Riverpark

Unless you’re a security guard at the UN, you probably don’t spend much time on the East River between the East Village and Upper East Side. So you might not know about Riverpark, an upscale new American spot next to Bellevue Hospital at the east end of Kips Bay. It’s a good after-work Happy Hour option, when you can share buckets of beer outside in the connected beer garden, or take advantage of Happy Hour at the bar, which has the same views of Brooklyn and Queens thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows. Use Riverpark for those situations rather than a full dinner, as the formal dining room, which feels like a very high-end hotel lobby, is inside a sterile office building, and the food is just fine, especially considering prices.