Rock Center Cafe

The iconic outdoor skating rink in New York's Rockefeller Center turns into the Rock Center Cafe, a casual outdoor restaurant that is perfect for lunch, dinner and especially happy hour. They feature daily drink specials and light entrees at both the larger tables with wait service as well as at the bar. I was here twice over the summer, once with my roommates for a small bite to eat after work one evening and another time with my brother and his girlfriend for a late-afternoon cocktail.
Here's a look at their MENU.
Located at 20 W. 50th St; near 5th Ave [MAP]
Their hours change depending on the season...
Jan-Sept: Mon-Fri, 7:30am - 10:30pm; Sat, 11am - 11pm; Sun, 11am - 10pm
Oct-Nov 15th: Mon-Fri. 7:30am - 10pm; Sat, 11am - 10pm; Sun, 11am - 9pm
Nov. 16h - Dec: Mon-Thurs, 7:30am - 10pm; Fri, 7:30am - 11pm; Sat, 11am - 11pm; Sun, 10am - 10pm

Cafe St. Barts

Cafe St. Barts was one of my first outdoor dining experience in NYC three years ago and to this day hold it as one of my favorite New York spots. My favorite part of this cafe is the fact that it's on the patio of St. Bartholomew's church on Park Avenue.
It's a great place to meet for drinks and a light dinner.
However, they also host brunch and lunch. Click HERE to see their menu.

The Smith

Opened in 2007, The Smith quickly become an East Village hangout serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner every day. Opened by Glenn Harris and Jeffrey Lefcourt, owners of Corner Table Restaurants, who also owns Jane, an American bistro in Greenwich Village. All Corner Table Restaurants are committed to using local, natural, organic and sustainable ingredients.Located on 3rd Ave. between 10th & 11th Streets, The Smith offers seven amazing menus- one for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, drinks, Sunday brunch, drinks and delivery. I recently visiting The Smith for dinner and drinks with a few friends. The dinner menu has a great variety, definitely offers something for everyone from Mac + Cheese to Chicken Pot Pie. The menu is divided into six sections- Starters, Main Courses, Salads & Sandwiches, Steaks, Pasta and Sides. I ordered the Mediterranean Salad and really liked it but everyone else loved their entrees as well which included the Pork Chop (served with crispy potatoes, baby portobellos and bacon bordalaise) and Diver Scallops (served with asparagus, leeks, truffled, spring pea puree).
Also noteworthy are the drinks which included Muddlers, Fancy Cocktails, Long Pours, Bourbon/Whiskey, Draft and Bottled Beer. I loved both the Belini and the Blood Orange Mimosa.
The open atmosphere, casual classic American menu and late night hours reminded me of Cafeteria. (The Smith is open until midnight on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays, 1am on Wednesdays and Thursday but open until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays.) FYI: Reservations are accepted and you may need them for dinner but not really needed for breakfast or lunch.

Poll Results: Meeting up with Friends...

When meeting up with friends the majority of Gossip Street readers prefer to go to dinner rather than brunch, lunch or happy hour. What's your vote? Make your vote count, vote HERE.
I've created a new poll (see left) asking what is your go-to drunk food? Vote HERE.

Josie's

There are two Josie's restaurants in NYC, one on the West side (the original location) and one of the East side. but the owner and executive chef, Louis Lanza, is the man behind two other NYC establishments, Citrus Bar & Grill and Josephina. Lanza is known for his creative dairy-free menus that use all organic ingredients as well as free range meats. All of the restaurants offer amazing food for health conscious Manhattanites- Josie's and Josephina feature American cuisine while Citrus serves Latin dishes with an Asian flair.
Josie's restaurant serves healthy and wholesome dishes throughout the day- brunch, lunch and dinner. I have had lunch at Josie's East in Murry Hill and dinner at Josie's West (the original Josie's located at Amsterdam and 74th St). I was impressed with their lunch offerings like the Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, Steamed Organic Spiced Edamame, Steamed Potato & Broccoli Dumplings, Pan-Seared Spicy Organic Black Bean Dumplings and the Vegetable Stir-Fry. However, I must admit that I had the most filling dinner dish I've ever had when I dined at Josie's West for dinner. I ordered the Veggie Plate Deluxe- wok sauteed greens served over a roasted winter squash, grilled vegetables, roasted beets and organic tamari brown rice.
I definitely recommend either of the Josie's restaurants and look forward to trying Josephina and Citrus.

Extra Virgin

Extra Virgin is a West Village neighborhood gem located at 259 West 4th St. (between Charles & Perry St). As one could guess from their name, the restaurant offers a variety of extra virgin oils from around the world. Aside from the array of olive oil, chef Joey Fortunato serves quality Mediterranean dishes like Roasted Artichoke Parmesan and a Greek Salad which is served with hearts of palm, feta cheese, tomatoes, chickpeas, kalamata olives, red onion, cucumber and hummus crostini. My cousin ordered the Mustard Crusted Virgin Chicken served with sweet pea risotto, cippolini onions and truffle broth. Even Whitney Port and her boyfriend have been seen eating at Extra Virgin in an episode of The City.
Check out this video of the restaurant.
Open for dinner every night of the week, lunch Tuesdays-Fridays and brunch on the weekends from 11am-4pm.

