Every time I travel to New York, I marvel at how wonderful the restaurants there are. In my most recent trip there, even though we walked miles everyday, and I used the stairs rather than the elevator to go up to the 8^th floor of where we stayed, I still gained at least five pounds! How? Because we had incredible meals every night…and day.

Here are some of the restaurants that are my favorites:

Balthazar: SoHo. 80 Spring Street at Broadway. 212-965-1414.

A bustling French bistro that is the perfect respite on a SoHo shopping excursion. The Balthazar salad, although in the Appetizers section, is just delicious.

Chelsea Market: Meatpacking District. 75 9^th Ave. at 15^th. 212-243-6005.

There are lots of fun little take out restaurants here and a great stop along the way to one of the many shops that have made the Meatpacking District one of the best shopping destinations in Manhattan. I especially liked the soup place: Hale and Hearty Soups although they have them all over the city.

Girasole: Upper East Side. 151 E. 82^nd at Lexington. 212-772-6900.

They truly cater to locals, which is a double-edged sword – it either makes you feel In because you’re there or it makes you feel Out since you don’t know the names of the waiters and maitre d’. A friend recommended the restaurant so we felt In and were courted royally. The food is great and they give you a lot of extras along the way. We got bruschetta as an appetizer and cookies after our meal. They even offered me a cocktail afterward ‘on the house’.

Minetta Tavern: Greenwich Village. 113 MacDougal at Minetta Lane. 212-475-3850.

The recently-opened Minetta Tavern is the hot must-go-to clubby restaurant; it was very crowded. It’s owned by the same group as Balthazar and Pastis and a few other successful eateries, so they’ve got their formula down. Yet it didn’t feel formulaic and the staff was friendly. The burger is great (as are the French fries) and the prices were within reason.

The Modern at MOMA: Midtown. 9 W. 53^rd between Fifth and Sixth. 212-333-1220.

This was a fabulous experience. The food was outstanding, the service impeccable and the view of the sculpture garden was great. I didn’t even mind the gulp-able Price Fix tab.

If you don’t know someone who knows Graydon Carter at Vanity Fair don’t bother trying to get into this über-exclusive glorified Pub; so exclusive that their phone number is unlisted. But I did know someone who knew someone who knew someone in Graydon Carter’s office so I was In! The menu was all about refined comfort food.  The meal was good, but the people-watching the best.

Magnolia Bakery: West Village. 401 Bleecker St at 11^th; but they’ve got two other locations also.

I know this is blasphemous, but Magnolia Bakery is way overrated.  My daughter and her friend loved it because they were supposed to (!) but later confided that Kara’s Cupcakes and It Takes a Cake in San Francisco are both better than Magnolia.

Ouest: Upper West Side. 2315 Broadway at 84^th. 212-580-8700.

Not sure it’s worth a special trip unless you’re staying on the Upper West Side. But if you are this locals-joint is yummy, especially the lamb shank.

[Photo from Minetta Tavern]