Theodore Roosevelt Park is one of several New Taste beneficiaries.
Theodore Roosevelt Park is one of several New Taste of the Upper West Side beneficiaries.

How good are Upper West Side restaurants? Good, abundant, and public-spirited enough to support a three-evening annual food festival, New Taste of the Upper West Side, which opened with a soirée Wednesday night at the Museum of Natural History.

Run by the Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District, New Taste is also a fundraiser—the soirée donates its proceeds to Theodore Roosevelt Park and the three evenings support the BID’s sustainable landscaping of West Side streets, as well as Wellness in the Schools, Greenhouse Classroom, and CityMeals-on-Wheels. Participating restaurants and chefs donate their time, food, wine, cocktails, and beverages.

Here, we’ve highlighted of a few of our local restaurants and chefs participating in New Taste of the Upper West Side, starting at the BID’s southern boundary, Columbus Circle.

Time Warner Center

At the southern end of the Columbus Avenue BID, Time Warner has become a culinary center.
At the southern end of the Columbus Avenue BID, Time Warner has become a culinary center.

Despite the New York love of eating on the street, Time Warner’s restaurants (which it likes to call its Restaurant and Bar Collection) have become among the most popular in the city. Only two participate in New Taste, but they are two of the best: Landmarc (3rd floor) and Porter House New York (4th floor).

1. Landmarc

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Landmarc’s chef and owner, Marc Murphy, who is a judge on Food Network’s Chopped, will host Saturday’s Best of the West, guaranteeing amusing commentary as well as good food. Landmarc’s menu is French-tinged (Murphy has dual-citizenship with France) with a well-priced wine list and fun offerings like goat-cheese profiteroles, sweetbreads, roasted marrow bones, and adorable tiny ice cream cones for dessert. Landmarc is welcoming to everyone—from exhausted shoppers to little kids, who are nicely treated and given cotton candy as an entertainment.

Landmarc, 10 Columbus Circle, 3rd floor, 212-823-6123; 7:00 AM-2:00 AM daily