Union Square Cafe - View this location on map There's a reason why Union Square Café has become one of the city's most beloved dining spots, and a top destination for tourists. The restaurant treats its guests very well. It makes them feel welcome by catering to their every whim in an openhanded, Midwestern manner that disguises a disciplined, highly professional understanding of service that broke the mold in New York. It's not the food that's setting off the stampede, however. Union Square has not changed, but the world has changed around it. Michael Romano, the executive chef and part owner, does what he has always done, and done very well, which is to turn out jazzed-up bistro and trattoria fare with utter consistency. The signature fried calamari, a dull cliché elsewhere in town, deserve their star billing. Although there are several foreign accents heard on the menu, Italian dominates, especially in the pasta dishes, which put many Italian restaurants to shame. In general, Union Square has mastered the art of pleasing without challenging. The spice-braised lamb, one of the restaurant's recurring specials, strikes a mildly exotic Mediterranean-Indian note, but it is the equivalent of an ethnic crossover hit, just sweet enough to be mainstream. Desserts aim for an artful blend of homey and exotic, most memorably in the banana tart with a caramel shellac. 21 E. 16th St., New York, New York Restaurant

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