Midtown’s Hutong is distinct from many of the dim sum parlors that populate Chinatown and Sunset Park. For one, this Hong Kong-based chain is serving an impressive variety of dishes from Sichuan, Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong, each with a modern twist. The yu xiang crispy pork mochi dumplings, for example, are dyed jet black, and Eater senior critic Robert Sietsema heartily recommends the roast Peking duck, served in half or whole portions. The Art Deco space is grand and quiet, with a glamorous walk-through wine cellar that the restaurant has nicknamed its “champagne runway.”

One of New York City’s most esteemed Scandinavian restaurants has been hustling nonstop to stay open throughout the pandemic, offering lunch deals, picnic spreads, and holiday to-go kits to reach customers no matter where they are eating. The focus at this two-Michelin-starred spot is on local and sustainable ingredients, but chef Emma Bengtsson’s Arctic Bird’s Nest — a stunningly realistic-looking creation incorporating a honey nest, chocolate twigs, freeze-dried raspberries, brownie dirt, and shredded halvah — is worth the trip on its own. Though it’s possible to splurge with the $275 chef’s tasting, several price points are available, including a $155 prix fixe and an a la carte bar menu. (Note: The restaurant’s dining room is closed for a break until September 6. In the meantime, summery crayfish kits are available for takeout on the weekend.)

Excellent, sufficiently numbing and tingly tasting Sichuan food is the draw here. Highlights include Madame Song’s seafood noodles, poached rabbit, and crispy tofu with roast chile and cumin. It’s all served in a white-washed space that’s polished and trendy.

A truly iconic stalwart of French haute cuisine, La Grenouille is Manhattan’s last remaining place to sample the fanciest of midcentury Gallic fare. It opened in 1962, and has been serving dover sole, whitefish quenelles, lobster raviolis, and the laborious classical French ilk ever since.

This polished Italian place occupies the former Lever House, a power lunch den, inside the iconic midcentury modern Lever House building, built in 1951. It’s run by the same team as Sant Ambroeus, and both places serve chic Milanese fare. The menu is fancier at Casa Lever than Sant Ambroeus, and the walls here bear artwork by Damien Hirst for a particularly posh environment to eat bolognese, crudo, and vitello tonnato. On a nice day, have a leisurely lunch in the garden space.

Few New York restaurants have a menu as simple as that of Le Relais de Venise: Dinner consists of a walnut-topped salad in a mustard vinaigrette followed by a sliced steak frites with green sauce and fries for $32. Desserts are between $9 to $10.50 extra and include a choice of profiteroles, fromage blanc, sticky toffee pudding, ice creams, and other selections.

Food hall brand Urbanspace’s location on Lexington has several good stall options. Stop by for a quick meal of Italian heroes from Cappone’s, a cappuccino and an egg sandwich from Little Collins, or a selection of bao from Bao by Kaya. For those rushing through, the food hall recently debuted a slick new takeout and delivery system that makes it easy to order from multiple stalls at once.

This beloved Midtown West ramen joint expanded east in 2014, serving its signature chicken broth-based bowls. The building is a veritable slice of ramen-slurping paradise; above the east side outpost of Totto lies Hide-Chan Ramen. But it’s not a competition between two noodle-slinging spots. They’re actually both owned by the same man, Bobby Munekata. Both Totto Ramen and Hide-Chan serve up Sun Noodles, cooked al dente; Hide-Chan instead specializes in tonkotsu (pork bone-based) broth.

The iconic carnivore’s haunt, with its distinctive, impossible-to-miss green and white facade, is one of the city’s most consistent steakhouses. It’s been around since 1977, serving up great dry-aged cuts and a spiced Cajun ribeye. Though it’s expanded into a chain over the years, it’s still a quality choice for a great steak. The prime rib is also a stand-out.

This breezy Italian spot on Second Avenue is in a beautifully designed space that feels decidedly more stylish than most dining options in the area. The pretty, pastel and white-filled digs are similar to the restaurant’s Nomad outpost. Head here for a plate of pasta and Aperol spritz.

Excellent views, accompanied by fancy cocktails, are the main attractions at this swishy cocktail lounge, located in a space with rich history. Perched on the 26th floor of the Beekman Tower, the rooftop bar has sweeping views of the East River, with outside space as well as an enclosed patio area. Drinks like the Ophelia’s Ascension (bourbon and Jamaican pepper-infused mezcal) are accompanied by snacks like steak tartare or hamachi crudo. The digs were once frequented by Frank Sinatra, and, before that, served as a residence for young professional women formerly in sororities circa the 1920s, as evidenced by some historical ephemera encased in the bar’s surface. There are all sorts of eclectic antiques — such as stuffed peacocks — filling the high-ceilinged, navy-walled space with red banquettes, checkerboard floors, and massive windows.

The iconic seafood destination, which first opened in 1913 and is now re-opening on September 20 after a pandemic hiatus, is nestled under soaring, beautifully arched and tiled ceilings in a subterranean space inside Grand Central Terminal. The environs, complete with massive U-shaped counter seating perfect for dining solo, are so special that the restaurant nabbed the Design Icon Award at at the James Beard Awards in 2017. In addition to ordering up a platter of raw bivalves, don’t miss the epic oyster pan roast. All of the seafood goes down smoothly with a stiff martini.

Overlook — a sports bar often populated by Chicago Bears, Cubs, or Islanders fans when a game is on — serves a particularly great burger, plus tasty wings. The pleasantly divey space is covered with a surprising treasure trove of cartoons on a huge wall, and the place was dubbed “the Sistine Chapel of cartooning” by The New York Times. Check the website for a rotating cast of food and drink specials on weeknights.

This celebrated sushi spot is one of the city’s finest. Chef Naomichi Yasuda opened the place in 1999 and was known for creating a detail-oriented, quite traditional, and personalized sushi experience; he left in 2011, but his namesake restaurant has maintained the same level of quality since and, in fact, it now boasts a Michelin star.

The sedate Matsui in Murray Hill remains the city’s only Michelin-starred tempura spot. Accordingly, dinner is quite expensive at $160 or $220 for the omakase-only offerings of delicately fried fish, shellfish, fungi, and vegetables — along with sashimi and chawanmushi. Lunch, however, offers a lower starting price at $55, with both salmon roe ($18) and sea urchin ($25) options available.

The Pio Pio chain is one of the city’s most reliable spots for solid, affordable rotisserie chicken and assorted Peruvian fare. Key menu items include the spicy ceviche, empanadas de pollo, lomo saltado (filet mignon sauteed with soy sauce), arroz chaufa (Peruvian-style Chinese fried rice), and of course the succulent and tender chicken, paired with fries and a garlicky green sauce.