We will be staying at the W near Lexington - looking for nearby restaurants - Italian, Spanish (tapas OR roast suckling pig!) and French. Not "the name" type of restaurants or super-pricey - we don't mind walking a bit. An example of what we like - Trattoria del Arte. Thanks!

I do not know of a New York restaurant that serves cochinillo on a regular basis let alone near your hotel. I also do not know tapas places near your hotel but here are some of our favorites-Xunta, Bar Carerra, Tia Pol. I have not been to La Boqueria but people have enjoyed it.

If you find a place that makes cochinillo, please post on the board.

Spanish/tapas
La Fonda del Sol in the Metlife building
Alcala on east 46th st.

French
Jubilee (specializes in mussels)
Deux Amis
La Grenouille for a SERIOUS splurge (this IS a name)

Italian
Mia Dona
Teodora

Cochinillo can be found at Asador de Aranda, oh wait! that's in Barcelona. Truly a menu item I have never found here in the US - I sure would like to not have to travel to Spain to get my fix!

Les Halles @ 411 Park Avenue South - Anthony Bourdin's French bistro
Giorgio's of Gramercy @ 27 East 21st Street - Italian - not sure if they still offer $15/bottle of wine on Sundays
Artisanal @ 2 Park Avenue (entrance is on 32nd Street) - French bistro/fromagerie

Actually, you can get roast suckling pig in NYC. It's served every Sunday at Crystal's in Woodside (a Filipino restaurant). And it's served at one of the Momofuku restaurants by special order (but you have to order the whole pig). I know these are Asian, not Spanish-style preparations, but they are similar enough, especially the Filipino, where they cut the meat right from the on the counter and sell it by the pound.

You can get Lechon at some Dominican restaurants uptown and at Old San Juan on 9th Ave., but it's not really the kind you'd find on a real spit ... still, it's pretty tasty if you go early enough in the day. But this isn't exactly the atmosphere the posters are looking for.

Midtown East is surrounded by steakhouses, so Spark's is one possibility a couple of blocks from that hotel, as is Smith & Wollensky.

If you want something Scandinavian, you could try Aquavit.

I'm also a fan of Artisanal, so that's always on my list. A block away is Wolfgang's, which serves a porterhouse in the same style as Peter Luger.

Spanish/tapas
La Fonda del Sol in the Metlife building
Alcala on east 46th st.

How are these places? I have never eaten there,

Oh Aduchamp - they have the roasted pig! Will you go and let me know how it is?

Thanks Doug.

We are a little tied up for the next few months, but I hope to get over to the one in Woodside. The one at Momofuku, must cost a fortune. I will file a report. A Chinese friend always steals a piece for me when she attends a banquet and it is served.

In Spain the chef demonstrates that he was made the roast suckling pig was made correctly, by taking a dinner plate and cutting the pig into huge pieces with the edge of the plate. Very dramatic.