Vaucluse at 100 E 63rd St
Vaucluse is fairly new in the New York City dining scene, having opened in the fall of 2015. A French restaurant from Chef Michael White, who is better known for Italian fare, boasts the added draw of a perfectly reimagined, two dining room space. The location used to house another restaurant on this list, Park Avenue Summer, but White changed the tone into something bright and classic. Plus, the private dining space is killer.
American Cut Midtown at 109 E 56th St
A Tribeca hit, American Cut, heads uptown. The Midtown dining room has been appropriately kicked up a notch for the power dining set. The furniture says classic Gotham, but look at the art on the walls and you'll notice a grittier touch.
Milos at 125 W 55th St
Milos is known for being out of reach for most at dinner time. At midday, though, the restaurant serves the lunch set with a reasonable prix fixe.
Which means you get to hang out in this epic dining room with all its natural light and high ceilings.
The Garden in The Four Seasons at 57 E 57th St
Not to be confused with our dearly departed Four Seasons Restaurant, The Garden at the Four Seasons Hotel is a quieter affair.
But the trees sure do add a nice touch.
A Voce, 10 Columbus Circle, 3rd Floor
There are many upscale New York City Italian experiences. Not all of them come with this view from the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle.
We should note that the lunch prix fixe is incredibly reasonable — just $35 for three courses. The restaurant also has some great private space in case you need to have a quiet meeting with a larger group.
Marea at 240 Central Park S
The crowd in Marea at lunch time is a who's who of Wall Street, media, business, and New York politics. The waiters are very conscious of this. The New York Times once reported that the restaurant tracks its customers down to who they can and cannot put in the same seating area — for example, rival investing legends Bill Ackman and Carl Icahn are, as a rule, seated apart.
Also there's Chef Michael White's famous fusilli with baby octopus and bone marrow, which has become one of New York City's classics.
Michael's at 24 W 55th St
Another place to see and be seen, Michael's used to cater mostly to the media set, but now you might catch anyone in NYC's power dining circle there.
Two years ago the NY Post reported that the restaurant might have a secret seating chart. According the story, media types (like, say, Oprah) like to sit in the front, whereas hedge fund and Wall Street types like to sit in the back.
The Clocktower at 5 Madison Ave
The Clocktower is another fairly new restaurant for the power lunch scene, and you may want to take advantage of that. Not only does the restaurant have a solid lunch prix fixe, but also turns into a super hot spot at night.
Get a reservation during the day and miss the evening mayhem, while enjoying the richly decorated dining room.
Jean Georges at 1 Central Park West
Jean Georges Vongerichten is an institution in this town, so it's only fitting that sitting in his namesake restaurant is something worth writing about.
The lunch menu there will cost you a cool $58. That's after two price hikes since 2014. It's up to you whether or not you think 3 Michellin stars are worth the price.
Park Avenue Summer at 360 Park Ave S
Despite leaving its home on the Upper East Side for Flatiron, Park Avenue has kept up with its concept.
The restaurant changes its decor and menu with the seasons, and it can get pretty epic in there. Of course, now the clientele is a little different. Flatiron is home to New York City's tech scene and just one bank — Credit Suisse.
The Hunt & Fish Club at 125 W 44th St
At dinner at The Hunt and Fish Club you may run into a reality TV taping (the Kardashians, Real Housewives etc.), a bunch of current and/or retired New York City athletes, or random celebrities like Paula Abdul or John Cena.
At lunch, though, you'll probably just see a bunch of Wall Streeters chowing down on steak. Try the popovers that come out fresh and hot at the start of your meal — or don't, because they're addictive.
Limani at 45 Rockefeller Plaza
This is the East Side's answer to Milos. Same fresh Greek fare, a similar pre-fix lunch menu, and more sky high ceilings and light everywhere.
Also like Milos, Limani caters to a Midtown lunch set that needs to get in and out fairly quickly, but still want an elegant vibe and attentive service.
The Sea Grill at Rockefeller Center
Watch the goings-on at Rockefeller Center from the safety of this subterranean restaurant, which was designed by Adam Tihany, one of the most iconic restaurant designers in NYC.
Tihany is world renowned, and has partnered with a bunch of the city's celebrity chefs through the years, including Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, Heston Blumenthal and Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
At Sea Grill, he created the best experience to watch the Rockefeller Skating Rink — one where you don't have to be outside at all.
Del Frisco's at 1221 Avenue of the Americas
Another Wall Street classic. Del Frisco's is one of those places where the bartenders will remember your name if you're there enough, it's one of those places with off-menu cake, it's one of those places where New York City athletes get standing ovations when they try to come in quietly through the back door.
It happened to Jeremy Lin once.
Gabriel Kreuther at 41 W 42nd St
Another 2015 addition to New York City's epic dining rooms, Gabriel Kreuther is named after its head chef, who formerly helmed The Modern at MOMA.
Located in Bryant Park, the space was designed Glen & Co. Architecture and got attention from the design world upon its open.