Alto I discovered specialises in Northern-style Italian dishes in a New York genre. The restaurant was hard to find off the street as with so many things Milanese and about, it is understated. The signage by day may be legible but at night that’s not the case. So after overshooting, I found the visit to be very warming, lots of understated furnishings yet polished, as were the staff who give that NY “welcome” to make Australians relax.

The menu is laid out Italian style, antipasti, four pasta, one risotto and many quite special sounding main dishes (not called that-beef, poultry, fish etc) which would take several visits to really test run. Starting with an oxtail and sweetbread terrine gave way to a series of red tastings provided by Sommelier Eric Zillier, a kind and assisting chap.

Exploring the Italianesque wine side of the US led to the West Coast producer Palmina from Santa Barbara. The last bottle of straight Sangiovese was corked (what a horror when a decent Diam or screwcap would not have spoilt my expectations), settling for Palmina Alisos 2005 (AUD 61), a 75/25% sangiovese and merlot imitating Tuscany, 13.5%; yet the traditional grape dominated the blend anyway. This is really good sangiovese; dark cherry and barely ample French oak, berryfruit and savouriness, juicy yet the telltale sangiovese tannic chew mildly modified by merlot, really good impact and terrine compatibility (91). www.palminawines.com

With partridge breast/leg came a tasting glass of Palmina Lagrein 2007; dense colour, compact nose, cedar, and an equally tightly tannic palate with the usual lagrein high acidity and mint fruit (90). Following was Radio-Coteau Las Colinas Syrah 2005 from the Sonoma Coast (14.5%); poured brilliantly from a door stop bottle and gave the svelte tannin finish of cooler region shiraz. However with time the high oak use took over the wine-oily notes, a sign that a little oak goes a long way, and cooler region shiraz can be pretty finicky when you throw too much barrel at it. www.radiocoteau.com

The verdict for Alto; great polish, good Champagne blanc (Gimmonet), remarkable service, flavour integration between sauces and ingredients, il dente risotto, extensive top shelf Italian collection, 19/20; outstanding value, AUD 160 px, 11 East 53rd Street www.altorestaurant.com

Wow-this started out as a walk down the above-ground abandoned railway called High Line www.thehighline.org until I discovered the Chelsea Market; 75 Ninth Avenue & 15th Street-a very old building previously a real market which has undertaken a makeover. Being there at lunch time basically says this is a lunch venue as each specialty shop, as well as restaurants/food bars cater more for the dining trade than shopping for home. It’s a pretty small place; one fishmonger, one butcher, one kitchen shop-you get the drift.

The Lobster Place was unreal-it was all happening; lobsters and crab claws were being cooked; fish were being filleted and sushi rolled at great speed. There were five soups, electing for the Cajun crab and corn then a lobster and salad buckwheat wrap.

Next door is Chelsea Wine Vault where I went in pursuit of local drops to complement the produce from The Lobster Place for dinner. It took a while to focus the wine staff on my preferences because I had to be patient as I was up-sold on what was good and what was better. The choice came down to my need for an austere, dry riesling type to complement my Californian caviar.

The result was Hermann J Wiemer Riesling Dry 2007(AUD 25) from the Finger Lakes area, single vineyard wine made and bottled on site, 12%. Well the wine barely complemented the Paramount Paddlefish roe (AUD 23 for 28 g) www.paramountcaviar.com and yummy local wicked crab meat, due to sweetness. The wine had a great nose-cool climate, not very aromatic but more spice, pungent down the mace and lavender end, then good tight acidity, some chewiness therefore a little tannin, and mineral finishing tones.

I have to take issue with the sweetness because this in part has contributed to the demise of the German white wine industry over the past 30 years; and as this owner would have seen that trend having roots in the Mosel-would try to avoid the same pitfall. Recent German remakes of wines to be trocken (dry) and halbtrocken (half dry) to suit more food-sophisticated tastes have been successful; and alcohol levels risen from 7-8.5% to 10-11.5%, and even higher. The more worldy German producers are just letting their riesling ferment out dry; and not stop it or tickle it with additional sugars.

This riesling is carrying 15-18 g/L residual sugar which is too high for contemporary cuisine unless it’s hot or spicy. Or does it mean New Yorkers still drink sweet? Perhaps this label does not properly quantify the contents-dry should mean just that, and less than 2 g/L. I encourage Mt Wiemer’s comments. The cork was just a standard style-open to all types of cork-influenced moderation on the wine so expect some bottles to be duds. www.wiemer.com

Nearby is the Meatpacking district, fast booming as a specialty shopping area for designer gear, even tailors, and I saw a Puma Black shop as well. The revitalisation of old meat cold stores and wholesale butchery packing areas has now regenerated as a bourgeoning restaurant precinct. There is Pasties at 9 9th Avenue; a petite version of Balthazar with extensive outdoor dining (in good weather). Across Gansevoort Street at number 49 is Macelleria (an old butchery) serving a very treasured item called the espresso which was had with glee.

