New York City’s preeminence as a world ­class seaport is in the past, but remain­ing here are a trove of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century buildings, Belgian ­blocked streets, and, of course, the South Street Seaport Museum at Pier 17 that in­cludes sailing ships refitted as water-borne museums and training centers, such as the Wavertree (built in 1885), the Peking (1911), the Pioneer (1885), the Lettie G. Howard (1893), and the Wo. Decker (1930).

If Pier 17′s touristy vibe is a bit much, stroll the streets of the immediate seaport area, Pike Slip, Beekman, Water, and Front Streets, many of which have been marvel­ously re-bricked, and see the ancient build­ings, some of which go back to the 1790s

(the Ioseph Rose House at 273 Water Street was built in 1773, making it the third-oldest building in Manhattan). An indispensable guide to the area is Ellen Fletcher’s Walking Around in South Street, published by the South Street Seaport Museum; contact the Museum at (212) 748-8590 or visit www. southstseaport.org.

SUBWAY: 0 or ® to Fulton Street BUS: M9 on Pearl Street; M22 to Frank­fort Street

9 Lightship

Pier 17, South Street Seaport

One of NY’s few remaining floating light­houses, or lightships, the Ambrose (LV87) (the nomenclature differentiates it from two other lightships named Ambrose), served the Port of New York, the Coast Guard, and Fort Hancock, New Jersey (as an examination ship) from 1908 to 1966. It was one of three such lightships patrol­ling the Ambrose Channel, the southern entrance to New York Harbor off the coast of New Jersey. Lightships were employed where the seabed was sandy or otherwise inhospitable for construction of a light­house, but by the 1960s and 1970s, most lightships had been replaced by automated towers. According to Lighthouses of New York author Iim Crawley, in 1921, the Am­brose (LV87) was the first lightship to use a radio fog beacon. In 1968, the Ambrose (LV87) was permanently docked at Pier 17 and has served as a floating museum ever smce.

10 Titanic Memorial Water and Fulton Streets

New York City has formal, informal, and completely accidental homages to those who died in the sinking of the R.M.S. Ti­tanic on April 15, 1912. On the corner of Fulton and Water Streets stands the Titanic Memorial Lighthouse, dedicated exactly one year after the sinking and originally placed atop the Seamen’s Church Institute, a former fourteen-story building at South Street and Coenties Slip. In 1967, the Sea­men’s Institute moved and the’ building was later demolished. The lighthouse, for­tunately, was preserved and by 1976, it had been installed at its present location. The

tall pole at the apex originally had a metal ball that, when signaled by a telegraph at the National Observatory in Washington, nc, would drop at noon daily: that fea­ture is currently being restored.

11 Schermerhorn Row

Fulton Street, between Water and South Streets

Ship chandler (an entrepreneur supplying onboard equipment) Peter Schermerhorn Jr. built this row of Georgian buildings on Fulton Street, between Water and South Streets, between 1810 and 1812. However, he first had to fill in the land: Front Street, as its name implies, was the approximate original shoreline. The original Fulton Ferry, which ran between Manhattan and Brooklyn’s Fulton Streets, began to sup­ply potential customers in 1814, and, in that year, the first store fronts appeared on what would come to be called Schermer­horn Row. The mansard roofs and dormer windows near South Street were added in the 1860s; many additions have been made over the years. Schermerhorn Row was restored in 1983 as part of the Historic District construction. The South Street Seaport Museum has recently opened Schermerhorn Row’s upper rooms as gal­lery space.

12 Excelsior Power Company Edens Alley at Gold Street

Gold Street weaves through lower Man­hattan, reminding us that this part of the

•

city was built long before the automobile. It was named for a flower, the celandine, called “gouwe” by the Dutch. The British, who had a talent for boiling down Dutch names for easier pronunciation, eventually Anglicized the name to Golden Hill.

At 33 Gold Street, just south of Fulton Street, architect William Grinnell con­structed the Excelsior Power Company building in 1888. Its huge, gorgeous blue­green cast-iron sign with its intricate let­tering has been pretty much undisturbed since. The building originally housed coal­fired electric generators.

