Brendan Spiegel

The Ace Hotel, future home of No. 7 Sub

Not so long ago, hotel restaurants were known for being expensive, bland and indistinguishable from one another. But some of New York’s newest hotels plan to make that sentiment a distant memory this year. In addition to the upcoming full-scale opening of the mega-hyped Ma Peche at Chambers Hotel, here are five more hotel restaurants to watch for in 2010:

• Apparently not yet content that it has a lock on the title of Manhattan’s hippest budget stay, the Ace Hotel is trucking in a slice of the Brooklyn food scene, adding No. 7 Sub in early 2010. The eatery, a take-out-only branch of Fort Greene’s No. 7, will feature a selection of under-$10 sandwiches. 20 W. 29th St.
• Also this spring, the Smyth Hotel, the newest entry from uber-chic boutique chain Thompson Hotels, will add Jour et Nuit, a sleek restaurant-lounge  from Parisian restaurateur Frederick Lesort. 85 West Broadway.

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Kimberly Hotel

A few weeks back we looked into where you can enjoy an al fresco winter drink in New York, and it looks like the hotel gods must be reading Oyster, because this month we’ve got not one, but two brand new, all-season bars debuting at NYC hotels. Read More »

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Lemon Fennel Doughnuts at Perilla

[Flickr / roboppy]

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Manganaro's

[Flickr / Cevic]

Over the past few decades, the neighborhood immediately west of Times Square has been transformed from an area most New Yorkers avoided like the plague to one now flush with trendy condos, a happening nightlife scene, and a recent explosion of new hotels like Tudor Hotel New York, Ameritania Hotel, and GEM Hotel Midtown West. But the dining scene, while not short on options, can be a bit of an overwhelming blur, given the neighborhood’s new propensity for overpriced coffee shops, fusion eateries that seem to open and close weekly, and a greater concentration of generic Thai restaurants than anywhere this side of Bangkok. But locals will tell you Hell’s Kitchen is still home to some of New York’s best old-school eats. Read More »

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L'Ecole

[Flickr / roboppy]

Having grown accustomed to elaborate foodie feasts during the boom years, recession-era New Yorkers are always looking for a high-end restaurant discount. Some of the best deals can be found at restaurants attached to culinary academies, where you’ll get meals prepared by soon-to-be top chefs — complete with A-list ingredients, white tablecloths, and all the fancy trappings of a five-star restaurant — but at a fraction of the price because everyone from the kitchen crew to the waitstaff are still in school. These aren’t exactly bargain basement meals, but considering the quality of what you’re getting, they’re some of the best deals around. Read More »

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Hotel Gansevoort

One of the great pleasures in exploring New York‘s bar scene is finding those secret gardens and back patios that make summertime drinking infinitely more enjoyable. But a little chill in the air doesn’t necessarily mean it’s time for boozing hibernation — you just have to look a little harder. (Hint: start with hotels.) With the help of heaters, warm drinks and a little creativity, these six watering holes put a wintry spin on outdoor drinking.

Plunge: The dress code and door drama at the Hotel Gansevoort‘s rooftop bar can drive casual drinkers a little batty, but it’s hard to argue with the goods at this scene-y Meatpacking District spot, namely, the glass-surrounded, 365-day-a-year heated outdoor pool, with an adjacent, uncovered rooftop area as well. 18 9th Ave. Read More »

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