Chelsea (includes Meatpacking District)

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The Half King Bar & Restaurant [505 W. 23rd St. (at 10th Ave.) 212-462-4300]
Kick it with the gallery crowd for lunch at this pub/restaurant. The lunch special is a nice deal, as you get a salad, an entree, and a soda for around $10. I went with the quesadilla, which was tasty and filling, but I hear that the burgers are pretty good as well.

Intermezzo [202 Eighth Ave. (bet. 20th and 21st Sts.) 212-929-3433]
They say that they have the best Italian food in Chelsea. I'm not sure about that, but what they definitely do have is pretty good food at pretty good prices. When I was there, everyone ordered pasta and enjoyed it. I had the Pappardelle with wild boar, while the Rigatoni Alla Siciliana was another strong choice. On the whole, you should have an enjoyable meal here. Oh, and look out for the busboy who masterfully fills up water glasses exactly to the top. Give him his propers.

The Lobster Place [436 W. 16th St. (inside Chelsea Market) 212-255-5672]
I absolutely love this place. I used to go here for lunch at least twice a week when I worked at Chelsea Market. Offering the best of everything fishy, The Lobster Place serves excellent soup and sushi, along with extremely fresh and inexpensive fish. It is not a sit-down restaurant, but I wanted to include it because whenever you eat fish at home, you should order it from here. Check www.lobsterplace.com for ordering and delivery information.

Nooch [143 Eighth Ave. (at 17th St.) 212-691-8600]
You've gotta go to the bathroom here. No, seriously. But after that, you should probably eat here too and look around. The decor at this Singapore-based noodle bar chain is something else. As for the food, it is very affordable and it is also tasty. Despite being from Singapore, Nooch serves up traditional Thai favorites along with various Japanese noodle and sushi options. I would steer clear of the Edamame to start (not salty enough) and go with the Thai chicken drumsticks instead. This minced chicken on a piece of sugar cane may be greasy, but it gets the job done. For main courses, go with the noodles. I greatly enjoyed my Zaru Soba with Salmon Sashimi, and I feel that I might have equally enjoyed the Pad See Oui (luckily my friend ordered it with my advice). This place certainly stands out in a crowd of Eighth Avenue restaurants.