Wine & dine
Coffee pit stop TAYLOR ST. BARISTAS 33 East 40th Street; taylor-st.com
Located just a short walk from Bryant Park in Midtown, Taylor St. Baristas offers excellent Australian-style coffee. Take a seat upstairs for a Brekkie Sanga or grab a lamington with your perfect flat white for a quick taste of home.
Breakfast meeting NORMA’S 119 West 56th Street; normasnyc.com
The rumours are true; Norma’s does offer a lobster frittata garnished with Sevruga caviar for an eye-watering $US2000, daring you to “expense this” on its menu. But that’s where the gimmicks end. Located in the Parker New York building, this elegant restaurant has become a favourite for power breakfasts, with deals struck over award-winning potato pancakes. The servings are enormous, the service is impeccable and reservations are accepted, which means never having to waste time waiting for a table.
Dining alone BUVETTE GASTROTHÈQUE 42 Grove Street; ilovebuvette.com
Tucked away in the West Village, Buvette is the kind of neighbourhood joint that makes you immediately feel like a local. Bring your laptop or a book then find a seat in the snug dining room and order the best coq au vin in the city.
Business dinner THE MODERN 9 West 53rd Street; themodernnyc.com
The Modern strikes the perfect balance with a serious meal that is also deeply pleasurable. Housed, as its name suggests, in The Museum of Modern Art, the dining room is spacious enough that the tables possess their own bubbles of privacy,