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New York's Top 15 Closer Restaurants

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Want to seal the deal on your next date? Here's a list of 15 New York restaurants that will help. A lot.

2011_marea_first_date1.jpg15) Marea: This is where James Bond would go if he was on a date in New York — top notch seafood that's shipped in daily from around the world, a raw bar made of Egyptian onyx, and a list of expensive wines with hard-to-pronounce names. A pricey meal, but trust us, it will pay off in the long run. [Eater Place Page] [Photo: Krieger]

2011_blue_ribbon2.jpg14) Blue Ribbon Brasserie: The best restaurant to go to in New York if you're having a few drinks downtown, and you want to extend the evening with a meal. Make sure to get oysters and the bone marrow with oxtail marmalade to start. [Eater Place Page] [Photo]

2011_la_grenouille1.jpg13) La Grenouille: Fun fact 1: this French restaurant is name-dropped in Mad Men. Fun fact 2: La Grenouille is a lady-killer. Go for the full $98 dinner prix fixe, and save room for the souffles. [Photo: Krieger]

2011_raouls_first_date1.jpg12) Raoul's: Awesome steak frites, legendary martinis, and one of the most electric dining rooms in NYC. Raoul's is a notoriously loud restaurant, but it always feels like a party. [Eater Place Page] [Photo]

2011_blue_hill1.jpg11) Blue Hill: A favorite date night spot of happy couple Barack and Michelle Obama. Dan Barber's restaurant serves some of the most vibrant market-driven cuisine in the city, in a slyly romantic dining room. If you really hit it off, you can always plan a trip to Stone Barns, later down the road. [Eater Place Page] [Photo]

2011_rye_williamsburg1.jpg10) Rye: The best date spot in Williamsburg. The room is stylish and vaguely old-timey (the bar was featured in Boardwalk Empire), but the food is also very fine, and if you like, you can have a long, luxurious meal here. The porterhouse for two is the move. [Photo]

2011_raos_first_date_11.jpg9) Rao's: Getting a table is the hard part. But if you can, you'll be making your date an offer they can't refuse. [Eater Place Page] [Photo]

2011_ciano_1.jpg8) Ciano: Killer pastas, an incredible wine list and a totally sexy dining room, complete with huge chandeliers, exposed brick, and a big roaring fireplace. The only thing missing is a bear skin rug. [Eater Place Page][Photo]

2011_cafe_boulud.jpg 7) Cafe Boulud: If you take your date here after a few $20 cocktails at Bar Pleiades next door, they might think you're some sort of secret European aristocrat, which is always a good thing. Jackets suggested for the guys, dresses for the ladies. [Eater Place Page][Photo]

2011_dutch_first_date1.jpg6)The Dutch: It's only been open for 12 hours, but dude, it's The Dutch. The Carms won't steer you wrong. [Eater Place Page][Photo: Krieger]

2011_lure_fishbar1.jpg5) Lure Fishbar: It's hard to explain why, but nautically-themed restaurants are great for early dates, and there's no better pick for high-seas excitement than this cool Soho seafood restaurant. If you set sail with Captain Josh, you're guaranteed to see a next date off the starboard bow.[Eater Place Page][Photo: Krieger]

2011_the_red_cat1.jpg 4) The Red Cat: A favorite hangout of rich Chelsea residents that look like artists. It's a white tablecloth restaurant that feels like a casual neighborhood joint, and Jimmy Bradley's satisfying American food is executed with enough twists to give you something to talk about between bites. [Eater Place Page][Photo: Krieger]

2011_lambs_club_1.jpg 3) The Lambs Club: Geoffrey Zakarian's new restaurant in the Chatwal Hotel is the kind of place Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald would go if they lived in NYC, 2011. Get the pork shoulder ravioli. [Eater Place Page][Photo]

2011_kin_shop_nyc1.jpg2) Kin Shop: Right now, Kin shop is the very definition of a buzzy downtown hotspot. Harold Dieterle's Thai-influenced cooking is surprising and satisfying, in equal measures. If you don't have a reservation, the bar is a really fun place to dine. [Photo: Krieger]
[Eater Place Page]

2011_minetta_tavern1.jpg1) Minetta Tavern: The restaurant equivalent of Spanish Fly. If you can score a table here, Keith, Lee and Riad will take care of the rest. [Eater Place Page][Photo: Krieger]

Cafe Boulud

301 Australian Avenue, , FL 33480 (561) 655-6060 Visit Website

Marea

240 Central Park South, Manhattan, NY 10019 (212) 582-5100 Visit Website

Rao's

455 East 114th Street, Manhattan, NY 10029 (212) 722-6709 Visit Website

Ciano

45 East 22nd Street, New York, NY 10010 Visit Website

Blue Hill

75 Washington Place, Manhattan, NY 10011 (212) 539-1776 Visit Website

La Grenouille

3 East 52nd Street, Manhattan, NY 10022 (212) 752-1495 Visit Website

Rye

247 South 1st Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211 (718) 218-8047 Visit Website

Kin Shop

469 6th Avenue, New York, New York 10011 Visit Website

The Dutch

131 Sullivan Street, Manhattan, NY 10012 Visit Website

The Lambs Club

132 West 44th Street, Manhattan, NY 10036 (212) 997-5262 Visit Website

The Red Cat

227 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Minetta Tavern

113 MacDougal Street, Manhattan, NY 10012 (212) 475-3850 Visit Website