There are several excellent choices depending on your taste, mood, and price range:

Cafe Fiorello is really good but a tad pricey. 1900 Broadway.

If you like Indian food Sapphire is good and very close. 1845 Broadway, (Btwn 60th & 61st St)

Picholine (35 West 64th Street) has gotten 2 stars from Michelin for 3 years in a row. Good French and Mediteranean food but somewhat expensive.

I’ll also throw out Lansky’s if you’re going for lunch. It’s an Classic Jewish Deli place with great food. May or may not work for you, of course. It’s quaint and has a good NY feel.
235 Columbus Avenue (between 70 & 71 St.)

Rosa Mexicana is awesome, but it might be tough getting a last minute reservation. Amber is good for Sushi. Pomodoro has solid Italian food.

Shun Lee West is good but may take too long. Try Shun Lee Cafe right next door for some good dim sum and faster service.

Santa Fe on 71st just east of Columbus has good food (and margaritas), is very reasonable for lunch and is only about a 5 minute walk from LC. It will also be very uncrowded.

Also, Cafe Luxembourg on 70th just West of Broadway is nice for lunch, though a bit nore expensive.

–The Arts of Pacific Asia show, which is the cornerstone now that a competing Asian art show at the Park Avenue Armory has been cancelled. 7 W. 34th St.

–Major shows at Sotheby’s and Chrisite’s, with auctions to follow.

– A 3-day show starting Sunday at the Ukranian Institute of the Japanese Art Dealer’s Association. Also free.

–I. M. Chait is holding a 2 shows and auctions, including 1 on Asian Art and on natural history with a fully reconsituted dinosaur skeleton and a fuly reconstructed young wooly mammoth. (Linked)

–Most of the Asian Art galleries in midtown will be open this weekend with major showings. Many are on 57th street between Madison and Park, including a big cluster in the Fuller Building, near Madison and some in buildings right across the street. One in the Fuller Building has one of the greatest collections of Oriental Rugs I have ever seen.

There is a shipping and handling fee (I don’t know how much) and I can’t find anything about expiration dates. If the restaurant goes out of business, you’re screwed.

I’d like to see a coupon / certificate for Double Crown but right now the best restaurant on there (at least to my knowledge) is Le Souk.

“The Armory Show and Armory Arts Week are great ways to experience New York City’s thriving arts scene while taking in the excitement and beauty of our Style & Scene hotels,” says George Fertitta, CEO of NYC & Company. “There has never been a better time to visit New York City and experience our City’s vibrancy while enjoying considerable value.”

The Style & Scene hotels participating in the promotion are Chambers Hotel, Dream New York, Le Parker Meridien New York, The Muse Hotel, SoHo Grand Hotel, The Time Hotel, Tribeca Grand Hotel, W New York, W New York The Court, W New York The Tuscany, W New York Times Square and W New York Union Square.

“New York City is a showcase for some of the world’s best theater, and Off Broadway is home to some of our city’s best talent,” said Fertitta. “I’m pleased that we have partnered with the Off-Broadway theater community to offer an added incentive for New Yorkers and visitors to take advantage of these shows while enjoying considerable cost savings. We also encourage the public to visit the restaurants in this promotion to take advantage of a complimentary Coca-Cola signature beverage while sampling some of our city’s great dining.”

Participating theaters are scattered throughout Manhattan, from Chelsea to Harlem, from Midtown to the Village. Long-running shows such as Altar Boyz and Blue Man Group join limited-engagement productions such as Uncle Vanya, starring Denis O’Hare and Maggie Gyllenhaal; Distracted, starring Cynthia Nixon; and The Third Story, starring Kathleen Turner.

Visitors and residents can get details about the new On the House program, including the participating shows and restaurants, and reserve their theater tickets by visiting the newly launched microsite nycgo.com/onthehouse. Reservations are currently open.

“Off Broadway is the place to go to see both the newest shows as well as the classics—it is an incubator for great writers, actors and plays that often go on to much wider distribution,” said Forbes. “On behalf of the more than thirty Off-Broadway shows involved in this program, we are pleased to be collaborating with NYC & Company to spotlight the unique talent of Off Broadway—from the actors to the designers and technicians.”

Founding partner Diet Coke is offering complimentary Coca-Cola beverages for theatergoers who take part in the promotion. To receive the free drinks, theatergoers must show their ticket stub and purchase a meal at one of 11 restaurants participating in the promotion throughout the City: B. Smith’s, Barbounia, Brick Lane Curry House, Chinatown Brasserie, Kellari Taverna, Lure Fishbar, Marseille, MoBay Uptown Restaurant, Peanut Butter & Co., Pigalle and Sylvia’s Restaurant.

Here’s the link.

Cafe Matisse in Rutherford: one of the best restaurants in NJ. Neither Italian or a steak house, but serves some of the most creative dishes around. It is pricey ($165 per couple) but well worth it! It is a ‘bring your own bottle’ also.

Park and Orchard: a nice place close to the stadium. Huge wine list (if that is your thing). Pretty eclectic.

Regina Margarita in Nutley: Great little Italian place, a BYOB. It is on Washington ave in Nutley just before you cross into Belleville. You won’t be disappointed. You will need reservation, however.

Terrific little Italian restaurant: Bazzarelli on Moonachie Road (the road that runs between the Izod Arena and Giants Stadium) about a 4 minute drive north from Giants Stadium on the left side of the street just before you reach the firehouse.

Some of the restaurant info can be found here.

You’ve got the famous John Lennon memorial, Strawberry Fields in Central Park. You can photograph the Imagine mosaic alone or wait for people to come light candles, play guitars, hold hands, and do their thing.

This article says to think of New York City as photography’s oyster. You wouldn’t want to come without a camera, would you?