• 
  

  Blue Fin

  1567 Broadway, 10036, at 47th St., 212-918-1400

  The space is stunning but not intimidating, the staff is ingratiating, and the clientele mirrors Times Square’s weirdly inspired marriage of buffed-up business and soft-scrubbed entertainment. And if the staircase doesn’t get ’em, then Paul Sale’s intelligent, touching-all-bases seafood-and-sushi menu will.

• Judson Grill

  152 W. 52nd St., 10019, between Sixth and Seventh Aves., 212-582-5252

  The soaring room and oversize flower arrangements perfectly evoke the grand scale people imagine when they think of New York. The infectious energy derived from a room humming with the collective sounds of little songs and dances being pitched is equally memorable. But Bill Telepan’s unabashedly celebratory, hearty American fare closes the deal.

• The Sea Grill

  Rockefeller Center, 19 West 49th St., 10020, between Fifth and Sixth Aves., 212-332-7610

  Rockefeller Center is somewhere you don’t think twice about taking the kids. But for grown-ups, the Grill, looking out on the 14-karat Prometheus, is an efficient yet unhurried place to meet, offering well-executed seafood classics. And in the colder months, watching those skaters sure covers a lot of dead spots in the conversation.

• Fresco by Scotto

  34 E. 52nd St., 10022, between Park and Madison Aves., 212-935-3434

  So your client still thinks New York is a cold, hard town? Drop him. Or take him here. Marion Scotto e famiglia have turned a big midtown restaurant into your favorite neighborhood trattoria. The portions are generous, the flavors almost as boisterous as the crowd, and the desserts fabulously vulgar. If your client still isn’t impressed, then you should drop him.

From the 2003 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine