My New York in a Weekend

Japanese: Jewel Bako
This is one of my favorite restaurants, and Jack Lamb is a passionate evangelist of great Japanese cuisine. After tasting the lobster sashimi, the raw octopus with yuzu, and a tuna plate that features seven different cuts from the same fish, you’ll know you are in the right place. The room—essentially a little wooden tube—is stylish and groovy, but I prefer the sushi bar. Don’t skip the lobster miso soup that is made with the lobster frame from your sashimi. 212-979-1012

Chinese: Congee Bowery House and Fuleen Seafood
I find myself going back again and again to the Congee Bowery House and Fuleen Seafood. At the CBH, I scarf down platters of spicy shredded pork with garlic sauce, jellyfish salad, and sautéed pea chutes with ginger and scallions. The geoduck clam dish is so clean and fresh it is worth the stop just for that plate. At Fuleen, the scallops with black bean sauce on steamed pillows of house-made tofu are without peer, and the steamed shrimp—plucked from the seafood tanks and whisked into the kitchen to order— are an incredible treat. BCH, 212-766-2828; Fuleen, 212-941-6888

The Serious Foodie: Artisanal and Picholine
Artisanal is one of my go-to bistros in town. It has a cheese café and its own affineur. But Terrance Brennan’s first restaurant—Picholine—is still one of the best in the city. Picholine offers everything from wild Scottish game to polenta with tuna, bacon, and truffled toast, as well as a mind-blowing olive oil–poached halibut. The room is gorgeous, service is top-notch, and Brennan is almost always there. Artisanal, 212-724-8585; Picholine, 212-724-8585

Indian: Dévi
This Indian restaurant recently received a makeover and change in ownership. Chefs-turned-owners Suvir Saran and Hemant Mathur are taking over day-to-day operations, assuring that Devi will continue its posh, modern take on regional Indian foods. Word is Methur will take on the kitchen, while Saran “searches the world” for new flavors. 212-691-1300

Italian: Babbo
Babbo is my favorite Italian restaurant in town—from the first taste of the mashed chicken livers to the last morsel of short-rib ravioli—Babbo and Mario Batali have not missed a beat in ten years. 212-777-0303

Midtown Lunch: Grand Central Oyster Bar
I love Grand Central Oyster Bar for lunches in Midtown. The restaurant knows what it is doing, it’s been around for almost a century. Its killer pan roasts and stews are made with choice shellfish ingredients. And lets not forget the atmosphere, as the restaurant sits in the heart of Grand Central Terminal. 212-490-6680

Andrew Zimmern is a Mpls.St.Paul Magazine contributing writer.