Financial District/Tribeca

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Ise Japanese Restaurant [56 Pine St. (bet. Pearl and William Sts.) 212-785-1600]
Of the three Ise restaurants in the city, I had the pleasure of eating at the downtown establishment (the other two are in Midtown). No need to mess around here, I recommend ordering sushi. All the sushi is freshly prepared, including numerous daily specials (these are pretty expensive, however). The more standard options are reasonably priced for an upscale sushi restaurant. I greatly enjoyed my Maguro Sushi, which offered me 3 pieces each of 3 different preparations of tuna sushi. You will have plenty of room if you go for dinner, but apparently the place is packed at lunch time, so beware.

Liberty View [21 South End Ave. 212-786-1888]
A solid downtown Chinese option with a separate menu of Chinese specialties. Lily says it's not the best, and she knows more than I do, but I would say that you will do pretty well here unless your parents own a Chinese restaurant. Besides you don't exactly have a lot of options in Battery Park City. And as a bonus you potentially get a great view of the Statue of Liberty. My favorite dish of the night was Sliced Duck with Scallions.

Nobu [105 Hudson St. (at Franklin St.) 212-219-0500]
Everything they say about how good the food is here is true. Dishes are small and not that expensive by themselves, but you have to order many of them to have a full dinner, so the bill certainly adds up by the end. Waiters are very knowledgeable about the menu and can help guide you in ordering, but I will recommend some dishes anyway. Try the Sashimi Salad, Rock Shrimp Tempura, Squid "Pasta" with Garlic Sauce, Chilean Sea Bass with Black Bean Sauce, Broiled Black Cod with Miso, and many others. The sushi is also top notch and not absurdly pricey. You might want to go for lunch if you are interested in getting a table here. Alternatively you can call far in advance for a reservation. Or visit Nobu, Next Door (which is literally next door) if you want a chance to get a table without waiting a month.