The Joy Of Midtown Meals

 Ask New Yorkers where to eat in Manhattan, they'll either say downtown or uptown. True, Harlem , Soho and Tribeca do have their share of good eateries yet there is one area they're forgetting. Midtown. The center of the city actually has some interesting and diverse places to eat.

Regular Critic's Notebook writer, Pete Wells wrote about this  sometimes forgotten, sometimes scoffed at section of Manhattan for today's New York Times Food section. He writes that tourists know that that midtown has some gems hidden  among the grind and the glamour. The Thirties , Forties and Fifties were really the heyday for these blocks when Soho was  known for Beatniks and Tribeca was known for warehouses. There is one midtown eatery that is classic, Patsy's so beloved by Frank Sinatra and vice versa that the restaurant gave him his own entrance.It is expensive but it does have some of the best Southern Italian cooking. The dishes are made the way the restaurant opened in 1944, fresh and homemade without the short cuts and watering down that many Southern Italian restaurants have done since then.Mr. Wells also likes Pietro's on East 45th street. The following goes through the generations. There is even a wall with the height markings of regulars' kids. The chief dish is shells a la Nat,a gratineed pasta in bone marrow sauce.

Of course the most ubiquitous Midtown restaurant is the steakhouse and there are several. The most famous are the Germanic influenced Wolfgang's and Smith &  Wollensky's. Wolfgang's was opened by Peter Luger's top waiter Wolfgang Zweiner, and has locations all over the world.It is expensive with aged cuts of beef at astonishingly high prices. Smith & Wollensky's is no different. The chops are astronomically high in price as are the sides. A less expensive alternative is Wollensky's Grill which has indoor and outdoor dining.The cuts are good here as is the chicken and seafood.Japanese food has always been a Midtown staple.Aburiya Kinosuke is so exclusive it doesn't even publish its' menu on line. Nippon which has been around since 1963 and have a range of different  dishes from classic teriyaki to the more recent udon noodle. Other Japanese restaurants include Hide-Chan, Katsu-Hana . For a taste of curry and heat try  Kosher Bukhara.There's also the chain Benihana which has such tourist faves as hibachi chicken and teriyaki steak grilled at a communal table. French restaurants used to be a staple of the area. Not anymore. There is Le Bonne Soupe which will satisfy any Francophile with their confits and bouef Bourguignon. Many tourists head to the Grand Central Oyster Bar and Restaurant at Grand Central Terminal. Mr. wells suggests a stew  or pan roast, the perfect marriage of butter , clam juice and seafood.

Midtown Manhattan should be a dining destinations for locals as well as tourists. There are several good and classic eateries that will satisfy any craving. They 're not corny, more elegant like the city itself.