Frommer's best bets for dining in New York

updated 12:24 p.m. ET May 1, 2006

Attention, foodies: Welcome to your mecca. Without a doubt, New York is the best restaurant town in the country, and one of the finest in the world. Other cities might have particular specialties, but no other culinary capital spans the globe so successfully as the Big Apple.

New Yorkers can be fickle: One moment a restaurant is hot; the next it's passé. So restaurants close with a frequency we wish applied to the arrival of subway trains. Always call ahead.

But there's one thing we all have to face sooner or later: Eating in New York isn't cheap. The primary cause? The high cost of real estate, which is reflected in what you're charged. Wherever you're from, particularly if you hail from the reasonably priced American heartland, New York's restaurants will seem expensive. Yet good value abounds, especially if you're willing to eat ethnic, and venture beyond tourist zones into the neighborhoods like Chinatown, the East Village, Harlem, and even the Upper West Side. Still, we've included inexpensive restaurants in every neighborhood, including some of the city's best-kept secrets, so you'll know where to get good value for your money no matter where you are in Manhattan.

THE MOST UNFORGETTABLE DINING EXPERIENCES

Chanterelle, 2 Harrison St. (tel. 212/966-6960). You'll be made to feel very special here from the impeccable, personalized service in a simple but lovely room to the exquisitely prepared food. Other restaurants try, but this is how it's supposed to be.

Eleven Madison Park, 11 Madison Ave. (tel. 212/889-0905). Higher praise has consistently gone to chef/restaurateur Danny Meyer's other restaurants, Gramercy Park Tavern and Union Square Café, so this gem is often overlooked, which is a shame. It is a magnificent restaurant on every level. The Art Deco room is spectacular, the service almost otherworldly, and the food truly memorable.

Ben Fink The dining room at Devi

The River Café, 1 Water St., Brooklyn (tel. 718/522-5200). Located at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn, there is no better dining view of Manhattan. Go at twilight as the lights of downtown begin to flicker on; it's a magical experience. Though the food at restaurants with views is usually not very good, you won't be disappointed by the sophisticated fare prepared here.

Atelier, in the Ritz-Carlton, Central Park, 50 Central Park South (tel. 212/521-6125). This beautiful restaurant is one of the few in New York where you can actually converse with your companion. But you may not want to talk and just concentrate on the fantastic food.

Aquavit, 65 E. 55th St. (tel. 212/307-7311). Though its new digs are not nearly as charming as its former town house setting, the service and the food are as good as ever.

Big Wong King, 67 Mott St. (tel. 212/964-0540). For the quintessential Chinatown experience. You'll share tables with Chinese families, order huge bowls of congee with fried crullers, plates of stir-fried vegetables, and heaping platters of roast pork and duck. I guarantee it will be an unforgettable dining experience.

BEST NEW RESTAURANTS

BLT Steak, 106 E. 57th St. (tel. 212/752-7470). Chef Laurent Tourendel has put his spin on the steakhouse and it's a winner. Though not your traditional men's club steakhouse, the meat is as good as I've had at any of those other testosterone-fueled red meat joints.

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Devi, 8 E. 18th St. (tel. 212/691-1300). There are so many Indian restaurants in New York, I didn't think I could experience anything different in terms of Indian cuisine, but Devi's menu is an eye-opener and the food as flavorful as it gets.

Abboccato, 136 W. 55th St. (tel. 212/265-4000). The newest addition from the owners of the excellent Molyvos and Oceana, Abboccato offers an exciting, rustic Italian menu. I'd go back just for another taste of the spaghettini with razor clams and mullet roe.

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