Next to the cast-iron sign, a 19l0-era wall-bracket lamp, with original metal scrollwork and incandescent luminaire, can still be found. Opposite the building, note the tiny, brick-paved alley that dog­legs around to Fulton Street. Until 1842 (no one knows when it originally appeared), it was known as Eden’s Alley, but between 1842 and 2000 it was called Ryders Alley. In 2000, a compromise of sorts was reached when the portion facing Gold Street was re-designated as Edens Alley and the por­tion facing Fulton Street retained the Ry­ders name.

Ben and ... George? Nassau Street, south of John Street

By some accounts, this building at 63 Nas­sau Street was built in the 1860s by an early giant of cast-iron architecture, Iames Bo­gardus (1800-1874). His use of cast-iron to cover building exteriors later led to steel-frame construction. In the Soho area, you’ll find dozens of distinctive buildings with such cast-iron cladding. A short street near Fort Tryon Park in far upper Manhat­tan is named for Bogardus, far from his ar­chitectural innovations.

Of note here are the patriotic depictions of Ben Franklin. The empty spaces between the two Franklins used to contain two sim­ilar portraits of George Washington.

Fulton Street, east of Nassau Street

At 127 Fulton Street you will find the Keuffel & Esser Building. It was built in 1893 by the architectural firm DeLemos and Cordes, who went on to create the Siegel-Cooper and Macy’s department store buildings farther uptown. Above the  ground-floor storefront here, you can see the cast-iron detailing: renderings of draft­ing implements and for some reason, a winged wheel.

Established in 1867, Keuffel & Esser is a company that manufactures compasses, transits, surveying equipment, and other instrumentation-and it is still going strong. The company built the magnificent Clock Tower Building on 3rd and Adams Streets in Hoboken in the 1890s, as well as this distinctive Fulton Street exterior.

15The 18905 Meet the 19705 Fulton Street, east of Broadway

On Fulton Street, just east of Broadway, is an original chiseled “Subway” sign in­stalled in the 1930s when the IND opened its Broadway-Nassau Station (the IND complement to the Fulton Street subway complex). Close by are several historical artifacts all rolled into one: an angular 1970s modern front was grafted onto what

looks like an 1890s Beaux Arts building! At one time, no doubt, the two lamps at the top lit up. The “facsimile” and “type­writer” ads look quaint as we head into the middle of the first decade of the twenty­first century.

Known as the lower West Side before the 1960s, these Manhattan neighbor­hoods have gone from farmland (1700s) to fashionable residences (early 1800s) to sweatshops hidden behind gorgeous cast­iron fronts (late 1800s). Later, light in­dustry (cardboard, tool, and die makers) occupied these blocks until the mid-1900s, when artists began to occupy the area’s spacious lofts. In the 1960s, Soho resi­dents beat back a Robert Moses proposal to build an expressway over Broome Street that would have connected the Manhattan Bridge to the Holland Tunnel. Since then, real estate has been on an upswing, with fashionable restaurants and galleries lin­ing West Broadway, Spring, and the rest of the area’s streets. Best of all, the mag­nificent cast-iron fronts have been mostly preserved. Many of them now contain ex­pensive luxury apartments.

SUBWAY: to Chambers, Franklin, or Canal Streets; or  to Chambers or Canal Street;  or  to Spring Street;  or  to City Hall, Canal Street, or Prince Street.

BUS: M6 to Broadway and Sixth Avenue; M20 to Hudson and Varick Streets; M21 to Spring Street or Houston Street and Sixth Avenue; M22 to Chambers Street

G16The Strange Medallion of Harrison Street

Harrison Street, west of Greenwich Street

There’s a pedestrian overpass spanning two sections of Independence Plaza above Harrison Street, just west of Greenwich Street. The bridge carries a highly stylized medallion that recollects a lost highway, waterfront, and railroad.

In 1974, Independence Plaza, a large residential complex, rose on land formerly occupied by the Washington produce mar­ket. At the same time, the West Side High­way (officially called the Miller, after the Manhattan borough president when the road was built in the early 1930s) was fall­ing apart due to neglect. The section of the road spanning Harrison Street was closed in 1973 and demolished by the mid -1980s.

The highway originally featured Ma­chine Age-style entablatures above every cross street, featuring a highly stylized eagle, as well as signs denoting the cross street (and the pier opposite the cross street). The Harrison Street frieze denotes Pier 23, which was owned by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, now a part of CSX. It was saved and placed on this overpass when Independence Plaza was built.

