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Summer is the busiest time of year for us working mothers. We find ourselves making up for lost moments with our out-of-school kids while juggling a workload. People are vacating the city, but we’re still here, and New York becomes less frenetic and more accessible. So what better time to experience the city’s riches en famille and score that elusive reservation?

The tug of war with time makes it impossible to visit all the shows, shops, cultural outlets and restaurants (of which there are more than 20,000 in Manhattan alone). Which is why, for all you time-strapped city-bound Manhattanites, we set about creating a comprehensive Best Of Everything issue—an edited-down, must-read compilation of the top contenders (some recession-proof) in town. We hope you enjoy our selections as much as we enjoyed putting this together. 

CRISTINA GREEVEN CUOMO
EDITOR IN CHIEF

TOPS
Here are my 40-plus “best restaurant” picks in my own ’hood— the Upper West Side—for spending time with family.

Best Special Date-Night Restaurants:
Eighty One, Dovetail, Terrace in the Sky, and Per Se

Best Wine Bar:
Bar Boulud

Best Smoked Salmon:
Barney Greengrass

Best Sushi:
Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill and Nëo

Best Pre-Lincoln Center Dinner:
Café des Artistes and Picholine

Best Steak:
Café Luxembourg and Celeste

Best Family-Style Food:
Carmine’s

Best Southern Italian Cuisine (and Bar Scene):
’Cesca

Most Kid-Friendly:
City Diner and Alice’s Tea Cup

Best Views:
The Rooftop at The Empire Hotel (cityscape) and Boat Basin Café in Riverside Park (water)

Best Gourmet Margherita Pizza:
Café Fioriello (chocolate mousse is a standout, too)

Best Comfort Food (Kid-Friendly and Inexpensive):
Fred’s

Best Italian Home Delivery:
Gennaro

Best Brunch:
Good Enough to Eat

Best Prix-Fixe Lunch:
Jean-Georges

Best Vegetarian:
Josie’s

Best French Cuisine:
La Mirabelle

Best “Left Bank” Brasserie Atmosphere:
Nice Matin and Alouette, The West Branch

Best Communal Table (Breakfast and Lunch):
Le Pain Quotidien

Best Greek Cuisine:
Niko’s and Kefi

Best Raw Bar:
Ocean Grill

Best Pizza:
Patsy’s Pizzeria

Best Burgers:
P.J. Clarke’s at Lincoln Square

Best Guacamole and Margaritas:
Rosa Mexicano

Best Post-American Museum of Natural History Shakes and Burgers:
Shake Shack

Best Chinese:
Shun Lee (try the Grand Marnier shrimp)

Best Bagels:
Tal Bagels

Best Brunch with Out-Of-Town Guests:
Tavern on the Green

Best New American (and Wine List):
Telepan and Compass

Best Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt:
Emack & Bolio’s, Coldstone Creamery and Zabar’s Café

Best Pâtisserie:
Georgia’s Café-Bistro-Patisserie

Best Cookies:
Levain Bakery

Best Cupcakes:
Magnolia

ABOVE: With Jeff Klein, co-owner of Monkey Bar, winner of this issue’s Best New Trendy Restaurant. PHOTOGRAPH BY PERRIE WARDELL/PATRICKMCMULLAN.COM