Pic courtesy of Inside Park
One of Manhattan’s best outdoor eating spaces sits, oddly, right in the middle of Park Avenue’s corporate-suit corridor—if anyone there still has a job, that is. But the terrace at the confusingly named Euro-American restaurant Inside Park at St. Bart’s is undeniably appealing, not just because it’s outdoors but because it’s big—in a way outdoor spreads in this city rarely are. Still, when the sun shines, it’s tough to get a table outside. Luck into one and you’ll look up at the glorious sky, sideways at the beautiful old St. Bart’s church, and down at your plate, where chef Matthew Weingarten will have created something worthy of the setting: a grilled lamb sandwich with prune hyssop butter and a carrot salad, maybe, or a thin-crust pizza topped with white boquerones (anchovies) and garlic cream, or a choucroute of housemade charcuterie (bratwurst, bockwurst, frankfurters) and sauerkraut. When it rains, there’s a quiet indoor dining room; less charm, same great food.
Inside Park at St. Bart’s. 109 E. 50th St. at Park Ave.; (212) 593-3333.
Prices/Features: MOD, VGT, GRP (See Welcome to Salmaland for key to letter abbreviations.)