When in NYC, be sure to visit NYC escorts

New York Escorts could spend a lifetime exploring the vast terrain of New York City restaurants and never taste it all.  But the hunt by NY escorts for the next great meal is exhilarating in itself, and just as satisfying is sharing your discoveries with other adventurous GFE providers.

I’ve been engaged with New York’s restaurants since 1982, first as a bartender and wine buyer, later as a reporter and critic, and always as an enthusiastic customer. I remember when Lutece was the creme de la creme, Tom Colicchio was cooking at Mondrian, J ean-Georges Vongerichten was at Lafayene, and Montrachet had the city’s most exciting wine list. All have since closed, but their influence lives on.

These chefs and restaurants, among others, helped shape what I consider to be the three most deeply rooted and exciting culinary traditions in New York: French cuisine, New American cuisine and restaurants that are passionate about wine, This story will sketch the contours of these categories and profile four of my favorite restaurants in each.

These are not the newest stars; I prefer restaurants when they have developed some character. It’s a bit like drinking a fine wine: I enjoy tasting it in its youth but don’t feel that it gives its best, or can be fully understood, until it has matured. The same can be said for many New York escorts, believe it or not. I urge you to give it a try.

These restaurants focus on cuisines derived from Western Europe and adapted to the United States. Their dishes harmonize with wine, and their exciting wine lists are in most cases based on deep cellars managed by skilled sommeliers, making these places natural destinations for wine lovers.

Most of these restaurants are also expensive. You can generally expect to pay at least $150 per person for dinner-more if you take full advantage of their wine lists. That may seem exorbitant, especially in a time of economic uncertainty, but people come to New York to find the best, whether it’s music, theater or food.

emized and broadened haute cuisine. [ean-Georges Vongerichten was among the leaders, at Restaurant Lafayette, with his intense yet light vegetable-based sauces and his daring use of Asian spices. He is still delivering delicious, distinctive food at his flagship, Jean Georges.

LE BERNARDIN has been the most daring in its evolution.

Chef Gilbert Le Coze and his sister Maguy left behind their two Michelin stars in Paris to open the restaurant in New York in 1986, and their light, expressive touch with seafood won them an imme­diate following. When Gilbert died in 1994, his sous-chef, Eric Ripert, took over the kitchen. Ripert has become a star in his own

right with his modem, seafood-based menu.                                          ---...

A four-course dinner begins with an "almost raw" selection; I chose slices of ha mac hi rolled around mint leaves and sea beans, served in a light sauce that had tart and savory notes. Next comes "barely touched," such as a small brick of escolar, the fish poached in olive oil and enlivened by a bold, red-wine bearnaise sauce. The main course is "lightly cooked," and while most of the offerings are fish, Ripert proves his versatility with rosy roast squab breast on truffled polenta with Armagnac jus. Dessert is a multicourse affair, finishing with exquisite mignardises.

The food is focused in concept, complex in flavor and skillfully executed. It builds in intensity while remaining graceful and always wine-friendly. Wine director Aldo Sohm manages the list of 715 selections, and he and his team are experts at matching the dishes with wines of equal personality and diversity. Or you could simply sink into a great white Burgundy for the duration; among the nearly two dozen grands crus from the Montrachet family is the glorious 1989 Sauzet Batard-Montracher ($1,900).

The formal dining room and traditional service intensify the

Many restaurants in New York attempt to recreate the feeling of dining in France. Among the most appealing are the stylish Bar Boulud, the romantic Fleur de Sel, and the comfortable, time-worn Capsouto Freres. L'ABSINTHE brings Paris to the Upper East Side.

Chef-owner J ean-Michel Bergougnoux, who worked at Troisgros in France and Lutece in New York, opened this brasserie in 1995. His menu offers an extensive raw bar, sturdy French classics such as coq au vin and sole rneuniere, and a well-selected charcuterie plate. Most of the main courses cost less than $30, and more than half the bottles on the 285-selection wine list are less than $100.

L'Absinthe hews faithfully but not too literally to its traditions.

