David Burke Kitchen is the latest venture at the James Hotel, which already boasts a fashionable rooftop space with Jimmy. Styled after the surrounding SoHo neighborhood, the new space blends cool, industrial simplicity with something a little more rustic; there’s a lot of wood and photos of farmers on the walls, giving the place an almost barn-like…

Located in the basement near the Kaufman Astoria Studios, the Astor Room once belonged to Paramount Pictures and was in its day a haunt of film stars; now it’s one of the outposts of exemplary cocktail-making in Queens. The drinks list harks back to the early half of the twentieth century (we like the New Yorker, bourbon, lemon juice and a splash of…

Named for the iconic, narrow-brimmed hat (which in turn was named for the novel by George DuMaurier) The Trilby at the Cooper Square Hotel is part snazzy hotel lounge, part welcoming neighbourhood bar. The décor is plush but comfortable, earth-toned and warm, with elegant sofas and striking artwork on the walls…

Michael White’s Ai Fiori in the Setai Hotel on Fifth Avenue has been showered with accolades, all of them deserved. White’s Italian cuisine is a thing of beauty and evident skill, true, but that’s not all Ai Fiori has going for it, not with famed cocktail creator (that’s the term he prefers) Eben Freeman, formerly of Tailor, behind the drinks list…

A beacon amid the bustle of Times Square, the Rum House at the Edison Hotel is now under new ownership. The bar, a fixture of the theatre district, is not the same place as it was. Now by the same team as Tribeca’s Ward III, this is cut above the usual hotel bar, appealing to a wider crowd than you might expect…

Named for the Long Island surfers’ playground, Ditch Plains is the place to get your lobster roll and Bloody Mary fix on the Upper west Side. Behind its anonymous grey exterior, it’s a sleek, minimal space, lots of dark wood and burnished metal. The food and drink steal the show…

The Pearl Room is based on the second floor of the ridiculously swanky Setai on Broad Street. An exclusive hideaway for those immune to the economic downturn, Shaun Hergatt’s cocktail and wine lounge is subtle and sleek, expensive without shouting about it…