EMPIRE STATE STATUS UPDATE

These sights will make you feel brand new, writes Chris Dwyer, exploring new NY highlights and exemplary resurrections from Uptown to Brooklyn.

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Despite some significant Americans doing their utmost to deter visitors from heading Stateside, parts of the land of the free more than merit their place in the pantheon of immeasurably great destinations.

Yes, that means you, NYC. The city so good it spawned a thousand clichés loves nothing more than to reinvent itself and surprise visitors, ensuring that there's always something new to get your teeth into, physically or figuratively.

A recent sortie reminded just why we love it so much and served up a raft of ultra-stylish new reasons to keep us coming back for more.

Café Carmellini

New York restaurants come and go with alarming speed but a recent opening sure to last is Café Carmellini at another stylish retreat, The Fifth Avenue Hotel. The signature spot from Chef Andrew Carmellini, a James Beard Award winner, is seriously sexy thanks to high ceilings, abundant greenery and interiors channelling the Gilded Age, aptly reflecting the former mansion's storied history. After an impeccable crudo of bluefin tuna and a beguiling salad of endive and fava beans, the epic Chicken Gran Sasso - serving two hopefully hungry diners - is a masterpiece.

First, breast meat is decked in sweet peppers and broccoli-esque rapini, then the legs and thighs arrive with knockout roasties, guanciale, balsamic onions and a gravy possibly poured straight from heaven. Stick around for cheeky digestifs in their Portrait Bar next door. cafecarmellini.com