With an art nouveau decor, abundant flowers and warm light, it is a lively and comfortable place to eat simply and enjoy the parade of life around you.

There are many talented French chefs working in New York. In my experience, the one who has most successfully integrated per­sonal creativity with classic haute cuisine is Daniel Boulud. I first tasted Boulud's food when he was cooking at Le Cirque in the late 1980s, helping to make it the era's hottest restaurant. Now he over­sees half a dozen restaurants in New York, Las Vegas and Florida. Fittingly, his flagship restaurant, DANIEL, has taken over the Park Avenue space once home to Le Cirque.

Boulud's dishes change frequently, but all share major virtues: excellent ingredients, creative juxtapositions, complex flavors and impeccable executions. Each bite leaves you happy and curious for the next taste. Take frogs' legs, an iconic dish in France. Boulud's version is a study in paired contrasts: the meat, potatoes, watercress and garlic are all prepared two ways. The dish is complex enough to make you think, and harmonious enough to make you smile. It is also beautifully wine-friendly.

And of course there's much more: tender agnolotti with Fontina cheese and aromatic white truffles; the latest version of Boulud's signature black sea bass with red-wine sauce; gamy wild hare from Scotland with a blood-infused civet sauce; local venison bright with juniper and a daikon choucroute.

The 1,800-selection wine list earned a Wine Spectator Grand Award in 2002. It concentrates on France, with great depth at the high end. A 15-vintage vertical of Chateau Latour, direct from the chateau's cellar, includes the 1961 ($7,800) and the 1959 ($5,680). But there are also savvy selections from around the world, includ­ing a Lioco Chardonnay Sonoma County 2006 ($50) that made a fine match with those frogs' legs. Wine director Daniel [ohnnes leads a team of expert sommeliers.

Restaurant Daniel delivers both edification and delight. If you can wrench your attention away from the plate to gaze around the room, you'll see a whole community of diners united in the happy culture of haute cuisine.

hile New York's French restaurants deliver varia­tions on a consistent theme, another group of chef: has embraced an extraordinary diversity of culinary influences to create a mosaic that has coalesced into what is known as New American cuisine.

The genre's modem origins date to the Four Seasons, opened in 1959 with the guidance of lames Beard to showcase seasonal and regional flavors. Tom Colicchio, who provided my first taste of basil ice cream at Mondrian in 1982, has spread the gospel of fine ingredients simply prepared through his empire of Craft restaurants around the country. Thomas Keller, who left New York in the 1980s, returned in triumph in 2004 with Per Se, perhaps the highest expression of the genre so far.

The latest twist is the "locavore" ethos: menus focused largely on local and seasonal foods hand-selected at New York's wonder-

ful farmers' markets or sourced from nearby farms. I live in Brook­lyn, home to many of these taste crusaders, including Saul in Boerum Hill, the Grocery in Carroll Gardens, and Applewood and Rose Water in Park Slope.

The most influential in this vanguard has been BLUE HILL,........., opened by chef Dan Barber in a Greenwich Village townhouse in 2000. Barber also presides over Blue Hill Farm in Massachusetts, which supplies many of his vegetables, and the restaurant Blue Hill

at Stone Barns, part of a former Rockefeller estate in the Hudso ' River Valley that also serves as a model farm. While Barber has become an articulate spokesman for the movement's political wing, his Manhattan restaurant remains a lovely refuge of warm hospi­tality and homey food.

The menu, which changes frequently, lists about half a doze. appetizers and main courses, and often their provenance. Vegera­bles are main players, not afterthoughts; sauces are complex and deep. "Rabbi Bob's Hudson Valley veal" showcases local carrots and shiitake mushrooms, while the meaty veal bathes in a reduc­tion sauce redolent of baking spices.

The flavors are assertive, with many tart and sweet notes, but wine director Claire Paparazzo's 125-selection list has the versatil­ity to handle them. It is broken into stylistic categories, from "crisp and bright" whites (such as Pelle Menetou-Salon 2007 for $48), to "big and bold" reds. Paparazzo deftly matches dishes to wine cat: egories, but given a free hand, takes more chances. She paired Sean H. Thackrey's Pleiade XVI, an exuberant blend of Carignane, Pe­tite Sirah, Sangiovese and Viognier, with the veal; the wine used the spicy sauce as a launching pad and blasted off into a funky fla­vor explosion. America, even on the plate, has never been for the faint of heart.

