Father’s day isn’t something everyone celebrates. But none the less, we feel it’s a great way to make your dad feel a little special, perhaps by buying him a gift or taking him out of the evening – or the whole day. In this post, we’ll explore some of the tasty restaurant worth enjoying on the 19th June in New York City. There are innumerable (yummy) ways to spoil your dad on this day. 

1) Brasserie 8 ½ - $$$ French

Nestled in Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s celebrated "Bellbottom" building on West 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan, Brasserie 8½ offers notable "nouvelle" French cuisine in a super-plush atmosphere. Accessed by a spectacular sweeping staircase, the restaurant is accented by original works by Henri Matisse and a one-of-a-kind glass sculpture by Fernand Leger.

Tucked away in a corner of the West Village, Bar Bolonat dishes out modern Israeli-Middle Eastern fare on a seasonally inspired menu, along with creative cocktails and sangria selections. Sharing is encouraged with small plates and main dishes that showcase the bold flavors and locally harvested ingredients favored by Chef Einat Admony. The dark, stylish space features banquette seating and a bar in the center.

Old-fashioned Italian cooking in a brick-walled setting run by the same family since 1955.  Fresh fish is complemented with white wine, mushrooms, and Dijon mustard, as in the salmone alla caprese, or white wine and lemon on the lightly breaded sole. Porcini ravioli is served in a pink sauce that doesn’t overpower pungent mushrooms. Heartier appetites are served by lamb chops, beef brochettes, and veal. The restaurant’s 1955 origins can be seen in the dated, black metalwork inside, although a 2001 restoration spiffed up the space. Arched walls framing Romanesque friezes are matched by vaulted ceilings thick with stucco for an overall effect reminiscent of a villa. In temperate weather, the enclosed sidewalk café opens up to Third Avenue.

3) Ear Inn - $$ American / Irish

The Ear Inn is NYC's oldest bar continuously serving alcohol since 1817 and is on the national registrar of historic buildings, the Ear Inn is neither fossil nor throwback. For its lunch crowd of Teamsters and paper-reading regulars, the Ear's Billie Holiday tapes, earnest no cell-phone reminders and dusty tchotchkes represent the way things are as much as the way things were. Nights and especially weekends, UPS uniforms are replaced by Gap and Dockers worn by twenty- and thirtysomethings particular enough to recognize a thinking drinking man's tavern when they see one. Food is cheap, hearty and swiftly served by waitresses who'll patiently put up with your requests for a pint of Thomas Cloake's Fidelio beer (an extinct ale still advertised on the walls of this, its former brewery). — Bruce Bennett