There's nothing more New York than going to a big show at the Garden, a fight in Felt Forum, or a Knicks or Rangers game. But -- and this is the important thing -- where do you eat afterwards?
The best thing about the Tick-Tock diner is, obviously, it's name and general appearance, but it's a rock-solid place in its ability to deliver all the great diner standards: meat loaf, club sandwiches, jello, you name it.
The Eighth Avenue Blarney Stone is in many ways the quintessential New York old-time Irish Bar. The steam tables are filled with corned beef and pastrami, and the room is filled with local workers, as opposed to mindless, shreiking bros six months out of Duke. Hopefully it stays that way.
Keens is so impossibly authentic that it's easy to overlook how beautifully art-directed it is -- a homage and, really, an improvement of the genre. Yes, it's been around a million years and yes, it sells a signature item that nobody has liked in forty years, but Keens benefits from hindsight. That, and a matchless collection of Scotch whiskies.
Wonjo is the best Korean bbq restaurant in Manhattan, period. Why? Because somehow they are still allowed to use live coals, and live coals make all the difference.
This high-end Irish bar near MSG caters to a more upscale crowd than the usual O'Hallorans-type joint, and has better food than it needs to have, which is always nice to see.
Cho Dang Gol isn't the final word in grilled marinated meats in K-Town (that would be Donjo) but it's probably the finest restaurant over all, and a great introduction to Korean food.
It's called a Tavern, but this is a full-fledged restaurant / steakhouse, and one of the better ones in this part of Manhattan. A great choice to go after a Knicks or Rangers game.
Michael White's venture in haute provencal cuisine -- some Italian, some French -- is a culinary triumph, albeit in a somewhat sterile city. The room is big and quiet though, and makes a great spot for an elegant, sunlit breakfast.
When it was announced that Daniel Humm and Will Guidera of Eleven Madison Park were going to do the restaurant at the Nomad hotel, everyone assumed it would be ultra-refinedd modernist food, as at EMP -- but no! Instead Humm has gone for an understated, urbane, and traditional menu, albeit one prepared with immense behind-the-scenes innovations. The atmosphere is swanky and the food perfect every time out. I actually like Humm's food in a more dressed-down form. The Library lounge is a can't miss drinking spot.