COOKSHOP offers a more casual and less expensive, but not less committed, version of the genre. Chef-owner Marc Meyer, who worked for Larry Forgione, one of the pioneers of New American cuisine, opened Five Points in Greenwich Village in 1999 with his

wife, Vicki Freeman, and then Cookshop in 2005.                             ~

Cookshop's menu is full of bold, down-home flavors. Salty fried

hominy, a juicy, mineral-scented steak from grass-fed cattle, and Vermont cheeses from organic milk all make you feel as if you're eating on a farm. And don't think of skipping dessert-the maple flan and chocolate cake are incredibly satisfying.

Richard Luftig's 125-labellist wine list matches the food step for step, emphasizing artisanal producers and organic ingredients. Prices tap out around $200, with about half the selections priced at less than $50.

The decor is as solid and plainspoken as the food, with simple wooden tables, an open kitchen, and a chalkboard that lists the farms whose produce is featured. Floor-to-ceiling windows open onto l.Oth Avenue and 20th Street in the heart of Chelsea's gallery district. The neighborhood is not fancy, but its unassuming ware-

_ take on the Craftsman style; the young staff is friendly and in­formed. It may not look like much from the street, but as modest rock clubs have nurtured seminal bands, so WO-50 is turning out some of New York's most exciting food.

THE RIVER CAFE, on the other hand, could easily be mistaken for one of those tourist-driven destinations that depend on their amazing location to print money, making little effort to deliver great food or good value. But in fact, rhiscoaypiano' bar' with a magnificent view was a pioneer in the development of New American cuisine 'aria is still among the top rank of its' practitioners. _

6~~e~-Mi~ha~i "Buz;y"6'K~efeopened the resrauraritiiJ. 1'977, in a small barge anchored directly under the Brooklyn Bridge, when the Bro~klynwa:terfront was more Marlon Bra~do than million-

_ aires' condos. For the restaurant's 30th anniversary dinner, its for­mer chefs returned to cook, an all-star team of American cuisine:

Larry Forgione ~.1979-1983), Charlie Palmer (1983-1987), Oavid Burke (1987-1992) and Rick Laakkonen 0994-2000).

Current chef Brad Steelman has remained faithful to the ingre­dients-driven approach of his predecessors, but his menu is bold

Discovering a great restaurant is like-.-arriving at a destination you might not even have known you were searching for.

and enticing. Tender duck breast, glazed with fennel pollen- and white truffle-infused honey, is accompanied by bok choy and carrots with a rich yet subtle sauce. Portions are very generous, justifying the price tag of $98 for three courses.

]oseph OeLissio has been wine director since the beginning. He was an early champion of American wines and today offers Cabernet in a range of styles and vintages, from Screaming Eagle 2001 ($3,000) to FreemarkAbbey 1968 ($410). The 650-selection list also ranges widely, with savvy choices from Spain, Italy ‘and France.

The dining room is beautiful, with low light glowing off polished wood, but defers to the view across the East River to the Manhat­tan skyline and the Statue of Liberty beyond. It makes every meal a special occasion, even as the friendly staff treats every diner like a regular. It may sound corny, but the River Cafe makes me happy to be in New York, and, from a culinary point of view, proud to be an American.

- A 11 the restaurants I’ve discussed so far care deeply about wine. But there are those restaurants that give wine pride of place, and structure the rest of the dining’ experience to support an extraordinary cellar. New

York currently boasts seven restaurants with Grand Awards, Wine Spectator‘s‘ highest honor for wine lists, That’s more than any other –” city and represents nearly 1 0 percent of all the current Grand Award_ holders in the world.

The most recent winners are built around private cellars assem­bled by owner-investors. They feature small, luxurious dining

rooms, creative chefs who know how to showcase the flavors of great wine, and talented, experienced sommeliers who have become stars in their own right. The pioneer was Veritas, which opened in 1998; it now counts 192,000 bottles in its inventory, the experienced Tim Kopec, formerly of Montrachet, as wine director, and a~ exciting new chef, Gregory Pugin.

CRU opened in 2004 and earned its Grand Award in 2005. Its cellar of 145,000 bottles draws heavily from the collection of owner Roy Welland, and offers more than 4,000 selections in two leather­bound volumes. It’s hard to find a weakness in a list that offers more than 125 white Burgundies from the Montrachet grand CTU family,

and nearly 50 bottlings of Guigal’s single-vineyard Cote-Roties. And beyond these classics and rarities, there are 500 bottles at $100 or less, all chosen with care.

This extraordinary collection is cu­rated by Robert Bohr, who is assisted by sommelier Michel Couvreux (pre­viously of Le Bernardin). They work with a knowledgeable and personable waitstaff to create a seamless dining experience. The small, comfortable dining room is a sober study in cream and brown, with a large wooden ere­denza giving it the feel of a library­whose shelves are filled with stem­ware and decanters.

It’s a subdued atmosphere, but chef Shea Gallante’s food supplies some fireworks. He trained with Lidia Bas­tianich at Felidia (a former Grand Award winner) and David Bouley. His menu at Cru moves from clean, focused presentations (crude, foie gras terrine), to richer, homier flavors (pastas), to more experimental dishes based on tra­ditional centerpieces such as sole and venison. The food shows creativity, even daring, yet always matches well with wine. Cru’s list makes it a destination for wine lovers, but the quality of the food and service make it an outstanding experience for everyone.

New York has long loved Italian food, but its Italian restaurants rarely aimed for the upper echelon of fine dining occupied by the French restaurants, and they seldom built serious wine lists. There have been exceptions, though. Barbetta, opened in 1906 and still in the Maioglio family, claims to have introduced risotto, white truffles and Barbaresco to New York. Alto, which opened in 2005 and now holds a Grand Award, has 37,000 bottles in the cellar, overseen by Eric Zillier, formerly of Veritas, while chef Michael White turns out creative Italian food.

DEL POSTO is a full-throared opera on a grand stage. Opened in 2005, enormous and luxurious, it is the most ambitious project yet by chef Mario Batali and his business partner ]oseph Bastianich, along with Bastianich’s mother, Lidia. Batali and Bastianich’s col­lection of New York restaurants includes Babbo, Esca, Lupa and Otto. Del Posto not only serves great food, it makes a convincing argu­ment that Italian cuisine deserves respect at the highest level.

“11 Menu del Poste” (four courses for $95) presents the basic Italian meal: antipasti.tpasta (two different dishes), main course and dessert. Brilliantly executed by Mark Ladner, the progression allows you to taste classic Italian flavors brightened with contem­porary creativity.

My favorites are hearty dishes with earthy flavors. Most use very few principal flavors, relying on the quality of the ingredients and aiming for harmony rather than complexity. A meaty, juicy pork chop picks up a fresh green note from winter savory and lively acid­ity from persimmon. The dish is simple yet balanced.

This is food that loves wine, and the 25,OOO-bottle cellar, over­seen by wine director Morgan Rich, covers Italy like a detailed road

map. The great strength is Piedmont, with nearly 400 Barolos and more than 100 Barbarescos. Less expensive gems can be found from Veneto, Campania and Sicily. Del Posto, which earned a Grand Award in 2008, has taken its place among New York’s best restau­rants-and the top Italian restaurants in the country.

At tasa Mono, tanas-strle dishes such as bacalao aoaueus with orange aioli are paired with New York’s most exciting Spanish wine list.

In the past decade, a wave of wine bars has refreshed the city.

Generally small, casual and inexpensive and often focused on one or two wine regions, these lively places offer eclectic selections and surprisingly serious food. Having lived in Spain, I am particularly drawn to Bar [amon and Cas a Mono. Owned by Batali and Basti­anich in partnership with chef Andy Nusser and Nancy Selzer, these two places combine to offer the most exciting array of Span­ish wine in the city.

CASA MONO occupies a small, cheerful space with colorful cracked-tile floors, wine racks from floor to ceiling and simple wooden tables. The restaurant is lively, loud and crowded. Next door is Bar [amon, even smaller and simpler but just as lively, where you can enjoy a glass of wine and some serrano ham or Manchego cheese.