A walk along a high train track with the biodiverse regenerated New York trees and bushes provided some new tastes today.

Now here was a scary experience-and I should have known better when the reservations clerk reminded me to wear a coat, perhaps a tie as well. This soon turned out to be old style establishment dining, as I was led to the nominated table having to take imaginary ducks to avoid the collateral hanging from the ceiling (hard hats, model trucks, model planes and other kitsch big boys toys). Couples were led to be seated side-by-side to view the middle of the restaurant and the garish ceiling while pairs of gents were seated opposite. Curious seating plans here, crying out to be debunked.

Champagnes for starters were from a choice of Taittinger, Krug and Mumm (later found out to be Californian fizz and mis-represented as the real thing). The waiter threw my partner when he suggested “she can have anything she wants” when just the wine list would have sufficed but that was not forthcoming. Both settled for a glass of Taittinger (AUD 28.75).

Menus were quite an enjoyable read; ordering Vermont lamb and local veal T-bone (AUD 49.50); the orders were served in reverse cooking request (rare and medium) but as this was dinner pre Jersey Boys it was pointless returning these to the kitchen and arriving late for the show.

Glasses were two Californian cabernets -Ascot Vale 2005 (AUD 11.50) from Napa (14.2%) and Ridgeline 2005 (AUD 20.75) from the Alexander Valley part of Sonoma (14%). The blockbuster was the latter wine-a nose of layer upon layer of charred and smoky oak over very ripe fruit in the jam mould, then a huge palate of tannin and more than a trifle of extra oak barrel tannin to tip it over. Extremely full bodied aka Barossa and McLaren Vale styles made in the full-on category. The Ascot Vale had good power, as much tannin but a greater level of fineness which kept the fruit-extract in balance; good wine (90). No brett, no cork taint. www.ridgelinevineyards.com (wines out of date), don’t confuse with Ridgeline Australian in the Yarra which bears no relation.

The wine list finally arrived-it was a bible of all the blue chip brands, multiple vintages, from France, Germany, Italy, Spain (including Priorat) and even a suite of Grange at uncompromising prices. Our waiter who did not introduce himself, had worked at this address for 26 years, while others around the room, some of whom were tripping over, signalled that a reinvention phase for this place was long overdue. No restaurant score as the food sampling was restricted, average value, wines can be expensive but the glass suggestion quite modest with 20 wines. A full 20% tip was requested.

Saks is a place which can exhaust shoppers-so much so that a little sustenance re-invigorates the credit card. My amazement was the shop fitout for shoe sales-bit like an open plan wine bar with lots of plush. The Saks diner, cleverly badged as Sfa (Saks Fifth Avenue, not slang!) is on the 8th floor; swish, waiters in black shirts, ties and aprons serve salads, grills and burgers as you would need for retail therapy. The order was chicken salad and prawn salad; well plated and flavoury, though the caramelised walnuts were an unwanted ingredient.

Wines were two glasses: Bouchaine Napa-Carneros Chardonnay 2007 (AUD 17.25 glass, 69 bottle); straw, green, punchy nose of very ripe chardonnay and charry oak, the palate very chunky, oak quite dominant and drying, and charry, acid in harmony but a thumper style; 13.9%. www.bouchaine.comSecond glass was Raphel Estate Merlot 2006, North Fork Long Island NY (AUD 9.20 glass, 36.80 bottle) 12.5%; a muddy colour typical of many merlot which do not fully ripen or achieve colour and tannin maturity (the world is full of them). It’s nose had the telltale sweet and sour (ripe and unripe mix-hints of cassis muddled with green tomato bush); again quite a normal occurrence for cool climate merlot trying to get there. On the palate quite good, tight tannin but not much unripe, more herbal tannins, sweet on finish, oak in the background, fairly decent, would have preferred the hint of brett to not be present. Just acceptable for merlot, and showing similarities to Tasmanian-grown Bordeaux varieties. www.raphelwine.com

Across the road in the Rockefeller Plaza was the wine merchant Morrell. This operator clearly dealt in blue chip Bordeaux and Burgundy although I noticed Heathcote Estate Shiraz for sale. The staff told me everything was “really nice” and who is a Master of Wine to argue with such subjective knowledge-wine untasted. Chose Beckmen Vineyards Syrah 2007 (AUD 31) from Santa Barbara County south of SFO, Santa Ynez actually. What a terrific wine; value, colour, integration and total impression (92). This company specialises in Rhone varietals-this being a blend of 11 micro-vinified lots which made up a 1500 dozen vintage. Surprising for me the natural cork was fine as the wine turned out so good (ten per cent won’t and I am dumbfounded by the choice of cork). The wine was complete for such an early age, oak was un-obtrusive, flavours seamless and not alcohol hot; 14.8%. Will have to return to Morrell to find another as “nice”. www.beckmenvineyards.com