Seen at B.E.S - a fashionable restaurant in Chelsea

This place at 22nd Street and 12th Avenue has at least three very special things going for it: the best hamburger I've ever had (it might have to do with all the truffle oil), many interesting art pieces, and a member of my gene pool tending the bar.

The building facade in the back lets you look into the kitchen.

Most of the art works in the bar, like this boozy chandelier, are for sale.

Jon Sarlin at your service.

A rare restaurant recommendation

For my birthday the whole family ate lunch at Del Posto, near the High Line. It was a perfect dining experience, beginning with the $30 prix fixe at a restaurant that easily runs $100 for dinner. Every bite was delicious, the service was friendly and charming, and the space itself was wonderfully operatic.

We walked off some of the excesses of lunch on the High Line, which is a totally successful addition to the New York park scene.  We sat in the amphitheatre near 16th Street and had a great time watching traffic zoom up 10th Avenue.

All in all, a terrific NYC birthday!