The oldest still-operating restaurant in New York City, still in the family of the original founders. At Christmastime, it's decorated to the nines. Go with a big group: portions are large and the wine flows liberally. Look for the little buttons on the walls: in the old days, the mafia would hang out in the back room, and if diners saw the cops come in, they'd press the buttons so the mafia guys could run out the back.

I love having Breakfast at Le Coucou - you'll find me here several times a week. Le Californien, OJ and Expresso! Dinner is very formal - but amazing if you dig the French high-end, but Pro tip: They have amazing drinks, so drop by and hang in the bar for a few drinks!

I remember when I saw Shadows, by Andy Warhol in that big room. I was sitting in a sofa, and felt asleep. When I woke up it felt incredible. When my friends come to visit me it's a place where I like to go all together.

I have old friends in San Francisco who grudgingly tell me that the High Line is everything that's wrong with New York. Well, too bad. To me, it embodies a culture that's constantly reinventing itself: a defunct elevated railway that was becoming a burden to the city ("we used to climb up there to throw garbage bags full of rotting Korean food at the Hasids!", noted a successful photographer's assistant) becoming a startling example of urban greening for the public good. The expert landscaping makes it feel like walking on a Montauk beach - but a stone's throw from some of New York's most progressive galleries and hotels.

An institution in Carroll Gardens that never lets you down. Don’t miss the prunes dessert or the wine bar, Franks, next door.