A warm, unpretentious Italian restaurant, the specialties here are wholesome, uncomplicated dishes at reasonable prices and as with many "family style" Italian restaurants enormous portions. Arte Café is located in a landmark brownstone in the upper west side, features a large outdoor garden with a water fountain. Just steps away from Central Park, Chef Camillo Bassani, presents pan-Italian cuisine with homemade pastas, fresh meats, fish, pizza from a brick-oven and sumptuous desserts. Private rooms are available for all events and budgets.

Dish price range: $10-$22

Monday through Friday:

Breakfast 7:00 am - 10:30 am
Lunch 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Dinner 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Saturday amd Sunday:

Breakfast 7:00 am - 10:30 am
Brunch 11:30 am - 2:00 pm
Saturday Dinner 6:00 pm -10:00 pm
Sunday Dinner 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

As Manhattan's favorite celebration destination, restaurant Asiate elevates guests' dining experiences to new heights with gracious service, inventive cuisine, an award-winning wine collection and stylish design that is only surpassed by the stunning floor-to-ceiling views of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline. Chef de Cuisine Brandon Kida artistically crafts his contemporary cuisine with international influences from his travels and his Asian-American background. The changing seasons showcased in Asiate's Central Park views are also reflected in Chef Kida's seasonal menu featuring dishes made with fresh, local ingredients brought together in a balance and harmony inherent in every aspect of Mandarin Oriental. Renown designer Tony Chi used Asiate's 35th floor Central Park views as his inspiration for the restaurant's design. The interior is crowned by a glittering tree-branch sculpture hanging from the ceiling that symbolize the trees of Central Park in winter and a dramatic wall of wine that houses over 1,300 bottles of the restaurant's collection.

Lunch dish price range: $16-$28
Lunch prix fixe: $24.08
Dinner prix fixe: $85

Click here to view the Dinner menu

Compass Restaurant features the freshest seafood on the Upper West Side prepared in a contemporary style, complemented by an award winning wine list and the best Lobster prices outside of Maine. Reserve a private room for your graduation party and you will receive a complimentary celebration cake and a half hour cocktail reception. Email dominique@compassrestaurant.com for room and menu information.

Prix-fixe three course dinner menu: $35
Dish price range: $22-$45

Tucked into a townhouse on a quiet, leafy street just steps from the American Museum of Natural History, Central Park and Lincoln Center, Dovetail offers an intimate dining experience showcasing chef/owner John Fraser's passion for local ingredients and classical European training. Shortly after Dovetail's fall 2007 opening, the restaurant earned three star reviews from the New York Times and New York magazine, and was recently included on both publications' top ten new restaurant lists for 2008. Dovetail is open for dinner nightly, lunch service Wednesday through Friday, and brunch on the weekends. On Sunday evenings, a $38 two-course Sunday Suppa is served.

Dish price range: $28-$36

Chefs Durga Prasad and Alexander Paul Xalxo deliver a superior selection of unusual and generously portioned offerings. In addition to entrée mainstays like vindaloo and tikka masala, they prepare a wonderfully fiery fish masala, featuring an intriguing sauce seasoned with fresh curry leaves, ginger, coconut and kokum (a sour medicinal fruit native to western India). Among the many esoteric vegetarian offerings is a complex chickpea dish made with ginger, green chilies, pomegranate seeds and dried mango.

Dish price range: $5-$25

Join Isabella's for a Mediterranean-inspired menu on the Upper West Side which is a destination synonymous with celebrities, neighborhood families, and friends. The restaurant has been hailed as an "Upper West Side institution" by neighborhood regulars and serious diners alike, and celebrates its 20th birthday this year! The outdoor café is extremely popular and great for people watching, especially for Sunday brunch.

Dish price range: $16.50-$28
Columbia Prix-Fixe Lunch: $24.07
Columbia Prix-Fixe Dinner: $35

Conveniently located across from the Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side, Ocean Grill's elegant 160-seat dining room is reminiscent of a luxury liner, with graceful details found both in the dining room and on the menu of fresh seafood offerings, daily Raw Bar selections and a creative sushi menu ensuring smooth sailing for guests.

Dish price range: $20-$30
Columbia Prix-Fixe Lunch: $24.07
Columbia Prix-Fixe Dinner: $35

Michael Lomonaco, formerly of ‘21' and Windows on the World, has been delivering the epitome of great American flavors and ingredients since opening Porter House New York in the fall of 2006. Joining the prestigious Restaurant Collection in the Time Warner Center, Porter House New York is Lomonaco's take on a traditional steakhouse: big succulent meats in tandem with a premium seafood program. Since its opening, Porter House New York has been named one of the "Best Restaurants of 2007" by John Mariani of Esquire Magazine. The 2008 Zagat Survey praises the restaurant for "meats perfectly prepared, sides that live up to the main event and attentive service without airs" and the 2008 Michelin Guide New York City sites the restaurant's "menu for raising the stakes for meat lovers taking the concept of a classic steakhouse and honing it with a modern edge."

Dish price range: $28-$46