Lot 61 looks disconcertingly like just another barn-size trendatorium. But its tasty menu, appealing space, and expert service make it a real crowd-pleaser.

Tavern on the Green is the mother of all tourist restaurants, but after two decades dazzling out-of-towners, it pines for hometown cred.

Terence Conran's latest venture, Guastavino's, fills the spectacular space under the 59th Street bridge with a boisterous crowd -- and food that doesn't yet perk up.

Rising from the gray mediocrity of Mortimer's, Orsay is an unexpected oasis of comfort and culinary verve in the stolid heart of the Upper East Side.

All gleaming surfaces and pale palettes, Cena's décor doesn't break new ground. Chef Normand Laprise's menu, however, is both understated and surprising.

Blue Fin
1567 Broadway, at 47th Street
(212-918-1400).

Steve Hanson nets the Upper East Side singles at his Atlantic Grill.

Maroons 244 West 16th Street (212-206-8640).
ViceVersa 325 West 51st Street (212-399-9291).