.

Salt restaurant serves up seasonal American in Soho. Described in Zagat an insider's neighborhood restaurant in New York City, Salt will make you feel at home. Classic and comfortable items are on the restaurant menu. Try dishes like the whole grilled daurade or roasted duck breast, which can be served from your choice of seasonal sides like roasted Brussels sprouts or parsnip and Yukon gold potato puree. Whatever your inklings, Salt will keep things fresh. If only more New York neighborhoods had restaurants like Salt.

Dinner and a movie have never been so accessibly upscale. On the dining side, the Screening Room features ritzy American standards with a French twist room while screening an eclectic mix of cinema classics and limited-release independent films in the reel room. While New Yorkers come here for both film and food, either separately or together, diners can score a three-course prix-fixe meal with a movie ticket for less than 40 bucks.