NYC Restaurants by TV Chefs

No doubt the only Michelin star restaurant with a swine-themed décor, co-owner Mario Batali and chef April Bloomfield's sophisticated gastropub is one of NYC's hottest … eateries. The menu leans toward Italian, but I guess a heavily wooden atmosphere and two cask-conditioned ales qualify the pub designation. [link]

Started by Top Chef Season One winner Harold Dieterle, this unpretentious West Village bistro serves simple, straightforward American food. The lights are dim, the … staff is friendly, and the overall vibe suggests a comfortable neighborhood eatery perfect for wasting away a Sunday evening while glugging wine. My only request: Bring back pastry chef Seth Caro and his outstanding cube-shaped lemon fennel doughnuts. [link]

Stow the tie in your man-purse and take advantage of Mario Batali's most casual scene. The bar at Otto is bustling with patrons sipping wine from oversized glasses, while … the rear dining room is far quieter and as close to family style as Mario gets. Start with a pasta, bruschetta, or inventive thin-crust pizza and finish with a scoop of slightly disgusting but strangely addictive olive oil gelato. (Photo) [link]

Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, and Cat Cora might be big shit in kitchen stadium America, but original Japanese Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto is the real deal. And his sleek, … zen-like eponymous restaurant behind Chelsea Market is one of the finest sushi spots in the city. Watch the man himself direct the open air sushi bar, or show up early and have a smoke with him out front. [link]

I know this place is way past its prime. And it's huge, and touristy, and the number three most requested reservation on Opentable (right after Tao, bleck!). But the … bottom line is that Bobby Flay can cook the hell out of upscale Southwest cuisine. And his goat cheese queso fundido is pretty much untouchable as far as appetizers go. [link]

At night, Babbo's pipsqueak little brother can induce serious claustrophobia as way too many people sweat and trip all over each other, most of whom don't actually care … about the food. But they should, because this rustic SoHo trattoria is classic Mario Batali at reasonable prices. Co-owner/chef Mark Ladner's Roman menu channels Mario's "don't waste any animal parts" mentality to perfection. [link]

I'm not sure how much time Anthony Bourdain actually spends in the Les Halles kitchen anymore now that he's busy traveling the world and pretending to be a Ramone or … something. But supposedly he's still the executive chef, and the food at Les Halles Park Ave is still authentic Parisian brassiere all the way. Though every time I hear the Travel Channel seriously refer to him as the "bad boy of cuisine," I have less and less desire to eat his food. [link]

No doubt GRL's rocky start had something to do with the kitchen staff getting used to being called useless shit-eating pig-fuckers every night. But Ramsay now has a new … chef-de-cuisine and a double nod from Michelin, and the French cuisine at his first New York venture is finally taking center stage in the aftermath of over-hypeage. [link]

[link]

Mario Batali's grandest NYC effort never managed to eke out that third Michelin star. But Big Red's adventuresome yet grounded Italian fare comes through in its most … impressive form to date. Plus orange clogs, lardo for breakfast, and playing air guitar to Neil Young's "Southern Man" beats the hell out of whatever Jean Gorges is doing this weekend. [link]

You can't go wrong with Tom Colicchio. Though his tenure as Top Chef judge has eclipsed his cooking abilities, whether it's his pioneering fresh Greenmarket philosophy … at Craft, slabs of Wagyu at Craftsteak, or precisely executed cocktails at Craftbar, Tom's food is always solid. [link]

This modern Italian eatery was started by Mario Batali's Iron Chef sous chef Anne Burrell -- you know, the slightly punky blonde. And while critically it hasn't quite … lived up to its red headed lineage, CV serves satisfying and hearty fare which, as the NYT's Frank Bruni pointed out, shows off Chef Burrell's knack for frying. The place also features an extensive "piccolini" menu, a tapas-like selection of "small things." [link]

Mario Batali chose Po and Babbo alum Andy Nusser to chef his first attempt at Spanish cuisine, and the result was an instant success. Both Casa Mono and its adjacent wine … bar Bar Jamon are tiny and buzzing with energy as diners enjoy a rich and meaty tapas menu including duck hearts, tripe, and cock's comb. Sit at the bar and dine "a la plancha," or "on the grill." [link]

Bobby Flay proves he can serve something that's not a massive slab of meat covered in ancho chili powder. The Iron Chef's tapas and contemporary Spanish cuisine are … intricate and more subtly flavored than his usual barrage of spice. But the best part comes at the end -- check my top three dessert tapas: mint-basil ice cream with blackberry salad, frozen ricotta vanilla yogurt with grapefruit Campari gelee, and the cantaloupe-port granita. [link]

The food at Bobby Flay's midtown outpost is impressive and goes well beyond his Southwestern obsession to represent the whole of regional American cuisine. The only … problem: loads of midtown toolbags. [link]

… ) [link]