The Few, the Fave Restaurants in NYC

You are never supposed to tell another New Yorker about a great restaurant. Well, you can, but you run the risk of the place being overrun and suddenly your favorite table is always unavailable. But hey, it is tough to find a good nosh spot in this vast city, so I thought I'd jot a few down here (at the risk of ticking off my friends who recommended them. Sorry!) Would love to hear your top restaurant picks, especially on the Lower East Side or Midtown. Here are a few of my favorites:

Soho:
Balthazar: 80 Spring St. 212-965-1212 (French. Amazing escargot.)

West Village:
Alta: 64 W. 10th St. 212-505-7777 (Tapas. Great atmosphere.)
Cafe Asean: 117 W. 10th 212-633-0348 (casual but hip pan-Asian, with beautiful, romantic garden in the back.)

Upper West Side
Isabella's: 659 Columbus Ave. (At 77th) 212-724-2100 (American food. Iconic restaurant.)
Mermaid Inn: 658 Amsterdam Ave. (At 87/88th) 212-799-7400 (hip and happening seafood.)
Blossom: 466 Columbus Ave. (At 82nd/83rd) 212-875-2600 (great vegetarian. Also a location in the Village.)
Josephina's: 1900 Broadway (btw 63/64th) 212-799-1000 (American. Great spot near Lincoln Center.)

East Village
Banjara: 97 First Ave. (at E. 6th St.) 212-477-5956 (Indian food galare.)

Live Hard with LVHRD

Cool stuff begets cool stuff. At Lucid NYC the other night, I saw a presentation by the viral buzz genius behind thehappycorp. He is also involved in an inspired event series LVHRD.

There is a similar premise to Lucid NYC - bring together like minded people in a way that is mind expanding, not numbing. The next happening is Monday, Nov. 24 at 8pm, something to do with on-the-spot fashion design out of material yet-to-be-determined. The event is in the mecca of hip, Williamsburg, at a mystery location. Get more info here.

Awaken Your Social Self with Lucid NYC

There are enough social things to do on a Thursday nite in NYC to make your head spin. Most are fun, frivolous, fancy. But if you are searching for a night out that mixes the whirl of massive mingling with a drop of social enlightenment, then come to a Lucid NYC event.

Lucid NYC is a new social experiment. The model is simple - throw a party in a chic Manhattan loft space and let a few presenters onstage to gab briefly about how they are changing the world. People interface on what they have heard and are inspired to also change the world. Not too ambitious now, is it?

Luckily, Lucid NYC exists totally without pretension and holier-than-thou preachiness. Every event I've attended has an overstock of humor. Presentations have covered every topic from ending world hunger (The Hunger Project) to the world's worst automobile race (The Mongol Rally). I've learned about Freegans as well as a recent corporate innovation exercise at an NPR station. Attendees are of the hip, arty, whipsmart and enlightened variety. Let's just say its a good time.

So hope to see you at the next event, which is scheduled for November 20. Check Lucid NYC's website for more details.

NYC Voting on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008

This election will mark my first time voting in NYC. I'm registered and ready. Polling places are open from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm. Here is a great link from the NYC Board of Elections with details, and you can click here to find your polling site.

Have a wonderful, history making day.