This is usually my suggestion, especially since it’s convenient to a musical-theater crawl, but is it too touristy/mainstream? It seems to have been knocked off via Buca di Beppo.
I once won a bet at Carmine’s that I could eat a whole entree myself. To be fair it was the ravioli so not as much mass as a noodly dish. You could hear my veggie friend’s heart break the day she heard that the garlic and oil pasta contains chicken broth. 
i’m not much of a drinker but I still value the fact that the Long Island Iced Teas come in something like a pint glass and are clear except for a tiny splash of cola at the top.
**The Shake Shack ** in Madison Square Park (Madison Ave & W 23rd St). It’s this stupid little hut in the corner of the park where people wait in a line 50 people deep for an hour to get these burgers and shakes. They’re really good though.
I really like **Spice Market ** in the Meatpacking District (9th ave & 13th). Blue Water Grill is good too (Union Square) but my relatives take me there everytime they visit so I’m kind of sick of it. Plus it’s kind of touristy since it was in an episode of Sex and the City. On the other hand it is definitively ‘New York’.
Patsy’s is around 10th and University I think. I like Lombardi’s better but there’s always a line.
Like fish? Le Bernardin
I’ve only been to the upper west side one between 90th and 91st on Broadway. It was packed, but I couldn’t get a read on how many were tourists. I guess we were, sort of, being from the east side. 
Also, the couple who set it up were from Vermont, so they were, too. They were regulars when they lived down here, though.
Just as good, but cheaper (if in a less frou-frou atmosphere) is De Robertis, just around the corner from Veniero’s. And it may not be the Kiev or the Second Avenue Deli, but Veselka (just down the street) is pretty darn good. Go for the mushroom soup and the varenniki.
Another vote for Grimaldi’s in Brooklyn.
If you want the most authentic Thai food outside of Thailand, take the 7 train to the Woodside section of Queens and you’ll be about three blocks from a great place called Sripraphai. When there during warm weather, make sure you ask to sit outside.
Eric Ripert is exactly the kind of chef I’m coming to New York to experience. Thanks!
And all right, all right, y’all have convinced me. I’ll go check out Grimaldi’s. 
Try WD-50 in Brooklyn. A chef friend of mine went there and loves it.
You won’t be disappointed. One of the best meals I’ve ever had - and I’m a food snob. 
Never tried De Robertis, I’ll have to give it a shot next time.
Veselka’s always been a good fallback… but I’ll always be telling myself “it just ain’t Kiev.”
Do places like the following require a jacket?
Tavern on the Green (the one in Central Park, right?)
Blue Water Grill
Union Square Cafe
Gramercy Tavern
Grand Central Oyster Bar
I can’t remember the last time I ate at a jacket required restaurant in New York. I’m sure some still exist, but I don’t believe any on your list require them. I think the requirement took a beating when many businesses (including investment banks and law firms, which make up a healthy portion of business lunches) went business casual back in 2002 or so.
Yes, Tavern on the Green is the one in Central Park.
After Grimaldi’s, you can walk a little farther down Old Fulton Street and pick up a cone at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Company.
Carmines is the sort of place you can go with a big group for family-style platters of decent Italian food at a reasonable price. I think you need a group of at least 8 to get a reservation. It isn’t the best Italian in the City, but it’s a fun place to go with a gang.
I’ve always found Veselka to be great, but keep in mind that I’ve mainly gone there at 3 a.m. tipsy at least. It’s the perfect place for post-drinking perogis.
And I was really upset when my office moved from just off Madison Square Park because it meant that I couldn’t get to the Shake Shack for lunch. The Shack Burger and fries are worth the usual wait. If you’re there in December, the lunch lines might even be relatively short.
Umm
Sardi’s?
If you get some time, check out The Bronx’s Little Italy. There’s some great food there. I can’t recommend Giovanni’s, on Arthur Avenue, enough. (There are a lot of other places called “Giovanni’s.” You want the one on Arthur Avenue, specifically.) The front of the restaurant sells the best pizza on planet Earth, and the back of the place has the best pasta e fagioli ever, ever, ever. (Oddly enough, if you order pizza in the more formal back part of the restaurant, it isn’t half as good as the luscious stuff sitting in the front. I don’t know why.) Oh, and hang out afterwards for a tiramisu and an espresso with sambuca.
Also on Arthur Avenue are two incredible bakeries. There’s the Palumbo Bakery, which has a sit-down cafe thing going on, too, and Madonia Brothers, which doesn’t have anywhere to sit and eat. Palumbo makes a great tiramisu; don’t miss the amaretti at Madonia Brothers. Buy a bag of the things from Madonia and munch on them as you’re heading back to Manhattan.
If you get some time to stop into the Arthur Avenue Retail Center, do it. Do it, do it, do it. You’ll get to-die-for meats, cheeses, fruits, herbs, and veggies. I know that the Retail Center isn’t really a restaurant, but no foodie visiting NY should go without a visit.
Thanks again, y’all. I certainly will not want for fine cuisine on my visit.
So, would anybody be interested in a foodie dopefest? Y’know, getting however-many people together some night and dropping $200 on Le Bernardin’s seafood tasting menu? These things are always better in groups, don’tcha know.
I’ve been to several churrascarias, but that one was the best! Go with a big appetite, and don’t fill up on the buffet!