The Metropolitan Museum Of Art
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- Centolire
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1167 Madison Ave., 212-734-7711
Pino Luongo (the Mario Batali of his era) is personally slinging the linguine these days, and the food’s better than ever. Do not miss the sea-salt roast chicken.
Shakespeare In The Park
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- Onera
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222 W. 79th St., 212-873-0200
Give this modern-Greek kitchen 48 hours notice, and you can feast on the $65 offal-tasting menu, which includes goat brains and calf’s tongue; but refined à la carte dishes like goat-cheese manti, sea urchin with haloumi fondue, and braised-goat moussaka are equally impressive.
Lincoln Center
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- Telepan
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72 W. 69th St., 212-580-4300
Bill (Mr. Local) Telepan melds haute-American technique with the hearty flavors of his Hungarian ancestry, and his wine director makes the most of a deep and intriguing cellar.
Carnegie Hall
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- Yakitori Totto
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251 W. 55th St., 212-245-4555
Once you get over the fact that nothing goes to waste at this friendly Japanese skewered-chicken specialist, you’ll marvel at what you’ve been missing—namely, nicely charred chicken tail, skin, even “soft knee bone,” as well as breast, wing, and thigh.
Theater District
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- Esca
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402 W. 43rd St., 212-564-7272
Try to book your show tickets in conjunction with wild-salmon season (May to July). No one has more respect for the genuine article than fisherman-chef Dave Pasternack who, along with partner Mario Batali, invented crudo as we know it.
Madison Square Garden
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- Camino Sur
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336 W. 37th St., 212-695-4600
This sleeper Pan-Latino restaurant lights up a bleak garment-district block with haute arepas, empanadas, a first-rate rib eye with chimichurri, and expertly muddled mojitos.
West Chelsea Galleries
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- Tía Pol
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205 Tenth Ave., 212-675-8805
Because sometimes nothing you see on any walls looks as artful as Alex Raij’s seasonally inspired specials.
Jury Duty
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- New Yeah Shanghai Deluxe
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65 Bayard St., 212-566-4884
We might bolt into Blaue Gans for a quick wienerwurst, but in Chinatown, it’s hard to resist the unctuous lure of Yeah’s glazed- and-braised pork shoulder.
Yankee Stadium
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- Feeding Tree
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892 Gerard Ave., the Bronx; 718-293-5025
An estimable curried goat, a toothsome jerk chicken, and a bubbling oxtail stew all within out-of-the-park slugging distance of the house that Ruth built.
Shea Stadium
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- Sentosa
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39-07 Prince St., Flushing; 718-886-6331
For Malaysian food worth riding the 7 train one stop out of your way: a dependably flaky roti canai, a nicely spiced beef rendang, and a bevy of shaved-ice concoctions riddled with beans, seeds, and syrups.
Brooklyn Academy of Music
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- Convivium Osteria
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68 Fifth Ave., Park Slope, Brooklyn; 718-857-1833
Thomas Beisl is closer, but who doesn’t like to stretch their legs before a hefty dose of Scandinavian realism? The tripartite Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese menu is as rustic and appealing as the room.
Where Should I Eat Before ‘Spamalot’?
The best places to chow down in the Theater District, near the Garden, and more.
From the 2006 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine