Restaurant Roundup: 5 to Try Before You Die!

New York City beckons foodies from around the world to try the best traditional dishes as well as new fusion cuisine at the world's best restaurants. There are so many great restaurants just around the corner from my no-fee apartment, I only wish I could sample them all! Here are 5 of the city’s best:

Tavern on the Green

This Central Park Landmark not only serves great cuisine but offers picturesque views of Central Park. Originally opened in 1934, the restaurant has undergone a series of transformations throughout the years, enabling it to remain a place to see and be seen. Naysayers malign the "touristness" of this historic site, but it is an experience everyone should have! Try the traditional dishes like prime rib or pork chop and you will be sure to be satisfied.

Pastis

You may forget you are still in New York if you spend too long in this restaurant! When I want to escape my New York apartment, I love going to this French-style brasserie, and with the surrounding cobblestone streets of the Meatpacking District, it’s easy to get lost in a reverie. They offer traditional French cuisine, sometimes with an American twist. This crowded hot spot is well worth the wait. Try the seared tuna Nicoise, or the moules frites au Pernod.

Momofuku Ssam Bar

Ssam means "anything that is encircled or wrapped." At first this contemporary style Asian-American fusion spot only served Asian-inspired burritos, but has now expanded the menu to include many delicious and interesting dishes. The menu changes frequently and features fresh, local produce, in addition to meat items labeled with which farm they are from. Try the Momofuku Ssam to taste this restaurant's signature dish.

L'Orange Bleu

The friendly staff at this interesting spot only enhance the great food and atmosphere. Some nights you will find belly dancers or exotic African drummers at this French and African-inspired joint. The mussels are quite good, or come for the $1 oysters during happy hour from 4-7pm daily!

Serendipity 3

This spot is known for its "Opulence Sundae" of Guinness World Record fame. It's a $1,000 dollar ice cream sundae with flecks of gold in it. Don’t worry though, the other menu items are slightly more affordable. The other recommended item is the frozen hot chocolate, which defies physics, but tastes amazing!

So while summer lasts, head out of your manhattan no-fee apartment and sample some of New York's best cuisine!

The High Line: High Flying on the West Side

Photo by Sam Felder via Flickr

As anyone who lives in a New York apartment knows, living in the city in summer can sometimes feel like a concrete clam bake. Fortunately this summer relief comes to the West Side in the form of a new and innovative public space project--the High Line.

Originally a freight track built to replace a ground level track responsible for so many pedestrian casualties that its section of 10th avenue was once known as “Death Avenue,” The High Line had been abandoned for nearly 30 years (the last train to pass through was a three car freight train in 1980 carrying frozen turkeys).

This year, thanks to a concerted urban planning effort, part of the 1.45 mile elevated track has finally reopened as a landscaped promenade and park, complete with over 210 plant species and breathtaking views of the Hudson River. This new lifeline of public green space only serves to enhance the already charming Meat Packing District and West Village, increasing Manhattan real estate market rates and providing a significant draw for both tourists and renters of NYC apartments!

The park is free and open to the public from 7am to 10pm daily, but there are rules: no bikes, rollerblades, segways or skateboards are allowed, and dogs are prohibited due to the young and fragile plant life.

Friends of the High Line, the founding group responsible for the park, projects the opening of the second section of the railway (from 20th to 30th streets), sometime in 2010. The third and last section (that wraps around the West Side Rail Yard) is privately owned and may or may not be slated for renewal. The group wants to save this historic property and give it the same green makeover!

So this summer if you're baking in a West Side Manhattan Apartment and you want relief. . .just look up!