New York City: Meatpacking District

Located on the Lower West Side of New York City, the Meatpacking District was once known as an area where several butchers sold their meat by day and various seedy individuals ran rampant by night. Nowadays, both the meatpacking industry and the criminal element have been run out of the neighborhood by a host of contemporary diners and restaurants featuring a broad range of fine cuisine. Six of the area's most popular eating establishments are included here.

Fressen, which is Yiddish for "eat heartily," is a smoke-free restaurant in the Meatpacking District which emphasizes healthy eating with its fiber-rich dishes, herbal beverages, and fresh organic produce and seafood. It is also well-known for its tasty desserts and wide selection of sakes and Riesling wines. Delectable French food and ultra-hip European atmospheres can be found at the Pastis and Florent restaurants, while the Rhone is the Meatpacking District's exclusive home to Rhone Valley wines as well as an establishment brimming with stylish scenery and art-world denizens.

The Markt, on the other hand, offers its customers mouth-watering Belgian cuisine, such as steamed mussels, lobster salads, and chocolate mousse and dame blanche desserts, and sports finely crafted wooden brasserie and an elegant 60-foot bar. Macelleria, which is Italian for "butcher shop," is one of the newest additions to the Meatpacking District's group of slick upscale restaurants where connoisseurs of fine dining and curious patrons alike can whet their palates.