Cafe Cluny

Cafe Cluny was new to NYC in the Fall of 2006 and immediately become a West Village hot spot. The success of Cafe Cluny comes as no surprise as it is owned by Lynn Wagenknecht, Judi Wong, and Steven Abramowitz, the team behind The Odeon and Cafe Luxembourg.

The place is charming, with cream colored walls, crown molding a cozy bar in the front room and a larger dining area in the back room. There are several interesting and playful details about the restaurant like the giant wooden cockroach clinched to the ceiling above our table, and the portraits of Graydon, Ian, Diane, et al., sketched by a Central Park artist [source: Daily Candy].

Cafe Cluny does not take reservations so while we waited for our table we sat at the bar and sipped hot chocolate. I was impressed that they served three different kinds- fat free, soy and whole milk.

For brunch I had the Homemade Granola with berries and yogurt on the side, my sister had an egg white omelet with goat cheese and a side salad while my cousin had Brioche French Toast with berries and Vermont maple syrup.

Mondays thru Fridays Cafe Cluny is open for breakfast from 8am-11am, lunch from 11:30am-3pm, and dinner from 9pm-midnight. On the weekends it's open for brunch from 9am until 4pm and for dinner from 5:30-11pm.
Location: 284 W. 12th Street

Toast Bakery Cafe

On the corner of 3rd & Harper Streets is Toast Bakery Cafe that serves delicious food from 7:30am until 10pm every day of the week, except for Thursdays. During all open hours patrons can order breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert. Three other friends and I went to dinner here, from what we ordered I recommend the grown-up version of a grilled cheese called "Not Your Mom's Grilled Cheese" which consists of a blend of mozzarella and feta cheese with sun-dried tomatoes and basil; the Carrot-Ginger vegan soup, and the Tucson Salad (I asked for no grilled chicken and no buttermilk dressing) beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, basil, sharp cheddar, and crispy corn tortilla strips. Although I did not order dessert, I heard that the Red Velvet cupcakes are comparable to Sprinkles Cupcakes.
Additional notes: within the bakery cafe there is a clothing store, it was closed when I visited but I've heard it a good spot. Also, right across the street from Toast is Electric Karma, which is rumored to be the best Indian restaurant in LA.
Just saw this on UsWeekly.com... Shenae Grimes from 90210 frequents here!

Tre

Tre opened early in 2008 and is located at 173 Ludlow St. in the West Village. I wasn't aware the modern Italian restaurant was so new when I dined there this past February. Even though our food was great, it would also be a great place to just stop in and grab a drink.

I recommend the Insalata Di Spinaci (baby spinach salad, feta cheese, cucumber, tomato and peppers) and the Carpaccio Di Bietola (thinly sliced red beet, fried goat cheese ballas, with mango dressing).

Reservations for Tre can be made at OpenTable.com.

Nero

Nero is a fabulous restaurant located at the corner of Gansevoort St. and Greenwich St., right across the street from The Gansevoort Hotel. The decor is romantic, dimly lit and exposed brick. Recommended dishes include Insalata di Rucola (roasted beets, herb goat cheese, honey vinaigrette) and the grilled organic salmon served with garlic whipped potatoes and a variety of Mediterranean vegetables.

Nolita House

This is a great spot for brunch, lunch, and happy hour!

I didn't have the Mac & Cheese but it looked fantastic and got rave reviews all around.

Also those who had the French Toast gleamed with excitement when the waiter served it and throughout the meal.

The Nolita House is conveniently located at the tip of Soho at 47 E. Houston Street. You can make reservations online at Open Table, check out the menus before hand and more!

Freemans

Dining at the NY hotspot usually means you'll be waiting for up to 2 hrs. for a table... unless, that is, you get there right as their dinner service is beginning (6pm). Arriving early enough, two friends and I were seated at a prime table, getting a view of everyone who came in and all those waiting at the bar. Our waiter was very friendly and attentive while we debated over what we wanted to order. We finally decided to order the Hot Artichoke Dip with Crisp Bread as an appetizer, which was fluffier than most artichoke dips I've had which was great! For dinner we shared the soup of the day- butternut squash (so good!), and two salads that we shared- I couldn't find them on the online menu but they were good!
(End of Freeman Allye; off of Rivington between the Bowery and Chrystie- it's a bit hard to find, but worth the search!)

Cipriani- Downtown (376 W. Broadway)Late on a Monday night this hot spot was still completely packed with uber chic New Yorks. Even as we arrived around 9:30 p.m. for dessert everyone around us was just ordering their entrees. This is a great place to people watch- all day, really, from brunch to desserts & nightcaps.

Ideya (349 W. Broadway btw. Broome & Grande)
After dessert at Cipriani I stumbled upon Ideya, drawn in by the Latin flavored live music and dancing which I heard and saw through the front door as I stood across the street. Live music, salsa dancing and a delicious mjiots was such a pleasant surprise on a random Monday night.