South City Grill   

A flashy exterior, as often as not, hides sub-par food. So right about when you emerge from under the glass-encased waterfall and into the shiny metal, glass, and stone interior of South City Grill, you begin to worry about this massive space. Its got a killer view of the Manhattan skyline and bright pastels evoking Miami Beach in the center of the brand new high-rise apartments clustered around Newport Pavonia. Did all the effort go into the design rather than the food? A beautiful waitress approaches -- this means trouble, you think. But, thankfully -- no. The menu's centerpiece is good seafood, prepared on a wood grill, with an eclectic blend of spices sprinkled liberally over mahi-mahi, swordfish, tuna mignon and jumbo shrimp. There's also steak and rack of lamb, and a wine list with lots of old-vintage bottles. This is the third South City Grill to attract plenty of applause and a devoted crowd of diners as well put together as the restaurant itself.