Figuring out where to stay and what sights to see can be the easiest part of planning a trip.  Finding a great restaurant or cool, casual bar can be a bit trickier.  It strikes you when you least expect it, but when you’re hungry— you’re usually starving and can’t wait until you hop a subway, hail a cab or walk ten blocks to get to that “great Italian place that is on such and such street”.  My advice— coordinate these types of places on your phone with the neighborhood they are in, that way where ever you are— pull out the list and you’ll have a great place to go. Here’s our friend’s picks of the best of the best to fill you up.

Bars:

• The Back Room -- Prohibition Era themed with a living room and fireplace to keep you warm.  All the drinks are served in tea cups and beers in paper bags! This downtown joint has more of a lounge vibe.
• KGB Bar -- This bar is Russian themed that is dark and cool to hang out at.
• White Horse Tavern -- This bar in the Meat Packing District is a great place to catch the game and grab a cheap beer.  Highly recommended by our sports and beer fanatical friend, Jackson!

Brunch:

• Yuca Bar- All our friend Glenn kept saying was “amazing brunch, amazing brunch”!  With it’s large portions and a brunch prix fixe menu that includes coffee, entree and an adult beverage all for 14 bucks, it sounds pretty amazing to me too!  Glenn can’t stop raving about their Crab Cake Benedicts.  Right now they are also doing Sunday tacos, which this Mexican food addict loves!
• Essex - Three drinks with large and delicious meals during brunch make this a must-do. Recommend getting a reservation for larger parties, esp. on the weekends.
• Nolita House - Live Bluegrass band that kicks off at 11am with one free drink. Laura recommends the French Toast or the biscuits and gravy! They are on Twitter and tweet deals and specials going on every night.

Dinner:

• Paprika -- Great little Italian place that is very reasonably priced with a cool, cozy atmosphere.
• Joe’s Shanghai Restaurant - Dumplings in Chinatown, just a few streets off Canal, that are out of this world.

The NEW cupcake place:

• Baked by Melissa (529 Broadway, New York, New York 10012) -- The cupcake place with the TINY cupcakes sold out of a window. Glenn says it best with “it’s just really fun because it’s such a NYC thing to be selling something out of a closet sized space”.  Oh, and since they are bite sized, you can try a bunch of different flavors.

The New “IT” Dessert:

• The Doughnut Plant- We waited about ten minutes in a line of over twenty people to get our donuts, but they were well worth the wait.  The donuts are baked throughout the day and they have special flavors like creme brulee, blackout, pb&j and also old favorites like plain old glazed.  The best part was the super friendly staff.  At 3:30pm on a Sunday, they were cheery and happy and truly made the experience great.  Heads up: They only accept cash.

Enjoy!