Your ultimate guide to restaurants

Hotel restaurants are frequently overhyped and overpriced, but SOUTHGATE Bar & Restaurant, located in the JW Marriott Essex House New York, provides not only delicious, solid fare but floor-to-ceiling views of Central Park from which to enjoy it. A shared plate of three New Brunswick Lobster Tacos ($26) is chock full of tail meat, but the bright mango pico de gallo and crunchy cilantro lime coleslaw are the stars of the show, injecting fresh flavor into what could be a tired dish (here, it certainly isn’t). A black winter truffle flatbread ($19) falls, well, flat, the melted Brie rendering it soggy—the topping of roasted baby kale is delightfully airy, though. The entrees are where SOUTHGATE truly shines. Braised Angus beef short ribs ($34), served with a smoked gouda mac and cheese, shaved brussels sprouts salad and a tamarind BBQ glaze, are tender as can be—no knife needed. The gouda shone in the mac and cheese, though the orecchiette used to collect the delicious sauce were a hair overcooked. Any fish lover would not be able to resist the roasted king salmon ($42), cooked to a perfect temperature with its skin shatteringly crisp. Accompanied by a silky Maine Jonah crab risotto, jumbo green asparagus and a blood orange broth, it’s a dish that guests at the table fight over.  Also, a note must be made of the striking earthenware bowls—they make each dish look even more special when presented. Service, as one would hope in a hotel, is fully hospitable without being suffoca