lincoln center is one of those places that i seem to always find myself at at least once a season. in the fall, we have tickets to the meet the music series by the chamber muic society at beautifully newly renovated alice tully hall, in the winter we’re off to the see the big apple circus, spring might bring some great play at the beaumont theater, and then summer. well there is almost always a good reason to go there in the summer such as their amazing lincon center festival with phenomenal artists, theater and music and of course midsummer night swing. and the plaza is always a nice place to hang out, so i just hope that it keeps its essence as a public plaza after all the renovations are complete.

and although it is a great distination, i do always seem to have a hard time finding a place to eat nearby though the options are slowly getting better further up the west side. and as for shopping, well it’s pretty meager pickings unfortunately. so below, in my mini guide, i have highlighted a few places to eat that are pretty good and very close by. as for shopping, i mention a couple of women’s shops that are not worth going out of your way for, but if you’re nearby and have time to kill, these places would not be a bad place to do it.

food:

salumeria rosi: a small salumi shop for take out or take in with an extensive italian cured meat selection, as well as lots of cheeses and lots of veggie sides like the cipolline in agrodolce and the zuppa primavera (sounds so much better than vegetable soup). j went the other day and said everything was quite tasty, good service and intimate setting. 283 amsterdam avenue between 73rd and 74th streets, manhattan, new york, 212.877.4800.

shun lee cafe: definitely a good spot for the grandparents or anyone else super fussy (as long as they eat chinese). i like to come here to satisfy my dim sum cravings for things like har gau, rice noodle rolls with shrimp and turnip cakes. not exactly hong kong but i don’t have to go out to queens either. 43 west 65th street between amsterdam and central park west, manhattan, new york, 212.769.3888.

rosa mexicano: i would only recommend this now chain restuarant (it really didn’t used to be in the ’90s) for two things. the excellent traditional margaritas and the fabulous guacomole. everything else is overpriced and just not worth it. 61 columbus avenue at 62nd street, manhattan, new york, 212.977.7575.

shops:

the new york look: definitely on the high end, and maybe not the best service, but they almost always have an interesting and varied collection, and they do have very good sales. right across from lincoln center too. 2030 broadway between 70th and 69th streets, manhattan, new york, 212.362.8650.

wink: i have not been here, but the clothes look cute and casual and maybe on the younger side, and supposedly not too pricey either. 188 columbus avenue between 68th and 69th streets, manhattan, new york, 212.877.7727.

sean: one of my all time favorites for men, especially if they are tall and skinny and like their clothes with a bit of french style. also nicely affordable too. 224 columbus avenue near 70th street, manhattan, new york, 212.769.1489.

the next few months are prime picnic time in central park. with so many different events going on there all summer long - from shakespeare in the park to summer stage as well as the new york philharmonic(july 14th) and the metropolitan opera(july 13th at summer stage this year) concerts - i figured it was important to have a few ideas as to where to pick up some good eats from both the east and the west sides of town. in addition to those below, about.com did a nice listing of some other options as well.

before packing picnic provisions, however, you might want to consider the brand new public fare, danny meyer’s latest venture operating out of the delacorte theatre. while i only managed to taste the whoopie pie today (already stuffed from soft shell crabs at lunch), many of the other items looked good like the yellowfin tuna salad sandwich with lemon, olives and arugula on sullivan street panino, the chilled english pea soup with crème fraîche and chèvre and then the mixed berries with sour cream and brown sugar (real nostalgia food for me). some initial positive reviews have already come in for public fare from serious eatsand grub street. and as would be expected in a meyer joint, he doesn’t forget about those little service touches. public fare also offers complimentary dog biscuits and edamame snacks while paying for your feast. public fare, delacorte theater in central park, take path from entrance at 81st street and central park, manhattan, new york.

the west side:

levain bakery: while mostly on the dessert side of things (with their über famous chocolate chip and walnut cookie), levain bakery also has some crispy pizza slices (like olives with goat cheese, or artichoke hearts with gruyère) and a few sandwich options all affordably priced (except the cookie at $3.75) as well as a nice selection of breads. 167 west 74th street between amsterdam and columbus avenues, manhattan, new york, 212.874.6080.

salumeria rosi parmacotto: with an amazing selection of salumi including il parmacotto, porchetta toscana, speck di tirolo and prosciutto toscano grigliato as well as some fine cheeses, i think that you could put together a pretty nice spread, and then maybe go get a few chocolates from jacques torres next door to have a great, though a little unbalanced, meal. 283 amsterdam avenue between 73rd and 74th streets, manhattan, new york, 212.877.4800.

zabars: a little bit further from central park, zabars will have whatever you want to eat as well as a bunch of delicious prepared foods at decent prices. i am also a huge fan of their cheese selection. 2245 broadway at 80th street, manhattan, new york, 212.787.2000.

bouchon bakery: definitely the priciest option of this bunch, bouchon bakeryhas some lovely treats as well as some savory food items that would travel well. expect a line from this thomas keller shop. time warner center at 10 columbus circle, manhattan, new york, 212.823.9366.

the east side:

mitchell london foods:definitely on the super pricey side, but really very very good. i don’t think you’ll see the cruellers there this time of year but most of the food is fabulous. 22 east 65th street, between madison and 5th avenues, manhattan, new york, 212.737.2850.

yura & company: while i haven’t had their take out foods, it all looked excellent when i was there if also on the pricey side (i just don’t think it’s easy to find cheap on the east side, at least with any quality unfortunately). 1292 madison avenue at 92nd street, manhattan, new york, 212.860.8060.

e.a.t.: as i have mentioned before, e.a.t. has very high quality take out for sandwiches, salads and other great picnic fare and it will not be a cheap venture but at least the shop is very close to the park. 1064 madison avenue at 80th street, manhattan, new york, 212.772.0022.

although there are always many reasons to go to the metropolitan museum of art, including this walker evans exhibit, finding places to hang out near the met is always tough given that it is located in one of the wealthiest, buttoned up parts of town — not my usual choice for tooling around. however, since we used to live in the neighborhood and we do love going to the met (the roof garden is a favorite in the summertime) here are a few suggestions of both places i know and places i would like to check out.

food:

• e.a.t.: super pricey for a lunch/deli place but food is generally high quality and consistent, and the location is ideal. 1064 madison avenue at 80th street, manhattan, new york, 212.772.0022.
• café sabarsky: a must visit for authentic austrian pastries and the museum where it’s located is not too bad either. 1048 fifth avenue at 86th street, manhattan, new york, 212.288.0665.
• lady m confections: very lovely millê crepes, and an excellent spot for the ladies. 41 east 78th street near madison avenue, manhattan, new york, 212.452.2222.

shops

• the shop at cooper hewitt: great selection for good design, and the museum has a nice outdoor area too. 2 east 91st street near fifth avenue, manhattan, new york, 212.849.8355.
• e.a.t. gifts: right next door to the e.a.t. cafe above full of fun junk especially for the kiddies.
• blue tree: this lovely shop, owned by phoebe cates, has a great collection of stuff from the high to low end (porcelain dolls pictured up top). 1283 madison avenue at 91st street, manhattan, new york, 212.369.2583.
• the corner bookstore: another one of the excellent surviving independent bookstores in the city (its collection is pictured above). 1313 madison avenue at 93rd street, manhattan, new york, 212.831.3554.