Nusser, formerly at Babbo, delivers powerful flavors in small portions, the most expensive at $19, that feature creative riffs on traditional themes. Bacalao croquetas are crisp outside and fluffy inside, the salty cod balanced by a bright orange aioli. Fideos, soft Catalan noodles, are savory with chorizo and clams. This is rich, rustic food; order tripe, cock’s comb or sweetbreads and you’ll mop the plate every time.

The SOO-selection wine list explores every nook and cranny in Spain, offering both traditional and new wave-style wines. In Rioja, for example, you can compare the defiantly anachronistic R. L6pez de Heredia Vifia Tondonia Gran Reserva 1964 ($410) with the powerful, modern Bodegas Muga Torre Muga 2004 ($195). To explore more widely, sample among a dozen wines offered by the cuarto, a small decanter that holds about 8 ounces ($12 to $33).

I am often asked to name my favorite restaurant, but that’s an impossible question to answer. As with wine, it all depends on con­text. My favorite for what occasion? In which neighborhood? For what price? In this story, I have selected a dozen restaurants that capture New York’s culinary spirit today. They are all “favorites.” But one seamlessly combines elements of all three categories:

ELEVEN MADISON PARK.

The restaurant’s location is deeply intertwined with the city and its his­tory. It occupies the ground floor of the landmark Metropolitan Life tower on lower Madison Avenue, which looks across the small, lovely Madison Square Park (home of the original Madison Square Garden) to the his­toric Flatiron Building.

The restaurant, which opened in 1998, maintains this connection. The high-ceilinged space retains the Art Deco majesty of its 1930s construc­tion and benefits from huge windows that face onto the park. The decor features well-spaced tables, enormous floral arrangements and a collection of beautiful decanters: Paintings and photographs of old New York add to the historical ambience.

The food, always good, has reached an extraordinary level since chef

Daniel Humm arrived in 2006. Born in Switzerland, Humm trained in Michelin palaces that honed impeccable techni­cal skills. He previously worked at Camp­ton Place in San Francisco, where he learned American tastes and ingredients. Only 31, he has the physical energy to match his creative vision-he ran his first marathon last year in New York, finishing in less than three hours.

The meal begins with.an assortment of jewel-like canapes. Colorful and pre­cise, they might include cucumber and smoked salmon, or a fois gras tart glazed with fruit jelly, or a warm cornet of veal sweetbread, They show the focus, inven­tiveness and plain hard work that ani­mate the entire menu,

Hawaiian prawns are served with grilled sea scallops and cauliflower “cous­COllS,” then finished with a light, intense crustacean jus, poured at the table, The earthy cauliflower (tiny pearls on top of a creamy flan) and the savory sauce set off the sweetness of the shellfish, the fla­vors deep yet delicate. More gutsy is a roast loin of Colorado lamb, with crosnes, carrots and crisp fried lamb sweetbreads. The cumin­scented sauce, again poured tableside, is extraordinary,

These dishes are balanced perfectly for wine. Wine director John Ragan came with Humm from Campton Place, and he has expanded the wine list from fewer than 400 selections (in 2001) to its current 1,525 selections. It covers the world, but Burgundy

is its strong point, with alluring rarities such as a selection of whites from the Cote de Nuits (Marc Roy Marsannay Blanc Champs Perdrix is $70), and depth such as 16 grands crus from Vosne­Romanee (Meo-Carnuzet Richebourg 1989 is $1,750).

Wine service is impeccable, and the servers in general are friendly yet ex­tremely professional, rarely missing a beat or making an ungraceful move. That’s to be expected, as Eleven Madi­son Park is part of the Danny Meyer group (which also includes such stand­outs as Union Square Cafe and Ora­mercy Tavern), known for an emphasis on hospitality.

Eleven Madison Park is performing at an extraordinary level, yet remains slightly under the radar, compared with Midtown stars such as Le Bernardin or media darlings such as Blue Hill. Perhaps this combination is responsible for its clientele, which is sophisticated yet relaxed, enjoying their meals and each other’s company. Joining them in that airy room, especially at lunch, when natural light pours through the windows, I always feel as though I have found the very heart of this great city.

For someone who loves food and wine, discovering a great res­taurant is like arriving at a destination you didn’t even know you were searching for; suddenly you feel at home. These restaurants make me feel at home. I trust they will welcome you as well.